Down-Home Holiday
Fond memories of Pennsylvania Dutch Country and nostalgia for the past inspire a Delaware couple to infuse their modern home with primitive style.
Inspired by childhood memories of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, a Delaware homeowner infuses her newly constructed home with character-rich details.
Nostalgia for Pennsylvania Dutch Country tugs at Renee Culver’s heartstrings, as she lived in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, as a child. Memories of the farming community’s historic houses and visits to her grandparents’ riverfront cottage continue to inspire her life today. “I love to recreate happy memories from my childhood. I wish I could be transported back to a simpler time,” Renee explains.
With those heartwarming experiences in mind, when Renee and her husband, Mel, purchased a newly constructed home in Bear, Delaware, their vision was clear: create a home rich with historic detail and filled with vestiges of the country idyll. Through the years, they refashioned the modern interior with a primitive country aesthetic that takes visitors back in time. “People are shocked when they see [the interior of] our home for the first time. The outside does not match the inside,” Renee observes.
To create the past-perfect sensibility and simple ambience that was lacking in the residence, the Culvers tackled many home improvement projects themselves. Fortunately, Mel is a contractor, and his skills came in handy when they installed moldings, replaced wall-to-wall carpeting with wide-planked hardwood flooring, added barn-board paneling, renovated bathrooms, created a new country kitchen and designed unique lighting fixtures that utilize found objects.
To make the living room and dining room appear cozier, the couple painted the end walls barn red and the other walls a rich coffee color. To build character, they incorporated architectural salvage, such as a pair of shutters rescued from the wedding chapel where they were married.
The home’s decor has evolved gracefully over time. Each room features an artful blend of new furnishings, heirlooms, antiques and collectibles. Simple valances dress windows, and braided rugs and runners adorn floors. Renee, who started going to craft shows as a newlywed, says, “I’ve moved away from mass-produced items and I now prefer unique pieces.”
Renee not only appreciates bargains, but also the new friendships she has formed with the sellers of some of her acquisitions. She recently found some treasures through several local online buying-and-selling sites. These virtual classifieds have yielded a cast-iron stove, the top half of an antique cupboard, and an antique pie safe.
When she is not surfing the web for items to add to her collection, Renee navigates the roads that gently wind through the Delaware and Pennsylvania countryside, seeking out Amish-made furniture, crocks, pottery, tools and wooden signs. She is drawn to older items with rich history. “I love to fill my home with pieces that are sentimental,
and I love to repurpose them,” Renee says. “I like when I can pick up a piece and say, ‘Where have you been?’ ”
During the holidays, Renee enjoys combining decorations, antiques and simple artistic touches to achieve a festively primitive look. Throughout her home, you’ll find multiple spindly twig trees decorated with spinner gourds and dried orange slices. Live and artificial greenery spills from china cabinets, cupboards, shelves and small displays. “Greens really bring the Christmas and winter look indoors,” Renee notes. “I leave my artificial greens out all winter—even after the Santas and trees are put away.”
During the holidays and throughout the year, Renee hopes her enthusiasm for decorating and filling her surroundings with sentimental treasures translates into a warm welcome for guests. “My home is my happy place,” she says. “I decorate with items that have been preserved from the past so they can be cherished by many for years into the future. I really do cherish all of my antiques and the story that each piece tells.”