Thursday, January 19, 2012

Dreaming Of Farmhouse Living

farmhouse 1 Before I begin, I have the song to the TV show “Green Acres” stuck in my head while I write this! If you are my age, you will know what I am talking about.


When I was a kid I spent a lot of time at my aunt and uncle’s dairy farm that was in a rural location in a small town in California. Though some might think that a dairy has it’s funky smells, there was just something magical about being there. Days were long and filled with romping around and climbing on fences – and even being lured by my mischievous cousin to jump down in a certain part of the pen – only to my astonishment to have it be cow manure that had hardened on top but was extra gushy underneath. My aunt was not pleased when I walked into her house with wet cow dung up to my fanny, but she did have a good laugh on me!



Owning a farmhouse has been a dream of mine for years. Nothing fancy schmancy, just a white wood sided house with a front porch that is nestled on a plot of land – enough land to have a vegetable garden, tons of flowers, some goats and domestic white geese. (No cows this time though).






farmhouse 2 So I sat at my computer with my coffee this morning and googled farmhouses for sale in Missouri. Why Missouri? Oh, no reason. I do remember flying over Missouri years ago and, while descending down to the airport, looked down on some wonderful farms with ginormous houses. So today we take a virtual trip to some Farmhouses in the Mid-West.



Love this stairway! I could just see this house freshened up with some white paint….



farmhouse 2 inside stairsbhg2 ….to look fresh like my favorite farmhouse of all time.



bhg11 farmhouse 4 This is one of my favorites. Such sweet bones and it has even been updated. Though not a fan of the dark cabinets…



farmhouse 4 kitchen 2…it does have a lot of light and could easily be transformed with a can of white paint to look more like the Better Homes and Gardens kitchen/dining room below.



bhg6 Another grand dame with a fabulous porch, wide steps, and columns.



farmhouse 5 109,500Just look at these stairs and the natural light from the window. Now if you look rather closely, you will see a red-roofed cottage wallpaper. That would definitely have to stay.



farmhouse 5 stairsfarmhouse 5 yard



This is the backyard with a storage building that the hubs would L-O-V-E. The doggies would love to run around on that grass, too.



Now imagine, if you will, make a stone path to the right of the building that will lead you to the patch of grass just beyond the trees in the foreground. On this patch of grass have a lovely table, like below, sitting there for garden parties.



Are you with me?



decorating idea - can on back of chair Another beauty with a nice covered porch.



farmhouse 6 95,500There is potential there, for sure, AND a porch swing.



farmhouse 6 front porch



For the 4th of July, string patriotic buntings along the porch, add some white wood rockers with red buffalo checked pillows and sip on sweet tea as you wave to the neighbors walking by.



P1010002d farmhouse 7 95,500




farmhouse 8 Just add a white picket fence with a rusty and funky old bike out front…



P1010070a …..or even add an arch with greenery along the front path.



P1010050a Of course there would have to be several rose bushes for fresh bouquets.



P1010012aP1010058aP1010126 This is a charming farmhouse we found that was for sale in Northern California a few years back. The iconic sweet farmhouse…



P1010131 ..with a porch, a swing, fresh flowers..




P1010130 …a picket fence and a welcoming garden path to greet visitors.



Should my dream of owning a farmhouse ever come true, my other dream would be to have Sarah Richardson design the inside. Why not dream big? I love her style so much! And she looks like a fun gal to hang around with, too.




sarah richardson 1

41 comments:

LeAnn said...

I've got a great idea, why don't you come to Ohio to visit my farmhouse and bring Sarah Richardson with you:)

xo

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

LeAnn, now that sounds like a totally FUN trip! We'd have a ball now, wouldn't we?

love ya!

Unknown said...

I loved this!!!!!!!! I did a post on my favorite red/white farm house in my old home town....why are we drawn to them? I like to believe it is that back to a simpler time feel they all have....and I agree your choice of decorator is perfect! :) Sandy

Our Country Bungalow said...

If you make to LeAnn's Ohio farm, take a drive to the north and visit my farm too! You can have the old-fashioned farm experience and I promise, no one will make you jump into anything smelly!

~cathy

greta said...

If walls could talk...farmhouses would have great stories, don't you think???

happygma said...

I'm with you! Maybe not in Missouri, but when we do have the farmhouse, would you make housecalls for interior design - and landscape design?

Fun!

happygma said...

I'm with you! Maybe not in Missouri, (I've been spoiled living in California!) but definitely love your vision.

When I have the farmhouse, are you available for house calls on house and landscape designs? I've so enjoyed seeing your pictures, but have trouble translating my dreams into reality.

Fun!

Miss Jean said...

My dream is to purchase the home my grandparents had when I was a child. A white farmhouse sitting up on a rise above the road. I can still take a tour of the inside in my mind.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, Sarah is my absolute favorite designer!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, Sarah is my absolute favorite designer!

Anonymous said...

First, I really enjoy your blog, I cannot imagine how much time it must take for you to put it all together! Secondly, I live in Illinois where there are many of those old big square homes, so consider us when you decidee to leave CA! And thirdly, when I was a kid and lived down a 1/4 mile long gravel country lane in one of those big old homes, we had that exact country farm scene wallpaper in our kitchen! I remember staring at it and being mesermized by it. I could never tell if it was God awful ugly..or really cool! Laura

The Vintage Vagablonde said...

I m moving to a horse ranch....next month! We board our horses there and the owners have a double~wide that is for rent...YEP a double wide trailer...LOL I get to live a part of my dream. It may not b a fancy farmhouse but it will b pretty darn close! Its smells like horse manure...and I get to have chickens! I cant wait!!!!!!

Loretta Castorini said...

I'm Canadian, and have loved SR for a long time! I'm glad that she's getting recognition in the US! She's got such a clean classic style.

trish said...

All these images makes me miss home that much more! :o) Especially as I spy the fog wisping through the trees! :o)

Heather said...

Hi, my name is Heather! Please email me when you can, I have a question about your blog!

HeatherVonSJ[at]gmail[dot]com

becky up the hill said...

Love Sarah R. I've watched her for years. So besides our names and our love for vintage, one more thing we can add to our list of loves. Stay warm dear girl~and keep dreaming.

sunnyskiesandsweettea said...

Me Too!!! LOL I love all of your dream houses.... and Sarah.

Blessings,
Amy Jo

marie said...

What a perfectly wonderful dream...especially that cottage covered wallpaper. That would definitely have to stay!!
Loved your book page garland in the last post Becky!

Jules said...

That was so fun to read. Just took a run around the College Area this morning with a friend and we kept picking out darling houses we wanted to move in to. Sarah Richardson is sassy... I like it! That's what I need, a sweet little farmhouse with a bit of sass! xoxo jules

fiberdoodles said...

I LOVE old farmhouses! The big porches, creaky old floors, the sound of a screen door slamming! Oh yes, I'm right there with you!! Of course a small cow in the front yard too ;0)

Jocelyn said...

Thanks for taking us along on your virtual tour Becky. I was raised in the city, but I remember my parents visiting some friends in the country once. It was the first time I had ever seen a real live pig ;-) I remember how sweet the air smelled and how green everything was. Thanks for a walk down memory lane.

Jocelyn @
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

I also love farmhouses and could look at pictures of them all day--They have so much character and warmth to them, don't they?

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

ME TOO! I want a farmhouse like that and Sarah! I just got an email from her website. I asked when the newest Sarah show was coming to HGTV in the US and they said look for it in April...
Hugs,
Penny

Karen said...

I am right there with you. I would love to live in a farmhouse ... there is just something so warm, cozy and family oriented about them. I love all the pictures you found. Am I totally agree that Sarah should decorate it. I love everything she does!

Pondside said...

I like the way you dream! I always longed for a house with a veranda, so when we saw our house for the first time it was love at first sight. I nearly didn't care what the inside looked like - thank heavens it was good!

20 North Ora said...

OMG!! Do you know how excited I would be for you to live in Missouri? The cost of living is definitely much lower than CA and you would be within a few hours of OK. That would be so much fun.

Judy

Stacey said...

I love your dream including the Sarah Richardson part. :)

Kathleen Grace said...

I grew up in my grandparents beautiful big white farmhouse and I have loved farmhouses my whole life. The one you said is your favorite is mine too, about as dreamy as they come. I want a farmhouse with a barn for studio space!

Linda said...

Oh my...we have so much in common with the farm houses and Sarah...I love her and a dream would be to have decorate for me! I love all your choices...my Grandma lived in a house like that on a dairy farm in Minnesota!

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

I'm right with you on this! And Sara is my all time favorite decorator! I don't think there's anything she's done that I don't like. And her sidekick is a hoot!

Rocky Creek Scotties and Rocky Creek Ramblings said...

Just today, I'm dreaming of tearing down a old farmhouse......

xoxo
Lynn

Chris at Red Gate Farm said...

Love them all... porches and stairways, oh my!

And I agree, since you're dreaming you might as well have Sarah Richardson (and her sidekick Tommy) designing the inside... just don't let them touch the stairs!

~Chris

Wendy said...

Great pictures. I think my favorite is the yellow farmhouse with the red door and porch swing.

Kathie Truitt said...

I guess I'm rather partial as I grew up in Missouri - in the Southwest part. As a matter of fact my new book takes place in the small town I grew up in.

The Hillbilly Debutante Cafe
released March 27th

Elsie said...

Green acres is the place to be....farm living is the life for me. Oh I forgot I was suppose to comment, I kinda got that song stuck in my head too Becky. I love all of the farm houses you found.
There is a couple that reminded me of my grandmother's house. I remember how cold it was in it and that she used a goose wing to sweep the ashes back into the huge fireplace. There was a big smoke house beside the farm house. When you get your farm house let me know. I want to come see it. I might even bring you a goose wing.:)

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

You girls are bringing me such joy with your comments. AND...so glad you all concur about Miss Sarah being my personal decorator. Oh dream!! Hey Oprah, if you are reading my blog....bless me with a surprise trip from Sarah! I'd love you forever! And Miss Elsie, a goose wing might be a bit wierd..but hey, I'd dig it, totally! xxo

Meadowsweet Cottage said...

I'm with ya! I spent so many wonderful afternoons in my Grandma's farmhouse and exploring "The Ranch" outside. I'm still a farmgirl at heart (you can ask my chickens).

They eventually sold the home place and moved further north. One of my uncle's dairy cows just had quadruplets!

Vee said...

If that's your dream, I will hope with you that it will come true. I love how you were able to "see" all the possibilities with each home. I loved thinking about the big square rooms.

Anonymous said...

AHHHHHHHH! It is so much fun to dream. Thanks for sharing. I loved them all!

Debbi

Becky from Tennessee said...

I remember the house from
Better Homes & Gardens but
misplaced my magazine and
was so happy to see it again.
My favorite uncle was a farmer
and my fondest childhood
memories were going to visit
my aunt and uncle during the
summer. Their farmhouse was
the home my mother grew up in
and, for that reason, was very
special to me. It wasn't big
or fancy but I loved it. I
guess from a very young age, I
knew I wanted to live in an old
white clapboard house with a
big front porch with rocking
chairs and a swing. I can
remember shelling butter beans
on that very porch with my Mom
and aunt and loved it so much.
Thanks for bringing such sweet
memories back to me, Becky.

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Come to Missouri anytime, I will show you all the farm houses you'd ever want to see.