The Tiny White Cottage

This tiny Victorian cottage caught my eye sometime ago and I've been dying to blog about it ever since.  Originally, it seemed that I'd merely stumbled upon a series of beautiful photographs of a miniature cabin, set deep in the Catskills Mountains.  However, I soon realized that Sandy Foster's personal story and the driving force behind just why she built this cottage, is one that will make you stop and appreciate all that you have, even just for a moment.

new york times

Not so many years ago, Sandy Foster was a homeless teenage girl yearning for a place for her and her family to call their own.  They were a suburban, middle class family whose father had lost his broadcasting job and eventually lost the family home as well.  Sandy remembers the devastating effect that being homeless had on her  "If you don’t have a home, you don’t have a sense of place, you don’t have a life, you don’t have a soul,” she said. “This was a nice average suburban community. We were four kids and two parents living in a single room. I got very internal. I buckled down and did my homework. I got used to living in small spaces." 

new york times

As an adult, she was searching for a place to call her own.  Married to a man who loved animals, Sandy was living in a farmhouse filled with chaos, dirty dishes, clutter and a debilitating four hour commute to and from her more than full time job in the city.  After realizing that this lifestyle was leaving very little room for any kind of joy, the couple decided to downsize, sold their farmhouse and purchased this property in the Catskills.  

new york times


From the very first moment Sandy saw the property, she could envision the charming Victorian cottage she would eventually build.  

new york times

 
While the couple would live together full time in a 70's era mobile home on the property, Sandy would build her cottage and her husband would have his "man cave" a tent covered shed filled with a big screen television, clutter and lots of stray animals. 

new york times

Knowing she had always craved a pretty space, softly lit by chandeliers and filled with Limoges china, Sandy began renovating the old hunting cabin currently standing on their new property, into the stunning cottage she's dreamed of since she was a kid. 

new york times


She calls this tiny little place her "refuge".  Although to be honest, it really is only a fair weather refuge.  The cottage has no bathroom or kitchen or heat or plumbing either for that matter.  The whole project was renovated singlehandedly by Sandy and cost her just $3000. 

new york times

 
Sandy and Todd Foster still live full time on the property in the mobile home, but in many ways, Sandy has made her childhood dreams come true.  She has built herself a place to retreat from the stress of modern day life and forget about the ups and downs of being a grown up, even just for a little while.  

You can read more of her story and see her blog here...  www.shabbystreamsidestudio.blogspot.com 


* source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/garden/24cottage.html