How They Transformed a Cottage Nearly 200 Years Old

Rose Winter emigrated from Great Britain to Australia as a child. She always loved green hills and valleys, and later developed a passion for French countryside style.

Candelabras in the dining room are decorated with ivy and berries.

Rose found an old 1860s house in the small village of Rydal, where each year in early September the narcissus festival is held.

Even in its dilapidated state, I immediately saw the potential. But I quickly brushed off the idea of restoration like a persistent fly and went home. The kitchen now has a small wine cellar in the place where there used to be a fireplace. Abundance of small decor accentuates the cottage style.

Soon, Rose came across the same cottage in a real estate guide. Despite her doubts, she decided to buy it. That’s when the long and sometimes difficult process of renovation began. The inspection of the building showed that the house retained a solid frame, but restoring the interior was not easy.

The only clue was the house’s unique shape, which defined its character. Everything else was pure imagination.The former dining room is now a living room, tastefully furnished with antiques. Look at these handcrafted shutters.

Rose and her children nearly demolished and rebuilt the house from scratch. For example, the modernized kitchen now features a new tiled roof made of corrugated iron.

At times, the scale of the renovation overwhelmed the new owner.

The old log in the yard is where I often sat and cried.

But any difficulties can be overcome: today the house is fully renovated and restored. French doors, new dormer windows, and mirrors completely transformed the dark interior and added light.

Rose’s love for France inspired her choice of color when it was time to paint the walls.

After six months of intensive work, Rose moved into the house and started gardening. From a weed-infested pen, she transformed it into a fairy-tale green land. Today the garden is full of roses and deciduous trees: silver birch, wild and spreading willow.

When I am in the garden among thrushes and little wrens and watch roses bloom, I feel true happiness.

The Rose’s cottage is considered the oldest house in the village of Rydal. To preserve this memory, she left several boards untouched that were used to clad the house from the beginning, and treated new ones in the same style.

There are very few places like Rydal left.

Today, Rose Winter lives in her dream house. She raises chickens, grows herbs and vegetables. On Sundays she plays the organ at a small local church.