12 Touches to Add Farmhouse Style to Your Dining Room

If you're looking to add some farmhouse style to your dining room, you’re in luck. A few easy tweaks can lend the warmth and homespun charm of the classic look. For a modest or nonexistent budget, simple accessorizing can do the trick. For those with a little extra time, a DIY distressed-paint project could be just what you need. If your budget is bigger, some larger elements, like doors and siding, can make that formal dining room feel more casual and comfortable. Here are some ideas to get you started.
thea home incA farm table. Well, this one’s a no-brainer: The centerpiece of the room is the table. A farm table works well with chairs from antique ladder-backs to Windsors, midcentury modern classics to supercontemporary acrylic ones. But in this kitchen, a special blue distressed paint job unites a charming hodgepodge of vintage seats, adding even more casual charm.
Tour the kitchen next to this dining room
Hanson General Contracting, Inc.Salvaged-wood walls. The rustic look of reclaimed boards on the walls, along with the exposed ceiling boards and rafters, gives this welcoming dining room a barn-like feeling.
Steinberg Custom DesignsA barn door. The barn door–hardware track look adds lots of agrarian charm. The horseshoe here adds an extra farm touch, while the chairs and table balance out the other aged elements with a more modern look. (By the way, this space actually is in a barn).
ZeroEnergy DesignThis new build was inspired by farmhouse style; barn doors with X-bases and clear glass tops separate the dining room from the hallway.
ZeroEnergy DesignWeather vanes and other farm ephemera. Whether a whirlygig, rural landscape paintings, a tractor clock or repurposed antique lanterns, accessories can rough up a dining room just enough.
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Sroka Design, Inc.Here a proud rooster adds an agrarian touch without too much kitsch.
Sarah GreenmanDisplay country crocks. These antique stoneware pieces were originally designed to store food but are highly prized decorative pieces today. 
Learn more about antique stoneware
Dona Rosene InteriorsLadder-back chairs. This classic style of chair with a rush seat was brought over from England by the original colonial settlers to their New World homesteads.
Table: Lindsey Oval, Woodbridge Furniture; wall paint: Palladian Blue HC-144, Benjamin Moore
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Historical ConceptsSimple light fixtures. This large lantern brings a big farmhouse touch to this comfortable dining room. Stools fashioned from wooden crates add a whimsical, rough-hewn touch. 
Calisse 4-Light Lantern, Wood Plank Storage Benches: Ballard Designs
Inspired Design LtdOf course, the utilitarian barn light is a great choice and is available in a range of colors. 
Pendant lights: Penelope, John Lewis
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Modern Organic InteriorsBoard and battan siding. This treatment is commonly seen on the exteriors of farmhouses and other farm structures. In this room white board and batten, contemporary upholstered chairs and a warm wood table harmonize.
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GIL WALSH INTERIORSDrape a quilt over the table. Now don’t freak out; I’m not advocating slurping spaghetti sauce atop an antique gem. I’m suggesting that those who don’t eat at the dining room table all that often use it as a prime spot to display a favorite heirloom. It’s a much better way to enjoy it than keeping it folded away in a blanket chest.
Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke TriggsAnother way to dress the table with easy farmhouse style is with rustic French grain-sack linens.
Chairs: Anziano, Donghia; light fixture: Bryant Large Billiard Light, Circa Lighting
Tess FineA primitive paint job. A china cabinet, hutch, buffet or sideboard is a great place to add color. A distressed paint finish, coupled with natural wood and ivory-colored accessories, countrifies the piece here in a refined way.
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Lisa Teague Design StudiosChicken wire. In the blue wardrobe at the right in this space, the designer-resident replaced the wood door panels with chicken wire. 
By the way, her dining room table is a repurposed vintage potting bench. 
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The Design Atelier, Inc.Here chicken wire shows up on a primitive light fixture.

by Becky Harris, Houzz Contributor

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Weekly Mortgage Rate Update

Stronger than expected US economic data was negative for mortgage rates this week. Bond friendly comments from the European Central Bank (ECB) helped limit the losses, however. Mortgage rates ended higher, reversing the nice improvement in rates seen during Thanksgiving week. 
High Balance Conforming

THIS WEEK'S RATE TREND IS UP

Loan Amounts under $417K, Shown as Note Rate/APR

Conforming 30 year fixed: 4.125/4.185

FHA 30 Year Fixed: 3.625/4.681

Conforming 5/1 ARM: 3.125/2.988

Conforming 7/1 ARM: 3.375/3.231

Loan Amounts over $417K up to County Limits, Shown as Note Rate/APR

High Balance Conf. 30 Year Fixed: 4.250/4.297

FHA High Balance 30 Year Fixed: 3.750/5.264

High Balance 5/1 ARM: 3.625/3.160

Loan Amounts Exceeding County Limits, Shown as Note Rate/APR

Jumbo 30 Year Fixed: 4.125      /4.165

Jumbo 5/1 ARM:  3.250/3.108

Jumbo 7/1 ARM: 3.500/3.253

Jumbo 10/1 ARM: 3.750/3.428

Loan Limit Snapshot

Conforming

All Counties: $417,000

Santa Barbara: $625,500

Ventura: $598,000

San Diego: $546,250

LA/Orange: $625,500

FHA

Santa Barbara: $625,500

Ventura: $598,000

San Diego: $546,250

LA/Orange: $625,500

Kelly Marsh

Branch Manager

805-563-1100 ext. 106

KellyM@BroadviewMortgage.com

Licensed by the Department of Corporations under the California Residential Act License #813G136.  Subject to applicant and property qualification and availability of funds. Subject to change without notice. Rates and terms apply only to subject programs. Unless otherwise noted, rates shown are based on the purchase of a primary residence with one point loan origination. Rates vary by situation, so please call for a personalized rate quote.  This is intended to be informational to the real estate industry only and is not to be used with respect to an individual consumer who may be seeking mortgage credit, as certain information is not included, such as the APR.  Registered with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and registry, NMLS #245822.

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See the Clever Tricks That Opened Up This Master Bathroom

by Mitchell Parker, Houzz Editorial Staff

This was a classic case of the shoemaker’s kids going barefoot. Robin Amorello spent eight years designing other people’s master bathrooms, while the one she shares with her husband, Joseph, went untouched. An angled ceiling meant the large one-piece bathtub-shower combination had to be installed in an awkward spot that crowded the toilet. That created a barely functional alcove that prevented the addition of a second sink. “It was badly designed from day one,” she says.

But about a year ago Amorello finally found time to be her own client. She gutted the 75-square-foot bathroom and swapped the shower-tub combo for a shower, which freed up space for an additional sink. She wall-mounted the toilet and faucets for a roomier feel and to make cleaning easier. She also raised the vanity and recessed the medicine cabinets and even the toilet paper holder. “In the end it was about carving out inches here and there,” she says.

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

BEFORE: The previous one-piece shower-tub combo ended at the sloped ceiling, resulting in the cramped arrangement. “There was just empty, unused space wasted behind it,” Amorello says. “In fact, I think squirrels were living back there.”

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

AFTER: Removing the 5-foot shower-tub combo and its wall and installing a 4-foot shower allowed Amorello to push the space farther back under the eave. That made the toilet area less crowded and allowed for a shower bench. An HVAC duct runs underneath the bench, warming it whenever the heat is turned on.

Frameless glass creates the appearance of more room. The glass is higher than 80 inches, so the air in the shower doesn’t get as cold as it would if the glass were the standard 72 inches.

Meanwhile, installing a trench drain in the shower meant Amorello didn’t need a threshold. This allowed her to run the large-format tiles seamlessly. “It tricks your eye into feeling like the space is bigger,” she says. Plus, the 2-foot by 2-foot porcelain tiles meant fewer grout lines for a less busy look, and the diagonal pattern gives a visual impression that the space is stretching out.

Tips for replacing a tub with a shower

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

BEFORE: Beadboard wainscoting, cultured marble, Formica and linoleum tiles on the floor weren’t materials that made Amorello happy. “Everything was plastic on plastic on plastic,” she says.

And the crowded layout made a second sink impractical and created a narrow corner for storage. “You had to suck it in to grab a towel off the shelf,” she says.

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

AFTER: With the wall now gone, and a foot of space gained, Amorello was able to add a second sink and an extended custom vanity with better navigation into the corner.

She designed raised espresso-stained oak cabinets that allow for storage underneath and give the appearance of more space. “You can see all the way to the back while standing in the shower, which makes the room feel bigger,” she says.

Porcelain tile that looks like reclaimed wood covers the wall above the vanity, which is topped with a slab of diorite, a natural stone. Amorello chose it for its color and thickness — 1 5/8 inches versus the standard 1 3/16 inches.

After those selections, she felt the space was getting a bit too gray on gray on gray. A trip to a local architectural salvage seller produced a 2-by-8 board that she treated with mineral oil. She used this to top the storage cabinet in the corner, adding warmth. 

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

The license plates are a play on his-and-her markings — she’s from New Jersey; he’s from New York.

The wall-mounted faucets save space and make cleaning easier. Amorello took round medicine cabinets intended to be surface mounted and recessed them into the wall. 

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

She had a steel collar fabricated to fit inside the wall. Because she gutted the bathroom, she was able to plan for this addition and have the units framed into the existing walls, and the plumbing and electrical wires routed accordingly.

The tile inside the opened portal is glued to the back of the Sheetrock that forms the hallway wall. The installer lined up the tile lines on both walls to make it look flush. 

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

BEFORE: The protruding shower-tub combo crowded the toilet into the corner.

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

AFTER: Pushing the shower farther under the eave and installing a wall-hung toilet opened up this corner. “With a wall-hung toilet, you can buy yourself 10 or 11 inches without changing the wall,” she says. “Plus, it allows you to sweep and clean under the toilet, which is a dream for anyone in charge of bathroom cleaning.”

For just a bit more room, she recessed the toilet paper holder. “It’s really a game of fractions of inches,” she says.

The artwork is a photograph that Amorello’s daughter took of graffiti inside an abandoned camp in New Jersey.

Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

A sliding barn-style door means the space isn’t impeded the way it would be by a regular door that would swing into it. A large mirror on the inside (and outside) helps visually double the room.

Amorello was also mindful of the room’s many sharp corners and right angles. “I tried to subliminally throw in circles when possible,” she says. “It’s my way of softening it up a bit.”

Before, the lighting came from a light and fan and a three-bulb fixture over the sink. Four barn-light fixtures and a fan with two LED lights now brighten the space just enough.

This floor plan shows how Amorello squeezed everything she wanted into her new master bathroom and maximize every square inch of the 75-square-foot space. “It was nice being my own client for a change,” she says.

Amorello says the cost of materials was about $25,000. Most of the labor was a “gift from some pretty fantastic tradespeople,” she says. Those planning a similar project should budget around $50,000, she says. 

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Medicine Cabinets: Should You Get a Recessed or Wall-Mounted Style?

by Karen Egly-Thompson, Houzz Contributor

More than a storage place for aspirin and toothpaste, a medicine cabinet greets our reflection in the morning and ushers us to bed at nighttime. It’s the go-to for most of our everyday needs and a must in the bathroom.

Despite medicine cabinets’ utilitarian function, selecting one may not be as straightforward as you might think. Recessed cabinets look great but might require more work than you bargained for. Wall-mounted options are easier to install but can take up much-valued space. Here’s help for figuring out which approach and style are right for your bathroom.

Bill Fry Construction - Wm. H. Fry Const. Co.

Recessed Cabinets 

Pros: A recessed cabinet saves space and is typically more aesthetically pleasing, as it ties into the surrounding architecture versus jutting out. Recessed cabinets also meld well with both traditional and contemporary bathroom schemes.

Cons: A recessed cabinet is much more labor intensive than a wall-mounted one and probably will require a carpenter and other tradespeople, such as a plumber and an electrician, if you have to reroute pipes and wires. Thus it may cost more.

Another disadvantage of a recessed cabinet is that the front mirrored surface is a couple of inches farther away than that of its wall-mounted counterpart, which can be challenging for petite folks or people with vision problems.

Whitefield & Co, LLC

Ideal installation: A recessed medicine cabinet is perfect for a bathroom renovation project, because a considerable amount of construction is already involved.

Requirements: A recessed cabinet will need to have a framed box inside the wall to fit the model’s required dimensions on all four sides. Adding framing to accommodate this is a rather involved job.

If your recessed cabinet is planned for an existing wall, you (or a carpenter or contractor) should first open up the wall to see what’s behind the surface. Do this before you buy the cabinet.

A recessed cabinet cannot have any obstructions behind it, such as electrical wires, plumbing supply lines or non-load-bearing studs. If any of these are encountered, they probably can be rerouted, at a cost.

However, load-bearing framing and venting pipes are difficult and perhaps impossible to relocate. If you have those, you’d have to select a different location for the cabinet or get a wall-mounted one.

Gilmans Kitchens and Baths

For this project Este Stovall of Gilmans Kitchens and Baths says the 30-inch-tall Craftsman medicine cabinet, by Dura Supreme Cabinetry, wasdesigned to fit between two studs that measure 16 inches center to center. The recessed portion of the cabinet is 14½ inches wide and nestled in the opening between the two studs. “It’s installed by framing it to the two adjoining studs,” Stovall says.The frame overlays and covers the opening.

It’s important to note that older homes may have different on-center stud dimensions, and in that case would require extra framing.

The retail price for this unit runs about $500, depending on the style and finish.

Crisp Architects

Crisp Architects designed this custom installation to include two recessed medicine cabinets integrated into a mirrored wall. A push-to-open mechanism on the cabinet doors eliminated the need for door pulls and allowed the consistency of the mirrored surface to be highlighted, rather than its being visually interrupted.

Christian Gladu Design

Wall-Mounted Cabinets 

Pros: A wall- or surface-mounted cabinet is easier, because it doesn’t involve opening up and digging into a wall. A wall-mounted cabinet is perfect for either an existing or a new bathroom, and can even be a DIY project.

Cons: The cabinet protrudes from the wall instead of being flush with it. Some consider this not as aesthetically pleasing as a recessed cabinet. Also, variety is limited by the constraints of the cabinet design.

Requirements: If you’re tackling this project yourself, you just need to make sure you screw the medicine cabinet into a minimum of one wall stud. For that you’ll need to find a stud.

Some cabinet designs allow you to drill through any location in the back of the cabinet to enable anchoring to a stud. Otherwise you’ll need to pair the cabinet’s predrilled holes with a toggle bolt, nut and washer. Make sure the bolts are rated for the weight of the cabinet and the items you plan to store inside.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Cabinet Styles

Once you figure out whether to wall-mount or recess your cabinet, you’ll need to select a style. Medicine cabinet designs generally are traditional, contemporary or transitional in style. Let your home’s architecture or your personal preference be your guide.

Traditional. While many traditional-style medicine cabinets are framed in wood, other details — such as beveled mirrors, decorative molding, hardware and the surrounding architecture and finishes — play an equally important role in giving the cabinet a traditional look. Most traditional cabinets reference a Victorian style, although others, such as Craftsman-inspired styles, exist.

Smith & Vansant Architects had the cabinet shown here custom built into a side wall of a traditional bathroom. Successfully executed, it looks original to the house.

John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

Contemporary. For a sleek, modern look, go with a frameless medicine cabinet. Frameless mirrors are also easier to clean, because there are no edges to capture dust or paper towel lint. However, the edges can be sharper than framed alternatives, so be extra careful about using frameless designs if you have small children or anyone with vision challenges in the house.

Tatiana Takaeva

Here five frameless medicine cabinets have been placed together to create not only a lot of storage but a nearly seamless mirror surface.

John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

This design takes a different approach: TwoRobern medicine cabinets are paired on a glass block wall. Since the glass wall isn’t a support surface, the cabinets are supported (and wired) from above and below. Integrated vertical lighting provides valuable task lighting.

Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab

Transitional. Metal-framed medicine cabinets jockey effortlessly between traditional and modern styles. Depending on their surroundings, they can take on a retro or even an industrial look.

These Restoration Hardware cabinets support the classic style of the bathroom, designed byRebekah Zaveloff | Kitchenlab, but would look equally appropriate in a modern setting. This model normally retails for $630 to $750.

Harry Braswell Inc.

This Keuco cabinet is hinged horizontally rather than vertically. It also has mirrored sides, fluorescent lighting, power sockets and a sliding cosmetic mirror. Although it’s a cool design, this German-made beauty is pricey, selling for about $3,100.

CWB Architects

CWB Architects custom designed this medicine cabinet to be recessed in a custom-built 1½-inch painted wood frame that projects out from the wall. CWB’s Rachael Stollar says the company often customizes medicine cabinets for projects. This system features a fixed mirror flanked by two Robern M series frameless cabinets.

While the sleek style of the medicine cabinet itself is quite modern, the wood frame adds a traditional touch to blend with the more formal subway tile and Carrara marble finishes.

J. Carsten Remodeling

There’s always room for something off the beaten path. Jason Myrlie of J. Carsten Remodeling took an unusual approach by hiding this medicine cabinet behind framed artwork. His customer purchased a medicine cabinet with a mirrored door and supplied him with a picture.

“I removed the door, marked the picture for the location of the hinges, predrilled the holes and attached the picture using two woods screws per hinge,” Myrlie says. “I was also careful that the wood screws attached to an area that would support the picture and also that the wood screws did not go through the other side.”

NJW Construction

Built-in outlets are great for electric razors, hair dryers and the like. Outlets hidden behind closed doors also create a nicer look than ones visible on a wall.

If you’re looking for a medicine cabinet with power, make sure the outlet has a GFCI (ground fault circuit interruptor) if it’s located within 36 inches of a water source (which is likely, considering its bathroom location).

The GFCI is a device that detects small current leaks. If there is a leak, the GFCI disconnects the power to the circuit to prevent an electric shock. Check local codes if your project requires electrical work, as you’ll probably be required to hire a licensed electrician.

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