6 cozy homes for cottage lovers

Charleston, South Carolina

A covered porch overlooks the landscaped front yard of this 1935 Southern-style cottage. The updated two-bedroom house features an airy living-dining space with a vaulted shiplap ceiling, two-sided brick fireplace, and open kitchen with eat-in granite island; a primary suite with walk-in closet; and a second bedroom opening to a roomy screened back porch.

Beyond are a patio, lawn, orange tree, and blooming jasmine; downtown, dining, shops, and Hampton Park are all nearby. $820,000. Leslie Turner, Maison Real Estate, (843) 367-3722 .

Seacrest, Florida

Lucky Sevens cottage sits just off 30A's scenic strip of beaches in Florida's panhandle. The 2017 four-bedroom home has a main room with shiplap-accent walls, exposed beams, open kitchen with eat-in quartz peninsula, and dining area; three en suite bedrooms; and upstairs bunk room sleeping eight.

The lot has a patio with palms, Alys Beach is a five-minute drive, and dining, shopping, a huge lagoon-style pool, and trails are walking distance. $1,485,000. Lisa LaFlure, Scenic Sotheby's International Realty, (850) 685-3408 .

Sag Harbor, New York

Dating to 1940, this three-bedroom coastal cottage is just across the lane from John Steinbeck's former home. The two-story house features a galley kitchen with period details, a window-lined sunroom with water views, and a wood-floored living room with graph-sheet wallpaper and a white-brick fireplace.

The property, on Bluff Point overlooking Sag Harbor Cove, includes a lawn, yard, garden beds, two docks, and a sandy beach; town is five minutes' drive. $6,500,000. Dana Trotter, The Agency Hamptons, (631) 379-3236 .

Bodega Bay, California

This cedar-shingled coastal cottage perches above Bodega Harbor, 90 minutes north of San Francisco. Built in 1910, the updated, furnished studio has a living room with Douglas fir floors, water views, exposed beams, and a custom ladder to a sleeping nook, and a downstairs kitchen and dining area with French doors to a deck.

Outside, a hot tub nestles in a hillside garden with a winding path to the water. $925,000. Lou Rosenberger, Artisan Sotheby's International Realty, (415) 518-5286 .

Gleneden Beach, Oregon

Part of the Salishan enclave, this 1968 cottage-style house stands in a forest of evergreens. The furnished two-bedroom home features a two-story great room with wood floors, wood-shake walls, oversize windows, skylights, and fireplace; updated kitchen and bath; upstairs lofted den and berooms; and deck with woodland views.

Ownership gives access to community beaches, pool, and tennis courts; Gleneden Beach is a five-minute drive. $499,000. Karla Kuhlenbeck, Windermere West Coast Properties/Luxury Portfolio International, (541) 270-2965 .

St. Paul, Minnesota

This 1931 Cape Cod–style cottage sits on a corner lot in leafy Saint Anthony Park. The three-bedroom house has a living room with wood floors, valences, and built-ins and a brick-arch fireplace; separate eat-in kitchen; dining room; top-floor bunk room and bonus space; and screened porch.

Outside is a grassy wraparound yard with mature trees; Langford Park is walking distance and downtown 15 minutes by car. $439,000. Katrina DeWit, Engel & Völkers Minneapolis Downtown, (612) 381-7194 .

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here .