Start With What You Love
The best-designed homes and cottages don’t begin with a trend, they begin with something meaningful and collected. It’s the dusty found boxes brought in from the garage, it’s the forgotten attic treasures and the passed-down heirlooms. Perhaps something inherited, a vintage find from an antique market, a favourite piece of artwork, or a chair you’ve never been able to part with. These are the pieces that tell your story and give a cottage its personality. As designers, we often use these cherished items as the starting point, layering in complementary furnishings, finishes, and textures that allow them to shine. When you begin with what you love, your cottage naturally becomes a reflection of your life, not just a collection of beautiful things. At the end of the day, cottage style naturally lends itself to mixing old with the new, so you can’t go wrong!
A historical cottage with a renovated kitchen that keeps the original heritage intact. Open island shelves provide a collecting opportunity for stoneware and other colourful cooking collections.
Mixing old and displaying on shelves allows for treasures to be appreciated and discovered by guests. An antique candlestick with a vintage vase, works alongside everyday dishes and a view.
Vintage with Purpose
The most successful interiors don't include vintage pieces simply for the sake of nostalgia, they choose them with purpose. A well-loved antique, a timeworn side table, or a beautifully aged cabinet brings warmth, character, and authenticity that new pieces alone often can't achieve. When thoughtfully paired with contemporary furnishings, vintage pieces create contrast and balance, making a home feel layered rather than staged. Every vintage find should earn its place by adding function, history, or a story worth telling. It's this intentional mix of old and new that gives a home or cottage a sense of permanence and personality.
Vintage fishing gear and a passed-down tackle box demonstrate how purposeful placement and intentional decorating can create a special moment inside a front door.
Lining shelves in this butler pantry with a mix of old and new allowed the cottage owner to display special heirlooms. In a new and modern build, this type of collection adds warmth and interest to the new.
A collection of cream and sugar dishes with vintage bud vases, is a unique view in this traditional cottage kitchen. Nothing needs to match as a whole, but grouping like pieces together creates an on-purpose vignette.
For our Gull Lake project, books, vintage games and other collected pieces, work together on a new built-in. The books have a purpose as do the games, and at the same time provide visual interest.
Every Piece has a Story
This painting had been in the cottage owner’s family for many generations. When placed with a Morris-inspired, newly upholstered chair, it creates a reading corner with a story. The antique ladder also provides a backdrop for throws so it’s both useful and connected to the owners’s heritage.
Bookshelves are an ideal way to tell a story of not just the homeowner but the cottage as well. Saved collections like books and an antique typewriter, pay homage to the cottage era. With scale and quantity taken into account, everything works together to map the book shelf story and in turn the room as a whole.
The cutouts on an antique milk jug modernize this piece and allow it to work in a more contemporary setting. Coffee tables and end tables are an ideal way to incorporate small items that hold nostalgia and create a unique feel.
Purposeful Style
Blending old and new is most successful when it's done with intention. A contemporary sofa can sit comfortably beside an antique cabinet, just as a modern light fixture can enhance the character of a century-old cottage. The key is creating a thoughtful balance where each piece complements the other rather than competing for attention. When mixed with purpose, old and new create depth, personality, and a layered aesthetic that feels curated over time. The nice thing about this technique is that it truly is your very own style.
A vintage sign sits above a built-in cottage porch bench. Together old and new create a distinct style for this cottage owner.
Old and new in this open concept cottage, work together to invite guests in for a friendly and warm fireside chat. Hits of history like the stain glass connect to the vintage coffee table and original fireplace.
An antique buffet houses games next to a new and modern kitchen. The coat of paint lightens the cupboard and it also serves as a console table behind the sectional.
Press back antique chairs are a natural fit in this generational cottage. The mix of natural and painted, creates a relaxed feel and adds charm.
To see more imagery of our projects like the ones above, check our Project Portfolio.
If you have a design question you would like to submit for the next Town Crier issue, you can send it to the Home by Tim + Chris design team at: info@homebytc.ca
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Tim + Chris
