Today I have a “get the look” mood board for you with sources that capture the look and feel of the above mudroom image I created for one of my Cottage by the Sea Dreambooks! I will share more about the Dreambooks below, too!

Below is a “get the look” inspiration mood board with similar styles and more below!

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I’m so excited that my brand new Cottage by the Sea Summer Dreambook is now available! I’ve been so delighted to hear so many of you are loving these Dreambooks–the spring edition and now the summer edition are a lovely escape and full of inspiration for your home.

You can pour yourself a cup of tea, curl up and explore your cottage-by-the sea style in a whole new way.

The If I Lived in a Cottage By the Sea Dreambooks are a not only a fun escape, you can use them as inspiration for your real home, no matter where you live.

Come dream with me of a cottage by the sea!

Each of the images in the Dreambooks are dreamed up and created by me with AI design tools, specifically for inspiration and dreaming! I love that they may be a little quirky, imperfect or even aspirational at times. To me, that’s part of the charm and dream of a cottage by the sea.

This is the type of visual Dreambook I always dreamed of having for myself, so I’m thrilled to have created something that inspires others as much as it inspires me!

It’s so fun to imagine ourselves at home in any of the spaces, kicking off sandy shoes and letting the sea breeze drift through open windows! Even though I now live in my own cottage by the sea, I still LOVE dreaming about them! In fact, it was through dreaming that I found my inspired style, long before my dream ever came true.

The Dreambooks are not really about where you live, but how.
Cottage by the Sea is a lifestyle and mindset, as well as a style.

the inspired room

Follow @cozycottagebythesea on Instagram for more inspiration or you can join our Cottage by the Sea email here for more “get the look” ideas and to be alerted to new Dreambooks, too!

I’d love to hear what you love about the Dreambooks, too! Let me know what you love the most.

Get your Dreambooks here! (Spring and Summer available now!)

The Dreambooks get rave reviews!

“Melissa, this digital Dreambook is pure magic! I adore how you’ve blended AI-crafted cottages
with whimsical stories—it feels like a cozy seaside escape right on my screen.” Laura

“This Dreambook feeds my soul.” Lynn

It’s been awhile since we’ve shared a Tiny Cottage update, so I thought I would show you how adorable it still is :). My mom said it was okay to take some pics, so since I was there the other day taking photos in the Tiny Kitchen for this post, I jumped at the chance to give you a little peek around.

By the way, you’ll find lots of the sources (and similar pieces) from the Tiny Cottage throughout, as well as at the bottom of this post!

The Tiny Cottage (attached to our home) just keeps getting cozier and more personalized as my parents have lived in it, as all homes should!

I really love all of thoughtful little details in the Tiny Cottage. Not just the charming architecture, colors and finishes, which I love, but the meaningful touches that make it theirs.

With a Tiny Cottage (400 square feet!) every inch counts, so it’s fun to see how my mom makes it work for them and makes it so cute all at the same time.

There’s no room for “things” that don’t add something important to their life, so each piece earns its keep—by how it functions or by the joy it brings to their everyday experience. They’ve collected such a happy mix of simple pleasures and meaningful memories.

I remember when I asked my mom if this Tiny Cottage would really be enough, she simply said, “What more do we need?” And she was right.

Even though a tiny house isn’t always easy to “fit into”—and it definitely requires intention behind every decision—creating a lovely home of any size is really about finding peace and contentment with what matters in this season of life.

This mindset is one we wholeheartedly embrace as HomeBodies in HomeBody Gathering Place, too. We’re all about creating soul-filled homes with more ease and intention. It’s not about the size of the house or having the perfect space. It’s about learning to love the one you have and the tiny acts of care that make it your own.

I’ll point out a few more recent updates and other little moments around the Tiny Cottage along with some take away tips for maximizing small spaces!

My mom loves plants and has always had a green thumb, as did her mom! I unfortunately did not get the green thumb gene ha! I try though and love it, too. Perhaps in my retirement years I’ll devote more of my time to gardening.

I love how she’s been using some of the window sills as a Tiny Indoor Garden!

If you are building a smaller home, remember to add deeper window sills. You will not regret it if you need more space to grow plants or display. Every inch counts so deeper sills also create the illusion of more space, whether you use them or not!

They recently added these bookcases / benches to either side of their fireplace. Home takes time and they realized they missed having a place for books and surfaces for plants, frames or treasures, so these are PERFECT for their needs. Plus they can move them around if they need additional seating.

Had to laugh about this…. just noticed there’s a little caterpillar crawling outside the window. Ha!

Remember when I gave my mom our couch around Christmas time? Now their wicker one is outside on the Tiny Deck (and it looks SO cute out there. Stay tuned–I will get photos of outside progress to share, too) and the leather is so cozy in here! We are always playing musical furniture in our family so you never know where things will turn up next.

My dad has been buying my mom darling little handmade quilling cards (like for Mother’s Day and holidays) that they started framing by their door. I just love art that tells a story.

I found the art cards on Etsy here (she has this adirondack card, this beach house, and these tulips. Some are available on Amazon here as well.

She also got these cute blue and white checkered throws, I love them on the back of the wicker chairs! I might need to get a couple of those myself.

My dad has his own little trinkets and gifts sprinkled around the Tiny Cottage. A Tiny Cottage mouse night light riding in a boat is a favorite practical and meaningful addition!

My mom is often moving things around to find just the right spot, I got them this darling “fish” apron at a local gift shop for Christmas and it looks so cute hanging on the wall! Double duty is the way to go in a smaller space. Practical and art at the same time!

This beautiful plate was a gift my mom’s mom gave her at their wedding!

This cabinet and counter still works great as an extension of their Tiny Kitchen. If you need to leave appliances in view, just make them attractive! They have such a pretty espresso machine.

Love their TV, too, you can change the art on it anytime so it looks more like a painting than a black hole!

They still love their Tiny Oven!

Mom mom also really enjoys her kitchen display shelves! It’s a mix of every day items that look so cute together along with special pieces they’ve collected over the years.

I found several similar blue and white canisters below in the source list–some of hers were collected years ago from Italy!

Thanks for stopping by Tiny Cottage for an early summer visit! Stay tuned for a visit to the Tiny Backyard!

Languid Blue Sherwin-Williams cabinet paint color

Beadboard walls

Butcher block countertops

Floors (same as ours, European white oak)

Oven with Air Fryer

Automatic Espresso Machine

Classic Retro White Fridge and Freezer

Faucet

Under Mount Bar Sink

Electric Cooktop

Blue and White Square Tile (they got theirs here but it appears to be a better price HERE).

Ceramic wall subway tile (they got theirs here but it appears to be a better price HERE), 

Classic Retro Under Cabinet Range Hood

Sources for above:

Wood Bead Flush Mount Light /// Antique White Chandelier (color options) /// Braided Rug (it was hanging out to dry but it is usually in their entry) (size, shape, color options) /// Quilted Ruffle Throw Blanket /// “Post Box” Wall Planter /// Blue and White Checkered Tile /// Blue Subway Tile /// White Tea Kettle /// Wood Tray TV Table /// White Outdoor Dawn to Dusk Sconce Light /// Blue and White Reversible Cross Throw Blanket /// White Toaster Oven + Air Fryer /// White Espresso Machine /// White Retro Fridge

More sources (click images below for details):

See More posts about the Tiny Cottage:

Spring in the Tiny Cottage: A Reflection on Having Less in a Cottage by the Sea

The 400 Square Foot Tiny Cottage Tour at Christmas

See ALL posts on the Tiny Cottage (including the remodel process) here.

The floral art I had up was pretty, but I was looking with some deeper colors. This watercolor scene was exactly what I had been looking for: 

The artwork became the inspiration for a bigger change I made as well! (And helped me to figure out the direction for the ceiling makeover I hope to start soon.)

Actually, this next change was made by accident, but it was a happy one. 😉 

The drapes themselves were wonderful, the problem was the IKEA curtain hardware I hung soon after we moved in. I used Hugad drapery rods, and for the most part I really like them — they’re super solid, come in really long lengths and are a great price!

My only issue was that the drapes we had up for seven years were grommet curtains, which slid easily over the connecting rods with ease. 

With the new, smaller curtain rings, they were so difficult to open and shut. Where the drapery rods met each other, the rings would catch and it was driving us bananas. 

I have to have total darkness when I sleep, so our drapes are shut every evening and we open them up for the natural light in the morning. This little annoyance turned into a bigger one when the rods themselves would start scooching wayyyy off to the sides from the force of moving the drapes. 

Then they started disconnecting because the rods were moving so far, and the rod would fall and the curtains would slide off and well, IT WAS JUST A LOT. 

SOOOO. I did some research and found a curtain track from Ikea called Vidga. It’s a bit sterile looking at first glance (it’s basically tracking like they use around hospital beds), but I LOVED that it kind of disappeared into the ceiling, and in every video I saw, the curtains glide like buttah. 

This track is mounted right to the ceiling, so I double checked that I would have enough extra fabric at the bottom of the drapes to make them longer again. Then I hung the Vidga track, rehung my drapes…and went to pull the fabric apart where I used hemming tape so I could take them to the floor.

VERY LONG STORY SHORT…the blackout lining started tearing like it was paper (the lining worked great to block light, but is not a high quality material). It was sticking to the drapery fabric in sections (the lining was almost like a rubber material). 

It was a mess and I had just hung the new track with anchors in the ceiling and was so frustrated. 

I was so thrilled when I got the first set delivered (they come two to a pack), because the color was just as it was pictured online. 

They come with these plastic curtain hooks that slide right into the back of the pleats — so easy to install.

Side note — I found a set of these vintage brass gimbal candle sconces on Facebook Marketplace months ago, and LOVE them: 

But when I put a taper candle in, they topple over. I’m assuming I need a much shorter candle for these? If you have an idea please let me know! I love them as is, but would love to have candles in them. 

I bought the new curtain sets over a few weeks as our budget allowed. I also added the same drapery track above the windows on each side of the bed as well. 

When I hung them in the ceiling, I placed the track about three inches away from the wall. Next time I’ll probably go a little closer to the wall. 

If you look closely, you can see the little wallpaper detail I added to the front of the tracks. If you have white walls and ceilings, you won’t even notice these. But the glaring white against the grasscloth wallpaper was bugging me, so I just stuck some scrap wallpaper to the front of them. 

It worked perfectly — you have to be right under them to even see they’re there now. 

The previous drapes were pretty bulky, so I only had one on our smaller windows on each side of the bed: 

These are lighter and thinner (but block the light perfectly) so hang much better. I ended up hanging a set on each bed wall window, which I think looks so much better: 

I had no idea the room needed more of this beautiful, deep accent color. It makes it feel so warm, but still so open and bright compared to the dark gray we had everywhere before: 

The color of the evergreens in the artwork matches perfectly with the new curtains:

The new art also inspired my final plan for the tray ceiling changes I want to make this year: 

The dark wood beams are looking especially orange toned now that the room is lighter, and the dark gray ceiling (Westchester Gray), is feeling out of place. 

Phase one of my plan is to paint the wood beams in the same white as the tongue and groove around the bottom of the room, and then paint the ceiling a pretty, light blue very similar to the color of the sky in the artwork: 

Phase two will be to DIY a coffered ceiling of some kind with additional white beams — not sure to what extent just yet, but I think it will look amazing and add a ton of character to this room! 

For now I’m loving the changes I’ve made over the past few months. It takes a long time till I’m truly done with a space — there’s a lot of tweaking over years. But if you’re like me, that’s the fun part! 🙂 

I love the contrast of the dark curtains in this room: 

Hi friends, we are now in the summer month of June and things are heating up! We are definitely ready for summer at our house and today we’ve got some fun summer shares for you, from how to decorate with lemons, cottage style summer decorating, growing peonies, and a beautiful home tour with inside and gardens. Enjoy these shares today!

Town and Country Living | How to Decorate with Lemons for a Fresh Look

Worthing Court | Cottage Style Summer Decorating Ideas

Finding Silver Pennies | Growing Peonies

Southern Hospitality | Home Tour of Plaids & Poppies

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