Step Inside One of the Prettiest Country Farmhouses We’ve Ever Seen
Nestled in a historic Georgia neighborhood, this new-build farmhouse offers up age-old appeal—and one peach of a front porch.
One block off Main Street in a small, picturesque Georgia town (you might recognize it as the backdrop for the likes of movie classics like Fried Green Tomatoes and Driving Miss Daisy), Lauren and Chad Crouch discovered the perfect lot to put down roots for their growing family. Because the thriving community is known for its turn-of-the-century charm, the Crouches went the thoughtful, respect-your-architectural-elders route and built a farmhouse that blends right in with its time-honored neighbors. The new-meets-old home merges modern amenities (a rock-solid foundation, an open floor plan) with country classics (beamed ceilings, barn doors). "The home across the street was constructed in the late 1800s," says Lauren. "We're so proud our home looks like it was built at exactly the same time."
Entryway
Flea market mirrors atop a carpenter's workbench-turned-console set an in-with-the-old tone.
Living Room
A mix of vintage and catalog finds lends a casual vibe in the living room, where pine bookcases, rescued from a demolished elementary school, keep company with a new linen sofa. An abstract painting by artist Deann Hebert adds texture above the chippy mantel.
Kitchen
The Crouches utilized reclaimed materials to give the kitchen a lived-in feel. Take, for example, the spacious island supported by antique porch posts or the range hood crafted from salvaged pine.
Refrigerator
To warm up the white refrigerator, Lauren applied wallpaper with wallpaper paste and, for water-resistance, sealed with polyurethane.
Dining Room
Surrounded by windows on three sides, the sun-drenched dining room offers up ample country views, including a pasture for baby foals. To highlight the scenery, Lauren outfitted the room with understated ivory curtain panels hung from sleek wraparound rods. (The drapery hardware may look high-end but was actually purchased at Ikea for less than $50.) A weathered French pendant spotlights the most sentimental piece in the room: a dining table that Lauren's husband, Chad, crafted using reclaimed wood from her father's barn.
Bedroom
A sophisticated gray-brown floral wallpaper (farrow-ball.com) mimics the hue of the weathered ceiling beams and offers a feminine (but not frilly) foil to the room's rustic elements. Formerly a park bench, the piece at the foot of the tufted bed features someone's nearly faded, hand-carved initials.
Bathroom
A refurbished 1930s claw-foot bathtub (Appalachian Tubs, 770-324-8701) is a quaint spot to soak in the suds and the sunshine. It's also the perfect country counterpoint to the modern walk-in shower.
Boy’s Room
A salvaged crossing sign above the son's antique iron bed honors his hometown's history as a railroad town. Elements like an antique barn door and cedar fence boards (from the Crouches' last home) planked on the ceiling allow for an eventual "express transfer" from little boy room to tween hangout.
Playroom
This kids' space is as creative as the pint-size crafters who use it. To eek out every last inch in this nook, Lauren made a desk by floating the top of an antique wallpaper prep table between two white bookcases. Just above, a magnetic mint green shelf from an old pharmacy serves as a happy backdrop for mini masterpieces.
Porch
Lauren loves to kick off her (usually muddy) boots on the family's second-hand blue bench after working in the yard.
Porch Swing
"This antique swing was a Mother's Day gift from my husband, Chad," says Lauren. "As soon as we hung it, the house officially felt like home."
Outdoor Furnishings
Lauren says that the best source for finding outdoor furnishings is going-out-of-business sales. The family's red bistro table and weathered white chairs, for example, came from an old ice-cream shop.
Porch Furniture
Lauren's secret to making her porch feel like a room? "Not worrying about whether something belongs inside or out," she says. "Our chippy dresser offers plenty of garden-tool storage and potting counter space."
Exterior
Say hello to the hardest-working porch in Georgia. As you've seen, it's a sitting room, mudroom, potting station, and breakfast nook rolled into one—the perfect way to take advantage of a yearly average temperature of 62 degrees.
Meet the Crouches
"Evenings on the porch are always better with an ice-cold glass of sweet tea," Lauren says, pictured here with her family. "That, and cranked-up Johnny Cash accompanied by Chad's enthusiastic crooning!"
This story first appeared in the May 2016 issue of Country Living magazine. Photographs by Max Kim-Bee. Styling by Heather Bullard.
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