URBAN FARMHOUSE STYLE

MELLENCAMP'S VACATION HOME...

You may remember him as John "Cougar" Mellencamp, although he dropped the nickname and got serious about rock and roll.  Apparently he got serious about his home design as well - or at least hired a decorator who knew their stuff.

A little austere in places, his South Carolina Daufuskie Island retreat still has charm and tons of style, and still speaks to the heartland of America.

Rustic materials for the modern bed, shiplap walls and golden floors keep this room from feeling too severe.  It has rustic, masculine appeal.  The dark painted ceiling adds a layer of coziness.

The dining room is a little spare for me, but I love the planked and beamed ceiling, the warm flooring, and the vintage tables.  

At the other end of the dining room, the kitchen has open shelving

and modern flat panel lower cabinets

I'm attracted to the mix of the modern with vintage style.  The shiplap walls and rustic woods

are perfect foils for each other.  

 Adding industrial lighting to the vintage feel of this bath gives it farmhouse appeal

with the modern upgrade of a strictly neutral palette.

 So, I'm curious, what do you think of his home?

too neutral?

too spare?

just right?

 Being a designer helps me to be able to appreciate something done well,

even if it's not my personal style -

except for maybe this spot - this spot I could live in...

 and you have to admit, its uber masculine

but as a vacation home.... its amazing...

To read about his home and see more photos, go to Architectural Digest

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QUESTION FROM A READER:

I recently bought new, larger dressers that serve as night stands in my Master bedroom. What window treatments do you suggest, since they now appear off-center? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

PS. Took these pictures using a watercolor app. Cool, huh?

Sincerely,
Marianne Fusco
Palm Coast, FL

Because you can't move your windows, your main tact is to disguise the edges of the window and create the illusion that they are wider and more centered behind the dressers.  Hang your rods so that they extend the whole length of the dressers and then try one of these treatments - reversing the application when necessary to disguise the wall behind.

This next would need to be reversed so that the unopened area of drape covers the wall and the open shows the window.  Its also important to get light blocking drapes, so that the light from the window doesn't show the silhouette of the actual size of the window.