Bee Cottage: Frances Schultz’s Cozy Home

"Frances Schultz, a contributing editor to House Beautiful magazine, describes her home as 'a humble 1920s stucco cottage in East Hampton, New York, with asymmetrical, elfin-size rooms and low (eight-foot) ceilings. She dubbed it Bee Cottage 'because bees are drawn to beauty and are industrious, social, and focused. It’s about being present, in the moment. Just be(e), honey.' Frances writes in HB, 'My first decision was to preserve its cheerful, cozy spirit. No knocking out walls or ceilings or rearranging the floor plan.' Love that. Let’s take a look!

The upstairs study has both a desk she can work at and a daybed for visitors:

The bedrooms were so tiny in the house that she combined two of them to make one spacious master.

In this little arched niche, she added a mirror and turned it into a kind of vanity:

Love the built-in drawers in the upstairs hallway:

Guest Bedroom and Bath:

She says that she went against the decorating dictum that you shouldn’t use high-gloss paint on imperfect walls because she likes that reflective quality it has in small rooms.

Tom Samet, a decorator and friend, helped her along the way. I love this little seating area they fit into the kitchen:

The kitchen was a 1960 addition before Frances got her hands on it. Look at how charming the kitchen looks now:

There’s a butler’s pantry that was being used as a laundry room. I’m guessing this may have been the kitchen before the other one was added on.

The pool looks so elegant with these fountains that she added:

Frances Schultz was a guest on “The Nate Berkus Show” recently and photos of Bee Cottage were shown as part of his “House Proud” segment. Did anyone catch that?

House Beautiful magazine has featured all of the before and afters of the cottage as part of an ongoing series. You can see photos of her dining room, which doubles as a library, on Frances Schultz’s website".

Thanks to Hooked on Houses!

via: Hooked on Houses