NESTING INSTINCT

Kim Dedrick loves to create layered vignettes for the walls, shelves, tabletops and counters in her Marcy, New York, home. She blends, stacks and nests rustic boards, boxes, baskets, collectibles, candles and dried flowers. Her love of vintage style is contagious. “My kids actually appreciate antiques and love the history behind them. When we go to a museum, they get so excited because they see items we actually have in our house as decor,” Kim explains. What’s her formula for creating poetic scenes that recall vestiges of the past? The process is simple and involves just a little creativity and some trial and error, she says. She shares four great ways to fashion your own three-dimensional designs:

GET ON BOARD. Begin with some rustic wooden boards. Configure and assemble the boards to resemble a large square that will double as wall art. Paint the boards black and use the piece as a backdrop to display wreaths and greenery, as Kim did in her kitchen.

BUILD WITH BASKETS. To recreate Kim’s basket design in her dining room, gather a large flat basket and a narrow wall basket. Position the large basket vertically against a rustic board backdrop. Next, attach

the wall basket to the center of the large basket. For a finishing touch, fill the wall basket with a bouquet of dried flowers.

CAST A SHADOW. Wooden boxes and crates abound at antiques venues. When Kim shops for boxes, she holds them up and imagines them mounted to the wall like a shadow box. Make sure the sides of the box are wide enough to function as a shelf, she advises. Then, hang the box on the wall and fill with your favorite pottery, silhouettes, textiles

and lanterns. Orphaned drawers can also be used for the same purpose. To heighten their visual interest, mount them on the wall so the vintage handles, knobs or pulls are facing up.

ROCK THE CRADLE. Kim loves to use unexpected furnishings as wall decor. For example, she attached an antique cradle to the wall beside the fireplace in her living room and decorated the piece with a grainscoop candleholder and a dried greenery wreath.

“I’ve loved to design and decorate since I was a kid, even collecting antiques as a teenager.”

“We enjoy living in the country for the peace and quiet. Our neighbors know each other, help, and look out for one another.”

Kim knows color can transform a space, so she painted the dining room ceiling an earthen hue that makes the area feel cozy when paired with a farmer’s table with a black base and black chairs.

Above: The craft room overlooks a dairy farm, giving Kim a pastoral view while she works to upcycle her vintage finds. The dining set and cabinetstyle radio were passed down through the generations and stir fond memories. Red fabrics and decorative elements sprinkled throughout the room tie in with the red chairs.

Left: Bill and Kim take in the rural views from their screened porch along with their children, Liam, 18; Claire, 9; and Isabella, 15.

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Left: To update the brick hearth in the living room, the couple modified the fireplace with an old-fashioned black mantel, a removable electric log insert and an antique fireplace screen. The woodslat piece above the mantel is part of a vintage creeper that would have been used by a mechanic to slide underneath a vehicle. A buffalo-check wing chair, stacked boxes in lieu of a side table, and shadow boxes combine for a cozy fireside sitting area. Below: In the living room, sunlight filters through the gauze fabric curtains, and the color black unifies a lover’sknot sofa, buffalo-check love seat and accent furniture. An antique shutter above the windows, a bushel basket lampshade and a make-do funnel light impart whimsy.

Left: To enter the master bedroom is to step back in time. A barn-board wall serves as a backdrop for a primitive-style four-poster bed dressed in windowpane textiles. A six-arm chandelier casts light on eclectic accent furnishings, including a cherished trunk and Kim’s childhood rocking chair. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE RESOURCE GUIDE, PAGE 120.

Above: A faux fireplace fashioned from scrap wood, vintage pressed-tin tiles and an electric log insert adds ambience to the master bedroom. Black latex paint topped with wax gives an orphaned fabric armchair the appearance of leather and is complemented by a checked fabric seat cushion. A gourd garland, bellows, iron and other collectibles imbue the fireplace area with charm.