We’ve all heard the saying, “Their worth is far above rubies…” Nothing could be more appropriate when describing our friend Anita, from Far Above Rubies! Not only is this gal talented but she’s a true gem! We are so blessed to be sharing Anita’s beautiful home, as part of our At The Picket Fence Parade of Homes Tours, with our friends here today…enjoy!
I am so excited to be here with Vanessa and Heather to share our home!
We live in a small cottage-style house in the North Carolina mountains in a community called, Balsam, on property that has been in my family for five generations. We have lived here for about six years and have made many changes over the years.
Outside, we kept things natural and did all the landscaping ourselves using as many native rocks and plants as we could including rhododendron and mountain laurel.
We have three porches we love to use when the weather is nice. I have given them all vintage/farmhouse style with antique railroad lanterns, old signs and thrift shop rockers.
One of my favorite things about our property is the beautiful mountain creek–and the same one I played in as a child. The creek basically hugs three sides of the house. I will never forget lying awake at night as a child listening to the sound of this creek. I’m thankful to be living right beside it now with my own children.
Inside the house, we have been slowly adding architectural details, furniture, paint colors, wood trim and anything else I can find from my great grandfather’s victorian farmhouse that once graced this property. Although it was torn down in the early 1960s, windows, doors, trim, and much more were painstakingly bundled and stored by my grandfather in another guest house that is still standing. That has been my inspiration for everything we have done in the house.
Our living area is open and includes the kitchen, dining and a music area. Although I usually have lots of pink, I decided to go with aqua this summer after my mother gave me some inherited Chinese blue silk.
So much is old and belonged to my family, that it would be easier to mention only what is new:-)
The chaise was my great grandmother’s and was my first upholstery project about 13 years ago.
My dad put these cars together as a young man. My kids love these and I enjoy seeing them play with them.
My mother had also given me this fabric several years ago, and I thought with so much vintage, this modern print would be a nice touch.
I found the french couch at a thrift store for $50 and could not turn it down.
The dining area actually started out in another spot. I played musical chairs and ended up with the dining area here and couldn’t love it more.
I designed the base of the table about 10 years ago and had a local craftsman build it. I made the top from wormy chestnut boards off the old house. It has been well loved and has seen lots of coloring, painting, lighthouses built, toy cars driven over it and homework done as well as many family meals.
I found the Duncan Phyfe chairs on craigslist then refinished and recovered them several years ago. I made these slipcovers this winter to add a little drama.
The blue mirror and door came out of the old house. This is the third different door I have had here in this spot, but I just love how they look and I enjoy changing what I have on them.
Like at Christmastime, when I hung stockings on this smaller door. When you don’t have a fireplace, you have to be creative.
The buffet and lamp were inherited.
Always on the lookout for something old, I spotted this 1965 radio at a flea market for $15. Not only does it work, we actually listen to it. The bell and all the books belonged to my grandfather who was a school teacher.
My grandmother never liked this antique print and sent it to the basement when they built the new house here. I have always loved it and was glad to have her out of the basement:-) The camera belonged to my dad.
My grandfather had cut down this ammo box and made a shoe shining box out of it. Now it holds flowers and sometimes tea towels and such in the kitchen.
Speaking of the kitchen, it really is the heart of our home and is painted the same shade of blue as one of the rooms in the old house. I found paint drips on the back of trim pieces, and happened to find an exact match in “Secluded Guestroom” by Colorplace.
The kitchen is very vintage with a little farmhouse and cottage mixed in. We made the wormy chestnut countertops last summer from wood off the old house.
I added this piece of trim from the old house to give the sink a farmhouse look, even though it’s not a farmhouse sink. I chose this stainless steel sink because I wanted a modern element.
We took out the cabinet here last summer, and I made shelves from old wood. I love changing them up seasonally. I’m enjoying milk glass these days and mixed some of it in here.
The coffee is *always* on at our house no matter what time of day or night:-) The marble came out of my grandfather’s store and since the coffee pot has to slide in and out, I didn’t want to destroy the counter.
We have a large island in our kitchen that everyone gathers around. My parents live right next door, so we enjoy having them here frequently.
I restored and installed this old screen door from the old house a couple years ago, which leads to my mudroom/laundry/pantry. I ripped off the old screen and used square chicken wire, or hardware cloth, on the back then covered the top with burlap leaving the bottom exposed as our air intake is also located there.
Across from the open kitchen is the music room and front entry, which was originally the dining area.
My husband built the cabinet out of wood from the old house and a walnut tree my dad cut years ago.
The antique pump organ is a family heirloom, and all of my three children enjoy playing it.
The window is from the old house and the chalk print was done for my great grandmother by artist Louis Rowell when he came through Balsam in 1916.
This space works so much better as an entry/music room than it did as a dining area.
It really is a wonderful place to practice. I should mention my husband and I are both musicians and have a Christian music ministry together, so music is part of our lives every day.
On to the rest of the house:-)
This hall bath went through several different looks before I settled on this one. All the trim is painted “Grand Smoky Mountain” Colorplace paint, and was a match for boards in the old house.
Our master bedroom definitely has a vintage feel with this iron bed, found on the property, that I restored last spring. It really was hard work but well worth it to see the result. I put my grandmother’s trunk at the foot with antique quilts from a family friend.
The chenille bedspread is from my childhood.
I love having my great grandfather’s table here as it overlooks our beautiful creek.
I restored and hung 10 antique doors, including these, from the old house this spring. I took out all the white hollow doors and replaced them one by one. I searched forever and finally found enough antique rim locks and glass doorknobs for all the doors. That was definitely a learning experience, but again, worth it to get an authentic vintage look.
What a difference that made throughout the house. Although I usually go for color, I decided to paint this room white so the doors would really stand out.
Off the bedroom is the en suite bathroom. We recently took out a large bathtub and built a closet in its place. We never used the bathtub since there is also a large shower, so it made more sense. In a small house, you do things like that to gain much-needed space:-)
I desperately need would love to change the countertop here eventually. Although I dream of marble, we traded the bathtub for beautiful 12″-16″ oak boards with the intention of making wood countertops for here so we shall see.
I didn’t want to end things in the bathroom, so we can head on out to the back porch.
Thanks so much for stopping by our humble abode. It really is an ongoing labor of love as we try to do as much as we can for as little money as possible to make our house a home. For me, there is this amazing connection to the past and to my family here and I love making it a real part of our home. And for me, home is all about family:-)
Thank you Vanessa and Heather for this opportunity to share:-)
Anita
Please be sure to visit Anita over at her blog, as well as follow her on Facebook, and Pinterest.
You are right, Anita is a real gem!!!! What a fabulous tour, I’ve learned so much about Anita’s heritage and the wonderful property that she calls home… as did generations before her!
Don’t you love how she has become the caretaker of her past ancestry and has lovingly incorporated it into her families daily life! So unique… so beautiful!
Thanks girls for sharing Anita’s home and history with us today!
Hugs all ’round!
Beautiful home! Brought back memories from my own childhood! Love the preservation of family treasures! Thank you for sharing!
Oh my word – just gorgeous. I loved every little detail of this tour and the history behind each piece. Beautiful home, Anita!
I just adore Anita’s home and all her family treasures. I too try and incorporate as much history in my everyday living. She’s an inspiration!
Thanks ladies for the luvly tour.
Hugs, Gee
Anita’s home is beautiful and so lovely to be surrounded by family history like that. Thank you for sharing this home tour rich in history but with so many take away inspirational ideas. Happy weekend!
BEAUTIFUL!!! LOVE those slipcovers for the dining room chairs…truly LOVE! What a warm welcoming home! Thanks so much for sharing! Life to the full! Melissa
I so love Anita’s home…her interiors are so gorgeously appointed with incredible details…and I could sit out on her porch and look out at her incredible view all day!…great, great person to feature…thanks ladies !!!!
Everything is just beautiful!!! But that front, oh my, I could sit there all day and be completely content 🙂
XO
Kristin
I just love Anita and her beautiful home! I never get tired of seeing all that she creates.
Girls thank you SO very much for the feature!!! I am humbled reading the comments:-)
Anita Diaz, you did a marvelous job and your house is gorgeous and so much more…it’s so warm and inviting with such detail and lovely perfect elements for your cottage style look you wanted to achieve. The grounds go perfect with your house and yes, I too adore heirlooms and have mostly, or something it’s always in every room. I do admire you and the amazing job you did.
Have a lovely week ahead and thanks for sharing it.
FABBY
What a great choice to feature Anita’s gorgeous home. I love vintage pieces and her home is filled with all the treasures passed down through family or collected over time. She certainly has an eye for design!
Hugs,
Patti
Anita truly has created a home of peace and beauty. I love the sense of history that permeates her home. What a treasure for her children to learn so much about their family’s roots through the architectural connection to the past as well.
Thanks ladies for including Anita’s beautiful home on the tour!
I’ve always loved Anita’s house and loved that you featured her here. My favorite part of her story is that she now lives next to the creek where she played as a child!
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! PARADISE is all I can say!
Anita really is a “gem”, and her blog remains one of my very favorites. She has a down-to-earth, engaging style that just welcomes you in. What I love most about her home is that it’s uniquely hers. She doesn’t follow anyone else, instead she leads. Love it! Thanks for featuring her lovely home in your tour. xxx