I am once again thrilled to be part of Marty’s Home Tour series and am really excited to welcome you here for my spring tour. I hope you will find lots of easy and budget-friendly ideas for adding a little spring joy to your home. I also hope you find something unique, unexpected and outside the box. Also, I extend a very warm welcome to all of you coming over from Ashley’s beautiful home at Modern Glam.
First, for anyone new, a little background on our home. If you’re not new, scroll on by:-)
We live in a small cottage-style house on property that has been in my family for five generations in the mountains of western North Carolina.
This was my great grandfather’s summer home away from the heat of Hypoluxo, Florida. Most of the original structures are still here and house lots of treasures from the past. When the original Victorian farmhouse was torn down, my grandfather painstakingly bundled and stored all the doors, windows, trim, stair treads, tongue and groove boards, and more, which we have been slowly restoring and adding to our house. Now when I refer to the “old house” you’ll know what I’m talking about:-) Most of my furniture, art and accessories have also been passed down, and I have added to that with items from antique and thrift stores as well as our travels around the world. Every single thing means something, and that’s what makes it *home* for me.
Now onto the tour, which I’ll start in my new living room. We’ve made some major changes due to lack of space, so you can check out that post to see what and why.
We are certainly loving this new space much more than we ever thought. It is filled with light, especially in the afternoons, and I have stayed with my signature colorful, vintage style and simply added plants and spring blooms.
I have always loved furniture on the diagonal, and this curved sofa is just perfect for that and works so well here.
We moved the chandelier from the music room into here, and I’m more than excited to have a chandelier in my living room for the first time ever. We did all the electrical ourselves and saved a ton of money while adding to our electrical skills. Win. Win.
On my rescue sofa I have a collection of velvet, woven and brocade pillows — some I made. I tried to take away the orange pillows for spring, but I kept putting them back and think they’ll stay for a while. They were a Marshall’s find last fall, and I’m loving the happy orange they bring to the color palette.
I did purchase a few new plants. I have wanted a bird of paradise since I killed the one I had 8-9 years ago in the fall freeze. I find them easy to keep alive and it was the perfect shape for behind the sofa.
I also added some vintage sheer embroidered curtains to the windows for light control and love the softness they add. I open them when the sun is not shining directly in and close them in the afternoons.
Lots of vintage and inherited brass stayed for spring as well.
The vintage overdyed Persian rug was a find on ecarpetgallery’s eBay store last year and just might be my favorite. It ties everything together and makes me happy just looking at it. It’s also the perfect size and not too small for my room, which is something that drives me crazy.
My dad made the wagon wheel table years ago from parts we found in Montana and here in North Carolina. I added vintage brass candlesticks, an inherited Chinese bowl and vintage planter.
It would not be spring without forsythia, or “yellow bells” as my grandmother called them. These are two different varieties that have been here for many years – most came from my great grandmother’s yard. I love that they are on my great grandfather’s drop leaf table surrounded by my grandfather’s books, an antique family photo album, antique lamp, brass candelabra my mother bought in Lebanon, books my aunt gave me, underneath inherited Chinese ancestor prints on windows from the old house. 😊
Another angle shows the layout of the room where we spend every Sunday afternoon napping!! I feel like I have my fancy living room now, but it is equally comfy, and we are loving hanging out here with our kids.
Since the chandelier over the piano was moved to the living room, I added an old one I had in storage over the piano. Instead of moving the junction box, I chose to swag this one so I have options when I move the piano around, which happens entirely too much over here.
I also made new curtains from this striped fabric I found on clearance for $1.99 per yard. I wanted something lighter than the dark blue plaid, but not the white drop cloth drapes I had, and this was the perfect solution. I love this fabric. It’s great quality and has all the colors I am using in this open space.
I added more yellow bell branches and a yellow mum, which I’ll plant outside to rebloom in the fall.
The cabinet is one I commissioned my husband to make from a walnut tree my dad cut years ago along with reclaimed wormy chestnut trim from the old house. I really don’t know how he did it, but he planed all that wood, designed, measured and came up with this beautiful one-of-a-kind piece of heirloom furniture. It looks so nice with the walnut of my antique piano.
I opened up the inherited antique pump organ for a change and added a row of encyclopedias my aunt gave me and an antique hobnail lamp.
A vintage cathedral print of my great grandmother’s hangs beside original art by my late uncle.
I had the area clear beside the organ, but added the antique channel back chair there after finding out it was just a great place for a chair. Since the dining table is here now, we have also enjoyed sitting around this side of the room to chat when my parents come over, or after dinner.
And now the kitchen, which I kept accented with red and added some pops of gold/yellow along with the green.
The sink skirt and curtains are made from one vintage sari I ordered from eBay last year. I love to work with sarees because they come in lengths to 5 yards and have different patterns and trim down each side. They are always very affordable as well, and I think this one was about $12 with free shipping.
We made the wormy chestnut countertops with wood from another old house here, and I added the trim to the front and made the shelves from reclaimed wood.
The cabinetry is painted “Grand Smoky Mountain” and is a match for the same gray my grandfather had used in the buildings here. The marble slab was from the country store that my great grandfather built here.
I wanted to add something to break up the red and green, and decided to bring out my vintage gold pyrex.
I’ve mixed Wedgwood Queen’s plain/shape with my grandmother’s Chinese tea set, Fostoria Argus glass ware, Franciscan Ivy and Blue Ridge pottery Stanhome Ivy.
The little rooster/chicken salt and pepper set belonged to my grandmother.
Y’all I’ve seen a lot of people lately with their $500 Ratio or $200 Smeg coffee makers along with people spending what seems like an eternity doing the Chemex pour-over thing, and I’m just over here like I’m all excited about my $89 coffee maker that will make single serve/k-cup or a whole pot😛
I don’t think anyone loves good coffee more than we do — so there. Ha😋😉
A screen door backed with burlap and hardware cloth from the old house leads to the mud room.
My dad made the sign in the 1950s, and the brown wood plates were my great grandmother’s. The beautiful cutting board is by local Cherokee artist Ken Smith.
Oh how this room has changed!! We could not love it more since we took out the island and moved the table here. We have spent almost every night here just hanging out talking after supper, as well as projects and homework. I’d say we’ve used this table more this month than we did in all the years since I made it.
I did remove the bench because benches are not remotely practical at a dining table. They are uncomfortable and hard to get off and on — especially for an adult, so I was happy to have chairs back.
I blogged about changing the light fixture in here and am again really proud of what we did and how much money it saved. It really was the finishing touch and ties this space together.
I’m keeping the table simple since we use it so much and made a runner from some fabric I had made curtains out of and added this box I made from a newel post from the old house and some potted ivy. I had planned to make another longer box, but didn’t get to it so maybe later we will add that.
I cannot believe how this view opened up but also how much more light pours in here without that tall island. I wanted rid of it for so long, and I just decided to take it apart while my husband was at work. It had been installed on top of the flooring, so there were only a few holes to patch.
Looking back this direction you can see how it works with the new office/studio for my husband. I still have a wall for my buffet and love how much space we now have around the dining table.
More yellow bells, along with pear branches, add the yellow I wanted for spring.
Again the light in here is so much better, and the space to move around and actually use these pieces, has improved greatly.
Inherited vintage/antique everything on the buffet again, which is pretty much how I always style it, and I’m still loving these dark gray walls. Kilz Color Collection “Dark Umber.”
I also added yellow into the master bedroom and love how it looks with the dark gray walls.
All white linens have always been a favorite of mine. A vintage chenille spread and embroidered pillow cases keep the look light.
Vintage lamp, grandmother’s rose paper weight, inherited vintage brass incense burner and a handmade antique table.
I love how the iron bed I restored looks against the dark walls as well.
Those curtains my mother made in the late 1970s really are the focal point and work just as well any time of year. The yellow floral pattern is perfect for spring, though, and ties into the yellow flowers.
I placed my antique settle in here temporarily, but am really loving having it here. It’s a great place to pile extra pillows at night or a nice place to sit during the day.
My Victorian dresser works so well with the antique mirror and was inherited from the same relative who painted these two paintings.
Of course, my favorites in this room are the antique doors I restored from the old house. Knowing so many relatives — from my great grandfather on down to my dad, opened and closed these doors, is a really special and connective feeling to my family and their presence on this property for more than 100 years.
I added more pear branches to the mantel and love the way they look against the dark wall.
An inherited brass incense burner, Turkish plate and lantern, Moroccan mirror, Mattaponi, Cherokee and Mexican pottery, vintage brass pitcher and Cherokee corn bead necklace all work together on the mantel I made from an old door and scrap wood.
I added a few yellow bell branches to this corner as well.
A painting from my late uncle, 1930s radio my great grandmother and father listened to FDR’s funeral on, my dad’s cowboy boots, and Mexican pottery accessorize the inherited antique chest.
And those are the things I’ve done around my home to welcome the new season. You can see it’s mostly just adding some plants and branches from the yard. Fabric is also one of my favorite ways to change the feel of a room without spending a lot.
I realize I march to the beat of a different drum from everyone else, ok so I’m in a completely different band, but I really want my home to tell *our* story with our things that mean something to us or that were passed down from relatives. I also feel very strongly that there is enough “stuff” already out there cluttering up the planet, so I always shop for antique/vintage/thrift first then buy new as the exception.
So instead of shopping my house online or at a big box store, please be inspired to shop your local thrift, antique and second-hand stores as well as online sites that sell used/vintage and antique.
Reuse/recycle or repurpose what you already have and just move things around from time to time for a fresh new look.
Your home will then be unique and tell your unique story. And isn’t that what decor should do for you?
Thanks so much for stopping by here! I’m so thankful to Marty for all the work she does organizing this tour and thankful to be included.
Be sure to visit the other 29 bloggers to see their beautiful homes by clicking on the links below.
Happy Spring y’all!!
Monday
A Stroll Thru Life, Setting For Four, Cuckoo4Design, Pink Peppermint Design, Southern Hospitality, Nesting With Grace
Tuesday
Inspiration For Moms , Decor To Adore, House By Hoff , ZDesign At Home , Duke Manor Farm, Remodelando La Casa
Wednesday
Our Southern Home , The Chronicles Of Home, Monica Wants It, Follow The Yellow Brick Home, Hymns & Verses , Thrifty & Chic
Thursday
11 Magnolia Lane , Thistlewood Farms , Clean & Scentsible, Seeking Lavender Lane,Sincerely Marie Designs, Haneens Haven
Friday
Our Fifth House, Decorating Delirium, White Arrow Homes, Life On Cedar Lane, Modern Glam, Far Above Rubies
anita- i am always so intrigued with your home tours. the history, the meaning, the sentiment of the things that you have in your home. as always, a beautiful visit. happy spring!
Thank you so much Laura!! Happy Spring to you as well!
Anita!!
Bravo!! Well said!! I was excited to see that you were on this Spring Home Tour because I knew that I would inspired and thrilled with what you shared!! Yes, you march to the beat of a different drum but that is what I love about your blog!! You embrace your own unique style and are not influenced by what is the new "In Style"! I like to think that I do the same because I know that my style is what I love and what warms my heart but is not what is in style now but I really don't care!! We need more original bloggers and not all the Cookie Cutter Bloggers that are out there now so I applaud you!!
Hugs,
Deb
Thanks so much Deb:-)
Oh I do love your home. It is so interesting and I love the heritage that you enjoy and display. Every room is a treasure full of fabulous color, pattern and heirlooms with such meaningful history to you. What a joy to tour it once again. Thanks so much for joining the 2019 Spring Home Tour.
Thank you so much Marty, and thanks so much for having me on the tour!!
Dear Anita, you have made so many changes since I last viewed your lovely home. The warmth and history oozes from your perfect photos. Coziness is everywhere—you just know this home would be filled with laughter and sparkling conversations! This was the best–for me!
Thanks you so much Sandi! I hope that is the feeling people get when they see it.
I LOVE "your story". it is perfect and I love that everything has such special memories attached. I really like your granddad's sign about picking the flowers. Your kitchen is great and has such a "homey" feel to it. I can see why you all sit around the table there long past mealtime.
Have a wonderful weekend, Anita. xo Diana
Thanks so much Diana!! Yes, the flower picking sign is a favorite of mine as well:-)
I love your home, it tells a story of generations in every treasured piece:). Having the island removed did open up the kitchen and sitting around the table will bring more family memories:)
Have a beautiful weekend,
Kathleen in Az
Thanks so much Kathleen!! Yes it sure did — we are still amazed every time we either walk around so easily, or sit and chat with the children:-)
Anita,
I just did a post in response to a post I did in January about blogging. I hope that you do not mind that I quoted you in this post…. Please stop by when you get a chance!!
Hugs,
Deb
I don't think I have replied before on your blog but had to tell you how much I love the "history" that is included in your home. I love that your grandfather took the time to save all the things from his house to be treasured and used later. Your Native American prints speak to my heart in every picture you have displayed. My interest goes back to my childhood with my interest in Native American people. Since I have made many curtains over the years, your sale of $1.99 per yard really was a great buy. Love your style of decorating.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!! Your encouragement means so much to me:-)
What a treasure box your home is! It is such a treat to be able to see how you put all the colors and textures together! Your home is just gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Jan!!
I am swooning! Yours is the most inviting, cozy, lived in home I have ever seen on blogs. I love reading about the special family pieces you have in every nook and cranny. There's nothing quite like being surrounding by beautiful things that family members have loved before you. Thank you for inviting us in. Question, how have your beautiful drapes stayed so nice since your mom made them in the 70's? I would think that rich color would have faded over the years. All your window coverings make my heart sing.
Oh goodness, I'm at a loss for words. Thank you for your kindness:-) The drapes were in the dining room and did not have direct sunlight on them, and they were so well made and lined as well. My parents moved from that house in the 1980s and the drapes were folded and stored. I just got them out a couple years ago after dreaming about doing it for years!!
I loved your tour and the Yellow Bells (I have two baby ones that a dear friend from NC gave me last summer, and they are blooming now and I look forward to your posts, the history, and your creativity! I treasure the old things I have and like you scour, when I can) finds that I can fit in our cottage! The piece of resistance is my reclaimed (from an old sharescropper cottage)is my farmhouse table, made by the same NC friend…Is in my kitchen..!!!
Thank you so much!!! I'm sure the farmhouse table is amazing!!
The changes you've made by removing the kitchen island, moving your beautiful table into the kitchen and walling off the dining room to make an office is "far above" amazing. I live in a small home also – 1200 sq ft – and am so inspired by how much past and current history you put into each room. I love your use of color since I'm not a fan of the white on white everything and since I come from an actual farm family, the current farmhouse look is certainly not what I saw growing up. In addition, your photography is some of the best. Keep on marching to that different drummer – there are so few of us left.
Thank you so very much Pat!! Yes, current farmhouse is not remotely what I know from my grandparents' farm, or any others here, and quite honestly, it feels fake to me, sadly. Thank you so much for your encouragement as well!!
I love your use of color, the warm walls, furniture, floors, and doors, and the plants everywhere. Sometimes I'm intrigued by the clean, spare look that is the current trend, but I don't think I'd be comfortable in it. I look forward to your posts, and wish I could turn you loose in the small, 1925 house I have. It has a lot of color, too, but I don't have your artist's eye.
Oh wow that sounds like an awesome house!! Thanks so much for your kind words:-)
Oh Anita it is a delightful feast for the eyes! I love all the color! This year was I really started loving orange as spring decor, and I noticed your pillows right away. Orange tulips, orange carrots, two biggies for spring, so orange is certainly a spring color too! The chandelier looks so pretty in it's new spot reflecting all the spring light. All the forsythia you have used is perfect for early spring. I could spend hours meandering around your home taking in all the beautiful treasures and details.
A truly delightful tour! Happy spring!
Thank you so much Amber!! Yes- orange, who knew?!
What a fun and unique home, Anita! I love that you are so linked to the generations of your family in your home and belongings. As part of a military family who has to move frequently, I'm a teeny bit envious of the deep roots you're putting down. Thanks for sharing your home with us on the tour! XO, Christy
Thanks so much Christy!! I was also military so I can relate to moving around. We ended up settling down here after knowing I wanted to be near my parents to help out as they get older and am so thankful to be here:-)
Anita, you are blessed with so many talents. Thank you for sharing. As I toured your lovely home, the view of your old photographs in a vintage album struck a chord with me. Thankfully, I have several antique family photos; your treatment gives me inspiration. (To the antique shops I must go; vintage album at the top ofn the shopping list!) Your use of the screen door sparks another inspiration. The house that was my first home is slowing decaying, but the back screen door is tenaciously enduring; I do believe it will find a new loving home with me. The straight back chair in the bedroom is much like the one I have in mind; there is a simplistic comforting presence about those chairs. I envision my grandfather, who died when I was three, cuddling me at the kitchen table and having coffee with me; yes, he introduced me to coffee and yes, I remember sitting in his lap feeling so loved and special. My decorating style is akin to yours: my home is furnished with Late Relative and Early Junque; each piece has a story; and I/we live in and enjoy our home. Thank you once again for being an inspiration on many levels to everyone. Anita
Thank you so much Anita!! (It's weird to say that to someone else, ha!) What's left of the little guest house here is also deteriorating so we have been trying to save what we can. Wonderfully sweet memories you have as well:-) Thanks so much for sharing that!!
Loving all the pictures and your stories. I love anything to do with family though. Family pieces are true treasures and a blessing. Yes…do what makes you happy and not that of someone else. Girl, I am loving your coffee pot! Yes, I am thinking about getting one that does one cup or a pot too. Hugs and blessings to you. Cindy
Thank you so much Cindy!! I love it! I looked at the dual ones for a while, and settled on this one which was the lowest price, of course! It will use a K-cup, re -useable kcup or has a filter for a single serving. I've used both the filter and the re-useable kcup and like those as well.
Anita, Every single detail is stunning. I've actually kept this post up on my computer so I can look at it again and again. Glorious, welcoming, so beautiful. What a lovely, cozy home you have!!! Great tour!
Oh goodness, thank you so much Carol!!
This was such a treat! I have always been fascinated by your interiors, loved each step along the way. You have such a wonderful legacy there from your grandparents and your parents. I admire how much you love and respect what they've passed down to you. Your rooms are such a happy place but especially the kitchen. As much as I love all your pictures shown here, I love your closing remarks even more. May I say amen and amen!
Thanks for that Dewena!! Also thanks for always being such a faithful reader and encourager!!
Anita, your home is stunning! I love how much color, texture and life comes through in your photos. Moody and fabulous!
Monica thank you so very much!!
Hi Anita. Once again you have created warmth, love and feeling in each room and every piece that is placed in them. It is just so refreshing to have actual "original" ideas (I love the beat of that different drum) and family heirlooms incorporated into every space instead of market frenzy. It would be so wonderful if all bloggers held the same values and principals that you do. I love that you recycle, thrift, repurpose and actually make so many of your beautiful pieces. I love everything about your warm and inviting home. It truly "feels" like a home that is loved and enjoyed and you allow the memories and artistry of your ancestors to filter through the entire space adding a special "light" and glow. Thank you so much for being you. You are truly so very, very talented in more areas than one. I could go (and do) back over and over your enchanting pictures enjoying all the sights, textures, colors and history in each room. What an absolute feast for the eye as well as the soul. There is just not enough words to express the delight you bring when you share your lovely home with us, so my heart just says thank you for doing so and for being you. Happy spring dear Anita and God bless. You are a marvel.
Oh my goodness, Anita! Somehow, you have the eye and knack to make what appears eclectic yet beautiful, to all work and flow so nicely. I'm amazed at the heirlooms everywhere in your house that offers such personal intrinsic value that money cannot buy. It truly is so inviting and cozy, and makes me feel like I could grab a cup of coffee and make myself at home in a heartbeat. I marvel at all you've done using those treasured family pieces from past generations, and incorporated them every which way in your home. It just makes your home seem even more special and such a blessing to not only your family, but guests who walk thru your door. And the greatest thing is that you've recognized the value of keeping these family heirlooms…that you didn't toss them because they were old and dated rather than current and trendy. Give me the old and dated any day! But, your home is truly a picture of love and is simply priceless…all because of family.
У вас очень красивый, уютный и душевный дом! Я получила огромное удовольствие, пока вместе с вами гуляла по его комнатам. Это удивительно и неповторимо! Спасибо вам за то, что поделились такой красотой! Это очень вдохновляет.
You have a very beautiful, cozy and soulful home! I enjoyed it a lot while walking with you around his rooms. This is amazing and unique! Thank you for sharing such beauty! It is very inspiring.
Thanks for wonderful tour! I believe that you have spent a lot of time with every tinny places in your house. all your room looks great but especially the kitchen. It's clearly that you have found the Clever Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home. just keep working hard on that.
Thanks for sharing your home with us on the tour!
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