A FARM COTTAGE FALL

Vintage pieces get a farm-cottage twist in the North Carolina home of this DIYer.

Vintage pieces get a farm-cottage twist in the North Carolina home of this DIYer.

Her name is Jessica Morgan, but this Pinterest-obsessed DIYer is mostly known by her blog name, Itty Bitty Farmhouse, the natural culmination of a lifelong affair with all things vintage and romantic. “Sundays as a child were spent at flea markets with my parents,” Jessica says. “And I spent hours styling my Barbie Dream Home.” From that illustrious start, she’s grown into a full-fledged designer who not only styles homes but also inspires others to transform their own spaces through DIY—with a cottage farmhouse spin.

When Jessica saw the dining room for the first time, it had tan walls and a Mid Century Modern light fixture. It simply wouldn’t do, so she painted the walls, made a chandelier out of an old painter’s ladder and distressed a farm table. She also placed mismatched dining chairs around the table. “I love chippy vintage and have always loved mixed-matched pieces, which led me to try it with the chairs,” she says. “The table is the focal point of the room, so it was fun to add that visual interest with the chairs.”

Jessica was immediately drawn to the porch and steps of the ranch style home. “When I first saw it, I fell in love with the front porch. I did know it would need some revamping, but I saw so much potential for days spent outside in rocking chairs and decorating the steps,” she says. Here, pumpkins and flowers usher guests up the steps and to the door, where Jessica’s pooch Alice awaits.

When guests enter her house, Jessica wants them to feel as if they are stepping into a cozy place that’s like a second home. “Warm and inviting are my keywords for this space,” she says.