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Cozy Cottage

A Riverside Bungalow exudes classic charm

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Since taking ownership of the Riverside Bungalow she shares with husband Iain one year ago, Jenna Kinghorn has started carrying a notebook. “I’ve included all the decor details for each room I’ve worked on,” she begins. “I also make lists for the remaining rooms and carry it with me. I always have it handy in case I spot something that could be for the cottage.” It’s evident that Kinghorn adores the home initially spotted by Iain. “He was determined to find us the perfect home – a fixer upper with good solid bones.”

This is the eighth residence for the Kinghorns, who in their 10 years together have lived in Chicago, Boston, Stamford, Newport, Barrington, and Fall River. It’s easy to see why the couple would fall for the charming house situated on a corner lot with a white picket fence. “The cottage felt like a hug when we [first] walked in – and it still does.” Things that appealed most to the pair about this property were its layout and original 1928 architectural features like arched doorways, wood floors and moldings, and beadboard ceilings in the porch. Says Kinghorn, “It was just the right size for us at 1,000 square feet.”

Originally from Chicago, Kinghorn worked in retail management for Gap, Inc. for 25 years before changing careers into freelance interior decorating. Self-taught, she describes her style as classic and simple. In a striped Brenton shirt and ballet flats, it’s apparent that this aesthetic spans beyond her own personal look into her home and the goods stocked in the new shop she co-owns with friend Rebekah Willenberg, Blanc + Bleu. Her decor is a combination of farmhouse and coastal, mixed with inspiration from travels abroad. Iain is from Scotland and she cites the English countryside and areas of Northern France like Brittany and Normandy as influences to her “cozy brocante style,” referring to the flea markets of Paris. “I like a mix of new and vintage pieces.”

Repeated use of white and neutrals create a perception of visual space in the small house while giving rooms a cohesive flow. Kinghorn incorporates “hints of blue” as location cues “and it’s my husband’s favorite color,” she says. “The whole house makes me happy,” says Kinghorn, but shares that prized possessions include her collection of ironstone, the antique fireplace mantle, sets of vintage sketches of Scotland, fresh flowers, and cozy pillows. “And my hubby and the kitties, of course.”

Editor’s Note: Get updates on Kinghorn’s home projects on Instagram at @lepetitecottage and her shop at @blanc.and.bleu

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