“I started going to different shows and saw the primitive antiques. I just love the thought of how old they are, the patina of the wood, how they withstood the time.”

That was the first in a long line of furnishings, including shelves, benches, stools and cupboards, that Dick constructed for Judy to suit a decorating style that was shifting from Victorian to a more rustic scheme. Little by little, she started selling off her oak furnishings and turning to the primitive goods she saw in Country Sampler. Upon retiring 10 years ago, she began attending antiques shows, auctions and flea markets, looking for timeworn pieces that would transform her look; she eventually launched her own shop, The Farmstead Antiques, as well. “I started going to different shows and saw the primitive antiques,” she says. “I just love the thought of how old they are, the patina of the wood, how they withstood the time.”

In addition to a structural change that added a window seat and shelving, the dining room experienced a primitive overhaul thanks to a recently crafted farmhouse table and an 1800s screened pie safe, one of Judy’s oldest antiques. Judy also removed the last of her previous wallpaper projects— she used to sell wallpaper and frequently repapered the house—and painted the walls a neutral color she uses throughout her rooms to showcase her distressed wood furnishings to their best advantage.

French doors lead the way from the dining room to the adjacent living room, where a simple table discovered tucked beneath a larger one at a flea market became the coffee table for a new love seat. In turn, an antique cheese-making table that used to occupy that spot migrated to the family room, where Judy paired it with a comfortable sofa she had upholstered in prim fabric. And, the upstairs guest room underwent a rustic makeover similar to the rest of the home: Gone are the yellow walls and mauve wallpaper frieze, now replaced by a neutral palette that showcases a collection of primitive quilts.

The care with which Judy decorated her interior extends outside, where her garden flourishes yearround. “My dad’s parents had a farm in Castle Rock and my mom’s mother had beautiful flower gardens,” she says. “I think the combination inspired my gardening because I love working in the yard, planting flowers and vine-y things with less structure.” The landscaping bids guests both welcome and farewell, helping complete the homey look Judy and Dick have cultivated indoors.