The C Word

The C Word….

Isn’t it amazing how that title can grab your attention or totally put you off?

Crazy, curious, cute, cuddly, cunning……or the dreaded COUNTRY was really what I was referring to.

Recently, I’ve been giving some thought to the aesthetic of  "country,” and how it applies to design.  

To really appreciate this, you need to go back to my younger years.  My love affair with country anything started way back when my Auntie Ellie gave me Mary Emmerling's American Country book.  I loved her style and still do.  At the time, she was designing open shelving with  no upper cabinets -----long before anyone else did them.  Her simple yet appealing ways of making a room come to life by adding all sorts of contrasts was new to me.

I recently renovated my kitchen and I thought I wanted modern,  But then I discovered, I wanted something clean and open ----and CONTEMPARY or dare I say COUNTRYISH, those well know design circles would not agree .

In reflection, it was hard to believe that I, the designer, lived with its fair share of what most would consider "country" pieces. Amazing farmhouse tables, vintage shoe racks that hold wine bottles, hutches that house my collection of ironstone, etc. etc. etc.

After my Renovation, it’s clear to me that I haven’t taken the complete leap to modern, but I like what I have.

Stay true to yourself in life and design. Do what makes you happy and don't listen to the well know design circles.  

Thank you, Mary!

Just a sneak peek of the space, more to come.
Kyle Caldwell photography