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Welcome to Kim's "Daisy Cottage" in Lakeland, Florida, a small town-city dotted with beautiful lakes, located between Orlando and Tampa. Residing in her 1922 cottage for the past 2 1/2 years, Kim describes her decorating style as casual and cottagy, with a little whimsy added for fun. She I adores color and loves to be surrounded in it. Kim says "I love to create cozy rooms with tables perfect for propped feet and coffee cups, and I definitely prefer the old to the new. I love to be surrounded by my favorite people, animals, and silly little things that make me happy". Kims favorite room in her home is her living room/dining room area because of the beautiful golden sunlight that shines through the windows, and the "bed and breakfast" ambiance the space brings. And she of course loves her front porch with its wooden swing, as this is where she fell in love with her Daisy Cottage.
A self-described visual detail oriented person, Kim enjoys changing things around all the time. She says "Change keeps a home fresh and alive, and I love "shopping" from my own closets as I rotate my treasures with the seasons or as the mood strikes". But when the mood strikes her to shop outside of her home, you can find Kim at her favorite local shop "Vintage", for vintagy treasures and unique finds, as well as the local Goodwill and thrift shops. Kim's current collections have been found at yard sales and thrift shops, never costing very much, and patiently gathered over time as she stumbles upon them. She also enjoys finding vintage aprons and collecting hand-made hearts from blogging friends. Kim also has a soft spot for amateur art, preferring landscapes and florals. As Kim says, "The imperfect is perfect to me".
When I asked Kim to share some of her favorite decorating tricks, she had lots of ideas to share: Layering and repeating punches of color and accents help to unify a space and bring it all together. It is my favorite way to decorate. * I love to add touches of whimsy to keep things a bit interesting and lighthearted, nothing too serious for me. * I love grouping my collections together for visual impact, but will usually have a piece or two "stray" to another spot within the room for fun. * Books in a home are very important to me, to be read and enjoyed, of course, and I also love displaying vintage ones, with their perfectly-aged covered patina, around a room as they are artful on their own. * I buy and decorate with what I love, and ignore all of the "rules".
I have a feeling many of you are going to ask me Kim's paint colors, so here you go ladies: "Richly Red" by Waverly "Cowslip #3". And "Olive #4" by Laura Ashley. You can also visit Kim at her blog, Dear Daisy Cottage. I'm sure she would love for you to stop by. And if you do, please tell her Jennifer at The Old Painted Cottage sent you! -JG
