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Let’s talk decor. There are certain items that have become staples in my own home, and for spaces I’ve designed for clients. Those basics that bring the farmhouse charm we’re all nuts about, while delivering texture, interest, and a feeling of casual warmth. Isn’t that really what it’s all about these days? A house that doesn’t look “overdone” or contrived, but feels cozy and welcoming. I’m featuring a few of my favorite go-to items today, including links on where to find them! Grab a cup of coffee and let’s shop!
#1 on my list. A boxwood wreath. It adds a soft, natural touch and a pop of fresh green to any color scheme, but really makes a neutral color palette sing. The uses are limitless: hang it on a door, an old window, a chalkboard, a mirror…it’s definitely a favorite and an essential decor item in the farmhouse style! You can find this one here.
Next up, lighting. I’m always surprised at the lack of lamp lighting in people’s homes. This is a great way to bring warmth and coziness to any space. Now, step away from the overhead light switch, and try this little beauty instead. You can find the “Bohemian Shine Lamp” here.
While we’re on the subject of lighting, why not swap out that dated 90’s chandelier for this industrial farmhouse piece? Lighting is like the jewelry in a room. A key finishing touch. And this guy? A total conversation piece! You can find “The Iron Horse” here.
It’s no secret I have a love affair with baskets. This set of 3 is just the right color, they provide texture to the overall look of a room, and the storage opportunities are making me crazy. In a good way. You can find the “Kubu Basket Set” here.
We can’t move on without talking about wire baskets. I mean, are you kidding? These. Are. So. Darling. In fact, excuse me while I go order some for myself. Style these up with some old books, a plant, and pop a little chalkboard tag on the front. Bam. Cutest vignette for your entry table. You can find the “Soul Sisters Baskets” here.
What would a farmhouse be without a little cow art? This rustic metal cow is so cute, without being “cutesie.” Find the “Rustic Metal Cow Wall Hanging” here.
Cutting boards are all the rage these days, and this one takes the cake. Or rather, the stuff you need to cut. 😉 I love the brass handle and the accent of white. Well, that’s no surprise coming from this white-kitchen-loving girl. Find the “Finlay Cutting Board” here.
A galvanized metal tray? Ummm, yes. Use it to corral items on your kitchen counter, style it up on your coffee table with a pretty little topiary, some coasters, and your 13 remotes, or use it as a cute catch-all on your dresser top. You can find the “Gus” galvanized tray here.
Last but not least, these “found” German wine crates. I love. These crates. Rustic, simple, and loaded with farmhouse charm. The German lettering on the side is making me want a soft pretzel. Or a day of shopping at Oktoberfest. Whichever. Find these “German Wine Crates” here.
So there you have it. It’s always fun to add a little something new to the mix every now and then. Is there a little corner in YOUR house that could use a little attention? Do it! You’ll be smiling every time you walk by.
What are your favorites? Is there something you consider a “go-to” in Farmhouse decorating? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
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Here we are, about 2 years ago…immersed in the most exciting process of building our home, and making the best memories.
Time flies. Looking back at pics of the construction process, it almost hurts! I can’t believe how much the kids have grown, and it amazes me that this was actually so recent. It feels like we’ve lived here forever, and THAT was the GOAL in building our home. A cozy, safe haven from the busy-ness of life. A place to gather with friends and family, an escape from the world where our family can rest and reconnect after a crazy day.
If you follow along on Instagram, you’ve seen hundreds of pictures of our FINISHED home, but I thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse into the building process. If you’re thinking of building a home, I’d say do it! DO. IT. Yes, there are challenges that arise along the way. Yes, there are tons of decisions to be made (so maybe you need a good designer…I might know one!;)) Yes, it can feel like it’s taking forever sometimes. But oh my. So much fun.
#1 on the list when building a home? Find a great builder who you can TRUST. Someone with integrity, that takes pride in their work. I can’t say enough good things about our builder-turned-friend, Andre Makarenko, of Comfort Homes, LLC. Talk about someone who was BORN to do this. His passion for designing and building is so evident in the work he does. Attention to detail? Uhhh, times a thousand. Having a great builder was KEY in making the building process a joy-filled, exciting process.
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It was a crisp, cold fall day when the walls finally started to go up. We stopped by after work to see the day’s progress, and wow. I was teary-eyed walking around the first level, seeing rooms defined by what was formerly a pile of freshly delivered lumber. It was surreal to see those blueprints translated into a 3-D reality! Meanwhile, we had several meetings with Andre to start making our surface choices, and so I could dump my Pinterest folder onto his desk. So many ideas, saved for such a time as this. Poor guy. 😉 Our theme for the house became “lots of light,” in fact that became my nickname during the process. When planning the house, we added windows, made other windows bigger, added transoms, raised the ceilings…anything we could do to bring more light into our Oregon home.
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When the drywall went in, things got real. It started feeling like a house. It wasn’t so echo-y. I started to imagine what it would be like to actually LIVE here. In other words, I couldn’t sleep at night. My brain was jumping ahead to the fun stuff…the barn door, the chalkboard wall, the stone work, an extra coat closet that I realized we should turn into our dog’s room, complete with a dutch door. Oh my gosh. There was a continual Pinterest-fest happening in my head at every moment of the day. We must have been such annoying clients. Every time I had a new idea and told Andre about it, he would say, “No problem.” God bless that man.
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When the cabinets arrived, it was all I could do to peel myself away and go to work. I wanted to sit there and watch them install stuff all day. Is that weird? Hey, this was our first experience building a home and I wanted to SOAK. IT. UP.
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This delicious little photo is the beautiful wood that was salvaged from an old barn to make our barn door. When this arrived on scene, I couldn’t stop staring at it. What. In. The. World. Just dreamy. Another night of no sleep.
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So one cold, rainy Saturday, my hubby and I grabbed our favorite McDonald’s breakfast and then headed over to the house to paint the chalkboard wall. Now THAT is my idea of some Saturday fun. We could feel our move-in day growing close, and we were so anxious!
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On the day they started the stone work on the exterior, it started snowing. Like a lot. It never snows here…construction shut down for about a week while we enjoyed record snow-fall and that cabin-fever thing that happens when you can’t just drive anywhere you want…thank goodness for pizza delivery.
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Next the lighting arrived (say hello to my favorite lantern pendants), then the hardwood floors, and carpet. We reserved a moving truck and rounded up some awesome friends and family to help with the big move.
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And then, the BEST day. That cold March day in 2014 when we got the thumbs up. Time to make our house a home. For the first few days, there was decor everywhere, we were still hunting for that one box of extension cords, there was take-out galore, but yes. 5 months of waiting, building, dreaming, planning, researching…all worth it. Home sweet home was happening here.
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(This was our Christmas card in 2013, standing in front of what is now the fireplace.)
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So while you’re at my house today, I want to show you a close-up. Details that you’d never see in a far-away shot of the mantel. From a design standpoint, this is where the beauty lies. The textures. The mix of materials. The natural, the man-made. The rustic, the shiny. The old, the new. Chippy paint, old galvanized metal, vintage books, glass, stone, all working together to create “the look” I was after. From a distance. As I was working on this little vignette, I kept stepping back to assess what was needed. More of this, less of that. Until the composition was pleasing to the eye. My eye.
This strikes me as being a lot like what we do as people. We spend a lot of time looking at ourselves “up close.” Assessing the imperfections, noticing the cracks and worrying about the areas where we lack. We hope others will only view us “from a distance” and not notice how we are certainly not perfect.
What if…well, what if the details, or the close-up view, is where the beauty lies? The difficulties in life. The hardships. The rough patches. The times when we had no choice but to cry out to God for help. No, these times are not beautiful. But allowing Him to shape us and mold us into who He wants US to be, THAT is beautiful. 2 Cor. 12:9-10 says “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
What if…well, what if HE is creating the most beautiful vignette with YOUR life? Adding more of this, less of that, until the composition is pleasing to HIS eye? What if the trials you’ve faced could actually HELP someone else? Someone that is dealing with something similar? What if, a difficult stretch of time in your own life could end up being the blessing of wisdom and encouragement to another?
Sometimes we prefer to keep those tough seasons of life to ourselves. It’s personal. It was hard. We’d rather others just look at us from a distance. Where everything looks put together. Ohhhhhh, but it’s ALL IN THE DETAILS! How did you become who you are today? What shaped you?
What if…well, what if we were transparent? What if we didn’t mind admitting we’re not perfect? What if we allowed God to use our imperfections for HIS GLORY? Oh. My. Goodness. If THAT is what He’s asking, I have got some major material for Him to work with…how refreshing, how encouraging, how downright EXCITING that He can use us JUST AS WE ARE!!! “For when I am weak, then I am strong”…because THAT is when we realize we can’t do this on our own. THAT is when we stop looking inward, and start being a blessing to those around us. THAT is when our lives start becoming a beautiful reflection of God’s love.
So what do you think? Are you willing to show others a close-up of YOU? To let them see where the beauty lies?
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This. This is where I spent my day yesterday, at a client’s home working on the finishing touches after a couple months of renovations. Ohhhh, this room. I’m in love! But it didn’t always look like this…
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Thought you might enjoy a little before-and-after split-screen. This home was beautiful when my clients purchased it, but it wasn’t the look they were after. Dark cherry woodwork and floors, warm tan walls and ceilings, craftsman light fixtures…like I said, pretty, but not their vision. When they explained the look they were going for, I was so excited! Light, bright, fresh, and clean. Yes, please.
Paint was a game-changer in this home. The ceilings and all woodwork was painted white, and the walls went a soft warm gray, Sherwin Williams “Agreeable Gray.” We had the fireplace wall “planked” with a shiplap look, and the light fixtures here are my new favorite thing! A little industrial, a little farmhouse, a little amazing.
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This little entry alcove got a happy new update…a great spot to sit and take off your shoes. Just look at that freshly painted staircase railing! Again, paint and light fixtures made allllll the difference.
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The dining room. Light, bright, fresh…and the light fixture? GOR. GEOUS.
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I love the way all of these rooms are open to each other and flow from one airy space to the next.
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This built-in hutch was originally black. The new white paint just makes the accessories pop. I couldn’t WAIT to get my hands on these shelves…can I just style shelves all day? #lifegoals
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The family room isn’t done quite yet, still looking for just the right thing for the mantel…but styling this little shelf above the TV was fun…the clients already owned most of these items. So fun to “shop” from what people already have!
Simple. Rustic. Industrial.
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Even the porch got a little attention…I mean, how can you not take advantage of this perfect corner?
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The mantel in the living room really captures the vision we had for this once dark, rich-toned home…simplify, lighten, modernize. In a lovely, inviting kind of way. I have to hand it to these homeowners. They really had the vision for what this home could become. And guess what? HOME is exactly what it became. I love it when that happens.
Looking for a few new accessories or a fun statement piece to bring your space together? Click here to see one of my favorite shops for farmhouse goodness!
I’m so excited to be a part of the 2015 Fall Home Tours hosted by Kelly at Eclectically Vintage. Be sure to check out all of these stunning homes!
If you’re coming from the last stop at Thoughts from Alice, wasn’t that beautiful?
And now…Here we go!
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Welcome! I’m so happy you stopped by. I’ve been looking forward to showing you my favorite things about fall decorating. The porch is a huge hint. Any guesses? You got it. To me, the best part of fall decor is in the simple things. Farmhouse style lends itself perfectly to this season, so it’s not about acquiring more stuff. It’s about featuring what’s going on all around us in nature, and, no surprise…for this farm girl it’s what was collected on a beautiful sunny day on the back country roads of my hometown in Oregon. So….come on in!
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Ok, you got me. I miiiiight have purchased this one thing. I found this “farmer’s market” sign a few weeks back, made by my sweet and talented friend Jolia at Farm Fresh Homestead (you can find her on Instagram @farmfreshhomestead). I just about dropped my purse when I saw this beauty. And I knew it would be the perfect “fall welcome” to our home, sitting atop this perfectly chippy dresser. This whole rustic vibe? My. Thing. Beauty found in imperfection. Yes.
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A quick stop in my office, just inside the front door…because this is what I’m talking about when it comes to fall decor. The rustic farmhouse pieces you already own totally set the stage for fall decor. One simple white pumpkin and a pretty fall bouquet…oh, hello fall. That was easy!
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A few simple swap-outs make this built-in area autumn-ready. Some wheat, a pumpkin, old books (always my fave), and a beautiful fall sign painted by my sister, Julie Oliveros (you can find her on Instagram @signsofserendipity). So go ahead, hang up your coat, and let’s continue! Oh, while you’re taking off your coat, I’ll just mention that the “Real Estate Bargains” chalkboard is a favorite vintage piece that I got at a garage sale years ago. I was trying to decide if I really “needed” it when I overheard a lady admire it. Ummmm, sold. Nothing makes up my mind faster than someone else wanting what’s in my hand! $5 well spent.
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Ohhhh well, just one more pic of this area. The closed cupboard doors conceal our kid’s “lockers”…a great place for backpacks, instruments, sweatshirts, etc. But let’s face it. Most of the aforementioned items are usually out on the bench for all to see every afternoon. But it was a great idea in theory.
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The kitchen island is always one of my favorite places to display a vignette of the season. Birch logs, white pumpkins, goose neck squash, and some beautiful hops, donated by Gayle Goschie, of Goschie Farms in Silverton, Oregon. If you’ve never seen a hop farm, it is a sight to behold. Row after row of these beauties, strung from the ground way up into the air. They have quite a distinctive odor when fresh, but after a few days and after they’ve dried, that dissipates. You’ll see them all over our home this year. They are just so pretty. I couldn’t stop.
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Ok, dining table. I’m always thinking about textures. Something living (the oregano plant, pumpkins), something wire, something rustic (uhhh, of course), something metal, something wood, something soft. Done. A little sunlight doesn’t hurt either. This combo sings to me. Like a reeeeeally good song.
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While we’re at the dining table, here’s a fun idea. I set this pumpkin out on Thanksgiving last year and had all of our family jot down what they were thankful for…it was a big hit, and everyone’s little notes were so sweet, I couldn’t bare to throw it away! Would you believe this has been sitting in my garage all year? Every time I see it, I smile.
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Question. Is there a rule about how long a home tour can be? Ok good. Because I’m not done yet. Need a snack break? I’m thinking a diet coke and a sleeve of ritz crackers sounds about perfect. Ya, I know, right? The crackers are not on my “healthy eating” plan, which makes them sound EVEN better.
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This chippy rustic sofa table holds my FAVORITE tray-type basket from HomeGoods, some cute little succulents (should be able to keep these guys alive, I mean, they’re drought-tolerant, right?), and a few other little well-loved accessories from my stash. Simple. Rustic. Farmhouse.
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While we’re talking tables, let’s look at the coffee table. I got this galvanized tray at a sale for a few bucks months ago, and I intended to make a sign out of it. I might still do that, but for now, it makes a great coffee table tray. And my favorites reappear…white pumpkins and hops. So simple, so beautiful. These are some of the pumpkins I got to pick myself, thanks to Barbara Bauman at Bauman’s Farm in Gervais, Oregon. She and I took a fun little spur-of-the-moment farm- vehicle ride out to the pumpkin patch one sunny Saturday and picked the most beautiful white pumpkins you ever saw. Oh the memories. On the farm where I grew up, we had an “Apple Festival” on the 3rd weekend of October every year. Our little fruit stand would be jam-packed with families standing in line for our fresh apple cider, caramel apples, hay rides, and pumpkin painting contests. The whole family would work together to pull this day off…including friends, boyfriends, whoever was around at the time! And at the end of the day, when our muscles were so tired we could barely move, we’d get to order a pizza and sit around and talk about the day. What worked, what went wrong, how many times we had to drive that long trailer full of people around the farm while drinking in the glorious tractor fumes…priceless. All of it.
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And this. These hops are the crowning glory to my old hutch. I mean, stop it. So good.
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The mantel is the focal point of our home, and for sure my favorite thing to style. I was going for fresh, tonal, rustic, restful. Once again, texture plays a huge role. It’s all in the mix. And remix. And remix again. Until you get it just like you want it. I feel like this vignette sums me up. Everything I love. The humble. The time-worn. The weathered. With just a little sparkle. Carefully curated to evoke a casual, welcoming atmosphere. And memories. Lots of memories of life on the farm.
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Thank you so much for dropping by. Thanks for letting me share my farm-girl-cozy-fall home with you. I must admit, while preparing for this tour, a few times I started thinking about the AMAZING other women who will be on the tour. And then I started feeling inadequate. Because I’m just ME! Little Janna from Oregon! (My sisters and I always joke that when we go into nice stores we fear the salespeople will be able to see the imaginary Charlie Brown “PigPen” cloud of dust all around us…the dead giveaway that we are just farm girls, and have no business in “fancy” places! Hey, once a farm girl, always a farm girl!) Well, I think we women often do this to ourselves. Comparison is the stealer of joy, am I right? And it’s so foolish to compare. God gave us each unique giftings. I’m so thrilled to be a part of Eclectically Vintage’s Fall Home Tour this year, and to present the “Yellow Prairie Interior Design” take on fall. Blessings to you, sweet friends!
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Bonus: a few little vignettes featuring hops. Because. They. Are. Just. So. Pretty.
Be sure to hit the next stop on the tour tomorrow, Brooklyn Limestone. You won’t want to miss it!
Good Housekeeping is featuring all of these homes this week so you’ll want to pop over there for lots more inspiration!
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Leslie - I agree with each and every one of your “essentials” and have some of each. Now if only I could get you to come and help me style them like you do!
Jane - Love Painted Fox, too. Another great source is Magnolia, owned by Joanna Gaines from HGTV. I found the delivery to be so much faster.
Jane
Amber - Hi there. I love your website and style! I am going to build a barn door in our kitchen and wondered if you would share with me where you purchased your hardware for your barn door? It is exactly what I want! And I haven’t found anything similar to what you have!
Thx so much
Amber
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