Briar Hill Road, East Springfield, New York

Hello! I must have Spring on my mind this week, because this 1750 house in Springfield, New York, makes me think of Beatrix Potter & Peter Rabbit. I can just picture rabbits scampering about under those hedges. 

Then, when I was looking through the listing and saw this room, I was hooked for sure.

The reason is, this room reminded me of this room I had saved (this time the magazine was only 3 years old) :

This is from photographer Helen Norman's farmhouse. Her work is so beautiful that it's no surprise that her home is, as well. I'm not sure what the intended use of the original room is, but wouldn't it make a nice potting room? You'll see why we'll need one in a little bit. 

I apparently was really inspired by the color of Helen's soapstone sink, as you'll see. Here is the entry.

This is what we could do with it:

This is Hal Williamson & Dale LeBlanc's house from the book The Southern Cosmopolitan by Susan Sully. I know that our foyer is a little narrower than this one, but I was drawn in by that soft gray/blue/green color, and how well it coordinates with the stair runner and velvet chairs. (Aren't those chairs pretty? I just want to brush my hand on them.)

The listing doesn't picture the living room, but here is the dining room. 

Keeping that sort of slate color influence in mind, here is our dining room inspiration from designer   Wendy Meredith.

This is such a nice approach to Colonial/Traditional, with the freshness of the gingham slipcovers and tablecloth. It's respectful to the era, but not stuffy. (Wendy should coin a decorator-type name for her style, like "Colonial Chic". It's easier to say than Rough Luxe.)

We could keep the existing chandelier by removing the glass globes and using clip-on chandelier shades instead. Instead of brass, we can paint it oil-rubbed bronze, for a nice aged look, like Wendy's has. 

She has similar wainscoting to our room above, and although hers is painted, I think this wall color would still go nicely with the unpainted pine. Here is Wendy's corner cabinet, which proves my point. 

The kitchen is nice in that it's still appropriate to the age of the home, although it appears the floors need to be re-finished.

I thought this kitchen below by Period Architecture Limited showed a good way that we could get our slatey/greeny/bluey color into the kitchen, and give the kitchen a little interest. 

Check out this pleasant bathroom. Nice that it hasn't been too modernized.

If privacy isn't an issue here, I think all I would do is add a simple sink skirt, like this one shown by Hackett Holland Ltd.

Well, ok, I just noticed we'd need a shower curtain like it, as well. And these sconces and mirror are better fits than what is existing, too. Ooh, and let's put a pine bench under the window, for towels. The bench could be the color of the bathtub above, if you want, just for color consistency.

We'll wrap things up with a peek at the property's outbuildings. 

Let's just add a little touch of spring before we go:

What a cozy house. I think Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor could co-exist quite happily here.  As always, please visit my Pinterest boards for other inspiring ideas.  Coming up, what do actor Will Smith and a historic home in Michigan have in common? Stay tuned!