Fancy staying the night? Not in the room on the left, thanks, no matter how lovely the rest of the cottage. Leaving to one side the absence of a bed, or even a sofa long enough to accommodate anything more than an an extra from Snow White , it is all a bit glum really.  It is hard to believe that the cheerful bedroom on the right is actually the same room.

Hard to believe, that is, until you realise that Sonya Kinkade, had a hand in the transformation. The clients originally wanted to go with pine wood paneling to, as they said ‘ make it rich’.  Sonya, however thought this would make the space too dark and gloomy. Believing that a cottage can be rich and fresh at the same time, she decided to go ahead and have the wood paneling applied but painted it with a cream milk paint which made the room appear clean, fresh and larger while being transparent enough to show the original pine grain and knots.

Sonya stained the window casings, doors and trim a rich chocolate to bring in the outdoors. She worked in the clients’  antique dresser and bench and combined them with wide floor boards, cheerful yet simple fabrics and natural blinds.

Clients were happy, not grumpy. Maybe snoozy.