This Centuries-Old New Hampshire Farmhouse Was Made for Cozy Nights by the Fire
Don't believe us? Check out that dining nook!
When a couple embarks on a five-year, floor-to-ceiling restoration of a 200-year-old home—after a two-year search to find "the one"—it's pretty clear they're in it for the long (over)haul. Neil Frauenglass and George Case are not prone to rash decisions. When it came to finding their country home in rural New Hampshire, the Philadelphia-based couple was downright methodical in their hunt. "If there was a house we liked, we'd spend several weekends in the town just to make sure the setting was also a good fit," says Neil. After nearly two years of searching, they found the "keeper"—a circa 1825 farmhouse with beautiful bones and seven fireplaces in a quaint village with 800 residents.
But, the house needed some updating, and the restoration process was another test of patience. They called on historic restoration expert Dave Belluscio (603-835-6264) for help and spent the next five years going from room to room, meticulously addressing structural concerns (a crumbling fireplace) and replacing dated decor (shag carpeting). Wallpaper removal was particularly arduous but also a revelation: They found original horsehair plaster with a magnificent patina, as well as walls covered in bright milk paint. Throughout the renovation process, the couple added their mix of antique and modern furniture and an assortment of rough-hewn accessories. Although the design enthusiasts hesitate to call the house "done," they are content, for now, to enjoy the fruits—and fireplaces—of their labor.
Here's proof that their patience paid off...
BEFORE: The Farmhouse in 1825
Living Room
Set against the beautifully distressed plaster walls, the camelback sofa is just one example of the couple's antiquing tenaciousness. Neil and George fell in love with it at a local estate sale, but it wouldn't fit through the room's door. (The house had been remodeled so many times that the sofa was literally stuck in the parlor!) After placing the winning (and only) $20 bid, the couple cut off the legs, shoved it through a window, and reassembled it in their New Hampshire living room. Now it and a pair of wing- back chairs are upholstered in a sophisticated black linen, which echoes the colors in their ancestral paintings.
Get the Look:
Wainscotting and Trim Paint: Mole's Breath by Farrow & Ball
Bar Cart
The top of an antique dresser doubles as a bar cart in the living room.
Dining Room
George and Neil were initially stumped by what to do in the dining room. "It took selecting the millwork paint color to really figure out how it needed to be furnished," George says. "We had very traditional pieces in here at first, but then we realized that instead of trying to make it into a museum, we could give the room both a modern and historic feel. It's actually been a big lesson with the whole house." The mounted buck, a New England antiquing trip find, oversees celebrations from above the mantel.
Get the Look:
Wainscotting and Mantel Paint: Charleston Gray by Farrow & Ball
BEFORE: Kitchen
The kitchen's original fireplace was floor-to-ceiling red brick. When they rebuilt it after the crumbling incident, they used the old bricks for the fireplace box and added a large mantel. "It really feels like it's the way it should have been in the first place," George says.
Kitchen
When George and Neil bought the home, they received advice from a friend: "Let the house speak to you." They didn't bargain on it screaming at them, but it did just that when the kitchen's large fireplace began to crumble. They used the disaster as an opportunity to reconfigure the kitchen, which has smart built-ins and just enough space for an eating area featuring a scrubbed pine table and four 19th-century French chairs (next slide).
Breakfast Nook
Now restored, the kitchen's fireplace casts a warm glow. Above it, the antique wood scarn, complete with 20 original spools of yarn, is a great conversation starter.
Get the Look:
Wall and Mantel Paint: Old White by Farrow & Ball
Keeping Room
The space just off the kitchen was the very last to be completed during the five-year restoration. "For a long time, we used it begrudgingly. The dark red brick was drab and completely uninviting," says Neil. That all changed when they swathed the brick and paneling in a creamy coat of paint. An old wagon wheel with just the tiniest remains of spokes hangs above the fireplace, which they left untouched.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint: Shaded White by Farrow & Ball
Keeping Room
The cozy sitting room is where George and Neil showcase some of their favorite flea market finds, including a Danish leather chair and part of an old shipping crate that they've hung on the wall (at right).
Primary Bedroom
Neil and George had dreams of anchoring the bedroom with an authentic rope bed, but after years of searching for the right one, they finally realized the style was just too small by today's standards. ("We have a lovely collection of them in the barn now," Neil says with a laugh.) The couple opted for an understated wooden headboard and looked to textiles—ticking-stripe pillows and old horse blankets complete with leather straps— to create the look they had envisioned.
BEFORE: Bedroom
The millwork on the guest room's fireplace is the only thing that remains unchanged in the room. "We had been trying to figure out what to do with it, but then we realized we loved it just the way it is," says Neil.
Guest Bedroom
Green was the last color that Neil and George had in mind for the guest bedroom, but when they removed the wallpaper and discovered a verdant shade of milk paint, they knew it was meant to be. To keep the focus on the green, they added a simple pair of antique twin beds and one of the couple's many vintage wool rugs. "We have a bit of a scatter rug problem," says Neil.
Guest Bedroom Reading Nook
The bedroom's cozy reading nook is complete with a traditional English roll armchair and, on occasion, a roaring fire.
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