Hi everyone!
I’m Andrea, and I blog at Opulent Cottage.
I’m just thrilled to be here today. Thank you so much, Debbie, for inviting me!
Welcome to our 1926 home! We live in Dallas, Texas, in an area named Greenland Hills, but unofficially known as the M Streets. I bet you can guess why J The 98 acres that comprise Greenland Hills was a planned development in 1923, and boasts one of the largest concentrations of historic Tudor-style English cottages in the U.S. At 1,186 square feet, our home was one of the smallest built, although most were not more than 1,600 square feet. Our neighborhood was designated a Conservation District in 2000 and now has strict guidelines for demolition and new construction features. This includes details that were common in the 1920s, such as high-gabled roofs, leaded glass, twisty front porch columns, and charming arched doorways.
Many of you might wonder how we can live in such a small home! We have happily been living large in this little cottage for almost 27 years now. It was never really our plan to stay in this home for so long, but we fell in love with the historic architecture of the neighborhood and the friendly vibe here in East Dallas. We considered adding on at one point, but time kind of flew by before we got really serious about it. Now that we’re empty nesters, this little house suits us just fine, anyway.
Let’s start at the front, shall we? The front porch of our home has long been the center of many happy gatherings. The large kitchen window overlooks the porch, and I decorate it for each season so that I can enjoy the cheer from inside, too.
One of my favorite rooms in our home is our tiny foyer. At just 5 by 7 feet, it can hardly be called a room! But we are lucky to have it at all, as most homes here open right into the main living area. It gets decorated for each holiday, and makes a welcoming spot for all who enter. Who could resist making the most of this little space?!!
Our living room is small too, at 12 by 17 feet, but sunny and cheerful. When we bought this house, it had dropped ceilings and painted paneling in the living and dining rooms. We gutted both rooms, and sheetrocked the walls and ceilings ourselves to restore the original ceiling height of nine feet. It really did give both rooms a spaciousness that makes them seem much larger than they are. In 2002 we created the arch between the two rooms, where a smaller rectangular doorway had been. It really opened up the house, and brought a lot more light to both rooms.
Here’s our dining room, which is in the center of the house. This is how we create storage in a tiny house: big armoires, baskets, window seats, and fabric covered tables! I run a pretty tight ship, and there must be a place for everything, or it all begins to take over the house. And yes, that is my Valentine’s tree in the corner! I wasn’t joking when I said that I decorate for every holiday.
Most of my sewing is done in here, and I always joke that I’m the only person I know who actually uses their formal dining room! My sewing machines and supplies are contained under a cloth-covered, plywood table that we built. This table is about to get a facelift, and I’ll be sharing that on the blog soon. You just won’t believe how much I have hoarded under there!
This vintage armoire was converted to be used as a china cabinet. It stores a tremendous amount of serving pieces behind that gathered curtain, and the top shelves are an ever-changing display area.
The window seats in the corner are another favorite spot. Anytime we entertain, these cozy seats are always occupied! They also give us a good deal of storage for miscellaneous things like wrapping paper, floral odds and ends, and of course, the plates and platters that I use in all of my seasonal displays. The painting is my greatest treasure, painted by my paternal grandmother when I was a little girl.
Our galley kitchen got a mini-reno last year when we ripped out an ancient pantry that was mostly wasted space. It gave us some much needed counter space (more to display with!) and now we store our pantry items in the cabinet below, and in canisters placed throughout the kitchen. Yes, here too, we make use of every inch.
Although our kitchen is small, we have created multiple display areas to showcase my ever-growing collection of holiday plates and goodies.
We love our sunny little breakfast area!
Since our laundry room is open to the kitchen, I glammed it up with a pretty chandelier and seasonal décor. It’s Valentine’s in here, too!
Andrea
Opulent Cottage by Andrea Haywood
I am so happy to have Andrea here today.
I have been a long time fan of her and her blog.
You will love her too, so head on over and see what she is up to today!
Opulent cottage
Always love seeing Andrea’s home. So charming.
Wow, Andrea, you have definitely made great use of your space! When we moved {just over a year ago} we down-sized from 3600 sq. ft. to 1790 sq. ft. and I felt like that was a challenge. Just for two of us! Our main rooms are open so it has its pros and cons. Love how you’ve done up your entry. We have a very small one here, but you’re right, I should be thankful that there is something before you step into the living room. I’m hoping to work on mine this year a little bit. You’ve decorated your home beautifully. Tudors have always been a favorite house style of mine.
Thanks for sharing your home. I love your front door.
Such a lovely home! Warm, cozy, inviting…simply charming! Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Cindy
Andrea’s home is so charming. I love the toile, the arches, the transferware. Her home is very welcoming and cozy!
I’m a happy follower of Andrea’s! Love her style and her beautiful home!! A tudor style home has always been my favorite! Great tour!! Have a great weekend Debbie!
Great tour, Debbie! I love seeing Andrea’s charming home!! Her blog is one of my faves, too!!
I really love the charm of her home! The arched openings, the painted fireplace, the cottage style furnishings are all wonderful. I can tell this home is loved. This is proof that a house doesn’t have to be large to be beautiful.
Hi Debbie! Oh, I love Andrea’s charming home. Thank you for featuring her home and we all have benefited getting to see more of it. Have a great weekend.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
Andrea, your home is so charming and warm. I love all your accessories. The transwferware is beautiful. Thank so much for sharing this with us.
Cynthia
What a beautiful home you have Andrea. So many wonderful touches from the lace curtains to the french inspired fabrics to your lighting features and of course your clever use of space. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful home…can certainly see why you have been there 27 years ♥
Andrea your home is absolutely DELIGHTFUL!!!! I am LOVING your fireplace and those ADORABLE squirrel pillows, so CUTE!! Thank you so much for inviting us in. Another great tour, Debbie.
xo
Angelina
Love your home. I think the architecture is fantastic with so much character. Thanks for the tour. Hugs, Marty
I absolutely love Andrea’s cottage. So happy to see larger pictures of the rooms. I think this cottage is the kind of house that many of us dream about!
I just love your Friday home tour series. What a beautiful home. Thanks for sharing.
What a wonderful home tour. Andrea has a beautiful home! I love her style. Hope you both have a wonderful weekend, Gail
I adore Andrea’s house! I love cozy little abodes where every bit of space is used. Thanks for featuring her!
Brenda
Oh it’s charming & lovely! Just my style! Thanks for sharing it with us, Andrea.
What a lovely home tour! Your home is so warm and inviting. I love your use of color and fabrics! Christy
what a lovely home! It is a special challenge living in an historic district 🙂 We are currently redoing our home that was hooked up to the city water sometime around 1910. I love it, but it’s a lot of work! I envy you 27 years in to it and enjoying the beautiful outcome!
What an inspiration…we are also empty nesters..and I have been leaning more to downsizing from the 3100 sq ft to a much smaller home…the only drawback is that, He will have to have room somewhere for the tractor and garden area. Really enjoy looking and getting ideas..
What a charming and cheerful home, Andrea!
Jeanette @ Creating A Life
That little cottage packs a pretty punch! So cute all decked out for V-day. It’s cute-cute-cute!!
Andrea,
Your home is really cute. I love every room. That front door is gorgeous. Thanks Debbie for sharing Andrea’s home with us.
Kris
What a wonderful home! I love the Tudor architecture. So pretty!
I LOVE your cottage! It’s so warm and cozy. You have it decorated brilliantly and I LOVE your use of your small space!!! Thank you so much for the tour.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Donna
So In LOVE!
Oh Debbie, thanks so much for featuring this charming home. I love all the pops of red! Her valentines display is so sweet too. She has created such a gorgeous but cozy home. I love it!
Andrea, your home is just lovely! Thanks for sharing it with everyone. I love following you on Pinterest and on your wonderful blog. Keep up the good work, you are inspiring!
This is such an adorable and very inviting home. Thanks so much for sharing this lovely tour!
Thanks, Debbie, for featuring Andrea’s cottage. So many pretty things to see..Happy Weekend..Judy
So happy to get to see so much of Andrea’s cottage. It’s so pretty. I wish my own cottage was as organized.