Five ways for getting modern farmhouse look
Designer Amy Zantzinger styled her family’s waterfront retreat to be an elegant yet casual farmhouse — no country cliches here.
Her look combines rustic farm tables, lanterns and antique weather vanes with contemporary lighting and white marble bathrooms.
Here are some of her ideas for getting the modern farmhouse look:
Paint most rooms in same white paint
Zantzinger chose Farrow & Ball’s All White.
“It’s fresh and crisp. We don’t want people to be distracted by the walls. We want them to look out the windows at the views,” she said.
She sampled a number of her go-to paint colors in various spots, studying how they looked at different times of day. Benjamin Moore’s White Dove and Simply White were two other colors considered, but White Dove was a bit too gray and Simply White too creamy.
Stick with linen
Many of the curtains, chairs and pillows in the house are made of linen. “There is a casualness about linen that I like,” she said.
In the living room, she blended beige linen curtains, blue linen cushions on wood-frame chairs and linen striped pillows. In the master bedroom, the sea-foam linen curtains create softness and a gentle frame for the view of the water.
Collect white platters for casual meals
Zantzinger and her family love to entertain, so she has a stash of white stoneware platters, from places including Ikea and Restoration Hardware. She likes the kind with a higher lip, so nothing spills out.
“My platters are clean and simple; they showcase the food,” she said. Her style is to combine several foods — such as lots of tossed greens with chicken salad in the middle — on one big platter. She often shops when she travels, especially in San Francisco, which she said has some of the best home stores in the country.
Combine many kinds of lighting
She spent a lot of time figuring out the right light fixtures for each room. She sought out interesting old sconces and lanterns, such as a 1930s ship light from a Dutch naval vessel hung in the mud room. “Vintage fixtures give texture to a home. If the fixtures are all new, the place can look like a lighting showroom,” she said.
Because so many chandeliers and pendants have exposed bulbs, she chose bulbs that complement or contrast with the fixture. In some she used the Edison-style exposed LED bulbs that give off a warm glow. Candles add ambience; she likes to light them at dusk, not before.
Find new uses for old silver
Adding some silver to a more casual setting creates interest and patina. Zantzinger has a collection of silver pitchers, julep cups and vases she amassed over the years.
“Vintage silver looks great when placed on an old wood table,” she said. You can find pieces at flea markets, thrift shops and vintage stores. Amy fills old silverplated water goblets with wildflowers she picks in nearby fields.