Photos

Do It Doorway: Camouflage a too-modern entry with a salvaged-wood casing; here, Kelly Valeri’s dad, Donald Smith, retooled her front door, which originally sported an oval of glass set into oak. Outfit the disguise with strap hinges and other barn-style hardware for more old-fashioned flair, and include shutters on either side that let light into your front hall when opened. Give the doorway a fresh perspective with a twiggy wreath hung front and center and a birdhouse perched on a bench set nearby.

2012 Home Tour Bonus Photo Gallery

View additional photos from the homes features in our 2012 Home Tour edition.
updated 02.21.12

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  • Do It Doorway: Camouflage a too-modern entry with a salvaged-wood casing; here, Kelly Valeri’s dad, Donald Smith, retooled her front door, which originally sported an oval of glass set into oak. Outfit the disguise with strap hinges and other barn-style hardware for more old-fashioned flair, and include shutters on either side that let light into your front hall when opened. Give the doorway a fresh perspective with a twiggy wreath hung front and center and a birdhouse perched on a bench set nearby.
  • Plates of Honor: Group pretty china plates that are similar in look and size around an ornate mirror to give a formal living room feminine flair, as Katherine Carpenter did in her Southern California home. For extra punch in the room, layer a few dark-colored pillows on the couch and choose a coordinating window treatment.
  • Once Apron a Time: Draw attention to some vertical barnboard paneling by hanging vintage-style aprons, bonnets and other apparel from nails or hooks installed on the wall. For a creative take on traditional planters, rest spring seedlings or bedding plants inside yellowware bowls, as Andrea Felsher did in the eating area of her Norman, Indiana, garage-turned-cottage.
  • Tuck, Tuck, Goose: Perk up an outdoor planter by tucking in a metal cutout accent, such as this goose that Tina Iosca displays outside her Pennsylvania farmhouse.
  • Formally Speaking: Infuse any room with the stately formality of a library—even if it lacks the ornate oak trim and built-in bookcases of Tina Iosca’s reading room. Select more traditional furnishings, such as wood tables with a high sheen or brocade-upholstered armchairs. Fill out bookshelves with musical instruments, framed photographs and decorative boxes to provide visual interest among the spines of favorite tomes. For more studious style, place small books on stands to call attention to their covers and contribute to the varied display.
  • Shelf Life: Suggest another time and place by creating evocative exhibits similar to this vignette in Sally Spaulding’s Kentucky home. First, hang a distressed backboard (this make-do rack was crafted from a piece of an old door) outfitted with a little shelf and hooks or nails. Give the display a little more height by setting a cutting board and a paddle up top. To fill out the pegs, position a longneck gourd and a string of dried okra to frame softly textured apparel.
  • Softer Side: Add depth and dimension to an all-white display of vintage linens and clothing by tucking in a few darker items, such as this singed-look stocking and berry-filled sack showcased on hooks in Valerie Clark’s Ontario, Canada, home.
  • Earn Your Stripes: Brighten up every nook and cranny for the holidays with cheery accents tucked here and there—for example, follow Valerie Clark’s lead and gather a handful of candy-cane-striped tapers in a white wall box.
  • Watch the Time: Make your home look like Santa just stopped by—set up a vignette incorporating some last-minute gift wrapping supplies and a St. Nick-themed pocket like the one in Valerie Clark\
  • White Away: Make some white seasonal accents really pop by tucking in a few evergreen sprigs or setting them up with a pretty patterned rug hung on the wall behind them, as Joan Lucas did in her Missouri cabin.