Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Country Sampler Home

One of the pluses of working on a decorating magazine like Country Sampler is the seasonality of the homes and other content we feature throughout the year. As we give this issue one last look and I settle down to write after the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, it's become apparent that, daylight grows shorter and the thermometer struggles more to reach the mid-30s with each passing day. Although I realize I am just at the beginning stages of three challenging winter months ahead, I am energized and looking forward to a time of renewal thanks to the abundance of light and bright spring and Easter ideas within these pages. From vases of fresh flowers dotting tabletops to mantels flowing with verdant greenery to outdoor porches waiting to welcome habitation, the…

Spring will soon be calling, with its promise of sun-dappled days and life sprouting anew. Finally, we can begin to stow away winter's cozy necessities and unfurl a sense of lightness in our decorating. Country Sampler stylist Carolynn Geesaman is looking forward to just that. She relishes seeing her flower beds return to glory, one of her favorite aspects of this interval in the seasonal cycle, she reveals. “It also is a time that I really want to refresh my house.” Not one to adopt a sweeping revamp other home's look every time the calendar turns, Carolynn improvises with finds from thrift stores and rummage sales to dot her everyday decor with a spark of spring. Follow her no-nonsense strategies to salvage discarded objects and reinvigorate your rooms for the…

Combing her father's scrap-metal yard for furniture, fencing and garden tools was Helena Dale's favorite pastime while growing up in Jefferson, Georgia. Undaunted by time-tumbled provenances, she found creative uses for the artifacts she rescued. As an adult, she parlayed that passion into a successful architectural salvage and antiques venture, hosting barn sales that feature her own finds and upcycled home decor from the region's most talented artisans. Helena and her husband, Clay, built a ranch home with a cabin-inthe-woods feel in 2018 on 20 acres in Jefferson. A 2021 addition on the back of the house expanded the interior to 2,800 square feet, creating a comfortable retreat that, accommodates their daughters and growing extended family. Inside the home, walnut-stained planks distinguish ceilings and walls for an evolved-over-time look. A…

Cover Up. Create the illusion of a firebox by filling the mantel opening with a dark color to suggest a recessed space. Jama used a favorite piece of vintage chalkboard, but try painting the wall or a board instead. Deck the Wall. Compose three-dimensional wall art with a trio of salvaged pieces. Turn a chippy painted door sideways to serve as a base. Mount an oversize barn-board star on one side and an old pediment on the other, overlapping the two and exceeding the dimensions of the door. “I like layering things,” Jama explains. “I like things to have depth to them.” Make Connections. Select a few related items to display on top and in front of the mantel to tie the two areas together. The grayed woods of Jama's…

Theme Choose what kinds of items you would like to exhibit and build around them. Donna selected stoneware from her collection and accented with other types of containers. Color Narrow the color palette to mellow the mood, and treat each shelf as a separate vignette. Donna reached for objects in neutral hues, which pop against the dark cabinets. Size Inject balance by setting larger pieces on the bottom shelves and reducing the size as you go up. On the top of the cabinet, Donna arranged tall jars and bottles that otherwise would not have fit. Function Bring in like objects to boost their impact. Donna set pottery marked with cobalt next to each other, and she did the same with amber canning jars and tiny bottles. Asymmetry Reduce formality by…

Empty walls can sometimes seem like a challenge to decorate. Rather like the blank canvas of an artist, unadorned areas on the perimeter of a room can be transformed in so many ways. The key to an eye-catching arrangement is a good starting point. Consider the flexibility of wall shelves, which can be purchased or constructed in a range of sizes and silhouettes to suit any spot. From ledges fashioned from collectibles to cubbies reimagined from old crates, the potential of adding displays in a vertical way is vast. Discover ideas for maximizing even the slimmest of spaces, whether aiming for a practical storage option or making room to show off a vignette of special antiques. Remember: Onward and upward! Building Blocks Architectural elements are certainly intriguing, but how do…

Country Sampler's Resource Guide includes all available information on the makers of paint, furniture, window treatments and flooring found throughout the magazine. Items pictured in individual stories but not listed in this Resource Guide are not available to the public. These items are either antique, one of a kind, discontinued or from private collections. Country Sampler has no information about them. Please note that due to the complicated process involved in photography and four-color printing, the paint colors that are shown in the featured homes may not match the original manufacturer's paint swatch. Making Room for Spring (pages 8-15) Summer Squash satin spray paint on door in front porch display and Coastal Sage matte spray paint on bathroom organizer in home office display, Rust-Oleum, 800-481-4785, www.rustoleum.com; Scott Living Blue Green…

JAMA BLACK lived almost her entire life in Shirley, a small community in central Indiana with a population of about 800. When she and her husband, Mike, moved back within the city limits after a decade in the country, they knew the house they bought would require a massive amount of work—but it was just down the block from her parents. Location does speak volumes. Over time, the skillful couple made major renovations to the early-1900s one-story home where they raised their two now-grown children. They laid new bamboo floors in the kitchen, dining room and living room; remodeled the kitchen; enlarged the bathroom by eliminating a breakfast nook; opened the enclosed front porch; and enclosed the open back porch. As talented DIYers, the Blacks have done nearly all the…

We might even publish your letter or photos in an upcoming issue! Tell us how you live the country life or use Country Sampler as decorating inspiration by emailing your story (156 words or less) to editors@countrysampler.com. Email photos of your summer and patriotic vignettes to CountryPhotos@countrysampler.com. To be considered for publication, send high-resolution files (1 MB or larger, 300 dpi). People often ask if they can submit photos from their smartphones. Please do, as long as they meet our high-resolution guidelines. Please include a brief description (75 words or less) with your photos. By submitting letters and photos, you are granting Annie's Publishing/Country Sampler the right to publish the material in the magazine or on social media. CONNECT WITH US editors@countrysampler.com 306 East Parr Road, Berne, IN 46711 www.countrysampler.com…

Forma backdrop that calls attention to a stack or row of dishware by standing a plate or platter on edge at the back of the cabinet. Interspersethe brilliance of white ironstone with yellowware, transferware or other pieces in a narrow color range of white to beige to pale yellow. Addpunch to your arrangement with a couple of dark-hued antiques as surprise elements. Strive to balance them visually for strong lines. Expandyour boundaries by including the top of the cabinet and counter space below into your grouping. Jama lined up blue canning jars in a long wooden box as a contrast to the theme of whites.…

Standont SPACES Even as newlyweds 50 years ago, Donna and Ken Glidden knew where they wanted to be. They fell for a picturesque property near Cape Cod and put down roots that, have grown stronger as they renovated and gardened through the years. “We both grew up in the area and always had ties here,” Donna relates. “I've always loved Cape Cod homes, so we custom-built a basic cape and added on to it over time.” One of the areas that received the most attention in the decades since the build was the kitchen. The original design was the height of fashion in the 1970s, with dark walnut-stained pine cabinets, orange Formica counters, gold appliances and a no-wax vinyl floor. A 1990s refresh brought updates to the counters, backsplash, floors…

1 Magazine Holder Turned Rolling Caddy Browse your local thrift stores to find an old magazine holder that you can transform into a rolling kitchen caddy similar to this one from Sarah Ramberg of Sadie Seasongoods. The holder she used is narrow and compact but fairly tall, which made it ideal for holding baking sheets as well as necessities such as aluminum foil and zip-top plastic bags. Give your piece a good cleaning and then spray-paint it a pale gray, or any other color that matches your room's palette. Once dry, distress the edges and corners with sandpaper. Use a drill and screws to secure four 1½” casters to the bottom. Then, install a hook on each side for hanging oven mitts. Kitchens, largely considered to be the heart of any…

For a tutorial on how to make Angie's paper eggs, visit www.postcardsfromtheridge.com and search for “3D Paper Eggs.” A Vision of Vintage Pastel colors and spring go hand in hand, so if you have a collection of small jadeite pieces behind closed doors, it's the perfect time to put those beauties front and center on your table. Angie of Postcards from the Ridge mixes her jadeite with pink accents to bring a fresh vibe to a tall tiered tray. To make her centerpiece more visually interesting, Angie varies the heights of her decor and uses different textures throughout: faux succulents, wood butter molds, metal flower frogs, cast-iron bunnies, a rabbit note card, spools of pink ribbon and handcrafted 3D paper egg ornaments. Hoppy Holiday Celebrate the Easter season with a…