Last weekend I spent some time in the country, where decorating ideas abounded.

This is the home where I stayed with my elder daughter.

This beautiful home belongs to the director of the new school my daughter will be attending this year.   She invited the students in my daughter’s grade, along with any parents who wanted to come, to spend a couple of days at her rural country farm home this weekend.

A portion of the idyllic country home was built in the early 1800’s, and the front portion was built around 1900.  This is a view from the older log portion of the home:

How about a tour?  Check out the detail of the painted front door.  I currently have a client who purchased a huge antique door to replace the old one on her 1980’s house.  Bless her, she’s having a lot of trouble getting it hung correctly but it will be fabulous when it’s painted out and finished.

As we entered the house, there was a chalkboard sign with instructions as to where to take our bags.  What a great idea!

They just don’t make ’em like they used to – check out the spindles and newel post.

At the top of the stairs was a landing where the son does his homework and mom sews.  A landing like this is often a missed opportunity for functionality in a home – this is a great example of how to effectively use space.

This was the lovely room I got to share with another mom.  The wall colors were a close match to Benjamin Moore’s Georgian Green.  I’ve always been a fan of iron beds – this room had a double and a twin.

Details are everything – the homeowner uses this old flea market cart to stack blankets for visitors to pile on their beds if needed.

The dining hall is a long, skinny dogtrot of sorts separating the older portion of the house from the “newer” portion.  It was fun to see the kids crawling over each other and going under the table to get out and get seconds at mealtimes.  I loved the way the perceived imperfections of the space actually created a warmth and intimacy and made eating together even more memorable.  Maybe we’re all too strict about the 3-foot allowance behind dining chairs rule!

This is the buffet area at the other end of the dining hall – the vintage church attendance sign is a  treasured find from a local flea market.  The homeowner said that when she spotted it, she knew she had to have it.  “Even if it had cost $2000, I would have paid it!”

Everywhere you looked, the homeowner combined utility and decoration.  Always, always keep your mind open to using things you love in different ways!

Antique and vintage advertising always gives a place a “way-back-when” feel.

The kids had lots of country fun, like egg-in-spoon races, paddling kayaks in the pond,  and competitive tree climbing.

The kids loved playing old-fashioned checkers:

along with practicing archery, shooting rockets, and playing German spotlight until near midnight.

Oh, and the goats!

This family has 4 pet goats that have the run of the place!

The log kitchen was beautiful and functional.  The large fireplace has been converted to gas for toasty winter evenings.

Everyone enjoyed the country cooking and lots of it.  I loved these chalkboard place cards:

And I can’t say enough about the views.  This one is from the back porch:

This is from the front porch in the early evening:

So on the way out of town, I saw this dilapidated farmhouse for sale.  Part of me thought, “hmmm . . .”

Alas, back to reality.  The truth is, I’m more of a city girl at heart.  I fear I’d be a bit like Lisa in Green Acres living on a farm.  But it certainly was a wonderful place to visit!