Instead of taking someone's word for a magazine, because our tastes can be different than yours....go to Barnes and Noble and look at their nice large paperback books on design. They have some really good ones, and inexpensive. I'd go to the store, not the website, so you can browse through the books before you buy one. I have some good kitchen books I can recommend if you need it, but they may be packed up.

Also, go to their large magazine section and buy a handful of magazines (after you thumb through them) and then you can get a better idea at what you want.

Plus, it's fun to come home with all the goodies and sit in your favorite chair and go through them! And you can buy some Godiva Chocolate while waiting in line. :)

I do not know if this will help with what you are asking but you can get a lot of decorating 'how-to' from reading the blogs of those who have decorated or are in the process of decorating farmhouses (or any other style).

Right now Google has a new feature called *Blog Search*. It is still in Beta so it is quirky but still easy to use.

Just go to http://blogsearch.google.com and type in the suject you wish to read about. Then sort through the findings. You may get lucky and get a blog that answers all your questions. You will find inspiratinal photos and reading to help you on your decorating journey.

http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=farmhouse+decorating&btnG=Search+Blogs

Here is a link that might be useful: Blog Search

Don't forget your local library as a great resource - borrow a variety of books/magazines and see what grabs you. Then subscribe to the ones that appeal to you.

Alison 27 I would love love love to see pics of your farmhouse. It sounds just gorgeous.

....Jane

I second oakleyoaks suggestion. In my area Borders you can pick up lots of $$ books on decor, grab a cup of coffee and a chair ( do not go on weekend!) and browse all the decor books before selecting THE one that reflects what you wish to see in your home. I've done lots of research this way. Our Expo also has lots of design books and magazines and a sitting area.

I really like the book Mark Hampton On Decorating. It is a series of magazine articles he wrote, covering different topics, for House & Garden. It's a fun read with some very useful guidelines.

Early on, I used to look at those "complete decorating course" books, thinking I could learn what I wanted to know. I never actually bought one since the bookstore perusals did not ultimately inspire me.

For better or worse, I learned the most through trial and error. Mistakes cost money, but they are the best teacher! Taking one's time really helps on that score. No matter how badly you want it done, resist the urge to rush or buy into "package" furnishings a la Rooms To Go. ;-)

And looking, looking, looking -- everywhere you go -- to try to develop an eye for what works and what pleases you. Magazines, websites, this board, design shops, museums, movies, blogs...design is everywhere. I've gotten to the point where I can't not see it!

Thanks, all! I'm quite the library patron so I'll definitely end up there, but I have a few bucks on a gift card for Amazon burning a hole in my pocket. ;) I also don't tend to have a lot of browsing time at bookstores, thanks to my toddler, so I'd like to grab a magazine or two with some assurance it won't be a dud. :P But I'll see what I can do.

Here's a few photos of the new place!

Exterior:

Living room:

Kitchen with farmhouse sink (not shown is wet bar/prep sink with butcher block counter and Subzero fridge):

Laundry room/mud room:

No wonder you're excited, that is an amazing home. I'm turning green as i type.

I'm working with an amazing 5th grade teacher at the moment and she gave the kids an assignment on poetry writing the other day and said they could apply it to all aspects of their lives. I think it would be a huge help in your case. I wrote it down but left it at school. This is as close as I can remember it.

1 Browse - find something that you really admire - that inspires you

2. try it on - does it fit your style - are you comfortable with it?

3. analyze it - what is it that you like about it. What are it's main components?

4. make it your own - take those components you like in the inspiration, but tailor them to your own specifications.

HOpe you continue to post. Would love to see progress pics.

Be still my heart! What a lovely home. Congratulations.

You might enjoy this blog if you aren't already familiar with it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Urban Grace Blog

What a stunning home! I have no suggestions, but rather a request that you keep posting photographs of your progress as you go forward.

Congratulations on your lovely home!

When I first started decorating I bought books and magazines and tore out or marked the pages of rooms that appealed to me. I did that for quite some time and then came to the realization that what always pulled me in was English country house style, and fortunately at the time I had a house that lent itself perfectly to that. My home now is more modest and I've moved on to a somewhat more eclectic style but I still have my files of pictures which I continually update by throwing away the rooms that no longer appeal to me and adding new ones that reflect my current style. It's been fun, educational and revealing. I think everyone who loves interior decoration would benefit from doing something similar, at least if you're like me who needs inspiration from outside sources and is not a born decorator. I love to steal ideas from others!

What a fabulous house. What a pleasure it will be decorating it. Do you have a name of a particular designer that you like? If so you could check out any books they've written.

I personally like Christopher Lowell. I don't decorate my rooms exactly in the style he decorates his make overs, for the most part, but what I like about him is his down to earth way of doing things. You don't have to be rich to decorate using his ideas. He has a couple or three books he's written and you can find them on Amazon.com inexpensively. Good luck. Can't wait to see your house finished.

Lovely house! Congratulations!

The exterior of your house looks like something you would see somewhere in France. A lovely country estate.
They would carry me out of that house in a pine box, I'd die there.

I'm not one to brag just for the sake of it. You have a wonderful home and the wait was worth it, huh?

Can't wait to see the finished product.

.....Jane

Thanks to all for the compliments! I'm so in love with it, and I've only walked through it once. ;) We don't actually move in until July, so daydreaming and researching will have to suffice for a while. elizgonz that blog looks fascinating, and brutuses I guess the next course of action is to figure out who's designing what I like seeing! ;)

Hi, Alison, your future home has such wonderful "bones". You will have such fun making it yours. One book I have drawn a lot of inspiration from is "Colonial Homes Classic American Decorating." I'm still "doing" my house and although not decorating strictly in classic America, I return to this book again and again. Best of luck.
Susan

What a fabulous house!

Newdawn is correct, you'd expect to see something like that while driving through the countryside in France.

You must be totally thrilled!

I love the home with all that room and the fact it is so neutral and so easy to change or add your taste to it. What wood floor is in the home that is so beautiful? I find looking at pictures on this website and reading these posts was better than any book or magazine for me finding what I like as well as seeing what things look like in my room by taking pictures to ask others opinions and to see the pictures for myself.

A little over 11 years ago, I moved into my first home which is where I am living now and I was just like you not really taking the time out to decorate my apartments I lived in that I usually updated and fixed in a few days while with my home, I take a long time to find what I really love.

Your space is beautiful. Congratulations on your purchase!

One of the sources I've found most useful has been Ideal Home Magazine. It's from the UK and has a feature that I haven't seen in any American decorating magazines: every month, the editors take one room and decorate it three different ways. The accompanying story details what makes each look and where to get the items. The website below shows a lot of examples.

Its closest American counterpart would probably be Better Homes and Gardens. There are some garden articles and also some recipes. Watch out for the holiday issues... drooooool....

Here is a link that might be useful: Ideal Home Magazine website

Good grief! I read your description and thought "sounds like a Gardenweb Dream Home" and the pics went beyond even that! Wowza. No true design "beginner" would luck into a home like that; you've clearly got an eye and your first home is a true winner. Hard to imagine where you could go from there, so I'd say just look forward to a wonderful journey over the next *years* and really take your time...

Re specific designers: You could consider starting also with, say, Michael S. Smith, who is evidently good enough to decorate the White House :) He's put out books that are full of ideas that would go beautifully in that home of yours :)

Here is a link that might be useful: ignore the Ikea comments -- go to the links :)

Shucks, thanks for the compliments, flyleft! :D We are making some sacrifices to get this home (like buying several months before we can move!), but as much as it was a prudent and careful decision, it was also love at first sight. ;)

I've liked the few photos I've seen from Smith, that seems like a great direction to pursue!

lynn2006, the flooring is wide-plank pine. If memory serves it's about 4-5" wide.

There are lots of sites online that have some great desgin ideas.

You can google the big sites, but there are some small ones as well. There are some great blogs as well. I like this one:

thisyounghouse.com

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Ideas

To me this house smacks of Cape Cod, with the weathered shingles ,white fencing etc.

To me this house smacks of Cape Cod

I think that was the look the architect was going for when the house was thoroughly remodeled some 7-8 years ago. However, the original structure (imagine plank siding instead of the shingles, fewer/smaller windows and without the addition on the left with the dormer window) was identified for me by the Old House forum as an "eyebrow colonial" style.

Alison "eyebrow colonial" was a term I had not heard before. Did some research of the term and there it is , the windows going across the top depict the term. Well congratulations, it is a gorgeous home.

june

I am usually just a lurker, but I felt inspired to respond. Congrats on that beautiful house! As someone who also did only short-term(make-do with what we had) decorating in rentals for many years, I have been happy to finally get just the right furniture for our home. Some tips are:

1. Don't rush it....the advice to live with your house for a bit is a good one--what you think will be perfect when you move in might seem like a bad idea once you start living your usual activities.

2. That being said, prioritize what you need most...we moved into our house without a bed, so that was our first purchase. Whatever you really need (kitchen table, comfy sofa, a place to put your keys when you walk in, etc.) is what you should look for first. Once that need is met, move on to the next priority.

3. For inspiration, check your local library. I check out design books all the time. They are free, they give you a sense of what you might like or not like. If there's one you really like, then you can go out and buy it.
Another thing to do is to ask everyone you know for old catalogs and magazines and cut out what appeals to you to get a sense of your style. I found this a lot of fun. It also helps when discussing decorating with your husband--showing a picture gets your ideas across pretty clearly. I imagine that with a toddler, you don't want to spend hours browsing furniture stores--this can help you narrow down some choices before you go out looking.

3. Unless you find a designer who really speaks to you, don't put too much stock in the "rules" that they all set out in their books. Most of them seem to contradict each other much of the time, and the rest of them say "Throw out the rules". Use your style file/notebook to help you figure out what appeals to you and what works for your house.

4. One book I do like I found in our local library. Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard. I liked it because she stresses the idea of 'design your life, not your home" --i.e. making your house work for your life, not the other way around (if the dining room would make the perfect playroom while your child is small, use it that way and change it later instead of putting the playroom in a less convenient place.) It was nice to hear a "decorating expert" saying things like that rather than making pronouncements about what a room "should" look like. She does go through some "rules' about decorating but does stress that you need to make them work for your space, not follow them regardless of what your house looks like. I don't know if it would be worth buying, but if you can find a copy at the library, it is worth a look.

5. Don't be afraid to change things if you need to. With a toddler, your needs and priorities now are quite different than they will be in a few more years. Buy things that are inexpensive enough to get rid of (We use lots of flea market/consignment store furniture) or versatile enough to be used in different ways in the future.
I have rambled on enough. I hope I helped a little. Have fun, don't stress over decorating and remember it's a process. Enjoy that beautiful home!

Thank you for going to the trouble to pass on your advice, oldfashionedgirl, it's very appreciated! :D

The new space is about double what we have now, so I'm wondering if we should add a few IKEA pieces to fill in before we begin replacing them with more durable furniture.

Not only do we have a toddler, but our second child should be here in a couple of weeks. ;) So yes, browsing anywhere might be a challenge for some time, and we will need to have an eye for play spaces and indestructible furniture for a while I think. :P