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A Jewel Box Cottage Filled With Creative Solutions
Designing small but impactful homes is all about careful space planning and creating a distinct feeling in a limited amount of square footage. When designer Mindy Laven’s clients approached her to design this ADU cottage for the homeowner’s mother, she welcomed the challenge of bringing creative solutions to make the space a special home filled with light and life.
The goal was to provide their mother with independence while aging in place on the same property as her extended family. The home brought the perfect place for simple living, with everything she needed and nothing she didn’t.
Mindy created an intentional material palette with happy, bright colors and a mix of modern and vintage pieces to make it truly timeless. Since this jewel box of a cottage is an addition to the original main Salt Box home built in 1948, they wanted to emulate the shingled style on the exterior. For the interior, Mindy took the home a bit more mid-century modern and used ‘vineyard colors’ to tie it into the main house.
Design: Mindy Laven | Photography: Hugo Landa Garcia
Personality in a Small Space
Although the space is small in square footage, the high ceilings and open-concept floor plan allow it to live much larger than it is. Light floors keep everything bright and casual, and plenty of natural light opens up each room. Mindy carefully designed each space to bring plenty of function efficiently while each design element packs a punch.
Introducing Intentional Color
Introducing color can be tricky in small spaces, and we love how this design smartly infuses bright, happy tones to keep the palette from feeling too one note. From a cheerful terracotta rug in the living room to an earthy bright green in the kitchen, these tones work together to bring personality into the home.
A Happy Green Kitchen
The kitchen has all of the conveniences of a full-sized kitchen but on a much smaller scale. The design incorporates porcelain countertops that resemble marble but with far less maintenance. We love the wood trim detail that frames the marble, inspired by a detail Mindy first saw at SoHo House. Bancha No. 298 by Farrow & Ball covers the cabinetry and adds an upbeat feeling to the entrie home.
A Charming Dining Nook
A small but charming dining nook centers the open-concept space and adds warmth through the round wood table. The custom brass light fixture over the dining table brings something fun and unexpected to the look and draws the eye up to accentuate the tall ceilings.
A Playful Bathroom
The tile pattern in the shower is a perfect example of using a more budgetary product in an interesting way. Mindy paired 2 Bedroisan tiles to create this custom pattern, creating a cheerful feeling in the small bath. We love how this subtle terracotta tone pulls in colors from the living space and adds a subtle but impactful touch of pigment.
Scroll through the gallery to see more from this project and shop the look below!
BY: ANASTASIA CASEY
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