A Happy Life

I look to different magazines to bring me different things.  They are all serving a broad audience, I know, so if each issue doesn’t speak to me, that’s ok.  I’ll wait.  

One of the things I like about Cottage Living is that it’s choices are very real.  Personal.  Cottage Living has a very clear voice.  It consistently brings me homes that tell me something about their owners besides the size of their bank accounts or how hip their designers are trying to make them.

I happen to adore D’Ette Cole’s home, pictured here and in the October issue, but even if I didn’t I would feel I know something about her from seeing it.

That’s not just editors finding houses.  That’s someone who understands what home should be about.


Cole is an antiques dealer in Austin.  She uses red thumb tacks to post hundreds of fortunes from fortune cookies on a column in her kitchen.  Her favorite? “Very little is needed to make a happy life.”  Sometimes, just the turn of the page.
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19 thoughts on “A Happy Life

  1. Lovely post. I love the fortune at the end – so true. Thanks for introducing me to a new magazine – I can’t wait to check it out.

  2. I don’t subscribe to Cottage Living, but every time I read it I get something out of it that I do not get out of some of the other magazines. Perhaps it is time to subscribe!

  3. It sure takes a “heap O livin” to make any cottage a home. I have always loved the word “cottage” – cottage sounds so much more humble.
    I too love this magazine for all the livin.

  4. Love the photo wall, and the idea to use all red tacks is great. I think many people are going to copy the fortune idea. Lovely observations Patricia.

  5. Good Morning!

    My very dear friend's daughter is style editor for Cottage Living. We were actually together at the beach this weekend and she had this issue with her. Also in the October issue is the Dream Home in California that my friend's daughter was in charge of! Check it out too…it is pretty unique.
    Anne Turner Carroll is her name and she is so talented and such a great stylist. Erika at Urban Grace is a good friend of hers and did a profile on her in her blog. Anyway, loved your entry today as usual!
    With Regards,
    Mimilee………<><

  6. I too like a magazine that shows homes that you know you could live in-not pretentious-just cozy. Sometimes with the summer issues of these magazines I close my eyes and imagine myself sitting on the porch with a well worn copy of a mystery and cool ice tea-ah heaven.

  7. This isn’t one of my favourite Cottage Living articles but I happily admit it is one of my favourite magazines.

  8. I did not care for this particular cottage but the magazine is terrific. I always find lots of useful ideas and the homes never look staged.

  9. Love that large pair of deep red metal (?) jugs. Do you know what they were originally used for? Milk? Water?

  10. Love that you featured D’Ette’s home. She is a really nice person, as well as obviously very creative. I love her distinct ability to decorate to please herself – it really has nothing to do with what is “in” or trendy – her home just reflects her incredible sense of color, form, and style!

  11. I have kept my fortunes for years. Not sure what I am going to do with them, but there is a project in there somewhere.

    I really need to subscribe to Cottage Living.

  12. Cottage Living is really the way most of us live our own happy lives. We all love the slick and uber interior designed and decorated spaces, but we really relate to the things published in Cottage Living because it could clearly be one of us.

  13. I just saw this in the magazine the other day and thought she was just a doll. Thanks for sharing.

  14. I really like the green floor! and that pic wall is fabulous too.. the quote/fortune at the end is such a great reminder… after today’s doom and gloom in the stock market..we can all use the wisdom of that fortune! thanks!

  15. So sorry, I’ve been on the run all day, starting with the orthodontist at 8. #2 is ready for braces. Hooray.

    Karena – I don’t know the origin of those jugs, sadly, maybe another reader might.

    David – I adore cow paintings myself, could it be our locale?

  16. Love your blog! And I totally agree with your commentary about liking to see how a person ‘really’ lives compared to what their designer wants to showcase. That’s why I’ve stopped subscribing to several mags. If you like Country Living, try Country Home- my personal favorite!

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