Having spent a glorious weekend at a small beach house over the summer, I wanted to hold on to the spirit a little longer. This book didn't disappoint. The locations of these beach-side houses are breathtaking, and the interiors are on the whole pleasantly understated and, as the title suggests, cottage-y. As Mary Emmerling herself explains, when she got around to buying her coastal cottage, real estate prices had gone through the roof and she settled for a (by her standards!) modest house - but she still managed to find a gem, and the interiors are homely and chic at the same time. Escapism at its best.