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Cherished keepsakes and new collections combine in this story-filled home.

If your dream cottage would be a blend of charming pieces from the past and fresh accents from the present, then you’ll find Kristin Bauer’s home in East Brunswick, New Jersey, enchanting and inspiring.

Kristin, an art teacher and realtor as well as an interior stylist, and her husband knew they had found their dream home on their first visit. “When we bought the house two summers ago, it was listed as an 1800s home,” Kristin says. “We fell in love with its character immediately when we saw it. We put the offer in from the driveway and said, ‘We’ll pay full price! Take it off the market!’” In researching the historic home’s timeline, Kristin learned that it was once owned by the Herbert family. “They basically settled the area that’s now called East Brunswick,” she says.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

Luckily, even though the home was more than a century old, it did not need any major structural renovations, and the new homeowners didn’t want to disturb the architectural integrity. “It only needed minimal work,” Kristin says. “We had to redo the downstairs bathroom, lay in all new carpeting, paint everything and redo the kitchen a little bit. It was more or less all cosmetic, nothing structural, because I didn’t want to mess with the structure; it is so old and I wanted to keep with the original footprint of the house.”

DESIGNING THE ROOMS

After the minor renovations were done, the stage was set for decorating, starting with the color scheme. “I always start with a neutral palette,” Kristin says.

The new living space was also an opportunity for Kristin to try new décor. “My style has changed so dramatically,” she says. “My first house was all black and white. It was very glamorous. Something just switched in me. I started introducing a mix of new with old—I can’t even name what my style is. It started as farmhouse, but there are some pieces that are very French country and some that are more modern. I like mixing new with old but having it look cohesive. So I can go into a Pier 1 or Pottery Barn, but I can also go to a momand-pop shop down the street and find something that would work perfectly with it.”

When it comes to sourcing room elements, Kristin enjoys the journey. “I like the discovery; that’s the most fun to me,” she says. “So I’d much rather go to a place and find something accidentally than run a search online. I like the hunt because I think it becomes more fun, like a treasure hunt.”

FEELING BLUE. While Kristin starts with a neutral foundation, color expresses her vibrant style. “We have the gray walls, a gray ottoman and a dark leather couch. I wanted a pop of blue, so we bought those chairs at Pier 1, and I found matching pillows for the couch … because it would look odd if you didn’t have a touch of blue on the opposite side.”

HOUSE ON THE HILL. “On the right side we have a double porch, and we also have a balcony on the second floor,” Kristin says. “The house is actually three stories, but you can’t tell because the third story is the finished attic, and the windows are on the sides of the house.”

|TOP RIGHT| TREASURED TIMELINE. “The wooden banister is original to the home, but if you look closely, all the little spindles are different. So I call it the timeline of the house, when children shoved their heads between them. As people used the house and the house happened, things got replaced. So I will never paint over that. I don’t ever want to change it because to me it’s literally the timeline of the house.”

|TOP LEFT| ORGANIZING OUTERWEAR. The backdoor entry is a stylish landing zone where everything can be styled and updated for the season. “All those pieces on the wall are interchangeable. The throw on top is striped now, but throughout the seasons I change that. You don’t have to worry about cushions; you can just swap out blankets on top. For winter, I’ll do a plaid or a checked throw.”

COLOR CONTRAST. “I wanted a dining table that was more of a washed-out wood tone because it’s better to have contrast against the dark hardwood floors,” Kristin says. “So this is actually a reclaimed-wood table. I would never buy new wood because I don’t like the look of it. We got the sign above the table with our last name from a company called Walls of Wisdom. We liked that it looked kind of weathered. It went well with the farmhouse vibe.”