A charming cottage set amongst the lush landscape of North Carolina

There is a question that frequently comes up in the interiors world: what is it about cottages that holds so much sway over us? For one American couple with two young children, the answer lies in their practicality. When they set about renovating their weekend house on the borders of the Black and Smoky mountains in North Carolina, it was the cottage’s ability to deal with the messier parts of life that caused them to look across the pond for inspiration. Upon hiring their friend, interior designer Kate Towill of Basic Projects, she was instructed that the couple ‘needed someone to make sure the house felt comfortable and worked with two little boys running around between it and the surrounding forest. They wanted it to be kid friendly, not precious, not pretentious. It’s what England does really well with cottages - you never feel like you’re going to ruin anything and it’s all very practical.’

The couple in question – Dave and Jennifer Dawson – own and run Urban Electric, a lighting company with a generous amount of beautiful fixtures, so lighting was not something Kate had to worry about. In fact, she was brought on board halfway through the renovation. ‘I was a little hesitant as I don’t love coming on halfway through,’ says Kate, ‘but they’re great friends and have wonderful taste and I love their company, ethos and lights, so it was a great opportunity to work with them on a very cool project. The property itself excited and inspired me.’ The property is a two bedroom cottage surrounded by woodland and a babbling brook, with lots of original wood panelling and flooring inside. The downstairs comprises the living room, kitchen, a library and bathroom, with another bathroom upstairs and the two bedrooms.

At the time that Kate joined the renovation, the owners had already picked out cabinets, electrical and plumbing fixtures, and gutted the house to replace damaged walls, but they kept the same layout and all the original wood panelling. ‘They really were in the driving seat and knew exactly what they wanted and I was there to facilitate that with sourcing knowledge and antiques,’ she explained. ‘They have great taste, they just needed help getting there.’ That meant little tweaks to Dave and Jen’s original plans, like replacing the contemporary backsplash that the couple had chosen with hand-painted Portuguese tiles for a more rustic aesthetic.

Kate set about sourcing the right pieces from all over the world; a Moroccan rug anchors the library, while a Swedish 1960s loveseat complements a mid-century tambour bar cabinet. In the living room, a faded pink Turkish rug sets the tone, sitting happily with a Japanese white oak coffee table, chairs sourced from 1stDibs and a Moroccan table between them. In the kitchen, with its Portuguese tiles, dining chairs from a flea market in LA and a Schumacher fabric-covered loveseat create a cheerful 1970s feel. In every room, this variety of styles and periods create a space that is wonderfully undone and completely charming. This sense of relaxed design was precisely what drew Dave and Jen to Basic Projects; ‘I love when you can really see the original materials of a house with minimal dressing on top,’ Kate says of her design approach. ‘In fact, I really dislike the feeling of overly designed spaces where it’s clear that the interior designer did it all. I was a set designer for seven years and that really helped me with my aesthetic.