July Ecovator Award

The inaugural award of "Trilogy Cottages Ecovator of the Month" goes to the Goodwin Heart Pine Company of Micanopy, Florida.

An ecovator (in the Pearson Pinkham Dictionary) is a person or company that comes up with a wonderfully ecological innovation. (Ecological Innovator=Ecovator)


Goodwin Heart Pine Company specializes in river-recovered pine and cypress. This is wood that broke free from log rafts that were floated down Southern Rivers more than 100 years ago and sank to the bottom of the river. Their divers salvage the logs and their mill turns them into lumber for flooring, paneling and furniture.

While they have been doing this for years, I just read about them today in Cottages and Bungalows Magazine. (See page 26, August-September issue, 2009)

Please tell me about other "Ecovators" you know in relation to Cottages, Bungalows and Woodland Retreats by nominating them for my monthly Ecovator Award.

American Bungalow Magazine Blog

Here's a wonderful Bungalow Resource! American Bungalow Magazine (see my "Related Websites" section) is to me what National Geographic was to my parents! I save every issue and don't know how I'll get rid of any of them!

This magazine is so beautiful cover to cover. Even the ads are worth looking at and are just as valuable as the editorial content is for resources on Craftsman, Mission and Arts and Crafts style antiques, reproductions and current artists creating in these styles.
And now, without having to subscribe to the magazine (although who wouldn't?), you can catch more information and updates on articles on their new (ish) blog.

Dirty Dancing

Ever since the movie "Dirty Dancing," I have been intrigued with the idea of the Adirondacks, the Catskills and family summer camps. Imagine my delight in finding out there is a book all about this era in American history! I've just ordered it so I will get back to the blog later with a post all about it...Resort Hotels of the Adirondacks: The Architecture of a Summer Paradise, 1850-1950, by Bryant F. Tolles.

They actually filmed the movie Dirty Dancing at two different resort hotels in order to get all the required shots.

Jane Coslick

I fell in love with this woman's style immediately. I became even more infatuated once I read her story about how she restores tiny little beach shacks about to be torn down and replaced by awful new construction and makes them wonderful little places to live or vacation in.

See more on her website.

These photographs of Jane Coslick's designs are by Douglas Keister Photography.

How to Contact Margaret

Margaret Pearson Pinkham
Sebastopol, California
(Sonoma County, one hour north of San Francisco)

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Don't it make my blue eyes green?

Forgive me for obscure post titles.

This one is about how "Green" I am!

Well, truth be told, I was "green" before green was in. Well, at least since the first time (second time? third time?) green was "in" in the 1980s and 1990s.

I spent more than a decade as a naturalist/park ranger/educator (you know, the earthy crunchy type who leads kids and groups on nature hikes) in the field of environmental education with local and national parks. (Yosemite and Point Reyes, if you were curious.)

Yes, we practiced and preached a number of "green" techniques...reducing, reusing and recycling. Hiking, camping and living "lightly" and gently on the earth.

And how do I intend to be "green" in this endeavor?

• Well, first of all, I plan to buy already existing homes and restore them using as-green-as-possible-and-economical methods and supplies.
• I plan to refinish furniture in as-non-toxic-and-earth-friendly methods as I can find. (I'd like to live a long and healthy life too!)
  
• I will purchase and restore furniture and other decorative items that have already been well-loved and re-purpose what clients already have on hand when possible.
• I will recycle or redistribute items that cannot be used in the current design. I make good use of FreeCycle and Recycle Sonoma County to keep things from ending up in a landfill.
• For new items I or my clients purchase, I will endeavor to find organically grown, non-toxic and fair trade products.

Love your mother earth!

What's this blog about?

A dream of my "retirement years" with DH (Darling Husband) is to buy and sell cozy little homes, restoring and selling them fully decorated in one of three main themes–Beach Cottage, Craftsman Bunglow and Woodsy Retreat.

My inspiration is designer Jane Coslick who buys, restores and decorates tiny little beach shacks in Tybee Island, Georgia. Her work is adorable, comfy and extremely "livable."

I love the idea of taking a small home (sounds more "do-able" for us than a big place) of about 1500 square feet or less, that is in need of some TLC. Turning it into a warm and cozy place for an individual or couple...maybe they want to retire there, maybe it's a seasonal home.

My requirement for these homes is this: they must be within walking distance of something worth walking to! Maybe it's the beach, maybe it's a path in the woods or maybe it's a quaint downtown where you can sit at a cafe, read the paper and enjoy a coffee. And someone says "hi" to you by name! If it's within walking distance of all three...then we have hit a jackpot!

And that's just one of the "Trilogies."

Good things come in threes they say. I don't know who "they" are or if they really said it, but it's been a family philosophy of Pearsons for a long time.

• My sisters and I are a set of three. (And maybe they will join us in this venture!)
• My husband, daughter and I are a set of three.
• Beaches cottages, Craftsman bungalows and woodland retreats are my three main design specialties and loves.
• Our retirement feels like the third major phase of our lives. (There was "before being married," "all the stuff in between" and then "retirement."
• And of course, there was life "before DD (Darling Daughter)," "life with DD" and "life once DD goes to college" which might be just about the time we get into full gear on this idea!

So, I invite you to come along on this ride with us. Watch for my design ideas, designs I am attracted to, photos of the kinds of houses we'd like to buy or create, and any generally related thoughts and ideas.

Margaret Pearson Pinkham
Sebastopol, CA

Margaret@OrganizeInHarmony.com or
Margaret@TrilogyCottages.com