Before we start updating our vintage farmhouse, let’s take a home tour where I’ll share the main floor. Wait until you see how amazing our new house is!

Last week, I shared a tour of my new gardens and what to expect in 2022.

So today, I’m sharing the main living floor of our new house that includes a formal living room, entry foyer, dining room, kitchen, library, sunroom, bathroom, and family room.

Are you ready?

This home tour is going to be a fun one.

Our new home dates back to 1850 and the prior homeowners took impeccable care of it.

Seriously, everything is in such great condition and you can really see the love they had for their home.

The house has lots of character with incredible moldings, wood floor inlays and travertine tile.

Each room has a style of its own.

There are some things we’ll keep.

And others we’ll change or tone down.

But overall, this house has it all!

I thought we’d really miss our old house.

After all, we lived there for 23 years.

But I have to tell you.

We don’t miss it at all!

Now maybe I’ll sing a different tune once spring arrives and I don’t have as many flowers as I once did.

But that will change.

And the gardens here will be even more amazing than my gardens at the old house.

I can’t wait to make these beds better than they already are!

But I digress.

Getting back to the house.

Chris and I have always wanted an older home because we love houses with age and character.

Ones that have a story behind them.

With lots of room to grow.

And this one hits every mark.

Wait until you see how incredible the house is!

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new garden in front of 1850 farmhouse

Come Tour My Vintage Farmhouse

There’s so much to see here.

I have so many plans for things that we want to update.

We plan to spend the next few months lightening things up so we have more of a clean slate to work with.

Overall, the house itself has great bones with lots of character.

There are certain decor changes we want to make, but that’s pretty much it.

Front Porch and my new gardens

The Front Entry

The front entry is just inside my amazing front porch.

Seriously I love the front porch and can’t wait to decorate it.

But it has the swing and I am out here often while my dogs hang out in the front yard.

As you head inside, the front entry is the same color as my old dining room before I painted it!

french doors in front entry hall
View from the front door.

Check out the amazing arched doorway with moldings.

And the wood floor inlays are really something too.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about them when we first saw it, but I really love them!

Plus the floors are in such great shape too.

Arched doorway in vintage farmhouse home tour

Since this is an easy room to update, I plan to paint it a much lighter color soon.

The biggest project in the room though are the stair railings.

I think this was painted with an oil based paint.

And the decorative design has some texture too it.

vintage farmhouse home tour front entry with stair railing

So it’s going to be a little more work to renovate the stair railings.

Down the road, we will change out the railings.

But for now, we will keep them but paint over it.

Now the question is…should I go with black or white?

Cause I’m not stripping these.

No way.

Tell me what you think in the comments because I’d love to hear your thoughts.

front entry hall with painted piano and vintage window in vintage farmhouse home tour

My Vintage Farmhouse Dining Room

The dining room is really something with that chandelier, am I right?

I love it.

I’ve always wanted a crystal chandelier like this and it’s beyond gorgeous.

So it is staying.

dining room in vintage farmhouse home tour

My dining room is just beyond the front entry.

So you see this space as soon as you walk through the front doors.

The ceilings have this textured faux finish on them with a faux marble crown to accentuate the chandelier.

For me, this is just too much for the space.

faux finish on ceiling in vintage farmhouse dining room

It totally went with their decor but not so much with mine.

And it looks really dark with my black china cabinet and hutch.

To do this right, I think we’d need to skim coat it to even out the finish or go over it with some sort of paneling or beadboard.

But for now, I think we’ll just paint over this and see the texture and lines, then reassess.

faux finish and textured ceiling in vintage farmhouse dining room

The second part of the dining room that needs a makeover are the walls.

That is padded fabric my friends.

It is stapled down really well.

Vintage Farmhouse Dining Room

We peeled a little bit back, but saw how much work it would be to remove.

So we held off until we are fully ready to commit.

Which is going to be soon because the dining room is the first room getting a makeover.

Vintage Farmhouse Dining room travertine floor tile

I love the travertine tile floors but I’ll probably update my area rug.

AND…I’m thinking about lightening up my dining table and chairs.

But that would be a much later project.

For now, it’s operation fix walls and ceiling.

Stay tuned!

Vintage Farmhouse Dining Room Home Tour

Vintage Farmhouse Bathroom

The powder room is located just off the front entry in this small alcove.

At first, I was NOT a fan of the black bathroom.

It’s so dark when you go into this room with the black toilet and shell shaped pedastal sink.

Vintage Farmhouse small bathroom powder room black
The tape on the floor is marked out for the new sink because the door swings so close we wanted to make sure what we are looking at will fit!

My kids are pretty adamant not to change anything in this room.

And to be honest, the walls are kind of cool but we need to lighten it up a little.

So here’s the plan.

We will replace the toilet with a taller white one.

The black toilet is very small so we’d change that anyway.

I also found a vintage farmhouse sink that would look great in here.

vintage farmhouse small bathroom powder room

So we’ll swap the pedastal sink out for it soon.

In addition to those minor changes, I would also update the mirror and lighting and uncover the windows.

While I’m sure the window treatments in here are expensive, it make is very dark.

So once we update the fixures, I’ll go with another look.

Do you have any suggestions?

textured wallpaper in small bathroom powder room in vintage farmhouse

And after chatting about this room, I have to say – I love the walls.

At first we thought it was faux finish, but upon closer inspection, it’s wallpaper.

Once we update this room, if it still feels too dark, we may add beadboard or something like that.

But we are going to take this one slow and let it marinate as we work.

The library in my vintage farmhouse

The Library

The library is just off the front entry.

I’ve never had a library before – it sounds very estudious!

We had several large book shelves in the basement where we kept all of our books, so I guess we had a psuedo-library down there.

But anyway, I love this room.

vintage farmhouse room tour

My girls are pretty emphatic about not changing any of it.

So I’m not.

I love the charcoal gray.

And we’ll keep it!

I want to purchase a few chairs and big ottoman to make it more of a sitting room.

And I’m thinking this is where we’ll serve Thanksgiving for our very large family!

In this room, we’ll be able to set up one really big table so EVERYONE can sit at the same table!

We didn’t have the space in the other house to accommodate all of the kids with all of the adults so this room will be a real game changer in 2022.

The library heading into the formal living room in my vintage farmhouse

The Formal Living Room

I shared the formal living room before and how it was decorated for Christmas.

It looked so pretty and I’m really glad I decorated at least one room after moving in.

vintage farmhouse living room

After putting Christmas away, I brought in more of my houseplants from the sunroom (will show you that later in this post).

And am trying to get a handle on how I want to pull this room together long term.

fireplace with marble mantel in vintage farmhouse home tour

We will eventually remove the faux finish from the ceiling and walls.

I appreciate the uniqueness and the artistry, but long term, we will tone this room down.

Not sure if we’ll get to it this year, but at some point, we’ll update it.

vintage farmhouse living room

The Sunroom

You guys…I have a sunroom now!!!!

The sunroom is just off the library.

My houseplants have a place to winter indoors now.

sunroom in my vintage farmhouse

So you know I’m going to start growing a lot more stuff!

You should have seen the plants before we moved.

I felt terrible.

They were stuffed in my basement so I could keep them out of the way while we were showing our old house.

So they were not happy with me then but they are loving their new digs now!

This room is very heavy with faux finishes and hand painted designs.

vintage farmhouse sunroom
We are getting ready to set up my seed starting area in here.

It’s really very pretty.

But I find it distracting with my houseplants and the outdoor garden.

I prefer to see the architecture of houseplant foliage.

And I want to enjoy the gardens from the inside.

Particularly in winter.

So we’ll be painting this room some version of white.

Hopefully sooner than later, but we’ll see how some of the other projects go first.

There are a lot of windows to cut around!

sunroom in vintage farmhouse home tour

The Kitchen

My kitchen is a real working kitchen and it’s been AWESOME cooking in here.

It has 3 ovens and one large gas stove.

The double oven is a Wolf and the main stove is a Viking.

vintage farmhouse working kitchen

I’ve made a few dishes in the Wolf already and it cooks really well!

Much better than my old oven.

There are two kitchen sinks.

I didn’t think I would love this but it’s been great having more space to do dishes.

When we eventually change some things in here, I’d love to swap it out for a large oversized farmhouse sink.

vintage farmhouse kitchen

I love the granite shelf with my storage containers, don’t you?

I used to have those stored in my pantry closet at the old house.

But they fit so well in here, are more accessible, and I love how they look!

kitchen in my vintage farmhouse

The main drawback in this room are the cabinets that block the view to the family room.

We want to remove those but I need the storage.

So we need to figure that out before we make any major changes here.

Someday, I’ll paint the cabinets like I did at the other house.

I’m thinking that will be a winter 2023 project.

And when I do, we’ll likely upgrade the granite as well to lighten the room up a little more.

But overall, I love the kitchen!!!

wolf stoves in farmhouse kitchen

The Family Room

This room will be amazing when we are done with it.

I love the heated travertine tile.

Yes, this room has heated floors!

vintage farmhouse family room

And my plants are enjoying this room too.

This sectional sofa came from Facebook Marketplace that I bought for a great bargain.

It used to be in my basement so this is where we put it here.

I just ordered THIS coffee table.

Don’t you think it will look good in here?

vintage farmhouse family room

The walls and ceiling are venetian plaster with a dark faux finish.

We plan to lighten this whole room up soon, change the lighting and add some stained wood paneling and/or beams on the ceiling.

This rooms really gorgeous plantation wood shutters but it felt very closed in and dark in the room.

vintage farmhouse living room

The blinds weren’t staying open and it blocked the view of the gardens.

So we took them down and stored them for future use.

I love this room so much more without them!

We also want to do something with the architectural component in the room.

big windows in my vintage farmhouse

It is functional to some degree but I think we can improve it because it’s the focal point of the room.

I would love to add a wood burning fireplace here with stone going up to the ceiling.

That will not be a project we do this year but is something we want to do down the road.

split leaf philodendron

And that’s the whole main floor!!!

It’s such a cool house and we are so blessed to be here.

We love everything about it and can’t wait to add our spin to this totally amazing home.

Zen garden in the backyard garden

Pin and Save It For Later

vintage farmhouse home tour

Thank you so much for following along.

Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

Stacy Ling
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Then the Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide is for YOU

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27 Comments

  1. I loved all the pictures! So many fun projects ahead to keep you busy! I don’t think I’ve seen a black toilet since my Boston clubbin’ days…

    1. Right? You almost can’t even see it when you are in there! I’m going to go with the wallpaper for now – it’s grown on me but we have to lighten up the room it’s just too dark. Love the character though.

  2. Wow! Your home is stunning! So many great features. The porch is so beautiful-and the porch flooring is spectacular. The arched door in the entryway, the wood inlays, the chandelier all have my heart a flutter.

  3. Stacy it is a very unique housed I know you will have fun decorating it. My husband and I bought a house about 20 years ago that had a beautiful yard with many huge trees but the house was another story. It had been owned by a retired Navy man and everything in the house was Nautical. It took me a couple of years but I painted every square inch of that house including all of the trim, doors, ceilings, walls and replaced all of the lighting and carpet. Luckily, it had beautiful brick floors and hardwoods that we did not have to change. The house was completely transformed with lighter colors and sun filled rooms. My best advice is to take it slow and just do what you can as your time allows. I would paint the stairs rails white with maybe black on the handrail. My friend just did this and they turned out awesome! The previous owners spent many dollars on all of those faux finishes and I can’t believe how many ceiling ones there are, those would have to go if it was my house. I just love plain white ceilings because the light in the room is so much better. I look forward to your decorating journey on your blog.

  4. I think it’s great that you are approaching everything slowly, and thoughtfully. Gosh, there are a lot of faux finishes! I think updating some of these will really lighten and simplify everything. Jennifer is right…last time I saw a black toilet was in a club!

  5. We also moved into a very personalized farmhouse. It is over 200 years. We did tthe renovations slowly mostly according to immediate repair needs like entire rewiring and pocketbook! Now we are at the we need to paint again stage but major renovations are done. Whew. Just maintainace these days thankfully. It’s taken us about 10 years for 5 BIG projects. Have fun!!

  6. What a fabulous house and gardens…how fun it will be to watch you update and make the changes. I love the rug you have in your dining room, has all the colors I’m looking for…would you share where you bought it? Thanks for the great tour…Carole

  7. Stacy,
    Love your new home. It’s gorgeous. Can’t believe the floors are in such good shape. They are awesome.
    Owned a sunporch in my 1926 East Hartford house. Where I hung out reading and relaxing on weekends. Newspaper and coffee looking out the windows at the cold weather.
    The library is a gem. What a great gathering place. The writer with his thousand of pounds of books to unpack is jealous.
    Black bathroom is all going to be about the lighting. Maybe LED with dimmer? Indirect lighting? Afraid you will have to experiment with different lights and levels.
    Had a few people recommend coal stoves with glass door instead of wood stoves. You can still burn wood in them, but coal will keep warmer longer if the power goes out. Takes less storage space inside rather than running outside to wood pile. However you and Chris may have a unlimited supply of wood in the yard.
    Hope y’all enjoy your home for many years to come.

    1. Thank you Steve! Funny you say that about the bathroom – it has recess with a dimmer in addition to the wall sconces. Wait until you see the cool sink I found – the door swing is pretty tight so we had to scale it down a little. We’d rather not deal with slimming down the door to make a different sink fit. We are considering the wood stove too – it’s cooler on that side of the house! But yes there’s definitely no shortage of wood here! xo

  8. It was so fun to see your house tour, Stacy! There is so much potential. Your library is amazing! And I agree, I love the paint color the way it is. And that sunroom, wow! Your plants are going to be so happy there.

  9. It’s going to be a lot of work but so fun to transform your new home to make it your own! There’s so much character in older homes. Can’t wait to follow along with your transformations.

  10. What a statement home it is! Just beautiful! Love the outside and the front porch your sure will enjoy! All the rooms are so large! I love older homes they have so much character! I can’t wait to see all you plans!

    1. Thank you Mary Anne! That front porch is the best! I can’t wait to start decorating it when the weather warms up. For now, that swing is such a great spot!

  11. This house has so much character and great bones. She is going to look stunning when add your touches to it. Primer and good quality paint will take her to the next level. It will showcase her beauty.

    I would do the staircase railings a combination of back and white. It would look amazing.

    The black wallpaper, love it. I love the idea of board and batten below it. It will look great once you finish. Just changing out the fixtures will make a huge difference. Lots of fun projects.

    1. I couldn’t agree more Tammy! That’s what we thought when we saw this home. Good primer and paint will go such a long way! I even want to paint the outdoor fences white at some point – not high on the list right now, but over time. It’s really a great home and property. We love it!

  12. I love the house and I can imagine how much fun you are having thinking about how to make it yours. It’s fun to dream, plan, dream some more and then accomplish a task! Enjoy! Peace.

  13. I’m utterly charmed by you new home! I love old houses with History and character but have never lived in one so going to live vicariously through your renovation. Can’t wait to see how you marry your country casual with the pedigree of this home. A favorite design esthetic of mine, High Country or Formal Country. I would paint the stair railing smoky black since it’s viewed along with the dining flooring that has that charcoal black tile inset. I love the black powder bath, especially the toilet and sconces. A dear friend had a black toilet in hers and painted the walls black with huge gold painted bumble bees painted all over it. Such an impressive combo. I love all the floors in your house.

    1. It really is all so cool! The charm, the character and the history we find so fascinating. Each room has a story to tell. This home and property was such a great find!

  14. Charm and character for sure! The millworker, windows, wood floors and French doors all add so much detail and beauty. I vote for white on the spindles and black for the hand railing. I just read a tip for painting spindles where you wear rubber gloves and then a white sweatsock, dip into your paint and then put on the primer and first coat by rubbing your “sock” up and down and liberally coating each spindle. I imagine you would need someone to follow with back brushing but it seems to be better than painstakingly handbrushing all three coats or the mess of spraying. I’m also curious if your kitchen cabinets that block your view could glass fronts on both sides to allow light and be less visually distracting? Again, a thought that you could ruminate on and try different things by removing a cabinet door and play with before you get to the actual project. How does one choose fixtures so they are timeless and not dated in 8-10 years? Will you go with a brass finish? I’m excited for you and your sunroom and look forward to all the coming projects. Slow and steady wins the race.

    1. Thank you so much Kim!!! it’s so fun to choose all of the details right? That’s a neat idea how to paint the spindles thanks for the tip!

  15. Hi Stacy – You are a lady who loves challenges and I praise you for taking on this beautiful home.
    I work with an artist and, in the day, he did a lot of faux finishes. Please check each room to be sure you aren’t putting latex paint over oil base as the fresh paint will come off. The alcohol test, which I am sure you know, will tell you if it is latex or oil. The paint will come off when u rub the walls and ceiling with alcohol if it is latex, if oil, it will not.
    Two sinks usually means the previous owners who owned the home were practicing Jews as this is their custom.
    Putting a farmhouse sink in your powder room with the wallpaper seems, to me, to fight the wallpaper as it is extremely formal.
    I love the library and your Thanksgiving dinner in this room will be a wonderful memory.
    There is a primer is by Rustoleum labeled XIM UMA PRMER SEALER BONDER. We purchased some Cabinets to Go for a set and the client wanted the island to be green. The green that Cabinets to Go had wasn’t the correct shade so I purchased them in white. It was white with a baked on finish. We tried other primers and they did not work. I ordered this primer and it worked great. Our artist/painter said he will never use any other primer.
    Always look forward to your latest achievement as they light up my emails.

    1. Thanks so much Diana for all of your tips! We did check the paint to see what’s oil and latex-based before tackling any finishes and I’m glad we did because there was a mix. Enjoy a beautiful day! xoxo