the barn room: details

Welcome to the barn room!
First, thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments.  I am blown-away and extremely touched by your kind words.  Thank you.

(I have tried to include answers to your questions about the room in this post)
I thought it might be helpful to start with some reference points for scale:  
the room measures 23 x 27 feet and the ceiling is 12-1/2 feet in height;
the french doors measure almost 10 feet to the top of the header; 

the height at the top of the mantel is 6-1/2 feet.

The barn room walls are covered in ship-lap random width pine boards.  This room (including baseboards) is painted Benjamin Moore's Sea Haze 2137-50.  When choosing the color for the barn room I tried really hard to not look at the color names.  I can be easily swayed by a good name;)  I kept coming back to one swatch, and after finally identifying it as Sea Haze I realized it is the next color on the wheel from Gray Owl which is in the adjacent kitchen.  At that I knew it was the one!  It is a blue/green/grey which changes throughout the day and also varies depending on the season.  The ceilings are white washed pine boards.  

This antique herbarium is possibly my favorite of all our collections! (more on them further down this post)  

Antique iron gates are from Argentina and were found at a local antiques shop several years before the barn renovation began. The gated doorway leads into the barn mud room.

After living in the room for several months I decided I wanted an old pharmacy lamp next to the sofa.  If you have ever looked for an original, old one you know they are impossible to find.  So,  I began to look for new reproductions, but you know me;)  I really wanted something old.  Several months into my fruitless search (online, at antique shops, etc.) we woke up one weekend morning and Dan tells me he thinks we need to go antiquing as he has a feeling we are going to find something!  Later that day "he" found this old, adjustable height brass pharmacy lamp at a shop in Rhode Island. When he found it it was reduced to its smallest height adjustment, about 3 feet.  When I caught up to him he proudly showed me his find.  I told him I loved it, but it was way too short;)  He extended the arm of the lamp to its actual height and it was perfect!  I was one very happy girl!  It must have been fate as the patina of the lamp almost perfectly matches the coppery brown in the herbaria behind it.  When we got it home and began to re-wire it we found a plate on the inside marking it as "Western Electric" brand, and after some research I found it to be approximately circa 1915. 

Faux fur throws (bear, I believe) are a favorite with all of us in the cold New England winters, but especially with Ella- I think she thinks it is her 'birth' mama;)  She misses them when I put them away for the summer.

The chandelier is is just over 4 feet wide and was a wonderful Craigslist find- its story here and here.
The thick, textured jute rug measures 13 x 15' (which is an extremely difficult size to find at an affordable price point) and was a fabulous value from here.  Though I had to wait several months while it was on back-order the rug is wonderful and was worth the wait!  I love the texture that it provides the room.  It is also very soft and comfortable to bare feet.
    

The clamshell is real and measures 37" wide!  It was sitting in the front yard of a 1950's ranch-style house in our neighborhood in Dallas.  I would notice it every time I drove to the grocery store and coveted it for several years.  One day I drove by and the house was for sale.  I went home and wrote a letter to the homeowner asking if they would be interested in selling it.  No response.  I then noticed the house seemed to be vacant.  At this point I start to panic!  Several weeks went by with still no reply, so I called the agent listing the house.  She told me the house was in probate and forwarded my interest in the clamshell to the trustee of the estate.  Within hours I got a call from the man's secretary.  She asked me what I would like to offer.  I had no idea, but explained that several months before I had purchased a smaller one (the one on the shelves that Dan built in the master bath) and I paid $50 for it, so I offered $75 for this one (now, here you must understand I had never actually seen the piece up close, only from the street and had no idea of its condition or true size.)  The offer was accepted!  I then RAN to find Dan and told him we needed to go get the shell immediately before the man changed his mind!   We drove to the house and it was then that I realized the shell was not just big, it was huge!  It weighs a good 200+ pounds!   Dan looks at me and tells me that there's no way I can help him pick it up.  I'm wearing boots at the time that have a 2.5" heel- not the best heavy-lifting accessory;)  I look at him with the determination of a woman facing losing her coveted object and say "Ohhh Yes I can!  And hurry!"  I was worried the neighbors would think we were stealing it and wanted to get out of there quick!  Dan was shocked as I easily helped him load the shell into the back of our Yukon- it took up almost the entire width of the back, and unloaded it at our house.  When we moved from Dallas a special crate was built to house the shell.  When we moved into the farmhouse the crate remained in the basement until we moved into the barn room.  We hired one of our young, strong carpenters to help us move into the room.  He brought along an even younger high school football player- think big and muscular; this boy was a rock.   And, you should have heard him huff and puff as they carried the shell up from the basement.  Of course I had to mention how I had helped Dan move it wearing 2.5 inch heels:)!

Yes, the man-t.v (a 65" flatscreen) was Dan's idea, but honestly, the day it was installed it was me who was questioning if it was large enough:)
The floors are white pine and are 12" wide.

Antique painted-iron finial is from a building in downtown Portland, Oregon. Our neighborhood there (Eastmoreland) would have an annual yard sale; this was back in the early 90's when architectural antiques were just coming on the market and were very expensive.  I asked the sweet, elderly lady how much the iron piece was and she told me "seven fifty."  I said thank you and walked away not surprised by the expensive price.  In telling Dan of the price I realized that maybe she didn't mean $750 as I had assumed, but seven dollars and 50 cents??  No, couldn't be.  So, I asked again "Excuse me, how much did you say this was?" and sure enough this time she said "seven dollars and fifty cents!"   She told us her husband used to work for the city and it was being thrown out during the renovation of an old building in downtown, so he brought it home.  It sits on an antique wood base that we found in Montgomery, Alabama. 

I adore this pair of lamps that we made from antique wooden balusters... a story about the them can be found here.

The table is vintage.  

The huge basket, filled with magazines, was a roadside requisition rescued from a bulk-trash pile back in Dallas!  People used to throw out the best things! 

The original barn door used as art.  The door is 11 feet tall by 11-1/2 feet wide.  This is the door that Dan and I would slowly open and close (it's extremely heavy) when we would come over to see the house while we were trying to talk ourselves into buying it.  The house was empty and visiting realtors would accidentally leave the barn to house door unlocked on occasion, and we would come inside and try to imagine what it would "feel" like to live here without anyone else around.  We would come over during the day and late at night to see if the house felt safe and happy.  It did!  While we were renovating the room I planned to oil/wax the door, but after installation (here) I realized that all it needed was a good vacuuming and it was perfect in its rough-hewn condition.

The table under the barn door is an old iron work table base.  The table is 8 feet in length.  We added a slab of soapstone as its top.  The large antique iron urn is from Jackson, Mississippi- which is where my late father was from;  I like knowing that this urn was across town as my father was growing up.  Collection of antique blue and white Chinese porcelain pieces (including the lamp) share the table corner.  Antique rug sits in front of the work table.

In this photo you can see the oil painting in the barn half bath and how that space relates to the barn room. Sofas are slipcovered in natural linen.  Custom down cushions in brown velvet and accent cushions in a latte jacquard and coral velvet.   The coral/salmon/pink-orange color can be seen in several of the rugs in the room and on the large cushion on the opposing sofa.  It is a color that I absolutely adore.  Both sofas were custom, made in Dallas.  The sofas were dissimilar and were in different rooms in that house.  Covering them with the same slipcover design and fabric has brought them together here.  I designed the slips to have box pleats and they were made "on site" by an amazing seamstress.  It was wonderful to have her make them on-site as we could discuss every little nip and tuck along the way, getting each and every detail exactly as I envisioned.

Same view as the photo above, only vertically.  I thought showing both views would give you a better feel for the space.  A while after we moved into the room I decided I wanted a table in front of the sofa facing the fireplace.  I wanted/needed a place to stack magazines for reading, to set a drink, or just to prop your feet up on to watch a show.  I envisioned a "pair" of something.  I looked for months, finding some great options along the way, but not "the one."  When I found these vintage iron nesting garden tables at an antique shop I thought they would be the perfect answer!  I love the element of metal they provide in the room and how easy they are to move around (they have glides under their feet that easily slide across the thick weave of the rug);  I loved that they weren't the same height which offered interest, and I also love that they are not solid- the pierced iron gives a nice pattern to the room and doesn't compete with the coffee table.  They were covered in flaky rust when I found them and Dan wire brushed and oiled them into the beauties they are today!

This photograph shows the other french door flanking the fireplace.

Antique Victorian table was painted black probably 100 years ago- it has a wonderful alligatored finish that comes with age.  Leather chair (they were purchased 12 years ago and yes, they recline) with faux fur throw and a raw silk pillow.

The large, old, weathered barrel-top basket sits under one of the windows that flank the television.  When I found the basket at a favorite antique mall the dealer happened to be in the booth.  I looked at the price and not having my reading glasses with me;) I didn't believe my eyes- I think it was $22.  So, I went back to "casually" look at the price several more times, trying to figure out if I was seeing it correctly.  The dealer must have thought I was thinking the price was too high as every time I looked at it she said "I can take $2 off that price", but really I was just trying to see! I think I ended up paying $18 for it.

It's difficult to get the full scale of the room from the photographs, but the windows flanking the television measure 6 feet wide by over 5 feet tall.

Oops....I see the photographer left her glass of wine in this photo;) 

Moose antler sits on the antique French commode that we found at the Scott Antique Market in Atlanta years ago.  I bought it as the dealer was literally wheeling it off the truck as I didn't want it to get snapped up when its feet hit the ground. If you've ever been to Scotts, you know if you blink twice someone else will swoop in and buy the piece you're thinking about!   Love the simple carving on the piece.  The commode is unusually large, standing at 55-1/2 inches tall.  The man-speakers had a little silver "P" on each of the three speakers - I painted them mat black... don't tell Dan;)!

Large antique Chinese brass bowl was purchased a good 25 years ago and has lived in all my houses, though it stayed in a cabinet during my "I hate brass" phase... thank goodness that's over!  

Antique iron martini table.  I've seen lots of reproductions of this table, but was thrilled to find an original.  It was completely covered in thick rust.   Dan wire brushed (using a wire-wheel brush attachment on his drill) and oiled (3-in-1 oil and buff with paper towels) the table. Adore the pitted top!  And yes, it has been known to host a dirty martini or two;)  and an occasional glass of wine (see above photo;)   Patina on the leather chairs courtesy of Ella as they are a favorite of hers!   Brown velvet cushion, and antique cushion and rug with coral accents.

I honestly don't think we could have found a more perfect antique coffee table for the room.  The hand painted, marble topped Empire table is circa 19th century and is really a piece of art.  The room and furnishings all have very simple lines, and I love how the table is ornate and commands the center of the room.

We found it at the fabulous Withington Antiques in York,Maine. (hurry, my friend Steve at Urban Cottage just told me they are closing in November and I am heartbroken.)  Dan and I saw it at the same moment then looked at each other with the "that's the one" look!  We were driving my car which couldn't accommodate the table, so we left it to pick up later.  We came home and I measured the table size in the room and PANICKED.  I thought it was going to be way too small.  I drove myself crazy for weeks worrying about the table.  But, once we walked it into the room it couldn't have been more perfect in size and scale and design!   Closeup photographs of the table here.

The table has a beautiful, moody dark grey marble top.  It is the perfect (think low-maintenance) surface to set a drink.  It is also the perfect height to prop your feet up on. I really can't tell you how much I love this table! 

The large piece of granite (finished size is 6.5 foot x 20 inch)  that we used for our hearth stone was original to the barn and was removed during the making of the garage.  The story of crafting of the 769-pound hearthstone is here.  

The fireplace is stucco over brick and cinder block.  You can see the process of it being built here.
I was asked what my inspiration for the fireplace was.  I wanted the room to have an open, airy/light feel to it, like the old European country houses you see as opposed to it feeling lodge-like or barn-like (the rest of the barn is more "barn-like".)   I didn't want to put in the massive stone fireplace one sees often in New England; while they can be beautiful I felt that in this room and the way it is entered it would take up all the energy of the space and draw all the attention. I wanted something lighter in look and feel, yet something that could hold it's own with all the other large elements of the room (i.e. the 9 foot french doors, the 11 foot barn door, etc.).  Dan had always envisioned a stone fireplace, but after showing him some great photographs of stucco fireplaces he understood the direction I wanted to take the room.  It didn't hurt that we went ahead and got a quote for a stone fireplace and it was between $50-$70k!  We knew it was the right choice for this room when realizing that even if we had the budget (we didn't;) to put a stone fireplace in, we wouldn't!
Since the fireplace is in direct line of sight as you come down the stairs from the kitchen I designed the mantel to wrap the chimney (as opposed to only being on the face side), so that you saw that element of wood as you walk down the stairs.  It also gave the chimney a bit more visual weight in the room.  The mantel is a beam that was also original to the barn.  Our lead carpenter did a masterful job of getting the old beam (that had aged with twists and turns over the century and a half since it was originally placed in the barn) to level.
The arch of the firebox was a very important detail for me.  I find it is so interesting that depending on the angle of a particular arch it can read either contemporary, or old.  I looked to the subtle arch in the living room fireplace and tried to mimic that for this space.  The angle of the chimney was another extremely important element for me.  One inch, one way or another, made the chimney "read" totally different.
An antique English dolly tub holds firewood.   The antique iron poker (in the tub with the wood) is the only fireplace tool we use.  Antique glazed terracotta corbel can stand the heat of the fire.   Fireplace screen is vintage and the antique brass andirons are Federal in style.

The painting is by a listed, turn-of-the-century artist who retired to our small town.  Our area in New Hampshire was (and is) very popular with artists because of its natural beauty and the amazing light we get.  After randomly googling his name one day several years ago I found this painting in an auction from a museum in Wales which was decommissioning works bestowed to it. I loved the subject of the painting, the colors and I thought it would be perfect for the mantel.  Thankfully we won the auction!  The painting reminds me of  places we have visited in Europe (where the artist often traveled to paint) and also of New Hampshire. The really special part of this story is that I know the house where the artist lived!  My friend/neighbor lives in the house.  I love the connection, and love the painting even more.

There are birds flying on the horizon in the painting and I love how the little bronze birds on the mantel look like they could have flown right off the canvas and landed in the barn room!  

The bronze and crystal sconces are antiques.  They were not electrified when I found them, so Dan wired them for electricity.   I positioned them on the wall and our electrician rough-wired for the sconces,  then the walls were entirely covered with the pine boards and painted.  We took many measurements, but I was still nervous, when months later, he went to drill small holes (notice how narrow the back plates of the sconces are) through the wood and fish out the wiring.  Our wonderful electrician made it look like a piece of cake and found both wires easily.  It was a very good day!
The sconces (as does the chandelier) have real-wax candle covers.  Close up photos here.

This antique rug is at the base of the stairs coming down from the kitchen.  

Antique French wine tasting table.  

The large demi-john lamp was found in Maine and has an antique brass finial we made from a grandfather's clock finial.  The decorative iron piece is from a widows-walk off an antique house.  The carved white wood base was found at an antique shop and we married the two pieces.

Antique Chinese blue and white double happiness temple jar is one of a pair- its mate is on the work table under the barn door.  Pair of wood candlesticks shares the table with a white wood corbel on top of a stack of books, a vintage oil painting, mercury glass-type candle holders and a vintage leather dice cup which holds antique dice. (I've always loved Yahtzee, and find rolling dice trying to get all "sixes," relaxing;)   Look closely and you'll see a horizontal line in the wall boards to the right of the herbarium.  That is the hidden electronics cabinet that houses all of the tv/stereo equipment.  It opens using a push clasp. All of our electronic equipment uses radio frequency (as opposed to infrared) which enables the door to remain closed during use since the signal goes directly through the door.

The table also holds this vintage photo.... this is Rex- my father's childhood dog.  My father was the second youngest of 11 children and grew up Mississippi during the depression.  His mother died when he was only 15, and he went to live with an older sister in Texas while his younger brother went to live with another older sibling.  I have heartbreaking letters from him where he wrote to a sister about how much he missed everyone being together and especially missed his dog Rex, who stayed in Mississippi.  You've seen my collection of old dog photographs in the reading room, but this one, of course, is my favorite.

Herbarium  (50 different specimens) is American and they were made by Lulu M. Cowan in 1894.
 I bought the herbarium 9 years ago online.  I was only  able to view about 8 different examples in the collection, but I took a leap of faith that they would all be viable and was pleasantly pleased to have all but about 5 intact.  In Dallas I could only hang 27 of them in our living room, so I was thrilled to finally have the whole collection displayed together.   I chose to hang them in frameless frames, feeling that grouping that many "frames" together would distract from the effect of them as a whole.  Thankfully,  I framed them all at the same time years ago instead of only framing the ones I  was able to use in Dallas.  That made it so much easier when it came time to hang them here!   Each plant specimen is beautiful and special, and every single one is my favorite!  Many still have faint colors from the original plant/flower.
The herbarium was expertly hung by Dan using a tape measure, laser level, a three-foot carpenter level, the "mark 1" eyeball (a military term) and countless trips up and down a ladder to get them just right.  The laser level,  measuring tape and carpenter level didn't always read the same at many checkpoints, but somehow he hung them all to specification and perfection!  The hanging took two full days over Thanksgiving one year... I didn't watch;  I was thankfully in the kitchen preparing the meal!  When he had finished hanging the last one and had me come into the room, I cried.  The house truly felt like "home" seeing the whole collection hanging in this room.
Coral pillow on sofa (cover found at the Scott Show) is made from an antique rug.
You can see the beautiful cross-bar supports on the coffee table from this angle.

Closeup of Lulu's writing about this particular specimen.  

So happy to finally show you the barn room!

the barn mud room details

As I mentioned in the previous post about the making of the barn mud room,  the term "mud room" turned out to be a bit of a misnomer since we don't actually use the space as a true mud room.  Early on we anointed the area the "mud room," and being creatures of habit the name remained .   It is actually used as a pass through room as we go from the house to the garage below-  one that bids us adieu as we leave and then welcomes us when we return.   Even during the renovation I didn't imagine the joy this little space would bring to the house, and to us each time we pass through it. 



The view from the barn room into the mud room. 
The antique iron gates are from Argentina.  We purchased the gates several months after we bought the farmhouse with this placement in mind.  As with several other pieces that I placed in the barn  (i.e. the original barn door, the worktable base, the door to the barn half bath) I had great intentions of touching up paint finishes/repainting all together/waxing/oiling/etc., but once they were brought into the room not a single piece was touched  (okay, they were vacuumed and/or wiped down ;)-  they proved to be "perfect" in their various states of authentic age and decline.   The lesson there is to always try a piece in a room before you manipulate it in any way- including just waxing.  Let the piece and the room speak to you as to the direction to go.

Collection of antique and vintage milagros from Mexico.  I've had this collection for probably 12 years (I purchased the collection as a whole), but have never displayed them not having the right spot.  There was something about this antique beam that seemed to call their name.  When you are in the barn room you really don't notice them until they briefly catch your eye as you walk through the doorway.

This window placement was original to the barn though the window itself has been replaced with a new energy efficient window.

Antique corner spool chair holds the chairdelier  (Dan coined the name:)

View from the stairwell. 

The chairdelier... 

The room is inherently cozy and dark, so I knew that besides the small lamps in the hutch and the spotlights on the wall I needed some extra lighting- not a lot, but just enough as you pass through to illuminate this small window space.  I first contemplated a small table to hold a lamp, but that felt too "expected," and I wanted something different.  I had purchased the old iron chandelier at White Elephant in Dallas many, many years ago with the idea to hang it from one of our large pecan trees in our Dallas back yard...  that never happened.  I brought the chandelier with us when we moved, never really thinking I would ever use it, but I didn't want to part with it either.   One night as I walked through the mud room the idea of using the iron chandelier as a "lamp" hit me.  It proved to be the perfect solution for lighting this area!    

Since the chairdelier would be viewed most often by looking down on it I didn't want the usual wide candle sleeve openings, so I looked no further than to a favorite source,  Lumiere Candles, for  the perfect candle sleeve.  (I'll do a post on the making of the chairdelier next.)  I had initially thought a worn, chippy unusable antique gilt chair would work for the space, but I always believe in being "open to the universe" and keeping an open mind to what presents itself in your path.  So, when this chair presented itself to me several weeks later I knew it could hold its own in the "unique" department with the chairdelier!

Antique wood corbel.  I love the faint whisper of paint and gilt.

View looking into the mud room from the loft stairs.

From the onset of Phase II (the barn renovation) I thought long and hard about what to use as the railing for the stairwell.  I knew I didn't want anything that felt like the house- in other words, no traditional wood balusters.  It also had to be transparent as the stairwell needed the natural light, and I wanted the railing to have a barn "feel."  My first choice at the beginning of Phase II was to use real branches in the railing-  I had an inspiration photo torn from a magazine in my files from several years prior and it wasn't until I purchased Suzanne Kasler's book "Inspired Interiors" that I realized that this was her design (if you have the book, page 192.)  My very talented lead carpenter assured me he could build it, but I was sure that I couldn't afford the cost of his time that he would have to put in to it!  I decided I needed to find another option.
  I then thought of using a cable railing,  but the systems our contractor found were super expensive.  I next thought about using a metal grid pattern, but again everything the contractor found for sanctioned "railing" was expensive.   It was about this time (and in the final hour) that I remembered some metal wire fencing panels I had seen at one of my favorite stores.... Tractor Supply!  ( I love going to Tractor Supply as there is so much there that you can use in other applications-  oh, and they have some great spray paint colors that you don't see elsewhere.)   Since this wire mesh really is for livestock it felt authentic and perfect for this space and application, and it was CHEAP!!!
 Since we were renovating through the winter (again;) our contractor had stored all of the extra lumber/beams taken from the barn at a location about 20 miles away.  Dan and I went to the building where it was all being housed and found that we had just enough original beams to cut and use as posts for the corners.  The bottom boards that the wire mesh sits in (via a canal) is also original to the barn, though the top chamfered painted handrail is new wood  

Closeup of the top of the post.  I designed the chamfered top and the thin pinstripe to be cut into the posts to give them some detailed interest and elevate them a bit from their origins.   I had my painter use the same dark gray paint as the rail top, but without a primer and with only one coat of paint.  I want to see the natural wear on the tops as your hand holds onto the wood as you go up and down the stairs.  I suppose I could have sanded the tops to look worn and aged, but I think there is something very appealing about seeing the natural wear and tear that will come with time.  The huge "checking" (the large cracks) in the corner posts happened after they were installed, but is a very authentic feature to old wood.   A "Check" is a long crack that appears as the sap wood of a timber shrinks around the heart wood over time.  Checking is not a structural problem, and usually occurs only on one or two sides of a beam. 

The proof that this railing project turned out really well was when Dan asked me after several months of living with the completed room if I still wished I had the "branch" railing I had first wanted.  My response was a quick "No!!"  I had come to realize how perfect this material was in its simplicity, its "barn-ness", the contrast of metal to all of the wood, the color and sheen of the metal (not too shiny), how the squares mimic the three square stall windows, that I got to use barn beams as posts...   I wouldn't change a thing!

Brindle cowhide rug from Ikea.

Modern painting, entitled Koi, provides a splash of color in contrast to all of the wood in the room.   Spotlights are from Affordable Quality Lighting  (fyi- I've read some less than favorable reviews of this company, but I had a very good experience with them, and this was even after having a problem with one of the lights.  I thought they had great customer service and I give them a thumbs up.  They have great prices.)  Antique kilim rug on the landing (anchored with a thick rug-pad so it doesn't budge;) repeats many of the same colors in the painting. 

The stairwell coming up from the garage.  Rough-cut pine boards stained to look aged,  hung horizontally are a contrast to the wall boards which are hung vertically in the barn room.  (Stain formula on my sidebar.)

Original iron bars on the windows.  We brought the old horseshoe over the center window with us from Texas.  One can never have too much good luck!

Antique white zinc roof finial from small Texas town sits at the top of the stairs.

Door on the left (from the original barn) goes into the storage room (a.k.a. the "treasure" room- there's a story to that.)  The turn-of-the-century European hutch was found in Forney, Texas some 20 years ago.  When we found it it was sitting behind the counter of a very sad antique/junk/convenience store and was filled with Bubba-type baseball hats.  It wasn't even for sale, but we said we were interested in buying it and asked for a price.... it was very happy to come home with us, but we left the Bubba hats behind!  I have always loved the hand forged iron door panels.  Our lead carpenter made it his mission to make sure that I could fit this piece where it stands today.  He did good- there is maybe an inch to spare!

Stairs up to the loft. 

Tethering ring on post found in the original barn is now used as structural support in the room.

The antique painting and frame was a gift from a very dear friend.  Antique Chinese export celadon plate sits on an antique English inlaid-wood tea caddy.  I'm sorry, but I don't remember where I found the green bottle.

Several people have asked me where I placed  the painting that I found on etsy by Jennifer Shears entitled Evening Glow. I placed it here!  It proved to be too bold in color for the farmhouse, but found its home here in the mud room.  I think it was a perfect fit!  Small antique iron black lamp with pull-chain.

I left antique hand-cut nails where I found them in the ceiling... remnants of the past.

the North guest bedroom: details

Thank you so much for your compliments on the guest bedroom!

As I describe each photo I will attempt to answer your questions, but please let me know if I miss anything. 

This North guest bedroom is also known as the "red" room, or "Kristen's" room;)  I adore red in interiors, and, in fact, had a red study in Dallas.  A red room didn't work for the farmhouse, but as I designed this guest room I found that red accents worked well in the space, and my "red' found a home!

Since I always share my sources with you I realized after looking through the photographs that I should start this post off with a disclaimer straightaway...  the only source I can give you is for the curtains. 

This brings up a topic that I've never discussed outright, but one that I should address.  I'm not one of those decorators who changes their interiors regularly.
(What will we talk about after I show you all my rooms???!) 
My goal in designing spaces is that they will be classic and stand the test of time, or trend-  meaning that I do have things that are considered trendy, but usually I've had them before they were mass-produced trends and will have them after they are no longer "In" since I purchased them because they appealed to my personal design aesthetic.  That being said, I tend to keep things for a very long period of time.  I buy things that I really love, and then love and use them for many years. 

I guess in a way this is my apology for only being able to source the curtains!  Everything else has been with me for years/decades. 
Lesson:  have in your home only things that you absolutely love- it's good for your heart, and your pocketbook! 

All paint is  Benjamin Moore. 
The walls are Overcast (OC-43), which is a muted green/gray/putty in Eggshell finish. 
The trim is White Dove in Latex Satin Impervo. 
The ceiling is White Dove in Pearl finish.



The bedroom as seen from the upstairs hallway.
The floors are original to the house; they are random-width Eastern white pine and are face nailed.

The antique rug was found at the Scott Antique Market in Atlanta.  I adore this rug and its vivid red- which is very worn in some places.  The vintage crystal chandelier is one of a pair that I found in a nearby antique shop; the other chandelier is in the second guest room.
The 100% linen curtains are from Ikea.  They are Aina - "unbleached." The thin, black metal curtain rods are also from Ikea.  I didn't like the finials that came on the rods, so I found simple wooden balls and painted them black to match the rods.  I hung the curtains so that they would just barely puddle on the floor.
 The basket on the floor holds magazines and was purchased years ago (I believe it was from Garden Ridge, Brooke ;)  The thin crown molding is original to the whole house.

The sheer cotton gauze bed skirt is from Ballard Designs... some 15 years ago.  The white, scalloped matelasse coverlet was purchased around the same time.   I brought home six or seven different quilts for the end of the bed trying to match the beautiful, but elusive, gray/green/blue in the rug and in the religious painting in the corner of the room. Every time I thought "this one is perfect" I got it home and it clashed.  I finally (after months) found the perfect hue.   It is actually the same quilt that is on the bed in the master bedroom, just a different color/size (unfortunately, it is discontinued from DKNY.)

The large pillow made from an antique kilim rug (it is very similar in style and color to the rug on the floor) was purchased from the same rug dealer at the Scott show.  It sits in front of a pair of shams that match the blue/green/gray quilt.  I made the extra large linen pillow that spans the bed using a gorgeous red velvet antique bell pull.  The intricate handwork on the pull is stunning, and I bought it not really knowing what I was going to use it for, just because I loved it.  Then, one day, it clicked as to how perfect it would work as a pillow in this room!  It was a big hunt to find a pillow that was large enough for the length of the bell bull.  The pillow form is one of those huge "body pillows" from Bed Bath and Beyond- it spans the entire full-sized bed!

Ahhhhh, the bed frame! 
This antique English iron bed frame was my very first antique. My mother bought it for me right after college.  It was from lying in this bed and pondering where the bed had come from/ who had owned it before me/ what the rooms and the houses looked like that it had resided in over the hundred years before I owned it - that my love for antiques began in my early twenties.  The bed frame is what is referred to as a "three-quarters" size, as it is not quite a full.  To be able to use a full size mattress, my father made a wood platform that the mattress sits on, instead of using a box spring.  In Dallas the bed frame wasn't used and was stored in the garage for many years.  I'm so grateful for my late father's meticulous details and directions written on the wood platform, so that Dan and I could figure out how it all went back together.  Even though I wasn't using it in Dallas I could never sell it.  I always envisioned it being perfectly at home in an antique farmhouse, and all these years later, it is!

This photograph makes the bed frame look a bit more blue than it actually is.  It is painted with Rustoleum Texture spray paint in Dark Pewter.  I didn't set out to use the texture paint, but that was the color of gray (there are a lot of grays on the market;) that I liked for the room.  The mat texture actually adds a nice authentic "iron" look and feel to the bed.

The religious oil painting is our earliest, dating to the 1600's.  It is painted on hand-woven canvas known as tabby cloth and is from a  much larger work of religious art.  The painting depicts what appears to be a marriage as there is an exchange of a beautiful ring.  The painting has gorgeous detail... the pearl earrings the woman is wearing are stunning.

The antique pine chair was found (sans the cane seat) at an estate sale in Dallas.  I had the seat re-caned and used to use the chair every day at my vanity in Dallas to put on makeup.  (fyi - dry cane causes breakage...   a simple trick to keep cane from drying out and therefore keeping it strong and pliable, is to occasionally wet a washcloth, lightly wring it out  and place it on the cane overnight.)
Antique wire basket found in France holds a collection of white coral.

This guest bedroom is the smaller of the two guest rooms, so I was very pleased to be able to incorporate the antique French desk that we found at the Paris flea market.  The antique hand-painted egg prints were found at the Scott Antiques Market.  I framed them in a pair of antique gilt frames with the original wavy glass still intact, that I found at an antique shop in McKinney, Texas.  A vintage red leather ottoman sits under the desk with extra throws.

The vintage Louis XV style chair is one of a pair; its mate can be found in the reading room.  I purchased the chairs about 20 years ago, and I hand-applied gold leaf (the real kind, not the paint) to the frames. You can see a hint of the gilt on the chair back.   Twenty year ago I had this fabric upholstered on them using the reverse side of the shiny damask fabric that was so popular at the time.  This side looked like a patterned linen.  I remember the upholster thought I was crazy, and I had never seen it done before, but it felt like the right decision.  It has proven to be a good one, as I have used and loved them for 20 years!   About six years ago I applied a grey wash over the gilt chair frames, and tea stained the fabric (while on the chair;) to soften them a bit.
We purchased the vintage watercolor at estate sale in Dallas many years ago. At the time the painting hung in our hall in Dallas and I didn't want to invest the money to reframe and re-mat the piece, so I spray painted both the frame and the mat!

  

The unsigned oil painting was found in this frame at an antique shop in Austin, Texas years ago.   We almost didn't buy it as it as it was out of our budget.  We left the store and sat in the car discussing if we could/should buy it and then I ran back in to purchase it!   Thank goodness!

The antique iron and marble topped table was found in an antiques shop in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  It was from Rosemont Plantation.

The wood baluster lamp is a favorite that I have had for 20 years.  Don't be surprised when you see another one just like it (different shade) in the South guest bedroom... I have a "thing" for balusters, evident by the number of them I have around the house!  (fyi- I see the term misused often at antique shops, so to clarify- a "baluster" is a single piece while a 'balustrade" is the entire railing made up of individual balusters.)   We purchased about 25 of these at one of the first estate sales we ever went to in Dallas.  It was a fabulous old Highland Park house (for those of you who know Dallas) and we bought every single baluster knowing that they would make great lamps.  They were a very popular seller in my early years as an antiques dealer.   The are solid wood, so Dan had to drill a shaft through the baluster for the wire to go to the base.

Small antique iron urn holds an African violet and shares the table with a silver hotel tray, an antique oil painting of sheep that was recently framed by having an antique frame cut down to fit, a piece of white coral and a black oval framed antique chalkware carving of a boy that we found in France.

So, when shall I be expecting you?!!! ;)