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This Renovated Farmhouse Is Packed With Smile Inducing—and Budget-Friendly!—Decorating Ideas
Talk about character building! This almost-forgotten Wisconsin foreclosure is now thoughtfully custom-fit for a resourceful family of six.
Halena Ernst didn’t even get past the front porch of the Amery, Wisconsin, farmhouse she now calls home before proclaiming, “I want it.” She and husband Josh, who were making the move from nearby Wausau, had been searching high and low for the perfect home for the family. “Not a single place felt right until I saw the bones of this old sunporch,” says Halena. Just beyond that so-right front porch, she found high ceilings, grand windows, tall millwork, and more potential than she could have ever hoped for. It also came with a very long list of to-dos. “The house was in foreclosure, and while the architecture was there, it was in rough shape—grimy floors and walls, tired paint, and an empty kitchen,” she says. “But I knew we could handle it.” Lucky for Halena, that can-do spirit is matched by skill. The resourceful couple immediately got down to business on a three-month refresh. Take a peek inside to see the cheerful results.
Exterior
After swapping out the home’s previous front door with an antique one, Halena coated it in a punchy, can’t miss coral hue to pop against the gray exterior.
Get the Look:
Front Door Paint Color: Coral Flower by Glidden
Sun Porch
In the sunroom, a favorite spot for family story time, pretty pillows hand-sewn by Halena’s mother, including one crafted from a Wisconsin souvenir handkerchief, dress up all the chairs—including the mini rocker. Also handcrafted: the light fixture featuring a reclaimed wicker basket.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: White Dove by Benjamin Moore
RELATED: Check Out More Pretty Sunroom Ideas for Creating Your Own Slice of Paradise
Home Office
Room by room, Halena mixed chippy antiques alongside big-box, budget-friendly purchases. Also part of the mix: a mix of vintage finds and handmade pieces. In the entry nook, she created an office space, anchored by her grandfather's old desk which they rescued from the school where he worked. The yellow and green paint on the stairs was revealed when she removed outdated carpeting.
Hand-stitched Family Portrait
Halena’s mother stitched the Ernst family portrait, right down to mixed-breed pup Hector.
Kitchen
Josh took on the kitchen, transforming it from blank and bare to a happy space. “When I say it was empty, I mean it,” says Halena. “There were no cabinets, no appliances, not even a light fixture!” Josh started from the ground up, adding hex tile, assembling modular cabinetry, and installing shiplap-like paneling. A vintage schoolhouse chalkboard showcases favorite recipes (and occasional kids’ artwork) while providing a visual break from the “shortcut” shiplap. (“They’re just strips of plywood nailed to the wall,” says Halena.) Built by Josh, the floating bar top in front of the window was a small-space solution, as were the wall-mounted crates. “It’s basically our pantry,” says Halena.
Kitchen Open Shelving
Halena’s collection of Fiestaware platters and bowls—almost all family hand-me-downs—brings pops of color to the handcrafted open shelves. Faux butcher block countertops and oversize wood knobs lend cottage appeal to simple Shaker-style cabinetry.
Get the Look:
Cabinetry: Sektion by Ikea
Sink: Havsen by Ikea
Butcher Block Countertops: Karlby by Ikea
Dining Room
“As soon as I saw the dining room table, I could visualize a bunch of kids sitting around it, eating, laughing, and playing games,” says Halena, who bought it before she even had children. A painted bench and mismatched antique chairs offer ample seating. “I’m kind of a pack rat when it comes to chairs. I probably have seven or eight more in the basement.”
Boys’ Bunk Room
Like much of the rest of the house, Josh flexed more DIY muscle on kid-related projects like the triple bunk beds in the boys’ bedroom. “I just handed him a sketch, and he ran with it,” says Halena.
Kids' Desk Area
Behind the boys’ shared desk, a woodland-patterned peel-and-stick wallpaper adds youthful spirit to standard shelves. It also appears as a makeshift headboard behind the triple bunk bed, custom-built by Josh (previous slide).
Get the Look:
Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper: Wild by Chasing Paper
Hallway Art Gallery
A narrow hallway between the upstairs bedrooms serves as a revolving gallery for the kids’ artwork.
Playroom Toy Storage
In the playroom, plain canvas toy bins get a cute and practical upgrade with flashcard labels (marked “marble,” “doll,” “train,” “army,” and so forth) made by Halena.
Ada’s Bedroom
It’s usually the colorway of old heirlooms that attracts Halena’s attention, which was the case with the patchwork quilt at the end of her daughter Ada’s bed. (This one even set the tone for the room’s soft blue walls.) On a newer note, colorful curtains (hand-sewn by mom) are a response to Ada’s insistence that Halena uses too much white when decorating. “I thought, I’ll show you!” says Halena.
Get the Look:
Upper Wall Paint Color: Window Pane by Sherwin-Williams
Backyard Playhouse
Josh built the kids’ dreamy playhouse with wood salvaged from a neighbor’s discarded fence. Not only does the design, envisioned by Halena, boast a Dutch door, but it also has a loft, secret door, and its very own patio complete with a pint-size picnic table.
RELATED: 20+ DIY Playhouse Ideas That Will Make Your Kids' Dreams Come True
Backyard Garden
After tackling the nitty-gritty of the yard—a lot of weeding and pruning, says Halena—the couple added wooden boxes, stenciled to look like old fruit crates. The garden beds, which house carrots, tomatoes, herbs, and flowers, border a sitting area with a galvanized fire pit and spray-painted chairs. Halena also painted the “Fresh Produce” sign that provides a unique focal point.
Meet the Ernst Family!
With the home more or less complete—“When you're a picker and a crafter, no room is ever ‘done’” Halena says—the Ernst gang (Halena and Josh Ernst with their four kids Ada, Charlie, Felix, and Harry) has happily settled in. “It took a lot of work, but there's something satisfying about looking around and knowing we've made our mark on every last inch.”
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