A Wee Fairy Cottage on a Wee Budget

MSS — she prefers to use her initials — had been renting the same delightful original Mill Valley cottage, complete with all the old-fashioned inconveniences, for more than 20 years. Not surprisingly, it was in need of a refresh — a retriever and a teenager were part of the package. We chose to address the living room first, re-doing the existing sofas in an up-to-date geometric that we found at a great (and I mean great) price on a shopping trip to Britex in the city. We sent all the loose sofa cushions off to Luis, my favorite upholsterer, and we called Barry, master cleaner and rug reviver, no matter how hairy the situation, to deal with the frame. We selected a chic new coffee table from Room and Board (navy blue, what else) and bought a new tiny sofa in blue with orange pillows for the cottage’s barely-there TV nook. A beautiful new rug from Enkay made the whole room sing. Next up: A refresh of the massive concrete fireplace that dominates the living room. We’re thinking black…

MSS has this to say:
“I had the pleasure of working with Cathryn on a cottage refresh and it was a total success from start to finish. She turned ideas around quickly, respected budgets, met me at a fabric store to go through scores of bolts, continued to check up on orders and then even dealt with some errors by vendors (hugely helpful!). She met the family (and the dog) and was able to suggest things that would work well for us and for the way we live. She’s fast, nimble, funny, direct and creative. We feel lucky to have found her - just what we needed!”
—MSS

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