See Why a Charming Cottage Made Its Sagittarius Renter Want to Stay Put

Leela Cyd
·7 min read
Dweller poses in her living room.
A large media bookcase with TV books and decorative items divides the bedroom from the living room area.
<span>"Personally, I think I’m leaning into French country with a hint of shabby chic, collected coastal, and possibly some traditional elements too (but again, it’s ever-evolving)," she continues. Credit: <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/authors/leela-cyd" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Leela Cyd;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Leela Cyd</a></span> <span class="copyright">Credit: <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/authors/leela-cyd" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Leela Cyd;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Leela Cyd</a></span>
A large media bookcase with TV books and decorative items divides the bedroom from the living room area.
A reading chair sits on a rug next to a wicker basket.
A reading chair sits on a rug next to a wicker basket.
A wooden coffee table topped with books and decorative items in front of couch with white fabric coverings.
A bedside table with hardcover books, a vase of flowers, and a lamp.
Dweller poses for a portrait in a white living room.
Coats and bags hang on a coat hanger near the entryway of the home.
A dweller walls through their kitchen with a butcher block island and white cabinets.
A kitchen with butcher block island and white cabinets.
Decorative flowers sit in a vase next to a lit candle
A kitchen with butcher block island and white cabinets.
Decorated cooking spoons hung in a white-walled kitchen.
A kitchen with white cabinets and decorative flowers.
A sink base cabinet with a vinyl sticker pattern attached with golden handles in a white bathroom.
Two sunhats over a sliding door closet.
A large bed in a white bedroom on a large area rug.
A bed flanked by a dresser and night with a picture on a dresser.
A framed piece of art next to a nightstand with candles, flowers, and light
A nightstand with a lamp, candle, and flowers flank a bed with white sheets.
Two chairs flank a small tea table with flowers in an outdoor space.
An outdoor sitting area with chairs and a table.

ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: House

LOCATION: Monterey Bay Area, California

STYLE: Coastal, Cottage, Farmhouse

BEDROOMS: 0

SQUARE FEET: 500

When content creator Rose Adele, who runs a blog and decorating service, was looking for a new place to call home four months ago, she cast a wide radius in California for optimal locations. She wanted to be near family and friends, but not necessarily in her hometown.

At the time, she had recently quit her full-time job and was pursuing freelance work full-time, making it tricky to get accepted for a rental home. However, when she stumbled upon an ADU cottage in the Monterey Bay area, she was grateful that the landlord welcomed her.

“What first caught my eye was the ceilings of the little ADU/cottage,” Rose writes. “The walls and beams are a very bright, welcoming white, and they’re balanced out with this gorgeous natural wood ceiling and stone floor; it was shockingly similar to what I’d saved on my vision boards.”

Rose’s landlord, who’s a retired architect, actually built the home in the back of another larger home that’s also rented out. Even though there are some more modern details, like IKEA kitchen cabinets or stainless steel door knobs, it still feels cozy. “It still holds a lovely charm to it, I think, stemming from the natural wood ceiling and bright light streaming in from the large patio doors,” she shares.

The cottage’s charm has had a larger impact on Rose than just being a gorgeous place to live. Throughout her 20s, she’s lived all over the globe, including Australia, Sri Lanka, Los Angeles, Colorado, and Oregon — but this home has made her want to stay for a while.

“I’m a Sagittarius, so naturally I have the itch to explore the next place and the next adventure. However, it seems fitting that in the last year of my 20s, I’ve finally found a place that I feel settled in; that I could actually imagine staying in for a while and creating a more permanent life in,” Rose explains. Accepting the idea of planting roots somewhere is no longer scary to me, but welcomed and seen as its own next adventure.”

Shop This Space

A wooden coffee table topped with books and decorative items in front of couch with white fabric coverings.

PAINT & COLORS

  • Polar Bear, by Behr

Coats and bags hang on a coat hanger near the entryway of the home.

ENTRY

  • Wall decor — ​Shell mobile and decorative hand were handmade by myself, mini gold frame was thrifted, and the larger gold frame was from Target a few years ago (I dont think they’re selling it anymore)

A large media bookcase with TV books and decorative items divides the bedroom from the living room area.

LIVING ROOM

  • Thrifted sofa with linen covering — How-to

  • Bigger throw pillows — Etsy

  • Smaller throw pillows —Sezane

  • Throw blanket — Brooklinen

  • Rug — Etsy

  • Coffee table & side table — Thrifted and restored

  • Art — Thrifted, I made, or photos my friends took

  • Bookshelf decor — Thrifted, handmade by me or my mom (she used to be a ceramicist) or my aunt (she’s a painter), or hand-me-downs from family members

  • Bow vase — Made by my friend, Emily, available at cowgirlceramics.com (stock runs out fast!)

  • Living room chair — Thrifted

  • Living room lamp — Thrifted

A kitchen with butcher block island and white cabinets.

DINING ROOM/KITCHEN

  • Kitchen table/island — ​Thrifted

  • Baskets — Mix of thrifted and random HomeGoods finds

  • Pottery — Mix of thrifted or handmade by me or my mom

  • Statement framed art — Thrifted

  • Little plate art — Thrifted

  • Decorative spoons — I made

  • Frame/art above stove — Thrifted frame; “print” is a postcard from a restaurant

A bed flanked by a dresser and night with a picture on a dresser.

BEDROOM

  • Bedframe — ​Birch Lane

  • Decor and linens — Etsy

  • Night stand, tall dresser, and armoire — All thrifted

  • C’est Bon art — I painted; I sell prints on my website

Frances sits on a shelf next to a vase of roses.

BATHROOM

  • Frame/art — Thrifted frames; “print” is a postcard from a restaurant & photo is a picture my mom took from a day trip she and I took to the Bodega Bay when I was very young

  • Shell mobile — I made

Thanks, Rose!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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