We really do have a British cottage–it just lives on a lake in Maine. The outdoor recreation there is fabulous but every so often you just have to put the paddle down. Fortunately our next favorite thing is interior design so we are always tweaking the decor. And now, at the end of our fourth season, it is really coming together.
Crammed or cozy–it is a fine line. But painting the walls and ceilings a luscious BM Dove White makes the rooms seem twice as big and almost airy. Large windows and a super simple color scheme keeps your eyes on the view, which is right where it belongs. Like living on a boat, it all works because there is a place for everything. Instead of a console table there is bookcase (from our factory) behind the couch. The vintage black velvet armchairs add some zip to the room without taking up too much floor space leaving room for an overstuffed slipcovered couch that is perfect for schmoozing–or snoozing. And we just had to squeeze in a spool chair for balance. 
We knew we wanted a large, rustic dining table so we could play games, do puzzles, and fold wash there, as well as dine elegantly. This one works because the wrought iron base, while decorative, is minimal, making it seem a lot smaller than it really is. Upholstered chairs might seem an odd choice for cottage living, but I figured if we had a crowd they could do double duty as extra occasional seating.
The kitchen was made by the factory in Hungary that makes all of our bespoke furniture. It is plain and simple and that is the way we wanted to roll. Dining is important to us, especially when on holiday, but nobody wants to spend time cleaning and fussing. The two inch thick oak counter tops and painted cabinets are basically spray and wipe which works for me! The lack of upper cabinets and shelves makes the space feel more open and the fact that everything is put away always makes it look tidy.
We had just enough room to squeak in an island and a pine pantry cupboard–also from the British Cottage oeuvre. It is nice to have the extra storage and seating, and space to put things away. Clutter is the enemy of tight quarters!
The master bedroom is down below the main floor in space that was probably carved out of the basement. It was paneled in floor to ceiling knotty pine, and it felt like you were living in a man cave from the 1980’s. Once again BM’s White Dove came to the rescue.
A king sized British Cottage bed, flanked by brass sconces from Currey and Co along with an antique chandelier make for a cozy, light-filled retreat, which is all I want when I am on holiday. 
The other furniture in the room is a large antique pine chest of drawers from Hungary–which is big enough to share–and a toile slipcovered armchair that came from Domain twenty years ago. It is the perfect spot to repair to when the gang is in town.
They reside in the loft on the third floor where we have squeezed in a queen bed, a day bed and a regular twin.
The queen is a British Cottage reject–we were fooling around with changing the headboard shape and it did not come out right. But all was not lost because it fits perfectly into this alcove with just enough space left for an antique pine nightstand. We have been selling versions of this for over thirty years and they never fail to deliver.
Our British Cottage twin pine bed with the squared off headboard is tucked away to one side. It makes a fine little nesting place for our six year old grandson.
The metal day bed is for his little brother.
And there is still room for a little office space for me. Some people don’t like to work on vacation but having the internet available 24/7 makes it possible for us to get away as often as we do.
Naturally when in Maine you want to be outside. But sometimes the rain falls, or the snow drops or the fog rolls in. Then it is nice to have places to curl up with a good book, sip a cup of strong, sweet tea, or cuddle a small child. And that is what this cottage living is all about–making time for family, for reading, or even–heaven forbid–a nap!
But soon, always, it is time for dinner.
Mussels Marinara
This recipe is for two. Buy one sack of the freshest mussels you can find. Then make a marinara sauce–do not use jarred or canned sauce. If you can buy a prepared sauce, you can make marinara sauce.
Chop up an onion and toss in a saute pan with a glug of olive oil. Then put in three (or more) cloves of garlic–dice as desired. Saute until the onion is translucent and add a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes. You can chop these up before you put them in a pan but I think that makes a mess so I mostly just squish them with my fingers quickly in the saute pan–before they heat up too much.
If I remember I like to add some grated carrot–you really can’t taste it but I think it adds a bit of texture and extra nutrition to the dish. Red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, basil–all or none of the above can go in your sauce. Keep smooshing the tomatoes; I don’t mind if they are a bit lumpy. I might add half a can of tomato paste now also because I want a fairly thick sauce to hang on the mussels. (And I can thin it out later with the liquid left over from steaming my mussels.)
And that is where I differ from many recipes for Mussels Marinara. I don’t like to cook my mussels in my tomato sauce–instead I steam them in a separate pan in a half cup of white wine, a crushed garlic clove, and a knob of butter. They only need to cook a couple of minutes until the mussels open up. Strain your mussels, reserving the leftover liquid, and add them to your marinara sauce.
Serve over a warm bowl of hot linquine and garnish with chopped parsley and serve. I like to add lots of freshly grated parmesan to my portion–but that is clearly a matter of taste–some say you should never sully seafood with cheese. Either way enjoy!
I never really liked the painting. It always seemed creepy and sad but when you summer in coastal Maine it is hard to avoid the legendary Wyeth and I am bedazzled by many of his other works. At least once a year I make a pilgrimage to The Farnsworth Museum in Rockland to soak up some Wyeth-ness and this year, for a few extra dollars purchased a ticket to visit The Olson House in nearby Cushing.
If you get a chance, go. And go soon because it is only a matter of time before the house is cleaned up, and the public partitioned off. Right now every room is accessible and virtually untouched from the days the Olsons lived there. You can see the rooms as Andrew Wyeth saw them and know how terrible, and how wonderful Christina’s world must have been.
It was really good, but if you can’t get to Maine anytime soon don’t fret, my recipe may just be better.
A hundred years ago Sea Bright was just a small fishing village nestled on the sand spit separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Shrewsbury River. The humbleness of the town was in direct contrast to the grandeur of the large vacation homes surrounding it. Mainly owned by wealthy New Yorkers, they employed architects, like the renowned Stanford White, to design intricate, multi-storied shingle style houses so they could enjoy the Jersey Shore’s ample sunshine and refreshing sea breezes in comfort.
This beautiful building is a survivor–no mean feat considering it sits barely above sea level a stone’s throw from the river. Nor’easters, and of course hurricanes are a constant threat–the latest was Sandy in 2012.
While the side yard is a parking lot–this is a working marina after all–
there is a large front lawn that ends where the river starts. Flanked by daylilies and hydrangeas, and a huge border of what looks to be ornamentals, but is, in reality, a massive vegetable garden, it is the perfect spot for plunking down with a book on a sunny day–or to have a party!
Their experienced floral designers always make sure we have gorgeous flower arrangements on all the tables (we always do a sit-down dinner). And they also schlep over these huge palms that we use to decorate the inside of the tent.
Somehow it all comes together. It doesn’t hurt that one of the owners of the fabulous 
This year he served a grilled salmon that belied any thought of the Salmon Fatigue Syndrome I have been suffering lately.
When a customer from North Jersey called last week to check on the status of her classic farm table from our factory in Hungary–meant to arrive in May but now coming in June, sadly–she told us the same table she was waiting for was featured in a Rumson home in this month’s HGTV Magazine!
And sure enough, there was our British Cottage table! But it didn’t start out with this Rumson family. About 15 years ago a couple from Spring Lake had had it with the traditional layout of their perfectly located home. He cooked, she loved to entertain, the sequestered formal dining room and barely adequate kitchen were not working for their lifestyle. So they blew out the back of the house, and the wall separating the dining room and the kitchen and made a fabulous room overlooking their fabulous garden. They added new cabinets and state of the art appliances then anchored the whole shebang with a custom British Cottage farm table.
Basically, we have been on the road all spring, finding inspiration and beauty everywhere we go. Nothing, however, tops young Charlotte here. Our newest grandchild, and look, at just seven months, already a lady who does lunch!
We started out in April in North Carolina at the 
We did not buy the rug (only because it was not for sale), but we did buy this fabulous ecru velvet Chesterfield sofa along with the two coordinating armchairs. Classic, elegant, vintage, but with a smattering of modernity, that is our British Cottage story.
Looking at this vignette, you have to wonder; is this really the best a billion dollar company can do? Crank it up. Go get those Fiezy rugs and a coffee table that doesn’t clash with everything. While you’re at it, rethink your artwork. And accessories. Come on Warren, it’s definitely time to up your game; hire some new buyers, and show Nebraska some style.
It was architecturally awesome; I loved the polished concrete floors, the M.C. Esher-esque seemingly never-ending series of arched doorways, symmetrical room settings, and the high-reaching ceilings. Sadly the products were every bit as lacking, in their own way, as the items at Warren’s Nebraska Furniture Mart. Not that they were ugly or poorly designed but, after you’ve seen one crystal chandelier, one upholstered linen chair, and one low-slung couch, there’s fifty more to look at. Enough already!
But we had other fish to fry:
Nordstrom’s to shop:
And Farmer’s Markets to frequent. 
Next up was the hunt for tables. While we build a lot of our own product at our factory in Hungary, High Point Market gives us the opportunity to augment our inventory with some of the latest designs on the market.
Originally built in the mid 1800’s as a lighthouse on a hill on the eastern Middletown border, this house exudes charm and personality. From the entrancing private lane, you enter through the iron gates to a lushly landscaped, circular drive topped by this simply lovely home. I want to say it is the icing on the cake, or the jewel in the crown–it is really super.
I walked through the periwinkle blue door straight into a kitchen right out of the original Smallbone Catalogue.
Smallbone is an English firm famous for introducing “unfitted kitchens” to the United States. Totally bucking the trend of build-in, built-up, over-built kitchens that are now the norm, an unfitted kitchen features freestanding furniture and appliances and a variety of finishes and materials. Utterly charming, yet totally serious with industrial strength appliances, this is my dream kitchen.
Upstairs, besides the master bedroom (which has an en suite bathroom to swoon over), there is an enchanting guest room and bath, another bedroom they use as a dressing room and a spiral staircase that leads to a ladder that leads to the cupola where the lighthouse used to be. It is like the stairway to heaven; you keep climbing and climbing and finally you get there. You can literally see for miles!
You can do this with lamb shanks but I usually just buy a boneless leg of lamb–it is all in one piece and easier to handle. Salt and pepper then sear on both sides in olive oil in an oven-proof pot.
When I was growing up in Rumson there were a couple of rituals that made summer even more wonderful. One started on the last day of school and lasted all summer long–going to the beach. Every single day it was not raining my mom would load our old station wagon with three, four, five, and finally, six kids and head over the Sea Bright Bridge.
Possibly the world’s largest trade show facility with over 700 million square feet, America’s Mart January market bills themselves as “An unparalleled collection of exceptional Home products…” and for once someone is telling the truth. There are acres and acres of products, thousands of vendors, and fun stuff like crazy cash machines (see above photo).
Also featured were a series of vignettes by several of the country’s top designers that included products from a wide variety of manufacturers. This is what we do every day at British Cottage, so it was interesting to see how professionals took products we carry, like this chandelier from Curry & Co, and put it with an area rug by Loiloi (a company we are considering). Generally, we are not a fan of dark wall colors but love how everything pops in this stylish space.
And everywhere you looked there was a gorgeous navy blue couch–as our British Cottage aficionados know a look we have championed for several years now. We find navy fresh and classic, equally at home at the beach or in the city. 
There was no shortage of seminars and workshops. We especially enjoyed the presentation sponsored by Veranda Magazine. Billed as 30 Years of Veranda, interior design icons (from left) John Oetgen, Suzanne Kassler, Bill Peace and Susan Ferrier, candidly described their favorite memories and shared insights about how interior design has become what it is today.
And after all that, it was nice to come home and resume nesting, and there is nothing like a home cooked meal after being out and about for a while. My favorite stew, of all time, is Chicken Cacciatore or Pollo Alla Cacciatora as my beloved Marcella Hazan, author of “The Classic Italian Cookbook” would say. First published by Knopf in New York in 1976, some say Marcella Hazan’s cookbook is the most authentic and best guide to Italian food ever written. Of course, I knew none of that when I pulled it out of the sales pile at Barnes and Noble over 20 years ago–but I know it now.