A long time ago in a land far away I lived in this farmhouse. If you are new to this blog, here’s the Reader’s Digest version of our story. We lived in Texas and jumped to the middle of the country in Kentucky and bought a farmhouse.
It snowed.
It rained.
I started a blog.
I wrote a book.
We realized we needed to move back to Texas because our family needed us.
I cried.
I hugged a butter dish.
We bought back the house I grew up in from the couple my mother had sold it to years ago and started renovating.
Before we moved, we had a GIANT yard sale where I sold most of the furniture and accessories in the house in under two hours. Most of our furniture came from the side of the road or a yard sale and it was cheaper to sell it than to pay to move it. I kept a few pieces that made the move with us. Pieces I was sentimental about or knew I had the perfect place for them in the new house. Are you curious about which pieces made the cut and what they are doing now?
Oh, good.
Me, too. 🙂
1. Kitchen hutch
This piece will be forever in my heart.
It’s been with me through four houses.
Here it is at the farmhouse.
And here it is in the new kitchen.
It’s painted a combo of SW Mindful Gray, SW Repose Gray and a few other gray friends.
All I did was change out a few of the white dishes.
2. The fabric rack
I found this piece at a junktique store in Kentucky.
It used to be an old fabric rack.
I put it in the dining room and filled it with white luncheon plates.
And now?
Here it is in the new house in the upstairs bedroom as a bookshelf.
It’s super narrow and it fills up the wall nicely.
It needs a few more books, but I love the color of the dark wood.
3. Upholstered chairs
These upholstered chairs from the front living room at the farmhouse came with me.
I bought two of them from Joss and Main and two of them from Wayfair.
I love that they mix and match and they are super comfortable.
And now?
Here they are in the new living room.
I placed them around a coffee table I bought at a thrift store.
I need to scoot them over just a little so all their feet are on the rug.
4. Dining chairs
These two end chairs came with me from the dining room.
They are actually my mothers that I brought with me from Texas.
I had them reupholstered and they sat in the dining room.
And now?
They sit at either end of the table in the new dining room.
I’m thinking about getting them re-upholstered again.
And re-staining the legs to match the lighter wood in the dining room.
5. Tufted chairs
These two tufted chairs were in my bedroom at the farmhouse.
They are SUPER comfortable.
I love the detailing on them and how the tufting wraps around the back.
And now?
They are in the office now.
This picture was taken last week and I’ve arranged it again since then.
The desk is on the back wall and the chairs are facing it.
6. Wood chair
This wood chair from my desk in the kitchen at the farmhouse came with us.
It’s one of my favorites.
I love the lines and it’s super comfortable.
And now?
It’s tucked away at the vanity in the downstairs bathroom.
It has a fuzzy pillow on it.
Now it’s used for make-up putting on.
7. Wood table
This table was upstairs in the farmhouse.
The kids used it for doing homework.
It was in the hallway at the top of the stairs.
And now?
You can’t really see it in this picture, but it’s behind the couch on the left.
It’s tucked up to the back of the couch.
There are two chairs pulled up to it and it’s used to play puzzles and games.
8. Desk
9. Chairs
10. Bookcases
This was my desk at the gatehouse.
It’s where I wrote my books and it had two tufted leather chairs that pulled up to it.
The bookcases from the front living room at the farmhouse came with us, too.
And now?
You can see the desk tucked into the window in the bay window in the front room.
And the chairs and bookcase found a new home in the upstairs hang-out room.
There are more pieces of furniture and accessories that came with us, but these are all my favorites.
And the most amazing thing?
All that’s old is new again.
It’s the circle of life.
Or furniture.
Just a few more life lessons from a house. 🙂
PS Last week in the new old kitchen this happened.
I grabbed my phone and took a picture because I wanted to hold onto this moment and never let it go.
Whitney tried out for drill team (she made it) and she was nervous and worried and overwhelmed.
Westleigh distracted her by making her laugh and celebrating the moment and applying lipstick.
It’s good to have a sister.
Especially one who puts on your red lipstick. 🙂
Yay for drill team!!!!!! I think the lesson here is there are certain classic pieces of furniture that will pick and move anywhere you need them to. Happy Monday!
Such a sweet moment between your girls! Treasure these times. My 3 are all grown up and living their lives and I missed all of them yesterday at Easter. Your home is coming along beautifully, and I love seeing the old pieces in their new habitat! Happy Easter!
Loved seeing things in person at your KY farmhouse and enjoyed seeing what made the cut for the Texas home place. But how did I miss your yard sale? Hope to see you soon.
YIPPEE for making drill team!!! And for beautiful sisters who apply the perfect shade of red lipstick :)
I love love love your house, period. I wish I had known you were having a yard sale before you left Kentucky, I would have loved to have come and bought things and bragged, "I got this from Karianne's!" 😁 I wish I could see your house in person, but I love seeing your pictures, anyway. I hope your spring in Texas is very happy. We're still having winter in Kentucky! I'm so done with winter! 😊. The picture of your girls is so precious! I'm so glad you got a picture of that sweet moment! 😊
My goodness!! That was a Cliff note version. I hope all new readers will go back to the beginning - there is so much. Laughter in abundance and some tears. Not all sad, some are happy tears. I need to whisper something to you but I'll send it in an email. Hope you had a great Easter -- sending huge hugs.
Whew!! YES! Celebrating Whitney making the drill team...I’ve been praying and holding my breath waiting to hear the results! I love all that you took. I think I’m grieving over the blue touches in that living room and that sweet little round table you hand painted being left behind. I needed my name tagged on them before you left! Your new old house looks amazing. I love the familiar loved things among the new. It’s comforting and makes it all feel more “home” in that new old home. So glad to see you settling in. And those sweet girls settling in, as well. That makes everything feel right with the world. Happy Monday, sweet friend!
Oh, how I love your stories -- the only thing better would be having you as next door neighbor. So happy for you and your daughter and the drill team!
I love how everything fits into your new house so beautifully. Such great pieces, no wonder you brought them with you.
All the old DOES look new again - I love it! Redesign is probably a monthly occurrence in my house. I save a ton of money that way so the hubby loves it more than he shows. :) And what a precious moment with the twins. Excited for them both with their cheerleading and drill team. Your Friday nights are going to be sooooooo fun!
I have the same IKEA kitchen island that you had in KY and thought you might have brought that with you to TX for a craft room or laundry room, etc. Oh well! I always liked looking at how beautifully you used yours -- it has been an inspiration to me. I LOVE the new house so much and I am so happy for you. Just this weekend I have given your new book to my two nieces who love them!
Congratulations, Whitney!!!
Wow, KariAnne!! What didn't you take?? Ha,ha,ha!! Hope you had a Happy Easter!!
Can I say how green with envy I am over that fabric rack? OMGosh. lol. I love, love, love how you are using for a bookcase. Awesome idea. I just wish I could find one.
Thanks for the great article. We often get stuck in seeing the same furniture piece in the same setting in the same room. Now I want to go around my house and move things from room to room! I'm in Spring cleaning mode, however, pulled my back out last week and have to take things slowly. You have inspired me to look at things differently! Thank you.
It is very cool to see the pieces in their old and new locations. It reminds me that something that may look boring in one place can look entirely different in other surroundings. I love all of the pieces that you kept. Thanks for sharing.
It's great when old things from an old house can fit in a new house which is actually old😉. Congrats to Whitney! She 'll be a burst of sunshine on the team, I'm sure. Happy Day.
Congrats to Miss Whitney!! Isn't it a great thing that we have smart phones?? If for nothing else than to capture those timeless moments...?😊
Everything looks beautiful, so glad the smocked curtains made the cut. Congratulations to sweet daughter on making the drill team.
Congrats on making the drill team... great job on old things made new...
Congrats to your daughter, and to all the furniture pieces that made the cut to the new/old house!! xoxo
KariAnne, your home is just beautiful! I love how you have placed all your sentimental pieces in just the "perfect place" in your new home. The picture of your twins is gorgeous! Also loved the picture of your Buddy resting on the fluffy rug! Blessings! Have a great week! I just received your book and I am really enjoying it! You have done a wonderful job yet again! Bless you!
So glad you shared which pieces made the journey- on to new memories in the new old house! Enjoy the week.
You brought all great furniture with you, definitely not leave behind items!
Yea, Whitney!! For making the drill team and having a sister who has your back!
BOTH of your houses are just beautiful. You really have an eye for putting furniture and accessories together. But don't you miss those beautiful blue print curtains from your living room in Texas? They worked SO well with your white furniture!
Your new home looks amazing, I love how all those pieces found a home back in Texas! Oh and of course you DO know that your daughters are like your little clones, right? :)
Yaaaa... she made it !! The drill team will never be the same !!! lolol... that is awesome... and so are your creative ways of making the old work in the new - old house !!!! Love .. love your creative ways !!!! :) .. that book shelf ( in its present life) is amazing with that door and the floors.... WOW
Such adorable girls, you have so much fun in front of you! xoxoxo
All the farmhouse furniture fits so nicely in your TX home, love your hangout room. Pat
Love all of your furniture! Is that a fiddle fig plant in the picture? If so, it is beautiful
I too have many pieces of furniture that I cherish. But occassionally I have to give something up to make room for something that up dates a room. It is anguish but I get a breath of fresh air when I finally wrench that piece out of my hands and give it to someone else to cherish. I work hard to make myself give things up so I don't overstuff my rooms and give them space. It lightens my load and my rooms look more spacious , fresh, and current. I will mourn for pieces sometimes. I had two wingtip chairs I loved (and owned for 30 years!) but had no place for anymore. My husband insisted I give them up because there's only so much storage space. I still want my chairs and dream about what I could have done with them. But in a marriage, you can't win them all, so if & when I finally have a place for those chairs, I guess I'll have to buy some. (most probably, never!)
I'm crushing on that rug in the hang out room. I just really want to roll around on it...would that be weird? LOL!
Oh my my. If you ever want to part with the fabric rack let me know! I’m in love. 😍😍. Such a fabulous find!
So I took a little detour at the butter dish...I didn't expect to start crying! This is actually the first post I have ever read from your site and I really got sucked in. I think I started your story "in medias res", so I am going to have to go back and read more! I love your writing style, it's very personal....and obviously your decor is beautiful! I look forward to seeing more :)