Designing A Cottage Tea Room

When we first moved into the rental at the beginning of this summer there were two empty three-season rooms off the back of the house (finished rooms added onto the house with electricity, but no heating) that we weren’t quite sure what to do with. I knew we were planning on painting them and our landlord even took off $50 a month for the extra work, but what would they be used for?

One has the back door and it makes sense to use that space for Matthew’s tools. With its slanting concrete floor and spackled ceiling and walls it will make a sad sort of entryway, but works perfectly for holding tools, our bicycles, kayaks, and eventually a gardening bench in spring when I start planting my seeds. Over the winter we will be painting that room a light shade of sage green. As for the other room, what could it be?

Matthew was determined to make it into a tea room. As he has most of the downstairs for his home office and eventually a hang out area, the little corner room would be for my particular use; tea, hanging out with friends, painting, crafts, and of course reading. This is what it looked like before we got started:

 

I did have every intention of doing the work myself, but Matthew really wanted to make this room special for me. With our landlord’s permission, we (and by we, I mean Matthew. Remember, he was determined to gift me this space. I think it is really sweet and romantic of him to want to create this space for me.) painted the ceiling light blue. The color is Heaven on Earth by Benjamin Moore, which we picked up at our local Ace Hardware store. We first went one shade lighter (Polar Ice) but it was too bright and did not stand out. Heaven on Earth is a nice pale sky blue that is subtle, but also blue enough to be surprisingly whimsical.

But first there was a lot of sanding and spackling, hours of it! The ceiling had so many patches and mesh was showing through the uneven ceiling. There is a lot we would change or do differently in this room if we owned it. Matthew did his best to make it look good without going to crazy or spending too much, even though it took his a lot of work regardless. I’m so impressed. After the ceiling came the walls; “Cotton Sheets” by Behr paints, a warm white shade that compliments the blue and softens the room. It makes the light in here look so romantic and airy.

Then Matthew painted the cement floor to seal it in, keeping with the grey, and a few friends helped him put new trim along the door frame, windows and floor. My only contribution besides lending a hand every once in a while was the design and painting the windows to match the walls.

Look how far it has come already!

Matthew surprised me one night the other week by putting in my corner hutch and the two chairs I bought off of Facebook Marketplace. My father helped me pick these up with his van. They’re nice, but were very dirty and covered in smoke in the back from a previous owner’s fireplace. There are a couple minor tears in the fabric and some seems coming undone in the back where you can’t see it.

After the wingback velvet chairs were placed in the room I finished cleaning them.

Here is a look at the before. I’ll be honest, I was worried that I couldn’t revive them. Eventually one day they will need reupholstering, but with a good shampooing and upholstery cleaning they came out just fine. Hopefully this winter I will purchase a Bissel Upholstery cleaner and do the job more thoroughly.

I need not have worried because they look so charming in this space and they cleaned up fine.

Outside the tea room window there is the loveliest view of the lower garden and the hills. I feel surrounded by nature and light inside this room. There is still much to do, including finishing up the trim around one more window. But for now, it feels almost done. It is time to start decorating.

Temporarily, I have a round folding table form our porch in this room to use as a tea table and home office space. By late fall it is my hope to finish off this room;

• I will need a large rug to cover the cement floor and to add some warmth and beauty to this room.
• A small table for between the two chairs with a lamp.
• Curtains for the windows with elegant curtain rods.
• Framed paintings for the walls (some I will make and I may order prints).
• A round tea table and a few chairs for hosting tea parties with friends and guests.
• A small bookcase for books and magazines.
• A wall mounted rack shelf for holding china and tea cups.

In the far right corner I will have my art easel set up for painting. This will be a joyful space for working from home, reading, crafting, painting, and living. To celebrate this new space, I also made these lovely handkerchief bunting garlands to hang in the room. They will not be hanging forever, but fro now, it is a whimsical surprise whenever I walk into the room.

 

This bunting brings me so much joy.

I picked these wildflowers in our back yard!

This Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairy print was from our local Good will and only cost $4. I have been holding onto it a while, not quite sure where to place it. It feels like I bought it for this room.

 

The morning after Matthew surprised me by setting up the furniture, I put the tea cups on the corner hutch. This hutch is special to me. I thrifted it a couple years ago when we moved into our last apartment from Facebook Marketplace for only $30. Sadly, it does not fit upstairs because of the baseboard heating all along the walls. This room is perfect for it. And it is practical. I’m also pretty sure this hutch is what inspired Matthew to turn this room into a tea room for me to begin with.

 

I will share a tea room reveal post the moment this room is complete. It may take a few months, or even longer as I add to this space over time. For now, I’m just so happy to be able to call this space my own.

A very special thank you to my husband Matthew for this beautiful gift. I feel so much at home already. In fact, I’m writing this blog post from this very room.

I cannot wait to share the final reveal with you! Thank you for being here.