I really wanted to give my girls a little sanctuary, a little place in the garden to call their own. We had a little wooden playhouse when we lived in Aberdeen, however once it was built we soon realised that it was just a little too small for them to properly play in. Our garden in Norway is big enough to hold a little cottage for the girls to call their own so started to look at a wooden cottage of for the girls. As my youngest was about to turn 5 I felt this was the year to build the cottage or it would not be worth investing in one.
After searching the internet and looking at cost of build and square metre I opted for a design called Rødhette lekehytte. We discussed it back and forward due to the cost and when Maxbo decided to reduce the price we made the decision to build a cottage in the garden and have it ready for Molly’s birthday. It was very important for her that the cottage had an upstairs and was so excited to watch the cottage take form.
After researching for a while I decided against my husband’s opinion to paint it white inside and out. My husband and daughter wanted some colour added however mummy knows best and I decided that colour was added by the use of accessory. I did go out to look for curtain fabric however could not find the right fabric and during a visit to Ikea I spotted some tea towels and thought they would be great as curtains. My mum did the work of cutting them in two and making the final finishes to be able to hang them up. The bunting has been made with a selection of Tilda fabrics. The letters have been handpainted by myself.
We got some shelves from Ikea to create a cottage style kitchen and again used kitchen towels as the curtains in the front which works well. Mormor and Morfar had purchased table and chairs and all the kitchen equipment you would need and the girls loved putting all the cups, plates, pots and pans into the kitchen.
Molly loves to bake with mummy and after spotting the wooden kitchen aid at Sprell toystore I just had to buy it for Molly’s birthday and she absolutely adored it. Immediately she started making cake by cracking the egg, adding milk, sugar and flour.
The upstairs still need some finishing touches, so far we have added a mattress and with the size upstairs being 140×80 we were able to cut a single size mattress to fit. We will be adding a few more cushions to create a cosy den to sit and read books, listen to music and chat to friends.
I spotted this adorable Bruka mailbox at a local store and thought that was the perfect addition to the cottage. It even add a little bit of colour which will make my husband happy.
After reading about what we have done, I guess you are eager to see what it looks like.
