It took 125 years for this former gardener’s cottage to reach its full charm potential. Here’s how the owner cultivated every single inch of the precious 970 square feet.
“Who could be lucky enough to live there?” That was Janet Korff’s thought 25 years ago when a wrong turn led her down the wooded driveway of the cottage she now calls home. “At the time, I would have never guessed that one day I would be that person,” she says. But a quarter-century later, the house unexpectedly hit the market, she and her husband, Larry, made an offer, and Janet suddenly found herself back down that same driveway—her driveway.
Built in 1890, the quaint Redlands, California, home was originally the gardener’s residence on a large estate and had long gone unoccupied. “The house itself was unlivable,” she says. “The other interested buyers wanted to tear down the property.” But despite the home’s neglected state, she couldn’t resist those roses enveloping the house.
As soon as the “sold” sign hit the flower-filled front yard, the Korffs began to sow seeds of change in the small home. “It took us six weeks of working around the clock,” recalls Janet. “But when we moved in, it felt so good to have done every bit of it, save some electrical work, ourselves.”
Here, find out how Janet cultivated every single inch of her precious 970-square-foot home using small space decorating ideas you can try at your own home.
Rule #1: Maximize light with mirrors.
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The reflective trio—two gilded, one faux bronze—amps up the space’s natural light. To reinforce the open, airy feel, Janet favors glass accents, like the vases on the writing desk and the cloches atop the china hutch.
Rule #2: Prioritize “everyday” over “someday.”
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Barring family holidays, a large dining table only reinforces the “empty” in “empty nester.” Instead, Janet and Larry chose a more practical antique wicker desk to suit day-to-day dining needs.
RELATED: 85+ Best Dining Room Ideas to Make Your Entertaining Space More Inviting
Roger DaviesRule #3: Add thoughtful pops of color.
Wicker baskets, fresh greenery, and a richly hued rug prevent the sink and shelving area from feeling too white.
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Roger DaviesRule #4: Decorate every last inch.
Beadboard paneling and eye-pleasing open shelving take this utilitarian space from practical to pretty. Clear canisters and wicker bins keep (almost) everything in plain sight.
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Roger DaviesRule #5: Choose cohesiveness over convention.
A chandelier, an oil painting, and floor-length draperies in a kitchen? Yes! Janet, a former chef, chose to dress up her 100-square-foot space in a way that feels in keeping with the rest of the home.
Most of the items, however, are rich with sentimental value. Take, for example, the landscape above the stove, a vintage painting of Yosemite. “That one came from my son, Alex, an antiques dealer,” says Janet. Larry and I spend a lot of time outdoors and do a lot of hiking, so we collect landscapes.”
Rule #6: Go dark in the smallest space.
Roger Davies
A vibrant navy paint job helps the 8′-by-10′ room feel cozy, not claustrophobic. Thoughtfully chosen, truly personal finds also help the space feel collected, not cluttered. Those antlers, for example: The couple stumbled across them on a hike, then Janet secured them together with twine.
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Roger DaviesRule #7: There’s always room for what you love.
Rather than edit down a large collection of artwork, Janet created a gallery wall that stretches from the crown molding to the baseboards, making room for every cherished piece.
Her elegantly thrifty choices are also on display throughout the home, whether it’s a bedroom side table she scored for $1 or a $10 chandelier uncovered at a garage sale. “Almost everything in my house cost $1,” she says, only half-jokingly.
Roger DaviesRule #8: Create space when there is none.
The Korffs replaced the bathroom door with a toile curtain to improve traffic flow in the cramped space.
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Roger DaviesRule #9: Add width with ᵴtriƥes.
The graphic black-and-white pattern brings punch to the narrow porch.
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Roger DaviesRule #10: Embrace the outdoors.
Janet and Larry’s love of outdoor living also extends to the house’s lush garden, which is tucked inside a fragrant 40-acre citrus grove. Janet now practices yoga among the thicket of bamboo and, almost every day, dries her laundry on a simple clothesline. “Our sun-dried sheets and shirts take on the scent of the surrounding flowers and citrus trees. A drier sheet can’t come close to competing with the fresh aroma,” says Janet, clearly smitten with the underrated ritual of stringing laundry on a line. The takeaway? When you trade too much space for less-is-more simplicity, sometimes laundry isn’t a chore. And sometimes a wrong turn is anything but.
