Just a Touch of Farmhouse

Hello everyone! I have a treat for you today. Design Shuffle is doing a guest post here to share ways you can incorporate a little bit of farmhouse style into your decor. Hope you enjoy it!



Hello, everyone! I'm Mari from Design Shuffle, a social networking site for interior designers and design enthusiasts. It's a fabulous place to find lots of decorating ideas. As a writer for Design Shuffle, I get to visit lovely blogs like The Essence of Home to share some of my favorite rooms.

Today we're going to talk about interesting ways to add just a touch of farmhouse to interior spaces. There is something so special about this grounded, comfortable style, especially the current trend toward merging contemporary and modern with farmhouse. Just about any space can be made more appealing with a touch of farmhouse. Please enjoy!



This renovated brownstone is a beautiful blend of big city living and farmhouse charm. With a skirted farmhouse sink and rustic open shelves, the light-filled airy kitchen looks out to the adjoining living space.



A lovely eclectic living/dining space is a seamless combination of modern and farmhouse styles. What looks to be original flooring and beautiful reclaimed wood on the wall creates the perfect setting for modern Panton chairs, slipcovered seating and contemporary pendant lights.



Who knew what lovely design companions a rustic farmhouse table and Mid-Century chairs could be? It seems opposites do attract--in the hands of a master of interior design.



This fantastic kitchen design ticks all my modern farmhouse boxes. From the dark wood floors to the beautiful whitewashed beamed ceiling. Space, functionality and style—what more could a kitchen offer?



From modern farmhouse, we move to a space that's big on traditional farmhouse style with the unexpected twist of a freestanding soaking tub in the bedroom.



This lovely bedroom is part traditional, part vintage and all colorful style for a fresh take on farmhouse.



A contemporary bath with a farmhouse feel in the deep soaking tub is all about an expansive view of the surrounding countryside.



Lastly, we can't talk about farmhouse, traditional or modern, without including one iconic decorative element—the vintage quilt. In this pretty bedroom design, one of these beauties has been turned into a charming headboard. Aren't the colors simply wonderful? Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

What is behind those doors?

Hello everyone!

I have something in my kitchen that I haven't shared with you yet. This cabinet was purchased many years ago from Pottery Barn and I painted and distressed it last year.  Do you have any idea what is behind those doors?

Well, let's open it up and see.

Why it's a workstation!  Yep.  That right.  This is where I blog and my husband pays our bills and keeps up with his business.  This is where my 18 yr old writes his homework papers and plays Runescape.  This is also where my 10 yr old watches You Tube videos and plays Runescape as well. 

You could say that this is the HUB of our home in the HEART of our home......the kitchen!

I recently reorganized it since the cabinet doors are usually left open. I thought it needed to at least match the surroundings.  So, I found these cute storage boxes at Michaels, on sale, and added some jute webbing for a fun twist on a label.

I added some galvanized numbered pots to hold our pens and pencils and an industrial style desk lamp.

Now, it's both functional AND attractive. We're all enjoying it a bit more now.

Do you have a workstation for your family? 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Linking to:

Tabletop Tuesdays

Wow-us-Wednesdays

Chatty Chics

Cherry Blossoms

Hello everyone!

I have been enjoying reading some new magazines this past week.  As you know, by now, I am an avid magazine reader.  These are the two new ones that I've been enjoying at the moment.

I'm going to talk about the one on top, at the moment.  Country Home magazine has done it again!  Just ......look.....at.....that....cover!  Be still my heart.  If THAT doesn't make you run to open up that magazine to see what's inside, nothing will. So, of course, I did just that.  I was out shopping for my new bathroom faucet and there it was.  So along with the faucet, it came home with me.  This is the first home you see when you open the magazine.

This is Atlanta Bartlett's home.  I have always liked her style and have a few of her decorating books as well.  What caught my eye are those beautiful cherry blossom branches. I've actually been wanting to get some for awhile.  I just happened to find some and brought them home.  I knew instantly where to put them.

Mine are not as large as those in the magazine, but I'm still happy with them.

I put them in the wall basket in my foyer.  Now there's a touch of Spring when you come inside.

Here is the new look, overall.

Oh and do you see something new in this picture? It's my newest find from Antique Farmhouse. 

I decided to put wrapping paper tied with twine in it for now.  Eventually, I might want to find some old maps to put in it. 

It's been cold out this weekend, but it feels warm in my house (especially with my new cherry blossoms to keep me company).

Is it feeling like Spring in your home yet?

~ Kelly ~

I'm linking to:

Met Monday

Vintage Style Hardware

Hello everyone!

Have you ever looked at your furniture and noticed something that needs to be changed?  Something small, but would be easy to change and not cost much money?  That is what I noticed when I looked at this piece of furniture.  I already painted it and distressed it a long time ago, but it still didn't feel quite right.

Here is the dresser before.

And here is the dresser now.

Do you see the difference?  I added new hardware to the drawers.  I found them at Hobby Lobby on sale and decided to try them out on this piece.  I had been longing to replace the other knobs since they were a bit small for the dresser.

I think they look like a vintage door knob!  They're egg shaped and can be used horizontally or vertically.  I really like them.

I ended up spying another beautiful knob while I was there too.

Here is the table before. (Sorry it's so blurry)

And here it is after.

Let's get a better look at the knob. 

Isn't she a beaut?  I love it.  I only paid $2 for it!  Go run to Hobby Lobby and grab some while they're on sale this week. The larger black knobs were only $3/ea. 

So............look around your house at your furniture and see if there are any changes you'd like to make that a little 'ol knob might just be the ticket!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Linking to:  Vintage Inspiration Friday

Inspiration Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

Chili on a Chilly Night

Hello everyone!

I thought I'd share a recipe that my husband made the other night.  If you like homemade chili, then you'll really love this!  Some women are married to men who are great carpenters or busy executives, I'm married to a firefighter who loves to cook!  Lucky me!  Ha!  So, follow along and try this at home.  It's quite delicious.

Here are the ingredients you will need.

There is one item missing from the pic above.  It is this.

This ingredient (beer) is optional. 

Chop up all your veggies (peppers, onion and garlic).

Then add to your pan with a little olive oil to saute them.

Add ground beef.

Brown the ground beef.

Drain well.

Pour meat mixture back in the pot to continue cooking and add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.

Now you can pour in the beer if you're using it.  My husband says it adds flavor.  Hmmmm....... (Don't worry the alcohol cooks out of it.)

Now add your seasonings (chili powder, cumin, red pepper, salt and black pepper).

Stir and simmer.

After it is heated through, you can add the beans.

Stir well and continue heating until ready to serve. 

Now it's ready to eat!

We serve it with shredded cheese and sour cream on top.  Yum!

This is my husbands creation.  He did not copy this recipe from someone else.  Some of the measurements are not exact because he is known to cook "to taste".  I told him that in order to share this recipe I needed some measurements.  Ha!  So, this is it.  Hope you'll give it a try (with or without the beer).

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef

whole bell pepper, diced

whole pablano pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans chili beans (undrained)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

~ 3 Tbsp chili powder

~ 1 tsp cumin

~ 1/2 tsp red pepper

~ 1/2 tsp salt

~ 1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 bottle of beer

olive oil (just enough to coat bottom of pan)

Follow cooking instructions above.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Linking to:  Wow-Us-Wednesdays

Chatty Chics

Romancing the Home

Hello everyone!

It has been an ugly rainy weekend here.  So, I decided to add some flowers to the kitchen table and some bling to the dining room chandelier.  Yes.........I am romancing my home! 

I decided to borrow the crystal prisms from my kitchen chandelier, that I'm no longer using, and use them in the dining room.

Now, you can finally see the dining room, overall, with the newly painted sideboard too.

I love the added sparkle it gives my chandelier.

In the kitchen, I created a new centerpiece for my table using some greenery and pink and white peonies. 

I put them in this willow wrapped bucket for a french look.

I wanted to show you this shot, too, so you could see how the light casts down on the arrangement.  I actually like my kitchen at night better than the day with my new light.  It changes the whole look of the room.  I've never had a light fixture like this before and love how the light just casts a glow on the table.  It feels like we're eating in a nice restaurant.

We're going over to my in laws tonight for a nice steak dinner.  We're celebrating my FIL's birthday. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Linking to:  Met Monday



Farmhouse Inspired Lighting

Hello everyone!

You may recall, in a previous post, that I said I ordered a new light fixture for my kitchen.  Well, it arrived today and my husband graciously hung it for me.  Yay! 

Here it is..............

I like how it flows with the rest of the decor.   The black and white color is bold  and really enhances the color scheme and  farmhouse feel I'm trying to capture.

It's also painted with chalkboard paint, so if I ever get creative and want to write anything on it, I can.  Not quite sure if I'll do that.  I don't want it to look strange.  ha!  But, don't be surprised if I post something written on it.  You just never know.  Ha!

The light came from Wuslu. 

The kitchen light is not the only one my husband hung for me.  He also hung this one in my powder room.

This is actually an outdoor light!  My sister came up with this great idea and suggested it to me.  Thank you Kim!!! Not only does it enhance the farmhouse feel of this bathroom, but it was VERY inexpensive!  I got this at Lowe's for only $25.00.  Now, I just need to replace the brass faucet in here and this room will be done.

I'm considering a faucet that looks like this.

This one is from Overstock.com.  I like the porcelain cross handle with it too.  My sister picked this one out.   She's great with suggestions for my bathroom.  She has alot of experience with doing her own, so I trust her advice.

Well, hope you liked my new lights!  I can't wait to see my kitchen light lit up at night. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Linking to:  Vintage Inspiration Friday

Inspiration Friday

Wow-Us-Wednesdays