Please double click on photos for a closer look.
I adore this cottage and it's rooms. I love the quirky (Elm) beams in the ceiling. One side of the hearth is carved with the initials A. W. and 1810. The cottage could be a lot older however. The room is 8 feet 3 inches X 12 feet. The six foot owner can only stand up straight in three places in the room. I love the billowing plaster ceiling daubed into a crazy mattress of twigs and branches.
Spice Cupboards were often built into the wall next to the hearth. The hope was to keep the valuable contents of herbs, spices and possibly tea and sugar dry. I lreally like this one and hope to add one of these to my miniature cottage. I love the butterfly hinges and the initials and date carved into the wood. Also the scratch moulded framing.
Another example of a built in wall cabinet.
I LOVE the patterns in the brick in this medieval cottage hearth. What a fun miniature clay project this could be.
Great photos! Can't wait to see your English cottage:)
ReplyDeleteI can see why you've saved these, what a fabulous place it would be to curl up on a chilly day. There is a real appeal to smaller spaces with low ceilings, something 'womb' like about them. There is a downside tho - looking at the clearance space above that stairway anyone above the age of 5 would have to duck or risk serious brain injury!
ReplyDeleteVery true Norma. LOL
ReplyDeleteSadly, anything below a 10 inch ceiling in miniature is not great either. It is just to difficult to see in the rooms.
English cottages are beautifully evocative but awful to live in! Low ceilings, four foot doorways, poor light and dirt floors!!!
ReplyDeleteYou have to be a real fan to enjoy living in one.
Can't wait to see your project unfold your research will be invaluable.
This is just up my alley! Catherine, you will have so much fun building this one! Can't wait to see your progress. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCatherine, our cottage had the downstairs floors dug out and you could see where the huge oak beams that form a sort of skirting board once run along the original floor line. Our ceiling beams were large, but straight and made of oak and still low bearing for tall peeps! lol
ReplyDeleteOn a mini note, Hogwarts is made from a Tudor Coach House kit and the floor to ceiling measurement is only 19cms, oh so real to life! Grrrr! It IS hard work to do any work in it and yes to see in!!
Can't wait to see what you build!
Michelle xxx
I love your inspiration photos Catherine!!!
ReplyDeleteThere is an English tv show that I always watch, it is called 'Eascape to the Country'....on there last show they showed many houses with the beamed ceiling and one of the men in the show had no-way of standing up straight in several of the rooms. I love the look...but would hate to live with the ceiling that close myself.....but to make our fantasy houses in miniature is what miniature making is all about.
I hope to see a start on this new project soon....yes????
Linda x
p.s....it is possible to have a room less than 10 inches....the 2 attic rooms in the petite maison are less than 10 inches....as long as you don't have the rooms too deep you can certainly get away with it!!!
ReplyDelete(food for thought!)
Oooh I am happy to hear that Linda. :-)
ReplyDeleteThese are very inspiring. I love how the beams are really branches, gives it such a unique look. :)
ReplyDeleteRe the ceiling height discussion, I think the 10" height relates particularly to the ground floor, once it comes to the higher floors the rooms are getting closer to 'eye height' and so the ceiling height becomes less of an issue. Linda's right too about the depth of the room, the shallower the better probably if you are going for low ceilings, or display on a shelf rather than a table. Ooooh, you've got me thinking cozy cottage again when I need to be thinking French apartment!!! Bad girls!! ;)
ReplyDeleteOOOOHHH, Catherine, I have to chuckle because I have collected those very same Cottage Photos!!! I have a tiny book, only 4 by 6 inches, full of cottage pictures. Just amazingly evocative! As for the low ceiling height... my Lovely Old Dollhouse has 9 inch ceiling heights in all the rooms. This is accurate, historically, for the more elegant early homes in New England. (The farmhouse I lived in in my teen years had only 7 foot tall ceilings in the older section of the home which was built around 1820!) Sometimes the 9 inches feels too low, but it actually does allow a decent amount of workable space..... and feels spacious too.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of old English houses!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the low ceilings with wooden beams. They make the rooms so comfortable. I can not wait until you've built this beautiful room.
The spice cabinets are just great!And I am sure you will work them authentic.
Thank you Catherine, I appreciate that you share those wonderful pictures with us.
Karin
I am all over this! I am pretty immersed in the cottage myself right now.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm interested to know where you bought the windows and doors in the photo that shows, for the house 1 / 144.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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Jorge,
ReplyDeleteIf you are talking about the white Georgian Townhouse.... The brass windows came with the kit. I made the door myself out of styrene.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteJust came along "the river of some blogs" to your beautiful Blog! Just Wonderful!
Joined to be your follower!
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with, this will be a fantastic project.
ReplyDeleteDave