Years ago, I read an article in Writer’s Digest about an author who had a personal writing cottage in their backyard, constructed from beautiful vintage windows and surrounded by a quaint English garden. That’s been a dream of mine ever since, but one that always lingered behind all the other dreams. I have a Pinterest board of Writing Spaces that I hope will inspire me one day, but for the most part, my vision of an ideal writing cottage has been something of a blur.

Except for one particular detail.

I wanted it to have a vintage Dutch door.

Why? Good question. I don’t know. I just like them.

Well, a few weeks ago, my husband and I were wandering through a shop of reclaimed building materials in Seattle and stumbled upon, what else? A vintage Dutch door.

Well, I couldn’t resist!

And now we have to figure out what to do with it, which means it’s time for me to start thinking about my dream writing cottage after all.

Though we won’t be able to actually build my writing cottage for at least a year or two, I’ve started compiling a list of some things my dream studio might have. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

– floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on at least one wall.

– pretty vintage windows

– a large writing desk with enough space to check page proofs and lay out chapter synopses for complicated plotting maneuvers

– also, space on the desk for garden-fresh flowers

– and probably a coffee maker

– a cozy reading chair, with a side table for a lamp and a glass of wine

– a large corkboard for posting fanart and inspiration photos

– a special wine chiller/refrigerator, and a space for snacks, and maybe a watercooler? No, that’s too corporate. A pretty pitcher for filtered water then.

– Artwork that can be easily swapped out for new artwork that inspires the current WIP

So, what am I forgetting? What would you put in your dream writing cottage?