Curating a Cottage-inspired Bedroom with Linda @stonecottage2250

Complementary. Guest Curation is back!

This week, we are thrilled to have Linda of @stonecottage2250 as our guest curator. A writer and editor throughout her career, Linda’s passion has always been cultivating the home and garden.

An inveterate collector, she prefers the look of a layered home that reflects the seasons and embraces nature. She loves the charm of older homes – especially ones that have unique nooks and crannies and smaller spaces. Linda enjoys filling those spaces with vintage and antique finds.

Cottage-inspired Bedroom

In this week’s edition of Complementary. Guest Curation, we asked Linda to share her current favorite BRG online auction items with you.

If you need a little interior design inspiration to achieve a cottage-inspired bedroom or are asking how to embrace English cottage style at home, then these items are for you.

So, without further ado …. we introduce you to Linda’s choice of pieces….

1. Provincial Rococo Styled Painted Dresser (item #: 238644): “Love seeing a painted piece of furniture as an accent, and I think that any room can be brightened with a touch of green. I think this would be perfect in a cottage bedroom.”

2. Two Petite Framed 19th Century Silhouettes (item #: 239822): “I started collecting hand-cut silhouettes a few years ago and really like the charm they bring to a space. This pair would be a great addition to a bookshelf, or a narrow wall space.”

3. Large Collection Antique Leather Bounds, Courts of Europe and Miss Julia Pardoe, City of The Sultan (item #: 228327): “I can’t get enough of old leather books, and use them all over the house to add height to a tabletop vignette.”

4. Fine French Bouillotte Lamp with Tole Shade (item #: 223407): “Very striking piece – love the laurel leaf border on the shade and on the candles.”

5. Antique Oil on Board, The Old Dock House (item #: 239359): “What a charming little scene, with lovely soft colors.”

6. George Thompson, Signed Oil on Artist Board, River Landscape (item #: 239473): “Love a landscape oil – this one just feels like early spring to me.”

7. Antique Painted Tole Box (item #: 228280): “Great little piece, with a couple of charming scenes painted on.”

8. Brass Porthole Frame Mirror (item #: 229004): “I would use this as a tray to hold a vase of fresh flowers or candles.”

Q&A with Linda

How did you become interested in estate sales and online auctions?

I’ve always loved auctions. When I was growing up, a local auction house frequently held auctions on Friday nights and it was always an event.

We were surrounded by older homes and farms, and I always enjoyed going to these sales and farm auctions to learn more about their history, and sometimes to be able to capture and preserve just a tiny part of it.

How do you describe your design style/aesthetics?

It is definitely more of a cozy cottage style, very strongly influenced by English cottages and gardens. I also appreciate the addition of coastal New England elements.

Generally, I like rooms that feel layered, collected over time, always evolving (even in little ways) and spaces that reflect the seasons by way of colors, fresh flowers and “gifts from nature.”

I enjoy a blend of antique or vintage and newer pieces, and I love layering on floral and block print patterns through pillows and throws and upholstered pieces.

What are the one or two things you always find yourself bidding upon in online auctions?

Landscape oil paintings, old books, candlesticks, antique textiles, needlework, majolica, copper cookware, vintage wicker, hooked rugs, bamboo furniture….probably easier to list what I’m not interested in.

What's your absolute favorite item ever purchased at an estate sale or online auction?

Back in the late 1970s, I stayed till the end of a rainy country auction because I had my eye on a bamboo stand that I wanted to use in a bathroom. It was the next to the last item put up and I ended up getting it for $6.

I’ve always loved a touch of bamboo in a room, and I know it’s become much more popular lately. I see pieces at sales and shops and auctions that run into the thousands now.

Any tips or advice for online auction or estate sale newbies?

Use any opportunity to be exposed to auction items as a chance to educate yourself and hone your tastes.

I’ve walked into some sales or auctions and quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to afford one thing, but those situations are always an opportunity to learn, to observe, to reflect on what you saw and to let your tastes slowly evolve.

You can always afford to educate yourself!