Page 42 - Country Living - USA (January - February 2020)

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Chippy Furniture
Vintage pieces have already
weathered plenty of storms,
so they can handle the
challenges presented by
an on-the-go toddler.

C haos is king at Liz Marie and ABOVE: A newly carved-
out nook beneath the stairs
Jose Galvan’s farmhouse. Located
is perfectly sized for the
on eight acres near Grand Rapids,
large antique curio cabinet
Michigan, the household is a
constant hub of activity thanks to filled (and topped) with
vintage treasures, a woolly
a babbling baby (Copeland, age 11 months), rug (walmart.com), and a
barking dogs (Winnie, Bella, and Bear), vintage chair slipcovered
for Bella and Bear’s benefit.
baa-ing sheep (eight in number—too many
to name), and the whacks and thuds of
RIGHT: The Galvans outfit-
an endless list of always-in-progress, do-it- ted the living room with
yourself projects. three new French doors,
In fact, the avid DIYers have spent antiques, a slipcovered
the last three years bringing their circa- sectional (sixpenny.com),
baskets (worldmarket.com),
1800s saltbox-style farmhouse back to
and sheets of William
life. Liz Marie, who documents the house
Morris’s “Pimpernel” wall-
projects on her eponymous blog (lizmarie paper (finestwallpaper.com)
blog.com) and with her 400,000 Instagram as artwork flanking the
followers (@lizmariegalvan), is the first fireplace.
to admit that the transformation has been
no small feat. “The house was remodeled in the 1980s, and it hit on
some of the unfortunate styles from that time,” explains Liz Marie.
“A lot of the historic charm we were craving from a farmhouse had
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been completely wiped out.” While the Galvans were keen to quickly
correct the head-scratching aesthetics, they have taken their time Sealed White Floors
creating their forever home. “When we began renovating, we realized Liz Marie minimizes scuff s on
we could make decisions based on resale or based on what we love,” painted fl oors with a topcoat
says Liz Marie. “We went full steam ahead on the latter.” of Rust-Oleum Parks’s Pro
What they loved, it turns out, was white. And lots of it. “We both Finisher in Crystal Clear Satin.
wanted a relaxed, cozy feel. White felt like the best way to achieve that.

Ɓſ COUNTRYLIVING.COM / JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020