The Enchanting Cottage - Part Two

In Part One Captain has escorted his beloved Cottage Lover to The Enchanting Cottage owned by Steve the artist.

We left Cottage Lover in the breakfast room of The Enchanting Cottage. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cottage Lover could not believe the wonder she beheld.

A strange creature floated above her; half woman-half bird.

Artist Steve seemed to read her thoughts. "That's Ladybird.  An artist friend of mine created her," he explained.

"She's magical.  She looks as though she could actually fly," Cottage Lover said.

Artist Steve smiled, and Cottage Lover thought she saw Ladybird wink at him.




Beyond Ladybird Cottage Lover spied the kitchen.

 

Now Cottage Lover loved kitchens almost as much as she loved Captain, and she loved The Enchanting Cottage kitchen more than any kitchen she had ever seen. 



Artist Steve had created the cabinetry himself.  Each cupboard door was hand carved and painted.

 
 
 
It was fantastical.
 

Spectaculous.



Over the stove hung a most unusual pot rack, enhanced by a carving overhead, and for a mad moment Cottage Lover thought to snatch the entire kit n' caboodle when Artist Steve wasn't looking.


For she loved everything about it.  The carved clock and roosters perched overhead,


the rooster corbel that supported the pot rack, and the hand forged  hangers another artist friend had made.


Cottage lover imagined it would be very pleasant to have such a pot rack in her own kitchen one day.




In the corner of the extraordinary kitchen -- in a little open box -- lived a fairy with a perpetual pout.




A parakeet, which was under an evil spell and could not sing, sat atop the doorway.  Cottage Lover suspected the pouting fairy had something to do with the poor parakeet's dilemma.



Between the kitchen and the breakfast room stood a cabinet which held the sink. There were no cabinets overhead.


The open space allowed for a view of the cottage garden through the stained glass window.  Cottage Lover suspected the garden must be splendid in the spring.



The kitchen towels occupied a very special place on the side of the sink cabinet.  They hung on a carved towel rod with the face of a beautiful princess.  Cottage Lover thought the princess looked a bit sad, and wondered if she was under an evil spell, too.





A delightful petite bowl rested between salt and pepper shakers on a whimsical shelf.






On one side of the kitchen a carved arch led the way to a short hallway.



At the end of the little hallway was a closet behind a door with elaborate trim.  To the right an arched doorway opened to the pantry and laundry room.



Cottage Lover walked in and smiled when she saw the row of mason jars filled with bounty from the garden on one pantry shelf. 



All the pantry shelves were handmade, and the backs of some of them were painted in a vintage style. 



Cottage Lover thought the laundry basket hanging on the wall was perfectly charming.



And she wondered why everyone didn't hang an antique clock in their laundry room, as Artist Steve had.


To be continued. . .
 
 
 
(Dear Readers, if you missed Part One of The Enchanting Cottage, you'll find it here.)
 
Sharing this Cottage Tale with


26 comments

  1. Amazing.....can't wait for the next part.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your encouraging words, and for joining in the fun, Debby. :)

      Delete
  2. So fun this is . . . love to see the cottage . . . and the wonderful, carved art in the kitchen. All the touches . . . can't wait for more . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you're enjoying this, Lynne. I'm certainly having fun. Have a great day!

      Delete
  3. So much work went into creating this magical place--it's hard to imagine! So beautiful . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, on all counts. Steve's a marvelous artist. Thanks for following along. :)

      Delete
  4. I love the kitchen cabinets. The whole kitchen is a work of art. Can't wait to see more. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you appreciate the work of art that this home is. It's a pleasure showing it off. Thanks for joining in the fun. :)

      Delete
  5. The carvings everywhere are wonderful! What a work of art! A lot of work went into this enchanting cottage!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's such a special place, Barb. Truly one of a kind.

      Delete
  6. Woah!! Wow!! AND SO FORTH!! this is such a unique and fascinating place---looks like a place where fairy tales would take place FOR SURE!!! I couldn't figure out what that pulley arrangement was over the pots and pans. What a cool place. Can't wait to see the rest. I hope I don't somehow miss it! So a fake parakeet.....my hubby might be able to live with that.....I miss the ones I used to have but he has laid down the law about birdies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure what the "pulley arrangement" is, either. I suspect it may be an orbiting contraption of some sort. Steve is so inventive with his decor, and there's so much to take in, that the little time I spent there was hardly enough to properly identify it all.

      Delete
  7. I love all the art déco inspiration in this kitchen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too. I think cooking in that kitchen would be beyond wonderful.

      Delete
  8. Oh, this is absolutely wonderful...I don't even know where to start so will just say I loved it all...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rose. Sharing it has been the highlight of my month.

      Delete
  9. Love all the woodworking ... so much charm! Would love to have you share at Amaze Me Monday...
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cindy. I will, indeed, share at Amaze Me Monday. I appreciate the invitation. xx

      Delete
  10. The woodwork on the archway leading in to the kitchen is exquisite! All the carved wood pieces just are too beautiful for words! I really love the irises on the cabinet doors and the pantry door. Oh my! This place is just heaven!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, that is some amazing woodwork! I cannot even imagine how long it took the artist to complete it all...and is it complete? Is he still carving and adding to his cottage?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a little late in answering this, Kim. For some reason I missed the last few comments on this post. Steve is still working on the cottage. Some of it is little bits of finish work, and he is remodeling the second bedroom. He told me this past week that he wants to buy a larger home with his fiancée and do all this on a much larger scale. I can't imagine it, but I'm sure it will be fantastic.

      Delete
  12. Joy, this cottage is filled with some fun and really unique details! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have seen part 1 and 2 and I am just drooling over the Mad Skills that Steve has. Oh could I ever use his skills. So much talent and creativity!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. I would love to be able to create out of wood as he does. All the carving and the way he puts things together is unique and wonderful. I'd like to live there. :)

      Delete

Your comments bring me joy! Thanks for stopping by.