Today, we trekked up the windy hills of Bronson Canyon to see the open house of this hand crafted English cottage. It was beautiful, as if my dream space had come to life.
A large, circular garden courtyard greeted us as we entered the property. It was filled with trees, lined with brick steps and pathways, and even had a bird bath! From the courtyard, we entered the house not through the main door, but through one of the two large leaded glass doors that invited us directly into the living room of the home. Both of the doors were opened, allowing a smooth transition from the natural feel of the outdoors to the cozy atmosphere of the indoors. The living room was wonderful! A fireplace was present as the focal point of the room, brown tiles lined the floor, and a couple of green stained glass windows stood in an art deco-like style, a style popular around the time the home was built(1920s). Pointed arches wrapped around the ceiling of the room as well. Arches in the home might sound pretentious at first, but somehow these arches eased into the pointed ceiling that shaped the house.
The dining area was beautiful, with an antique chandelier and a large window looking into the courtyard of the home. I loved the circular shape of the room. It was very inviting and naturally allowed me and my friend to face each other and converse, even without a dining table between us!
There were two rooms, and a small kitchen. The narrow staircase in the foyer led directly led to one of the rooms, the smaller of the two. It was shaped like an attic room, with small storage areas and a built in bookcase. Though it was a small space, there were windows on two walls that opened widely and looked out to the natural landscape of the hollywood hills. Lots of trees and fresh air. A perfect study room, I would think. The other room, downstairs and next to the kitchen, was large enough to serve as the official bedroom.
The kitchen was small, but practical, with all the necessities in place.
This house was made to be lived in, to be enjoyed. The size of the living room and the dining room makes up a large portion of the home(the home itself is only a little over 1,000 sq ft), with the kitchen and bedrooms being secondary spaces. It’s not that these secondary spaces are uncomfortable, because they are quite cozy, but I loved that so much of the little space available was invested into areas that serve communal purposes . Nobody is allowed to be cramped up in the kitchen or cooped up in their room. People should come out and play in the sun, gather around the fireplace, or have dinner with the whole family! The floorplan of this cottage perfectly conveyed that principle. Just imagine spending a whole Saturday lounging between the garden and the indoors, from morning till night! I would garden, work, read, sleep, drink tea, play music and have so much fun!
With windows that are present whenever possible and throughout the house, it is a beautiful cottage filled with sunlight during the day and illuminates on its own at night.
Not only do I love the decoration of the cottage, but the lifestyle that alludes to it. It’s small, and practical, yet it allows the owner to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. In this cottage, one can forget about the busy workday, the rat race in the real world, and the superficial standards that people try to set. People can just enjoy nature, hang out, and concentrate more on what’s really important in life. To me, this sense of peace and quiet to refocus is really important because I tend to forget these things quite often and act out of character.
Now to think about the home in a practical sense. I spoke about the windy roads to get to the house, but what I meant is that it’s freaking windy. Windy and narrow. One lane to be shared with both sides of traffic, with the road going up and down the hills. It would take about 5-10 minutes to just get down the mountain, only to hit the traffic on the 101(off the Hollywood exit).
Also, the square footage. Yes, the communal spaces are large and brilliant, but frankly speaking, it’s small. Of course it’s small, it’s a cottage. Not enough space for a family. But too scary for a single person, I’d say. The large windows combined with surrounding trees for strangers to hide behind, or leaves rustling really loudly on windy nights can be quite frightening (especially me, I’m a big scaredy cat). Not too practical for a working couple either. The house is old and probably needs a lot of work done, and most young people are looking for convenient and clean places to live in, traffic and maintenance wise. Older couples with lots of time and money might be better candidates for this cottage. If they don’t mind the windy roads that lead to it.
Trader Giotto’s Spinach Pizza. Just ten minutes in the oven and it was crispy and delicious! Salad with my secret vinaigrette. YUM.
The pizza wasn’t enough to fill us up so we baked up another Trader Giotto’s frozen dinner, haha: Basil Pesto with Mozzarella and Tomato Flatbread. double YUM.
Dessert was Tiramisu, also from trader joes. I love that market. Though I buy my produce at GCM, all my other grocery needs are met at joe’s. Their products are always fresh and generally inexpensive compared to other supermarkets(most of the time). Plus they have delicious frozen dinners that don’t taste or look like frozen dinners! And a pizza usually costs around $3.69. My life is so much easier because of this trader joe.
Had some grapes as well. What at good dinner we had considering the very little time and money spent on preparing it! Thank you, Trader Joe, whoever you are.
