When I went to Charlottesville to begin a new project this past week, I was curious what I would see. What would the house be like? The people? The backdrop? Sure, some of my Yankee friends sent me off with a cheeky, typical Yankee condescending “Yeehaw!”.
Honey, they couldn’t have been more wrong….this place was sophisticated, educated (of course, UVA is there) and really, really polished, but in a southern charming and utterly lovely way. The old school quiet way… The Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley were as idyllic as it gets; truly breath-taking. And with the Fall air and the leaves turning, I felt I was in some pure untainted country paradise.
The home I visited was DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. I am so excited to share some details with you as we begin our design work, because it is going to be a real special southern stunner.
But the thing that literally stopped me in my tracks (no pun intended) was the simple rustic beauty of this woman’s reclaimed barn oak wood floors. Taken from a barn nearby, they were enough to get me super excited about this project, as if I weren’t excited enough already. I have never seen such rough hewn good looks in a home, and I doubt I ever will.
With seagrass rugs casually placed in certain rooms and others left bare, the look was Farmhouse Chic like you’ve never seen. The nubs and cracks and knots were so charming, a bath mat would look great on these! Well, maybe not a bath mat, but you get the point…
The real take-away is when you have an architectural element that is outstanding and special such as this, it can stand on it’s own. It requires less decoration to grab your attention, and in fact, should be left simple and pure. Perfection (or in this case perfect imperfection…) need not be messed with.
Where do you find such floors? Old barns, buildings, churches and the like. Arrangements can be made to purchase/salvage the floors, install and re-finish them. There are companies that specialize in this as well. A (charming) and sustainable choice, if that’s your ticket.
