Case Study: The Farmhouse

So often people are unwilling to take the time to restore old structures, I get that – it takes a lot of energy, intention and very thoughtful design and careful management and sourcing. It’s a lot more difficult to deconstruct old homes and repurpose materials than it is to build new, or gut entirely. Because of this, we see so many structures torn down and demolished without a second thought, but with resources becoming scarce and expensive it seems smarter to renovate and reuse materials instead.

Of course, I’m completely taken with old homes, their beauty and attention to special detail always manages to blow my mind. To me, that makes it even more worth it to try and save them – these homes are full of a life yet to be discovered. 

So, when this farmhouse came up for sale that I had been pining over for years, we grabbed it as quickly as we could.

This little property in Littleton, Colorado, was a farmhouse far from dilapidated, but in need of some serious work to bring it back to its roots of what it once was. It needed a design to showcase its history, to pay homage to those who came before, and to bring life back to the details built into it originally. 

Art: Collage from recycled paper by Sharlene Kayne Photography: Alyse nelson

We like words that begin with ‘R’ around here: 

Restoration

Reuse 

Recycling

Regeneration 

We worked to be mindful of each of these as we went through each stage of the renovation – first we deconstructed the rooms we wanted to redo, saving as many boards as possible to use again.

In the kitchen we reconfigured and repurposed old office storage into cabinetry, in the living room we broke through the existing ceiling to discover some height and nestled beams from a previous job up there to reuse. 

The top of the island has been repurposed over 100’s of years, originally a butcher table made of zinc, which is a living metal with antibacterial properties, later it found its way to a family member who used it as a workbench for decades, now as the top of the kitchen island, it’s used each day as a desk, a meeting point, a space to prepare bread. The base is another piece of the previously used office storage – we added some length by incorporating a folding end, so when more room is needed, more room is to be had. 

Art: charlie leal

art: kristen abbott

Pieces from homes before and furniture we’d spent time collecting was brought with us. These items we love so dearly shift around on a regular basis, are altered or reupholstered, in order to find new ways to nourish and freshen them up again, so that desire to simply pass them on and find something new is diminished. 

The nook across from the kitchen, which was once a closet, added not only storage, but a new cozy corner to the rest of the home, speaking to the crannies that a cozy, old home is known to have. The glass doors on the shelving holding handmade ceramics and mugs were sourced vintage from a flea market, the sweet wallpaper and warm brick was uncovered as original after digging a little deeper. 

In the bathrooms, two vanities were converted from dressers and the third from a buffet, and covered in new countertops, ready to live another day. 

90% of this home, whether it’s lighting, books on the shelves, knick knacks on various surfaces, or rugs and textiles layered throughout each room has been found at antique stores, flea markets, handed down from friends or vintage and secondhand in one way or another. Nothing is too fancy, or too precious in this space as we believe each item within it should be used, move around and thoroughly enjoyed.

It’s not always about seeking the next new and exciting trend, following along with what everyone else is doing, sometimes it’s about taking the time, and acting in patience to find what you really, truly love, what speaks to YOU. That way those items stick with you for a good, long while and they feel like a compliment to the rest of your space, and to your life. 

If they eventually do get to a point where they no longer speak to you, pass them on, recycle them, so someone else can enjoy them too – just like our farmhouse.

If you need a guiding hand, or would like to chat about ways to bring new life into your home with minimal change, or how to make those changes with your health in mind – let us know.