Little Cottage on the Sound

Vintage charm, modern functionality and coastal vibes come together in this cozy cottage nestled on the shores of the Puget Sound.

Owning and renovating an old home brings a sense of connection to history through the fun and timeless features that add charm and character. It can also bring challenges, such as outdated design styles or too little room for modern conveniences. For homeowner and blogger Kim Robinson of Shiplap and Shells, finding the balance between vintage charm and modern functionality was a key part of the renovations to her lovely home nestled into the landscape of the Pacific Northwest.

living room decorated for fall with tray of apples and pinecones, watering can with dried hydrangeas — Creative Solutions. Kim and her husband decided to remove a door in the living room that led to their bedroom. “We needed more wall space, and we didn’t want people to go to our bedroom through the living room,” she says. The coffee table was a DIY project. “It was a pretty new table, and my husband had the idea to get a door, cut it down and put it on top of the table,” she says. To add a vintage look, Kim distressed the surface. A dough bowl with apples, eucalyptus and pinecones adds a touch of fall festiveness.

rusted bike with baskets filled with hay and decorative pumpkins — Star Accessory. This cute vintage bike was a Craigslist find that Kim uses to display her flowers and other décor throughout the year. “Each season I redecorate it,” she says. Here, she has chosen a variety of pumpkins and moss for a fall feel. “In the winter I have pine needles, lights and ornaments, and in the spring and summer I have flowers falling out of it,” she says.

The cozy 1,600-square-foot cottage is located in a small town aptly named “Home” on the Puget Sound. It is a quiet waterfront community about 20 minutes outside the city, which was a big selling point for Kim and her husband. “I love the small community and country feeling,” she says. “Also I love how close we are to the water—we can park our boat right in front of our house.” An avid gardener, Kim especially enjoys tending to the many flowers and vegetables in her raised garden. The gorgeous view, as well as the opportunity to view local wildlife like seals and eagles, are causes for Kim and her husband to spend many afternoons on the large deck they added.

potting shed in backyard of little cottage on the Sound

Old and New in the Little Cottage on the Sound

Built in 1920 by the daughter of one of the founding members of the town, the little cottage on the Sound holds history of its own. “There are two buildings out back that a previous owner used to build boats in the ‘60s,” Kim says. Mixing the old and new is one of Kim’s favorite aspects of design, and one of the main highlights of her blog and Instagram account. In the 1970s and ‘80s, the cottage experienced a series of renovations, including a room addition upstairs. In spite of the work done, the cottage needed some updating. “Our goal was to make it look like it was still built in 1920—to keep the character, but improve it,” she says. A prime example of this is the shiplap throughout the home. While tearing down one of the walls in the kitchen, Kim discovered that there was shiplap underneath. She decided to incorporate shiplap throughout the cottage in keeping with that look and feel.

living room with view to kitchen with bistro style pot and pan storage, exposed wooden shelves and white living room furniture — Old House, New Rules. Working with an old house can present challenges, which require creativity to overcome. Kim and her husband decided to remove a wall that separated the kitchen and living room. “We wanted to make it an open concept,” Kim says. Wood played a big role in Kim’s design, with hardwood floors, shiplap, exposed wooden beams and lots of wood detailing. “We chose huge crown molding, very thick, around the living room,” she says. Old House, New Rules. Working with an old house can present challenges, which require creativity to overcome. Kim and her husband decided to remove a wall that separated the kitchen and living room. “We wanted to make it an open concept,” Kim says. Wood played a big role in Kim’s design, with hardwood floors, shiplap, exposed wooden beams and lots of wood detailing. “We chose huge crown molding, very thick, around the living room,” she says.

For Kim, renovating is a continuous process born out of a marriage of practicality and design. There were some changes she and her husband made immediately upon moving into the space, like painting the cabinets and replacing the single pane windows with modern, more efficient ones. Other projects arose out of living in the space and determining what their needs were. This included choosing to create a much-needed bathroom from an unfinished room, adding a hallway to accommodate a walk-in closet for more storage and removing a wood burning stove in the living room to make space for entertaining. “We wanted to really live in it and find things that needed to change to fit our lives,” Kim says. “We’ve not stopped renovating in the eight years we’ve been here.”

view of Puget Sound from the dining room with blue and white cushions on bench seating — Personal Recipe. Kim’s love for mixing old and new shines in the kitchen. “We went with an older style of architecture, but added some fun and funky accents to update it,” she says. Industrial touches like the pendant lighting are a simple but timeless addition to the space. The large window provides another stunning view of the Sound, while blue pillows and cushions evoke the waterfront.

Making a House a Home

Creating more entertaining space and storage were the two primary goals Kim had for the renovations in their little cottage on the Sound. This is most clearly seen in the kitchen and living room, where she removed a wall separating the spaces in order to create an open floor plan. “By putting in white shiplap and removing that wall, it really helped brighten the space,” Kim says. She added wood beams in the ceiling and other wood accents for a more rustic vibe. She then chose coastal décor, like the oar above the window seat and blue accent colors, to evoke the waterfront location of the cottage. All these elements come together to create an overall welcoming and cozy feel with touches of vintage charm.

skylight and farmhouse kitchen sink in little cottage on the Sound — Budget Beauty. The large farmhouse sink, a find from Craigslist, was the main inspiration for the kitchen, and one of Kim’s favorite pieces in her home.“We actually built our kitchen around the sink,” she says. Soft teal schoolhouse lights are a touch of coastal style. The subway tile was a deliberate choice and ode to the vintage feel of the cottage. Kim’s dried hydrangeas sit in a copper container in the window sill to celebrate fall.

turquoise hutch with cookbooks and hanging coffee mugs — Social Media Star. This cabinet gets a lot of attention as a favorite on Kim’s blog. “Years ago I painted it black, but I changed it to turquoise when we moved here because I was inspired by the water,” she says.

The kitchen was a more arduous project, since the couple had to strip it down to studs to install all new plumbing, electrical and insulation for some much-needed updates. Additionally, they added a dishwasher and brought the refrigerator back into the room, since it had been moved out by previous owners due to the small space. They kept most of the cabinets but painted them white—another modern touch. To increase the space for hosting at the dinner table, they added a large window seat to accommodate more guests. “Before we would bring an antique table into the house and sit it in front of the window seat, and it took up a lot of space,” she says. In the midst of all these changes, Kim strove to maintain that balance between modern conveniences and the vintage charm she loved so much about the home. “Wherever you look I wanted it to have the character of older pieces,” she says.

gods at home on the couch with a view to Puget Sound behind them — Room With A View. Jax and Lucy enjoy the window seat with a view of the water. The view was one of the features to the cottage that drew Kim and her husband. “There is something about the Puget Sound that people just really love,” Kim says.

fall vignette with woven basket and crocheted white pumpkins — Color Choice. This picnic basket is an antique find, adding a touch of vintage charm that Kim loves. A fan of miniature pumpkins, she sprinkles them throughout her home to celebrate fall. “I like to have less orange inside, so I go for white pumpkins instead,” she says.

kitchen with built-in bench seating island and turquoise hutch — Upcycled Style. In the kitchen, white shiplap brightens the space as well as serves as a neutral canvas. When Kim wanted more cabinet space and a standard island would not fit, she got creative. “We added a dresser as our island, and put butcher block on top from a local Dunkin’ Donuts going out of business,” she says. She and her husband also made the pot rack.

close up of hutch with turquoise exterior and lime green backing with milkshake maker, cookbooks, mugs and colorful bowls — Seaside Shades. Kim went with a yellow paint for the interior of the cabinet. “The turquoise and yellow give me that beach feel,” she says.

collection of vintage bottles in vintage wooden crate — Prized History. Bringing together the old and the new requires creativity and an eye for detail so the design is cohesive and pieces blend well. For Kim, it’s the vintage pieces and features in her home that she wants to take center stage. “Hopefully you’ll only see the old stuff and not the new stuff, because there are so many vintage things to look at,” she says.

powder blue bedroom with chandelier and pastel colored quilt — Cottage Character. The cool blue tones in this bedroom give off a different feel than the rest of the home. “I wanted it to have a more romantic feel, so we brought in the chandelier,” Kim says. The size and shape of the room proved to be a challenge when it came to fitting in the king-sized bed, which partially covered the window seat. “Sometimes you just have to make it work,” Kim says. “It is kind of quirky but it adds to the charm.”

hallway vignette with vintage mirror, dried hydrangeas and decorative pumpkins on wire side table — Double Duty Space. This cozy hallway is filled with antique finds that reflect the historical nature of the cottage. “We added a hallway because we wanted an extra walk-in closet,” she says. “You have to be really creative in an old house like this.”

bench seating with a view and colorful cushions in cottage on Puget Sound — A Good Save. This large window seat takes full advantage of the incredible views of the Puget Sound. The waterfront serves as a point of inspiration in Kim’s design. She chose a neutral palette with soft blues and touches of red to add to the coastal feel. Even though Kim and her husband had all the old single pane windows replaced, Kim decided to repurpose them. “I actually used them to decorate the inside and outside of the cottage,” she says.

home office in little cottage on the Sound with sunflowers and turquoise accents — Custom Work. This cozy office space is located upstairs in the “story and a half” cottage, and has the best view in the house of the water outside. Kim and her husband did a lot of work in the space to make it fit their needs. “We changed windows, added hardwood floors, painted the old paneling and put in built-in shelves and cabinets for more storage,” Kim says. Turquoise accents continue the beach cottage vibe, while antique furniture acquired from various local shops is a touch of vintage.

eucalyptus leaves in vintage tin and fall vignette with vintage suitcase and kitchen scale with fabric pumpkins — Mini pumpkins, greenery and some rustic pieces add a bit of vintage fall fun. Kim loves to broaden her fall palette. “I love to mix in purples with the oranges and white,” she says.

homeowners enjoy their deck space in their home on Puget Sound — Livable Space. Because of the small size of the cottage, Kim and her husband decided to build a deck to serve as an extended living space during the summer months. Opting to put it in front of the house, as well as the greenhouse and gardens, made the most sense given the shape and topography of the property. “Our front yard is where the Puget Sound is, and all our sun is there,” Kim says.

potting shed with decorative pumpkins and cornstalks — A Second Home. Donned in corn husks and dotted with pumpkins for fall, this charming greenhouse is one of Kim’s favorite places, and is a functional as well as beautiful spot for her to tend to her flowers and vegetables. “We installed Dutch doors on both sides so I can open them and get wonderful air flow,” she says. A mermaid weathervane adds a touch of coastal fun.

If you loved this little cottage on the Sound, we think you’ll also love Farmhouse Style in a Seattle Cottage and Colorful Coastal Cottages. Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of cottage inspiration!