What a dramatic difference paint colors and finishes can make! When Rachel Paxton, editor and designer of the website, Maison de Pax, and her husband were shopping for a new home in Austin, Texas, they were surprised by what they found inside this two-story house with a traditional, white-brick facade.

“It was head to toe yellowish beige with a Tuscan feeling—lots of faux travertine tile and warm buttery ceilings and walls,” says Rachel. “It’s just not our style. I love warm wood tones with lots of whites and grays, so a big part of what we did was changing the palette of the space.”

So, she set out to redo all of the colors and finishes of the home to make it appeal to her taste and function well for a family. All the upstairs rooms had a pale beige carpet, for example, which wasn’t going to work for their family, which now consists of four kids, ranging in age from seven weeks to seven years. “I’m not going to be able to keep carpet that clean with a bunch of kids,” Rachel says. “Before we moved in, we replaced all the beige carpet with wood floors.”

Artful Touches

Most noticeable in Rachel’s home are the antique furnishings and decor with a fresh, old-meets-new look. “We spent a couple years living in France, and I have a love for French things, so I like to give little nods to French style, [like] the dining set has a French flair,” says Rachel.

One lovely focal point in the home is a fireplace wall with bookcases Rachel had built in their living room. Formerly a freestanding fireplace in the middle of the room, Rachel switched it out with a double-sided fireplace and bookcase. “We built the bookcase next to the fireplace to close off half that opening and the double-sided bookcase acts as a wall between the living room and family room,” Rachel says.

Having enough shelf space for books was important, as Rachel’s husband used to teach high school English, and they both have a love for literature. Antique books—some in English and some in other languages—have beauty and character in and of themselves. That’s why Rachel chose to display them backwards with their spines facing out to show their color and age.

“I thought it was neat to see that side, and it gave a more neutral feel to the bookcase,” Rachel says. “We have tons of other books elsewhere that we read on a regular basis [and aren’t on display], so it’s easy to keep these turned around. A lot are antique books with irregularly cut pages. I think they were hand-sewn, and you can see the texture of the pages. I thought it was pretty and just went for it.”

Neat and Kid-friendly

Much of Rachel’s home has a stylish rustic vibe, and her antiques lend a sophisticated touch to the aesthetic, but she’s careful about making everything kid-friendly.

The china cabinet and table in the dining room are very special, as they once belonged to Rachel’s great-grandmother. She previously had some upholstered chairs from her great-grandmother in there, but they’re packed away for now, considering the small children. Those were replaced with a wooden bench that not only has country charm, but is more practical for the little ones’ meals and schoolwork when they homeschool part-time.

“We use our dining room table for art projects all the time, and the china cabinet houses everything from crayons and markers to school books, glitter and Play-Doh. We just keep it all behind that door and put everything away when we’re done,” Rachel says.

She’s also mastered the art of curating décor and carefully hiding away things that should remain hidden. Upstairs in her boys’ room, they converted a closet into a reading nook with wooden crates repurposed as a bookcase styled with vintage books and a few toys.

Downstairs, they have catchall storage for kids’ stuff that won’t clash with the home’s charm or coziness. “We have baskets downstairs that we hide toys in, but we try to not let the house be completely overrun with toys,” Rachel says.

Although usually found in storybook landscapes, especially in classic stories meant for children and set in some romantic and far-away place, the trope of the kindhearted and magnanimous uncle seems like just that, a fairytale character—not someone you might actually meet in real life.

But this was not the case for homemaker Jamie Druke, who turned her late great-uncle’s New England house into a home for her family, which includes two young girls, ages four and two.

Understated elegance reigns supreme here, with white surfaces offset by darker hues of wood and gorgeous rafters. Jamie relies on ottomans instead of coffee tables, and her girls do enjoy a good scamper now and again.

“It’s easier than you might think keeping the white couches white,” says Jamie, who explains that keeping furniture covered with white sectional slipcovers from Ikea makes the look attainable even with her busy brood.

Simple Storage

The girls’ room is especially immaculate. Jamie, who loves baskets, keeps plenty on hand for the children’s toys. “The girls know which toy goes in which basket,” she says. These receptacles help combat the clutter that frequently arises in many children’s spaces. The three make a game of it in the room peppered in pink with a whimsical tent, where the girls had announced, “No boys are allowed.”

Jamie insists her daughters got this idea from a story they read. Her uncle had installed many built-in bookshelves; he was an avid collector and reader too.

Personal Touches

Her uncle’s favorite color was blue, and to remember him, Jamie ensures that hints of blue complete each room. When she and her husband first moved in, she painted the family room a shade that was more gray than blue, but seeing it again after talking to a friend about her uncle, she realized it was all wrong and repainted it a lighter blue, “Pale Smoke.”

Jamie’s first house, she says, had been “basic, beige and safe” in terms of its décor, but living in her uncle’s house, Jamie embraced the blues she now finds “vibrant and cheerful.” Blue is also featured in the hardcover books Jamie unearths in bargain bins and antiques shops. They line all the bookcases. “Having the bookshelves has been huge for us for reducing clutter.”

However, they fit the scene in other ways too. Her uncle “loved literature, art, and design,” and so perhaps it makes sense he would draw inspiration for his home’s garden paths from visits to author Edith Wharton’s estate and gardens.

An author of literary classics was a fitting inspiration indeed for this formal English garden, where you could easily imagine another niece—Mary of The Secret Garden—discovering her uncle’s padlocked flowers and vegetation described by another literary giant. “We think of it as Uncle Bob’s garden,” Jamie says. “He’s such a huge part of this house still.”

In a Spanish-style bungalow by the beach in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, lives Tammy Serrano, shop owner of Cloth & Patina. She resides here with her 10-year-old son (her older daughters have already grown up and moved out) and has downsized in square footage, yet her home has plenty of charm and character that make it the perfect place to call home.

Every square foot of space matters, and Tammy’s home features many architectural details that make it unique, while playing down the fact that it’s a little on the small side. “The home has higher ceilings and lots of windows and sliders, which open it up. Otherwise, it would feel tiny,” Tammy explains.

Here, she shares how she’s designed her home with space-saving tricks and the right amount of personal style.

Small Scale, Big Style

A little creativity goes a long way, especially in a small home. In Tammy’s bungalow, you’ll see antique pieces in an eclectic mix of décor styles, but she keeps the look very curated so it doesn’t overwhelm the space. Whitewashed furniture and coastal accessories, including garlands she made from driftwood and crushed seashells, make it feel cozy and casual inside.

“I call it French Bohemian coastal with a little bit of shabby style,” Tammy says. “I definitely like the weathered look, and I put a Bohemian spin on things. Being in south Florida not too far from the ocean, I always try to add some coastal style, and I love French pieces, so I blend it all together.”

Color Me Mine

A palette of warm, weathered details creates a soothing and serene atmosphere. Continuing the same color scheme throughout keeps the décor cohesive, and the vibe refreshing and relaxing. She’s painted over most of her furniture with gray and white chalk paint to give it a seaside flavor.

To create a calm, clean-slate effect, Tammy incorporated white details by using white slipcovers on her sofa and chairs. Take it from a mom of three, who lives with a few pets and a son who loves to track in dirt, that white is livable: “I know not everybody is all about white, but that’s the beauty of slipcovers,” Tammy says. “White opens any space, and you can always add throw pillows and blankets for color.”

Old Things, New Purpose

An expert at refurbishing castoff furniture pieces and beautifying them, Tammy decorated her entire home with roadside or flea-market finds she’s refreshed with her personal style.

Her all-time favorite piece is a big gray armoire that houses her TV and everyday objects she wants to hide behind closed doors. While the antique hand-carved teak piece had lovely detailing, the finish wasn’t quite her style. “I tried to live with teak for a while because I felt bad wanting to paint it over, but then I ended up painting it with white and gray chalk paint to blend with all the rest of my décor.”

Her coffee table is an old vintage black trunk repainted white, which she uses to stash her throw blankets and magazines. “At the time, I couldn’t find a coffee table that fit the small space, so it serves dual purposes.”

Tammy advises that in a small space every furniture piece should be purposeful and multifunctional. She also stresses the importance of minimizing everything, including clutter. “I try to keep things as open as possible,” Tammy says. “Paint pieces to blend in with [the color of] your wall, only add a few key pieces and don’t have too many boxy pieces. It keeps everything open and flowy.”

For more on Cloth & Patina, visit blog.clothandpatina.com.

Dotted along the New England coastline are cities and towns that play host to the numerous New Yorkers who escape the cramped hustle and bustle of urban life and retreat to quieter settings for their vacations and holidays. Ezra and Marlene Field are two such city dwellers, who found a place to call home away from home in the town of Southport, Connecticut.

During the summers, the couple and their three girls enjoy spending time at a century-old Colonial cottage located right on the beach. The family turned to interior designer Tina Anastasia and her team at Mark P. Finlay Interiors to make their vision for a luxurious and traditional home become a reality.

True Colors

Gold and red was Marlene’s original idea for a traditional and elegant color scheme that would honor the age of the house. But she changed her mind when Tina introduced the option of paler shades, which are currently used throughout. “We moved the red to soft powdery blues and sage greens, and kept the gold for elegance,” the designer explains. “We chose lighter finishes for an updated look. We also wanted to keep the accessories light with glass, crystal and touches of gold.”

Unobstructed views of the harbor are the highlight of several rooms, so Tina drew inspiration from the seascape to decorate the home’s interior. The same shades of aqua, blue and white found in the ocean’s waves are also found inside the home. The muted tones maximize the sun’s brightness as it enters each room through mullioned windows, making the gold accessories glitter.

Metallics, particularly gold, can elevate any space when used properly. Careful to keep the decor from becoming gaudy, Tina uses gold just often enough that it acts as a neutral tone, but not so repeatedly that it overwhelms. In the living room, the designer’s foundation is the classic combination of white and blue; the addition of gold accents results in a look that is luxurious yet approachable.

Furnishings with French Flair

Curated furnishings in gracefully traditional shapes complement the airy elegance of the color palette. Bulky furniture in dark finishes would have been a burden on the vision they were working to achieve. “The views of the water are amazing, so we focused on choosing pieces that were not too heavy,” the designer says. Dark tones are at a minimum, which means where they do occur, they are even more impactful. The breakfast room benefits from the energy created by the contrast of the turquoise velvet upholstery against espresso-stained wood and the white walls.

Comfort is key in vacation homes, and pale shades help ensure a calm atmosphere. Tina incorporated pieces with ornate French influence, balanced by those styled in transitional simplicity for a sophisticated blend. In the family room, plush upholstery rounds out the mix, with an ottoman-style coffee table featuring tufting for refined texture.

Textiles with a Luxe Look

In addition to the plush upholstery, Tina strategically uses textiles to bring color and pattern into each room with old-fashioned refinement and fresh appeal. She pays special attention to the draperies, using the rich fabrics to frame the picturesque views and tie each room together. In the living room, the designer could not find the ideal fabric that incorporated touches of gold as well as the right shades of blue. The solution was to design a custom pattern that would exactly match her specifications for the formal space. Tassels and tie-backs complete the look.

Rich fabrics are not limited to the window treatments in this house, as Tina also uses elaborate canopies to crown the beds in the master bedroom and the children’s rooms. “Canopies over the beds add softness,” she says. Over the carved headboard of the master bed, intricate folds in the palest gold complement the gold shade found in the wallpaper. Likewise, the twin girls have white-and-pink canopies over their sage-green cribs that add to the old-fashioned femininity of the room.

Luxury requires impeccable attention to detail. In this Connecticut getaway, Tina has honored tradition, while infusing the space with concepts that are as fresh as a sea breeze.

There are few places as relaxing as the beach. You can visualize it now: the warm sun and sand, the meditative sound of the crashing waves, a cool drink to sip on and the company of good friends. But you don’t have to settle for just imagining yourself there. With the right design, you can bring the tranquility of the beach right into your own home.

For Judi Burson, bringing this happiness to herself and her guests was the top priority when she moved to Corona Del Mar, California. Using Feng Shui principles to guide the look, Judi and interior designer, Mary Jayne Barnett, turned the house into a peaceful retreat that pays homage to its close neighbor, the Pacific ocean.

Feng Shui designs a flow for homes that begins at the front door. Judi placed a wreath clad with seashells, starfish and driftwood on the entrance, bringing the warmth of the inside out.

Clutter is the antithesis of Feng Shui, so the first step in creating the look was to remove anything unnecessary. “It’s the art of placement. Everything in the room has a purpose or is placed on purpose,” Mary Jayne says. While accessorizing is still encouraged, like these artful pieces of coral displayed on the mantel, it’s important to thoroughly consider each piece so as not to overwhelm a space.

“Take everything out of the room except for furniture. Sweep it and add things back—but not everything goes back. Release things with love and thanksgiving, and give [them] away in generosity.” Through this process, Judi kept only the coffee table she inherited from her mother and the rocking chair she used to soothe her children to sleep when they were babies. The dining room table and chairs were refinished to match the floor, while the sofa got a cheery green slipcover that can be changed for the holidays.

Feng Shui philosophy also divides a home into nine centers, each associated with different elements of life. “They are wealth and prosperity; fame and reputation; love, marriage and relationships; health and family; center (Earth); creativity and children; knowledge and self-cultivation; career and life purpose; and helpful people and travel,” Mary Jayne explains.

Every center has colors and materials that promote the best influence the space can provide to inhabitants.The concept of centers, or guas, influenced the design of all the rooms, including the family room where representations of trees, wood and growth are most important. The tall wooden hutch and green hues were intentionally used for the purpose of honoring the center.

In Judi’s bedroom, comfort is the goal, which is accomplished with coordinating pastels, cotton fabrics throughout and custom curtains by Mary Jayne.

Judi travels often but when she comes home, she revels in the beauty that surrounds her. Spending time in the garden is one of her favorite spots to relax after a long trip.

“I love to travel, but I also love to come home to my peaceful place,” she says. “I could see myself staying here for the rest of my life.”

Ika and Greg have always loved to collect angels and keep them on display throughout their home – from an aged sculpture on a tabletop to lacy pillowcase cupids in the master bedroom to watchful figures in the garden, they are nearly everywhere you look. It’s not surprising, then, that when it came time to decorate their home they sought to create a haven worthy of their collection.

Inspired by the decor of photographer Lu Tapp, a friend of their daughter, they choose to transform their suburban California home with vintage treasures and an otherworldly palette of creamy, dreamy whites. In fact, Lu became a personal angel to them during the redecorating process, helping them with everything along the way, including planning renovations, choosing colors and finding vintage accessories.

The house, built in 1976, was ready for a refresh when the couple moved in. They replaced the tired carpeting with new hardwood floors, opened windows and archways in the dining room and increased the size of the master bedroom by one-third with an addition to the building.

In the kitchen, they installed a new kitchen island for needed working space, and replaced the black countertops with white Carerra marble. The cabinets were updated with white paint.  Ika, praising the contractors who did the work, says, “The quality is so good it looks like it’s the original color, and it’s really easy to clean.” The kitchen’s tile floor, however, was a good fit for their new look and did not need to be replaced.

Throughout the house, Ika choose furnishings that are a mix of new and vintage, blended to provide a balance of vintage charm and modern comfort.

Most of the vintage pieces were repainted creamy shades of white to create the light-filled atmosphere that the homeowners dreamed of. Learning to paint furniture was a fun challenge, says Ika.

Both Ika and Greg love white, cream, soft colors and roses, so choosing the color scheme for their home was an easy decision.

Though the decorating is mostly finished, Ika admits it’s never really done. “There’s always something new,” she says. And with their guiding angel Lu to help, the Tafts can be sure their home will always be a perfect haven.

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Christmas arrives with a rush of special memories, with each ornament, figurine and package bringing with it images of holidays past. Drena Bathemess’s 1920s Florida cottage reflects treasured traditions throughout this festive season, her decorating style influenced by her childhood home and the home she’s built with her own children.

Drena grew up in a home decorated with multiple Christmas trees, a tradition she’s carried into her own home. Trees can be found framed by windows, on tabletops and artfully arranged in corners. A faux white tree brings a wintery feel to the home. Pastel mini-trees give rooms a fresh burst of color.

A natural tree, cut from a local forest, serves as the family tree. It’s decorated with a mixture of heirloom ornaments, pieces made by Drena’s son, and vintage baubles sourced from area flea markets and antiques shops. The family’s gifts are gathered under the tree, wrapped in brown paper and embellished with string, ribbon or a floral garnish.

Drena’s collections of ornaments can be found throughout the home, not just on the trees. In the dining room, ornaments are hung from sashes to dress up chairs. In the sitting room, ornaments are gathered on platters and under cloches. The living room fireplace is decked with a wreath Drena crafted from an assortment of vintage balls.

The look is topped of with a variety of new and vintage, fresh and artificial accents. A vintage tobacco-barn star is given a holiday makeover with twinkle lights and embellished with flowers. Fresh evergreen garlands swag walls and trim windows, while a variety of fresh and silk flowers bring a pastel touch to the rooms.

While all of these pieces hold special meaning to Drena, she’s not afraid to mix it up and experiment with the design of her holiday home from year to year, excited to find new ways to showcase the collections that hold so much meaning.

“I never decorate my home the same way; it changes each year, inviting friends and family to rediscover Christmas treasures,” she says.

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