Decorating the Farmhouse

When I moved into my new place (which my friends have lovingly dubbed "The Farm," I realized that I was going to need to do some shopping.I'm not a person who needs a lot of possessions - in fact, I prefer fewer. 

However, at my last place, I had a lot of built-ins -- bookshelves, storage, even a drop-down ironing board. The farmhouse doesn't have those amenities.

I also wanted to decorate in a style that fit better with the farmhouse. I was inspired by the home of ceramics artist Laura Zindel; her designs showcase illustrations of flora and faun. Her style is what one might call "scary farmhouse" or "Darwin's study." I love the spirit of science in the 1800's. And let's face it -- Darwin had style.

And on top of that, I wanted to be as green as one can when fueling the economy with major purchases. That means lots of thrifting (I'm now familiar with most of the thrift stores in Houston) and antiquing. Although I've always known the green benefits of thrifting, I've never been good at it. That's because I was shopping for clothes. I wanted to be like my sister, who is great at putting together amazing vintage outfits from her thrift store forays.

Housewares, I discovered, are much more my game. Here are a few of my finds:

This farmhouse table was at an antique store. It was
cheaper than a similar table and chairs bought new.

My friend Melanie bought this little cabinet. It didn't
really go with her more modern style, so she gave
it to me.

This isn't exactly decor, but I just thought it was
too cute to pass up.

These are some antique bottles. The smaller one
contained bluing. Does anyone use bluing anymore?

Melanie also persuaded me to get this vintage lamp

with gold roses painted on it.