City Farmhouse Style | Designs for a Modern Country Life

by Samantha Strom on October 17, 2017 in Lifestyle, Home, Living Texas, What I'm Reading,
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The traditional American farmhouse style of decorating evokes a feeling of homeliness. It’s classic and the pieces were meant to last. This conventional wisdom is now becoming trendy among city-slickers. It turns out, you can have your own farm style oasis even in the city.

City Farmhouse Style, Kim Leggett | Home of Odette Williams + Nick Law, New York | Interior Design: Odette Williams | Architect: Lorraine Bonaventura Architect | Photography: Nicole Franzen

City Farmhouse Style (ABRAMS Books) by Kim Leggett spells it all out for the new home-owner (or apartment-renter) looking to style their space in this more traditional way. Your style is not limited by your location. Leggett breaks down color choices (whites and blues are optimal choices), mixing and matching styles (contrast is good), utilizing the unique features of your space (focus on the bones of your home), and provides a list of suggested places to shop for authentic farm house pieces, in brick-and-mortar stores, flea markets, and online.

For a bold statement, place framed objects together in a tightly organized group. Use identical frames to keep the display cohesive, suggests author and style expert Kim Leggett. Photo Alissa Saylor

A lot of the beauty of the american farmhouse style comes from the details. Open shelving in the kitchen allows the old-fashioned kitchen supplies to become the decoration when not in use. Bottles, cans, and galvanized buckets are also essential decor pieces, because they do double duty as storage. If you’re living in an apartment and don’t have room for a full garden, a potted garden in a variety of buckets on your balcony is the perfect thing to give your outdoor space a farmhouse-style hominess too. Often, the thrill of the hunt ends in a unique discovery, such as the nineteenth- century exterior doors pictured above (photo Alissa Saylor). At first glance, all that glass doesn’t seem appropriate for a bathroom. The surprise is that these doors are outfitted with shutters that face the opposite side and can be closed for privacy.

As the middle class grew in number and economic success during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the piano (and piano lessons) became more affordable—and piano playing, more popular as a pastime. During this period, many musical scores were written for two players, seated side by side: The piano was thus useful for courtship, since the piano bench was an acceptable place for a couple to sit (cozily) together yet within earshot of other members of the household. Photo Alissa Saylor

In a fun twist on a how-to guide, Leggett features the homes of celebrities that she helped style in her recently released book. Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet and Theodore Leaf (Entertaining Expert on “Secret Guide to Fabulous”) are amongst the variety of celebrities whose homes have been opened up to you in this guide for inspiration and advice in your journey to decorate your home farmstyle.

It’s not all celebrities; you may very well find your neighbor featured in City Farmhouse Style. Lindsay and Jamey Hines of Dallas are also featured. The chapter that discusses their home talks about how to blend the old with the new. As they are raising a young family, it also includes tips on how to safely introduce the farmhouse style into children’s spaces. There is something for everyone in this beautifully produced, carefully curated book.

Meet Kim Leggett and get your copy of City Farmhouse Style signed at Chase Hall’s European Interior and Garden design store in beautiful, historic McKinney, Saturday, November 4, 1 – 3:30 pm.