Me and my house - is Cottage your Style?

For relaxed and informal dining, country style offers a casual atmosphere.

With a neutral foundation of creamy walls and a sea grass rug, mustard yellow-and-red toile draperies offer a punch of colour in this dining room. But it's the creative iron rods that add spice to the windows. A symbol of prosperity, wheat is often found in Country French design. Simple panels take on a fresh look with a band of coordinating red checked fabric running the length of the draperies.

The furniture in this breakfast room shows off the homeowner's fondness for the Country French style. The tone-on-tone yellow walls contribute to the feeling of warmth. This is topped with a border featuring a series of plates with a floral motif. The space also features a rustic pine hutch for display and storage. The homeowner selected a durable, inexpensive sea grass rug that also works with her design statement.

In this dining area, pale blue walls complement deeper shades on the chairs and draperies. The casual dinnerware and glasses complement the relaxed setting for informal dining.

Open-back chairs help preserve the feeling of spaciousness in the room. The large, distressed dresser fits perfectly between the two windows and the wrough-iron chandelier add an aged-country atmosphere to the room.

Inside the front door, in place of a traditional foyer, a long pine dining table invites guests into the cottage. With two leaves, the table stretches more than 2 metres, easily accommodating eight ladder-back armchairs. A low-hung chandelier brings intimate lighting to the table. If a party's in the works, the chairs can be pulled away and the table becomes a perfect buffet.

Courtesy of home-dzine.co.za