Worth the Wait

Wisconsin collectors with a shared passion for primitive style craft a comfortable retreat brimming with classic country antiques and furnishings.

GGood things come to those who wait. That’s certainly true for Darlene Sonnheim, who has discovered that patience is a virtue when it comes to both decorating and collecting.

Looking at the rustic residence that Darlene shares with her husband, Steve, and their cat, Mootsie, one would never guess that this colorful farmhouse in the town of Vernon, Wisconsin, began life as a standard gray-and-white saltbox. When the now-retired couple built the 2,200-square-foot home in 1990, the builder talked Darlene out of the vibrant red exterior she had dreamed of for years. “He said it would fade to pink,” she explains.

In 1995, the couple added an expansive front porch, giving the home an architectural style Darlene calls “saltbox meets farmhouse.” In 2014, when it was time to repaint the exterior, Darlene finally went for the rosy hue she originally wanted. “I should have trusted my gut, but better late than never,” she says now, noting that the house has not faded one bit during the past five years.

Inside, the home features pine boards for the flooring and trim, which Darlene insisted on when the home was built. “They were more authentic,” she explains. Pine is also a better fit with the primitive-style furnishings the couple prefer and enjoy hunting for at flea markets, antiques shops

and online. Steve, in fact, loves the prim lifestyle as much as Darlene does. “He really got me into it,” she says. “We started with Early American; then cutesy country; and it evolved into totally primitive, which we love.”

“Live with what you love,” in fact, is Darlene’s top piece of decorating advice. For her, that includes “anything old and worn,” encompassing both furniture and accessories. “I wouldn’t call myself a history buff, but I love thinking about how people would have used the things I collect and the stories behind them,” she explains.

The couple’s collecting began 40 years ago, with the purchase of one rustic cupboard, and has grown from there. They prefer primitive style’s darker and cozier wood tones. Through the years, they gradually gathered enviable assortments of firkins, salt-glazed crocks, wooden bowls, butter churns and yellowware that add color and life to their home.

Collecting requires patience, notes Darlene, who spent a year chasing two collectibles she considers her “Holy Grail” pieces. She had long coveted the antique grain scoops she had seen in other collectors’ homes and in magazines. She found one two years ago—for a bargain price—at a rummage sale. It now holds a place of honor on a kitchen wall. The other prized piece is the round butter churn she displays on top of her kitchen island. “I always loved them, but they were too expensive,” she observes.

After years of acquiring, Darlene says, the house is too full for her to do much additional shopping, but she admits she occasionally can’t resist adding something small. Despite flirting with other decorating styles over the years, she remains fully committed to prim. “I’d never change,” she says. “This is me.”

Because the couple’s carefully collected and curated goods are spread throughout the home, Darlene says she can’t choose a favorite piece or place, admitting that she loves each and every room as well as the outdoor spaces. And that, she says, is a feeling well worth waiting for.

“I wouldn’t call myself a history buff, but I love thinking about how people would have used the things I collect and the stories behind them.”

Left: An antique firewood box gets new life in a first-floor hallway of Darlene Sonnheim’s home. She covered the opening with a board and accented it with a rustic box, a green scale, and a collection of mashers on a black-painted plate rack. Cheeseclothtopped crocks add country charm. Darlene says she uses rubber bands to keep the fabric tight before securing it with string.

Above: Because the living room is quite large, Darlene broke it into smaller zones—including study, sitting and conversation areas—to foster coziness. The tool bench turned coffee table was sourced from a local flea market. Tobacco-cloth curtains filter light yet are in keeping with the home’s overall simplicity.

Right: A secondhand grandfather clock was painted black to help it blend with the Sonnheims’ other prim pieces. A scrap of fabric placed casually on the side table echoes the print on the nearby chair.

Above right: This comfortable corner in the living room invites reading and relaxing; textiles, signs and candles mingle with collectibles in the open cupboard.

Right: Red paint and a welcoming porch addition give the Sonnheims’ Wisconsin home its farmhouse flair. 39

Above: A “very old” dry sink and table and chairs liven up the kitchen’s snug eating area, where a rustic bench contributes extra interest as well as seating. A game board and a wooden box used as a centerpiece bring a welcome touch of whimsy. Darlene changes up the box contents seasonally.

Far right: Favorite examples of yellowware brighten the interior of a cabinet and complement nearby stacked firkins in a corner of the kitchen’s eating area. Darlene made the gourd braid to draw the eye to the shelving and added a lighter grain sack to counter the area’s wood tones.

Right: The tall white cabinet was purchased online and once stored oilcans in a garage, Darlene says. She snagged it for just $60. “It was so dirty,” she recalls. She sprayed it with ammonia to clean it before bringing it indoors to display in the kitchen’s eating area. A breadboard and spice cabinet lend interest to a nearby wall.

The dry sink provides both style and storage in the kitchen eating area. Darlene enjoys stocking it with old-fashioned laundry supplies and related goods to create a themed vignette.

Below: Scored at a rummage sale, the dining room’s faux fireplace is a good example of the couple’s treasure-hunting prowess. They painted the formerly white piece black for a prim look and added a matching plate rack above to display portraits and wooden accent pieces.

Right: The large cabinet in the dining room was purchased at an antiques shop and looks like it was made for the space. The Sonnheims removed glass doors to give it more prim appeal. “It’s my husband’s pride and joy,” Darlene says. “He found it.” The chairs were purchased for just $25 at a local St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. “Boy, did I grab those in a hurry,” Darlene remembers.

Darlene purposely painted the kitchen walls a lighter hue and chose a white-and-black range to balance and unite the darker tones in the cabinets and wood collectibles. The make-do island was picked up for less than $100 and matches the cabinets; the butter churn on the island is a treasured find. 43