When Donna and Craig Bortner bought their midcentury Colonial rancher in 2001, its 1958 aesthetics left much to be desired. Still, behind its facade, the couple saw potential. “It has built-in corner cupboards, chair railing, crown molding—and that's what made me fall in love with it,” Donna says. “The bones were there, and I knew we could do a lot more with it.” The York, Pennsylvania, couple replaced the cabinets and countertops in the kitchen to give it an upgrade, refmished the hardwood floors in several rooms, and made paint changes and other cosmetic improvements throughout.
Donna has cycled through a handful of decorative phases over the years, but she's always come back to her favorite style, which she describes as “country primitive farmhouse.” She deftly fuses antiques, vintage finds,…
