About Me
Welcome – I’m Kristine and I am glad you are here! (Continue reading below for some updates!) This handsome fella in the picture with me is Dave, my niece’s Newfoundland! This blog is my platform for sharing my thoughts and ideas about organizing, decorating, and creating a home that is a peaceful haven – warm, inviting and comfortable. My hope is that you find some ideas, inspiration, or just enough of a new perspective to trigger your own imagination and creativity.
We want our homes to be visually and kinetically warm, welcoming, cozy, unpretentious, and genuine. My goal here at Red Shutter Cottage is to provide you with tools and ideas on how to create that environment in your home.
So many times we see a photo, a friend’s home, or a blog that shows a beautiful seasonal display, or a well-put-together room, but we have no idea how to do it for ourselves. Or perhaps you do have a clear sense of your own style and taste but are always on the look-out for a different approach or new inspiration.
Between magazines, Pinterest and blogland, there is no shortage of beautiful images of coffee tables, mantels or dining tables, but you are often left wondering how to do that yourself. I write tutorials to help you create that for yourself. The emphasis is on using items you already own, love and use daily, and incorporating or pairing them with seasonal, or specialty items. As a result, your home is decorated in a manner that clearly reflects your own sense of style, beauty, and comfort. You will find tutorials to walk you through how to build a vignette, decorate a mantel, or create a seasonal dining table. I also include posts about organizing and steps that I take in my kitchen to that really help with making cooking easier and more efficient.
You don’t necessarily need to buy new things. You can use what you already have, or search for missing pieces in thrift shops, consignment stores, or garage sales. My hope is to help you develop your own eye, and your own sense of what is warm and comfortable and speaks to you.
I would be honored if you would subscribe to receive updates on posts that speak directly to helping you create a home that is in harmony with both you, and your family.
….more about me (and some updates!) …..
When I started this blog, I lived in Southern California with my husband, Sailor, and our three cats. The inspiration for Red Shutter Cottage came from our home, which was a small house with red shutters on the front windows.
In May of 2021, we moved from Southern California to Northeast Indiana. You can read about our journey under “Our Story” in the menu above.
Although we didn’t find a new home in Indiana with red shutters, we did find a cozy, airy ranch sitting on an acre of land, surrounded by beautiful green grass and trees. (I’ve nicknamed it “the Dupont house”.) But since Red Shutter Cottage is a frame-of-mind, I am keeping the name. To me, it represents an approach to living comfortably from season to season, in a home that serves as a restful haven, filled with warmth and beauty
And here are a few more changes: I have retired, we currently have only one cat, and now I play Pinochle (but would love to get back to playing Bridge at some point!). I love living in a 4-season environment. And snow does not bother me in the least. I don’t need to go out in it; I can happily enjoy it sitting on the couch, next to the fire, with a book in hand, a cat in lap, and a cup of tea. The posts that start in September 2022 are all about “the Dupont house”, our new home in Fort Wayne. My hope is that you continue to benefit from reading these posts and that they spark creativity, inspiration and enjoyment! ()
