Back in Time

An Alabama couple use their DIY skills to transform a modern-day townhouse into a country-inspired escape with plenty of curb appeal.

An Alabama couple with DIY skills to spare transform a modern-day townhome into a character-rich haven that stands out from others in the neighborhood because of its down-home charm and distinctive outdoor decor.

When Linda and Larry Meadows

decided it was time to downsize from their large country home to a newly built 1,400-square-foot townhouse, Linda was confident she could transform the petite Athens, Alabama, dwelling into an equally comfy retreat filled with the trinkets and treasures of yesteryear.

Indeed, from the front porch to the backyard and every nook and cranny indoors, the Meadows’ 2007 townhouse boasts a style unlike any other in the community. “It is a modern home, but I have made it my own,” Linda says, adding that even the cable guy complimented her decor. “He has been through the neighborhood and said that nobody’s home looks like mine!”

To showcase her love of primitive decorating, Linda made a number of alterations to various surfaces inside the house. In the living room, for example, she transformed the fireplace with a cabin-like hearth and mantel, which she uses to display seasonal goods mixed with primitive staples such as a large tobacco basket, a small bench and an old churn. In the kitchen, the couple installed a shiny copper backsplash and converted an ordinary pantry into a charming open storage area with the nostalgic appeal of an old-fashioned general store.

Freestanding cupboards, dry sinks, wooden benches, peg racks, shelves, and distressed tables and cabinets are among Linda’s favorite furnishings and serve to showcase her prized collectibles, including wooden

bowls, crocks, buckets, firkins and rolling pins. “I love things that are worn or have been repaired,” she explains. “It shows they have been loved and used. I wish I could hear their stories.”

Linda’s love affair with decorating and primitives began in childhood. As the eleventh of 12 children—and the only girl living at home—Linda often helped with chores around the house. “My mother let me arrange the furniture or decorate however I wanted. Our house was prim because that’s what we had,” she recalls. “We also had a neighbor who lived in an old two-story house filled with antiques— lots of old worn things and rockers by the fireplace. It gave me a good homey feeling that stayed with me.”

The interior of the Meadows’ townhouse isn’t the only area that gets the full primitive treatment. The front porch and the backyard are similarly outfitted. On the porch, a reclaimed fireplace mantel bedecked in seasonal trimmings and vintage wares complements a wooden wall that Linda uses to display homespun accessories. In the backyard, Linda’s “happy place” is a freestanding porch-inspired structure, built by her brother Donnie. Dotted with colorful flowerpots, wooden birdhouses, bowls and garden accessories, the adorable open-air shed brims with creatively repurposed goods. “I use old churn lids to hold candles, a corn dryer to hang small baskets and old graters for luminaries,” she shares.

Indoors or out, Linda is committed to constantly changing and updating vignettes, just as she did in her childhood home. “I like to move things around a lot,” she says. “I move my furniture from time to time, and my decorative pieces may be here today and someplace else tomorrow!”

With her creative spirit and clever decorating ideas, Linda not only keeps things fun and interesting in her home but also demonstrates how easy it is to cultivate a truly authentic country vibe in any residence—no matter the size.

To allow for seasonal decorating in the front hall, Linda commissioned a vintage-inspired dry sink and draped the front with a linen tea towel for an authentic feel. She uses the surface to group favorite items, including a tree trimmed with various egg ornaments, some of which she made from pieces of an old quilt. A punched-tin lantern complements a vintage wooden window that Linda cleverly adapted into a frame for a portion of an heirloom quilt crafted by her mother. “The quilt had become so fragile that I decided to cut the piece to display,” she explains.

A rectangular area rug anchors an old blanket chest that doubles as a coffee table in the living room. A slim side table and tall stack of firkins bookend the high-back settee positioned beneath a peg shelf that hosts vintage children’s clothing and other prim collectibles. A cozy nook next to the fireplace is perfect for a little writing desk and chair.

Left: “I call this my happy place,” says Linda Meadows of the little backyard “play porch” handcrafted by her brother Donnie as a birthday gift. “It’s where I like to display flower containers, dishpans, buckets, barrels, chairs—whatever is old and at hand. It makes me smile.”

Right: There’s no better time than the spring for bringing indoor activities outside. Take a cue from Linda and set up a portable table and chair on a backyard patio for a workstation, crafting area or a base for a display.

Above: Repurposing a small wooden chair and transforming it into a creative garden accessory is a snap. Linda employed the seat frame as a flower planter and surrounded it with a primitive wreath, an old lantern and decorative seasonal elements.

Linda and her husband, Larry, take a break from their springtime decorating activities in the whimsically designed backyard of their Athens, Alabama, home.

Above: Leafy flora, bright potted flowers, and springtime signage, statuary and other decorative elements signal the season while welcoming visitors to the front of the Meadows’ countryinspired home.

Left: A sweet bunny statue cozies up to a pot of colorful annuals, while a decorative iron fence, rustic wooden barrels and a primitive birdhouse create visual interest and texture in the front-yard garden.

Left: A wooden wall section attached to the brick exterior on the front porch serves as a backdrop to a peg rack lined with bonnets, a welcoming rocking chair and countrified seasonal trimmings.

Above: Reclaimed from an old house, this mantel was an antiques-store find that provides the front porch with a room-like feel. “I wanted something on the porch that was different,” Linda says. “I wanted a focal point that I could decorate seasonally— displaying pumpkins, gourds and mums as well as candles, greenery, bunnies or whatever the occasion calls for.”

Above left: Displaying a kitchen tool that holds sentimental value—like this rolling pin that belonged to Linda’s mother—is a wonderful way to honor a special person in addition to creating a uniquely personal kitchen accent. “There is no telling how many biscuits, dumplings and pastries that rolled out with this,” Linda muses.

Above: “The kitchen is very functional,” Linda notes. “I love the layout and openness, and I feel good when I’m working in there.”Vintage crocks, jugs, bowls, firkins, buckets and other primitives punctuate the rural-inspired space, which boasts a shiny backsplash and faux log wall. A punched-tin light fixture casts a soft glow over the area.

Left: Linda and Larry converted the original kitchen pantry into a showcase for Linda’s favorite kitchen collectibles by replacing the wire shelves with stained boards and removing the door.

Left: This freestanding cupboard in the kitchen pairs well with a hanging display shelf that highlights a grouping of vintage wooden bowls. A garland made of cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, dried apples and pods lends homespun appeal, while stone fruit displayed in a bowl atop a table riser and a crock filled with tulips brighten the space.

Below: A dry sink painted country blue and distressed to perfection adds a vibrant pop of color against the faux log wall in the kitchen. A multicolored stack of firkins complements the collection of bonnets hanging from a peg rack above a tidy exhibit of breadboards.

Left: Positioning a chocolate bunny mold alongside a pot of decorative tulips and a few fabric carrots creates a quintessential springtime vignette that does not take up a great deal of space in the kitchen.

Left: The red shutter on the sunroom window connects to the colors in the pastoral artwork hanging above a distressed sideboard, which was a Christmas gift to Linda from Larry. A Colonial-inspired sconce coordinates with the tabletop lamp and candleholder, while vintage spools, jugs, baskets and other accessories fill the space beneath the sideboard.

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Below: An oversize settee upholstered in a red-checked pattern beneath a framed prim portrait of a regallooking gentleman brightens a corner in the living room. Linda stores bowls and linens in the old dry sink. A barrel brimming with forsythia and pussy willow branches introduces the texture and color of spring. 33

Left: Furnish a corner with a small prim cupboard and then top it with a basket filled with seasonal blooms, as Linda has done in her living room. Bits of greenery and some spring-themed folk-art figures enhance the charming scene.