This month we're visiting Elizabeth's charming cottage home, located in West Covina, California. Residing with her family in their home for 10 years now, she has poured her love of beautiful things into each room. Elizabeth has a well trained eye for color and balance that flows throughout the entire house, giving each room it's own unique mood and feel.

 

With a preference towards decor that has a romantic vintage look, anything that sparkles, or anything that is pink or white and has roses, that's Elizabeth's favorite style. She prefers things that are vintage, not mass produced. She is especially drawn to the Shabby Chic look because it's casual and pretty, yet practical. She enjoys nothing more than being able to wash her beautiful white slipcovers and hanging them in the California sun to dry.

 

Elizabeth has always loved vintage items. She feels it is important to instill in her children the love of vintage items, to appreciate and cherish them. Elizabeth enjoys knowing that most of her home decor had a former life before her, and that she's just a keeper of them until they pass on to another. She particularly loves to feel the scratches and dents on certain pieces which shows their previous life with their former owners. As Elizabeth puts it" Vintage is my life, and my family!"

 

When it comes to creative decorating, Elizabeth has a large vintage window which hangs between her dining room and living room, and divides the two spaces. Also, in her living room she has a large plain mirror above her fireplace, and she placed a vintage oval white framed mirror on top of it to dress it up, and it works! She also uses many indoor decorating items outside in her garden. Elizabeth's creative inpiration comes from home decorating magazines, such as Romantic Country, Romantic Homes, and Country Livng magazine. She also takes cues from her favorite antique stores, and notices how their items are displayed.

 

Elizabeth's favorite places to shop are the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena, CA, as well as Old Town Orange. There are so many antique stores there, you can spend an entire day and not see it all. Her very favorite store there is "Country Roads" Antiques & Gardens. It's huge and takes a couple of hours just to see everything. She has purchased many things for her home there, and when her girlfriends and family come to visit, they all know it's a must to go!

 

Elizabeth sells on eBay,under the name vintagedreams*. Be sure to check out her goodies, and make sure you tell her Jennifer at The Old Painted Cottage sent you! -JG

 

(Photographs and article by Jennifer Grey, owner of The Old Painted Cottage)