By Olivia Velazquez / Photography by Bret Gum / Styling by Karen Snyder

This living room space is filled with very minimal, neutral colored furniture that contrasts the all-white walls and is gathered in front of the window in the center of the room. It is embellished by a large hanging round light fixture.
Accenting with stacks of antique suitcases and books is one of Karen’s favorite decorating tips. “The suitcases are vintage from a local antique shop,” Karen says. “The old books as well. I could spend hours in old bookstores.”

Balancing the rustic charm of a farmhouse with a sophisticated twist can be a challenging task. With a flair for combining natural elements and everyday accessories in a fresh way, Karen Snyder of Sanctuary Home, successfully created an elegant farmhouse feel by building the house with her Montana ranch in mind. “We wanted something elegant,” Karen says. ¨Not too rustic, but with rustic features.” Twenty years later, their home still stands, full of rustic charm and farmhouse memories.

Framed music sheets by a grand piano
Framed music sheets subtly enhance the musical theme in this corner of the living room.

Authentic Touches

Nestled in the equestrian community of Hidden Hills, California, Karen’s home is filled with personal details. “All the wood paneling and ceiling beams are reclaimed wood from our Montana ranch,” Karen says. “It gives the house a more rustic and elegant feel.” The beams can be seen in the living room as well as the kitchen and dining room. The dark wood paneling trails up the staircase leading to the second floor, while serving as a beautiful backdrop for Karen’s black and white photographs of her Montana horses.

A Rustic and elegant breakfast nook.
A white dutch door leading from the kitchen and breakfast nook to the backyard is another one of
Karen’s favorite touches. “I love a good Dutch door,” Karen says. “There’s something so charming about it.”
Rustic elegant kitchen with marble
The dark hood above the stove adds a stunning contrast to the rest of the kitchen with its white honed marble countertops. “It’s a custom designed zinc,” Karen says. “The corbels are antique.”

 

Love Karen’s kitchen? Read more about how she uses copper to transition her decor to fall here.

Wooden beams create a rustic elegant look
The bedroom maintainsa farmhouse ambiencewith the painting of horses hanging above the dresser and the rough-hewn wood beams.
Rustic elegant bathroom
The wooden towel rack contrasts with the crisp white tub and marble sinks for an elegant yet rustic
atmosphere.
A gilt mirror and tufted bench are elegant accents in this rustic bedroom
A large gilt mirror and plush tufted bench are elegant accents to the rustic bedroom. The spot is perfect for pulling on cowgirl boots before heading out to the stables.

Karen adds splashes of color in every room with her floral designs. “All the flowers throughout the house I designed,” she says. “I love flowers. One of my hobbies is floral design.” Her garden bursts with hydrangeas, roses, larkspur and delphiniums in an English country style. “My flower studio is a separate cottage that we built next to the house,” she says. “It’s where I do all of my floral designs.”

A rustic elegant floral studio
Karen designed her tiny cottage-style flower studio so she could have a place to create her arrangements.
Rustic elegant desk in a studio workspace
In her flower studio, Karen combines her vintage look-alikes with her authentic antique finds. “The farmhouse chair is an antique,” Karen says. “The wooden dressing screen is not.”

Some of her designs can be seen as centerpieces for her coffee table, dining table and kitchen nook. Whether inside a tin bucket or a vintage-looking vase, her fresh blooms give each room a pop of color as well as a personal touch.

A white bergere chair with a clock overhead and birdcage vignette nearby create an elegant rustic space
In one corner of her studio, Karen uses a unique find to accent a specific theme. “It’s a kind of decorative bird cage … since I love the cottage and garden so much, it’s all about bringing the outdoors in.”

Learn how Karen creates an easy and elegant fall front porch here.

Honoring the Past

Antiques add to the charm of Karen’s home, and her collections of antique silver trays and pitchers are on display in her dark wood cabinets. “I do like to collect antique silver,” Karen says. “Some of them are family silver, pieces that were passed down to me from different family members. I also got a few from antique stores.” A few genuine antiques fill Karen’s home, and the silver heirlooms are all authentic, as well as the vintage suitcases that are stacked atop the display cabinets.

Rustic Elegant diningroom
a rustic chandelier, framed equestrian drawings and an overflowing bouquet in a galvanized bucket add farmhouse romance to the formal dining room.

Affordable Elegance

Although Karen’s house is filled with what look to be antique vases, picture frames and lamps, these pieces are actually more accessible than they appear. “I shop at Target as much as anyone else,” Karen confesses. “I’m always looking for things that are a little old or are made to look old but are affordable.” On her website, Sanctuary Home, she includes links to all her latest finds so her readers can purchase them as well. For example, the lanterns hanging above her counter have an Old World romance, but they’re from a very familiar store. “The lanterns in my kitchen are from Pottery Barn,” Karen says. “I get people asking me about them all the time.”

Rustic elegant barn with two horses
Since Karen lives in an equestrian community, she has a barn and, naturally, a couple of horses, which the couple rides around the trails in the neighborhood.

Another example of Karen’s eye for the affordable-yet-artistic can be seen in her dining room set. “The dining table is from a place called Hooker Furniture,” she says. “But the design is sort of mix and match. The main chairs are bigger, and the side chairs are from a completely different set. It’s not entirely cohesive.” But it is just this mix-and-match quality of Karen’s decorating style that makes this space—and the rest of her home—unique and personal.

Create a magical and memorable outdoor table setting with Karen’s 4 tips.

A horse eating a floral arrangement
Karen’s horse enjoys nibbling on one of her beautiful (and tasty) floral arrangements.
Elegant, Farmhouse Decor, Karen Snyder, Rustic, Sanctuary Home Decor