I’m so excited to share a creative side project I’ve been working on for the past year — and a little something I think you’ll enjoy.
Allow me to introduce If I Lived in a Cottage By The Sea, a digital Dreambook I created and the story behind it.
Years ago, the If I Lived Here series on The Inspired Room blog connected a community of dreamers and homebodies. I’ve always loved imagining cozy, character-filled spaces, and I discovered many of you felt the same way.
We bonded over charming homes, inviting nooks, and the idea of a seaside retreat — not as an escape from life, but as a way to notice what makes us feel at home and bring more of that feeling into everyday living.
Dreaming helped us identify what we truly love, and then find practical, creative ways to capture that atmosphere where we already live. The goal was never just to wish for another place; it was to bring the essence of those spaces into our current homes.
Though I no longer only dream of a cottage by the sea—my dream came true—I still love imagining these sweet homes. Dreaming is part of what keeps life inspiring.
It’s a bit like enjoying a hobby: even if you play only occasionally, you still love thinking about it. For me, cottages by the sea are that hobby.
About a year ago I began experimenting with AI design tools as part of a creative series for our HomeBody community. The aim was to help HomeBodies visualize new ideas for their homes. The process was playful and taught me a lot about the quirks of AI design, and it quickly became a delightful hobby: imagining cottages by the sea from the comfort of my sofa.
I wanted to share these seaside daydreams with others who love cozy, storybook homes. Using AI design tools, I combined imagined interiors with short “If I Lived Here” stories to create a collection of small escapes — each one a creative vignette that captures a mood rather than a literal floor plan.
Romanticize Your Life & Home
If I Lived in a Cottage By the Sea is intended as a gentle escape — a daydream you can revisit whenever you want. For those who like to dream, these images and stories can also be a source of inspiration to bring feeling and intention into your real home, no matter where you live.
The Dreambook’s cottages were created for inspiration; nobody actually lives in them. Some images may feel a little whimsical or imperfect, and to me that imperfection is part of their charm. Even an over-the-top dream can spark ideas for simple, meaningful touches you can adapt to your everyday life.
As I’ve written in Love the Home You Have and A Lovely Life, a beautiful home isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention, contentment, and the small practices that make life feel lovely. Noticing what inspires you and experimenting with ways to capture that feeling in your current space is what I encourage in my HomeBody courses and on The Inspired Room blog.
That’s the hope for this Dreambook: to spark creativity, fuel imagination, and remind you that you can make life lovely right where you are. If you’ve ever imagined living in a seaside cottage — whether you actually live in one or simply want to recreate its atmosphere — this Dreambook is for kindred spirits who love cozy, character-filled homes.