This Tiny Cottage Brims With Big Personality
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It was the kind of house many would consider a starter home—a small, dated, two-bed one-bath bungalow with no insulation, worn-out windows, and a gypsum-tiled ceiling. “The charm had been totally stripped out,” says Bambi Costanzo (@number131). But, at 22, Bambi was ready to become a homeowner and decided to take on the 1920s fixer-upper, all 996 square feet of it! Little did she know then—more than 25 years ago—that she would sink her heart into what she now hopes is her forever home.
Just a few years after she bought the house in West Virginia’s northern panhandle, Bambi met and married her husband, Frank, and the couple began making updates while raising their two children, Madelyn and Matthew. Bambi took on many of the renovations herself, and, several years ago, the couple finally expanded the cottage’s footprint by taking in their garage to create a primary bedroom, bathroom, and laundry area. “It’s not perfect,” she says. “Every wall is crooked, every ceiling slants, and every floor creaks. It used to drive me nuts, but I’ve come to love all the imperfections.”
Having spent her childhood exploring her family’s hobby farm nearby and tagging along on shopping trips with her antiques dealer mom, Bambi developed her loves of both nature and collecting, which she joyfully infuses into every nook and cranny of her modest cottage. “I remember being in my early 20s when I brought home my first set of blue-and-white dishes, and now they’re all over the house,” says Bambi. “This house is full of our moments—happy and sad. I hope that, many years from now, a certain scent or sound or the sight of old pitchers full of flowers will remind the kids of their childhood in this little house.”
Keep reading to see the ways Bambi brought big charm to her tiny cottage:
A Dark Exterior
Nestled in a valley surrounded by towering sycamore trees, Bambi and Frank Costanzo’s tiny 1920s bungalow stands tall thanks to its handsome dark exterior. The front porch originally extended all the way across the house, but Bambi co-opted one half to get extra room for a new library inside.
Get the Look:
Exterior Paint Color: Evening Hush by Behr
Exterior Trim Paint Color: Extra White by Sherwin-Williams
Layers of Cozy
Bambi transformed a blank nook next to the stairs by installing an electric firebox surrounded by an antique mantel (which she painstakingly scraped and repainted) and shelves on either side. “I'd always wanted a place to hang our Christmas stockings,” says Bambi. Collected landscape paintings line the walls, giving the room hand-me-down history, while a pair of blue-and-white striped armchairs invite nesting. “I love being comfortable and cozy,” she says. “Our home isn’t fancy. We put our feet up on the furniture, eat on the couch, and live big in this little house.
meet the dog!
Bentley, the family’s 13-year-old Yorkie, loves to keep watch out the living room windows.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Halo by Benjamin Moore
Electric Firebox: for similar, Country Living Electric Log Insert
Home-Cooked Character
To break up the kitchen’s white cabinetry, Bambi repurposed an old wood dry sink she found on Facebook Marketplace by taking it apart and installing the pieces under the window as a makeshift built-in. “It was almost too perfect for the space,” she says. Her dishware storage doubles as display courtesy of more DIY ingenuity. For the countertop rack, Bambi sanded down a wooden box and added dowel rods for plate separators. Skirted fabric hides the dishwasher.
Get the Look:
Farmhouse Sink: Whitehaus Fireclay Sink
Bridge Faucet: Signature Hardware “Vintage” Faucet
Lots of Blue & White China
In the adjoining pantry, Bambi crafted a floor-to-ceiling plate rack using one-by-four shelves and wood trim. A painted checkerboard floor ups the charm factor in the tiny space, which is also a landing down to the basement.
Get the Look:
Floor Paint Color: Magnet Dapple by Valspar
Blue and White China: for similar, replacements.com
Comfy and Inviting Seating
One of the initial projects Bambi took on was to remove the gypsum ceiling tiles and install cedar boards and beams, which she painted in an eggshell finish to bounce light around the room. She also ripped up the wall-to-wall carpet once she discovered the hardwood floors underneath.
The living room’s white slipcovered sectional is never without layers of blue-and-white textiles. The living room’s coffee table had a previous life as a neighbor’s kitchen table. When the neighbor moved and gifted it to the Costanzos, Bambi stripped off the white paint, cut the legs down, took a few inches off the sides, and painted it with a gel wood stain. “My husband carved our initials in a heart in one of the corners, so it’s a keeper,” she says.
Get the Look:
Sectional Sofa: Harlanda by Ikea
Wall and Ceiling Paint Color: Halo by Benjamin Moore
A “Happy Moments and Hard Talks” Family Table
“Every meal, holiday, or birthday celebration; homework time; crafting sessions; hard talks; happy and sad moments, they all take place here,” says Bambi of the dining room’s sturdy oak table and Windsor chair set purchased some 20 years ago. The block-print draperies are $5 twin flat sheets she bought at Walmart and hung with ring clips. Keeping watch over it all is a turkey painting Frank gifted to Bambi, whose birthday falls on or around Thanksgiving.
Get the Look:
Jute Rug: Natural Handspun Jute Rug by Rugs USA
Wall Paint Color: Pale Oak by Benjamin Moore
Turkey Print: For similar, Wild Turkey by John James Audubon
A New “Old” Stepback Cupboard
To get the just-right display hutch for her china and pewter, Bambi modified a piece she already owned. Giving it the look of a step-back, she cut down the sides, removed the glass doors, and replaced the glass shelves with wood. Arguably one of the most well-known china patterns, “Blue Willow” dates back to the late 1700s. Since then, it has been reproduced by hundreds of different makers. Whether displayed in a hutch or hanging on a wall, the design pairs well with Bambi’s other long-loved transferware patterns such as “Blue Onion,” “Liberty Blue,” and “Countryside Blue.”
Get the Look:
Blue Willow Dinnerware: for similar, Blue Willow from Replacements.com
A Tucked-Away Pet Bed
To keep Bentley’s kennel out of plain sight, Bambi slipped it under a side table. The flouncy checked skirt is made from two valances and hung from a tension rod affixed to the kennel with florist wire.
Above, Bambi hung a couple of favorite paintings—the gold-framed seascape is a souvenir from a Florida vacation to Fernandina Beach a couple of years ago.
Dark Painted Woodwork
Just off the dining room, Bambi carved out a 7- by 7-foot space for a pocket-size library. She customized one wall by adding molding to four Ikea bookshelves to make them look built in. Mossy green paint and inexpensive brass sconces she customized with patterned fabric glued onto plain shades gives the room an English country look. “I thrifted the portrait—I thought he was handsome and could live in the library, so he came home with me,” says Bambi.
Get the Look:
Green Paint Color: Pine Top by PPG Paints
Sconce: for similar, Lysed Wall Sconce
Antiquing Treasures at Every Turn
Bambi’s treasure trove of thrifted pieces and antique finds spills over to the mudroom in an ever-rotating display. The pine corner cabinet—a Facebook Marketplace score—came from a Pennsylvania farmhouse that had been boarded up for decades; it now holds Bambi’s quilts and pitchers. At $300, it’s the most expensive “found” piece in the house, but the accompanying church pew was a $20 steal. Above it, the chippy shelf holds additional finds, including a fishing creel. “I love to use vintage baskets for decor and storage,” says Bambi. “I tuck them all around the house.” Her cane collection is corralled in a thrifted blue-and-white umbrella holder.
Get the Look:
Paint Color: Delicate White by Glidden
Brick Floor: “Capella” Brick Tiles at Home Depot (Bambi cut each tile to 8 inch length to mimic the size of real bricks)
Soft Green Cabinetry
The laundry room is Bambi’s favorite spot in the house, where she enjoys arranging freshly snipped garden flowers into pitchers of all varieties that she stores on the shelves above the sink.
Get the Look:
Cabinet Paint Color: Retreat by Sherwin-Williams
RELATED: Our Favorite Green Kitchen Cabinet Ideas to Update the Heart of Your Home
Folksy Wallpaper
On the upstairs landing, Bambi placed ladder-back chairs on either end of a $10 dining table she cut in half lengthwise to fit the narrow walk-through. She fell in love with the folkloric wallpaper, which seemingly echoes their family’s real life. “If you look closely, you can see where Madelyn colored one of the bunnies black in honor of Boomer [her daughter’s Holland Lop rabbit],” says Bambi.
Get the Look:
Wallpaper: “Brer Rabbit” by Morris & Co.
Layers of Blue-and-White Textiles
Five years ago, Bambi and Frank finally added a much-needed third bedroom by using part of their garage renovation to make their primary suite. “I’ve always loved blue and white because the combination reminds me of the sky and big beautiful clouds, and the ocean, creeks, and streams,” says Bambi. A consistent color scheme used throughout the house, the pairing is layered in the primary bedroom through a series of pretty prints on the pencil-post bed she found online for just $75. The room’s vaulted ceiling and white-painted tongue-and-groove walls give the new space character without adding heavy texture.
Get the Look:
Paint Color: Delicate White by Glidden
RELATED: Our Favorite Farmhouse Bedroom Ideas
Landscapes and Seascapes
The world’s long romance with sailing vessels is evident in the abundance of such-themed vintage artworks, ranging from the amateur paint-by-number to professional oil paintings. Framed pieces can often be found for less than $100 at estate sales, thrift shops, and antiques malls, making it easy to bring home a bit of the sea, no matter where you live. Bambi hung one of her beloved seascapes above a petite desk in the bedroom. Another Facebook Marketplace find, the desk was originally going to be cut down as a coffee table, “but the woman selling it said it was her grandfather’s desk. She had tears in her eyes, so I promised her I would take good care of it,” Bambi says.
Bambi Share More of Her Musts for Timeless Style
Go-To Paint Color: Retreat by Sherwin-Williams is the perfect not-too-warm, not- too-cool gray-green.
Frequented Fabric: Gingham! I have a little of it in almost every room—it’s my signature.
Material Mainstays: I love to use worn wood and brick.
Wood Floor Fave: When I ripped up all of the carpet, I discovered the beautiful original mahogany-finish floors.
Favorite Hardware Source: I like to find old hardware in a mix of finishes at antiques and resale stores.
Antiquing Tried-and-Trues: I can turn just about anything into a collection. My first love is blue-and-white dishes, especially platters, but also any and all copper, flower frogs, vintage kitchen tools, cake stands, and paintings.
Coffee Table Staple: There’s always a pile! The Rooms to Inspire books by Annie Kelly are my favorites right now.
Every Country House Needs... A big farmhouse sink; baskets for storage; and an old hutch to display collections
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