Happy Friday!
When I think of "vintage farmhouse" style,
I think of: weathered, relaxed, charming, aged pieces
that have a story to tell, inviting, family-friendly, and repurposed.
Some of these pictures you may have seen before. But I realized that some of these photos I shared when I was just starting to blog (spring of last year). Readers consisted mostly of my Mom (thanks Mom), my sister (but not regularly, I might add ;), and a handful of friends... I'm so thankful for each of you - whether you were here from the beginning or are just joining the party now!
I thought I'd recap some ways we embrace vintage farmhouse style in our home.
This chippy old picnic bench serves as a rustic coffee table against a newer white couch. Except for benches, most of the seating in our home is contemporary. In contrast, most of the accent pieces are vintage or antiques.
I was so excited to find this large (and heavy!) old mirror at a yard sale. The wood horse silhouette I purchased at the Farm Chicks show. The old mantel I bought off of Craigslist and I made the fabric tied wreath. Wreath DIY is here.
The stools at our counter are actually barstool-height (higher than counter stools). I'm so glad we went with these stools from World Market. They are super solid and get tons of use from our boys since we don't have an eat-in kitchen. I will concede that sometimes, new is better!
Another vintage item in our home is this mattress spring. It's fun to change it up seasonally. The three white shelves were already here when we moved in. They make a great place to display our mason jar collection.
I've used a lot of white in our house. I love the peaceful, airy quality that white provides. Things like the white painted bottles above and white plates hung on the wall provide texture and interest without distracting from the visual flow of a space.
A fresh white pitcher and a basket of faux eggs adds to a farmhouse feel
on top of this antique dresser in our entryway.
The picture above shows our family room when we had a large vintage map of our county above the buffet. I really do love the map but have switched it up, putting our tin chicken nesting boxes where the map was (scroll down further to see).
I enjoy incorporating some hand-made items into our home. This coffee-stained fabric garland warms up our white fireplace. The garland DIY is here.
Old books, flower and yet another white pitcher...
This chicken waterer has been repurposed as a vase.
And a collection of old box graters, used as luminaries, give off a pretty glow...
We have a couple of old farmhouse doors that I think of as art. Though I will say they have confused a guest or two who may not be as familiar with the shabby look. A neighbor actually gasped and said, "Oh no! Did a door fall down?" :)
You can't get much more "farmhouse" than incorporating a few barnyard animals!
And here's our family room with the nesting boxes. I'm curious to see what you like better - this way or with the large map??
Our 1800s Swedish Mora clock is one of our favorite items in our home. We purchased it for our 10th anniversary. Our boys are intrigued by the very old weights inside as well as the little rope, which was once used to tie the clock to the wall when it sat on an old, uneven wood floor. (I guess the rope tying is common in these old clocks since they have to be perfectly level.)
