About 18 months ago my husband and I decided to move from a condo on the harbor in Lewes "to the country". We were able to custom build a new French Country style house - in a "France meets the Beach" style! Although it would be wonderful to replicate all the fine materials of a French villa, our budget and the environmental demands of a seaside location didn't permit us to do so.
Throughout the 18 months I religiously read and collected ideas from many blogs - none more than Joni Webb's "Cote de Texas" and Brooke Giannetti's "Velvet and Linen". The influence of these talented women was great -- and it helped guide all of our design decisions. We already owned a nice collection of French antiques and accessories, so the rest just involved lots of restraint in colors, but no-holds-barred when it came to texture. Joni taught me the impact of linen, slipcovers and seagrass and Brooke taught me the importance of introducing patina and texture to the pristine new finishes.
Our home includes a 'proper studio' for painting. It will be featured in a future blog -- not ready for prime time (but I am finally back to painting and have a couple of commissions finished)
So at long last welcome to Overfalls Drive, Lewes, Delaware!
The courtyard is probably our favorite architectural feature. Although we have a beautiful stone wall complete with copper spigot, a fountain is still in the project stage. It's ETA is early fall. My husband is hand making the fountain, and used the two planter boxes on top of the stone wall as prototypes. Everyone loves them and can't wait to see the fountain which will be fashioned after a watering trough - very simple.
The front door is French Blue (of course) and Restoration Hardware zinc planters hold fragrant heirloom Darwin yellow roses. The house is cream with black trim, so the zinc and yellow colors are just right.
Just inside the front door, a French lantern greets. Brooke convinced me to use this lantern because it is beautiful, albeit it not the finest French antique I could find. Its grand scale fits nicely with the 12 foot foyer ceiling
![]() |
| The painting is by local artist Steve Rogers. My husband is a sailor and this is the inlet into which he sails. |
The 'gallery' that leads to my painting studio (more details to follow)
![]()
|
The door at the end of the hall was boring so we hung a picture on it!
Not sure yet how to treat the south facing windows. |
I use a vintage French vineyard table as a foyer table - something I've always wanted. Right now it's displaying an antique bird cage filled with a sparkly 4th of July decoration. We hope to easily transport the vineyard table into the courtyard for impromptu dining once the temperatures cool down.
Maybe the fountain debut will call for dinner al fresco?
I found this little French chair at a thrift store, and once painted and reupholstered with linen (of course) it is just perfect near the front door. The etched glass panel above the chair is from England - and it shows a sailing ship similar to our city's Kalmar Nichol replica tall masted ship. The round picture frames hold vintage country French peasant paintings. I've had them many years looking for the perfect location - I found it!
The open living room is bright and beautiful. Note the vintage pine fireplace mantle - a talented designer friend of mine acquired it from the Chadds Ford Inn main dining room when the Inn was (sadly) remodeled.
There is a date of '1810' on the back of the mantle. Brooke - more patina! I am a watercolor artist and I painted the poppies just for this location. The French chairs were restored and upholstered in a black/white check. They are sturdy enough to serve as extra seating. Joni, do you notice the fabric on the two upholstered benches? Yep, I loved what you did for one of your clients and used the same Windsor Smith fabric. That's our screened porch beyond the benches --
The above antique botanical prints were purchased in the early 1980's in London - and framed over the course of years - the mats are hand colored specifically for each print by a Parisian artist! The pumpkin pine chest is from Pennsylvania. Here's another glimpse of the Windsor Smith Riad fabric. Pillows from the fabric are on the project board, but not complete.
Aidan Gray lamps with vintage weight scale.
Our breakfast room is bright and cheery. The Welch Cupboard is from the mid 1800's and has blessed several of our homes. I have fun decorating the shelves seasonally. The bistro table and chairs are originally from France - but were acquired from a Craig's List posting. What a deal!
The kitchen was designed by Rebecca Fluharty, an award winning professional with our builder, Schell Brothers. The shelving is vintage barn beam which was planed just the right size. The chandelier over the island is from France - purchased at a wonderful Chicago store called Paris to the Moon. A number of fixtures were acquired there - including matching sconces in the breakfast room.
The dining room is graced with my all-time favorite antique - an armoire purchased from the talented and feisty Mary Anne Flaherty at Beadboard UpCountry in Brenham, Texas. It made the move back to the East Coast with not a scratch and now houses many treasures. The chandelier and sconces are Aidan Gray and the beautiful painting is by Delaware artist Marjorie Egee. The sailboat is a nod to the beach. Restoration Hardware slipcovered chairs are comfortable and just the right scale. A pair of armchairs make a wonderful reading spot until they are needed for dining around the table.
In our 1800 square foot condo, my husband's study had been reduced to a Ballard Designs desk-in-an-armoire. He is loving his own space and I loved making my first set of French pinch pleat drapes!
![]() |
| My first pinch pleat draperies!! |
Our bedroom suite is so soft and inviting. We used a Pottery Barn linen upholstered headboard. The chandelier is Aidan Gray and linens from France. The watercolor painting above the bed will be supplemented with more art (I know it's too small) but this is an especially meaningful painting to us. I am planning a Sea Glass themed watercolor painting collection and some sea glass will supplement the Texas Bluebonnet painting. What a reatreat our bedroom is!
![]()
The drapes look like a ballgown. Candace Olsen linen fabric stenciled with silver.
![]()
Console and mirror are from a local thrift store! These are in a small foyer which separates our bedroom from the master bath.
Be sure and note the teddy bear in the chair. I don't know about you, but I wrestled years with what to do with my wedding gown. A wonderful person took the dress apart and made this precious bear for me to enjoy every day. She carefully packaged the extra fabric for what may some day be christening gowns (hint, hint). I went from feeling guilty about hauling the dress from one place to another, to enjoying holding my bear any time I want. I can still see my grandmother hand sewing the beads on the dress -- the same beads on the bear (awwww).
Incidentally, this chair is also from Beadboard UpCountry!
The back screened porch is our daily retreat.
![]() |
| Warning - this wicker sofa will hold you down and make you nap! |
We overlook a beautiful pond and have so enjoyed learning about the ecology of the pond's plant and animal life. We're eagerly anticipating the arrival of some ducklings. The pond is professionally maintained and planted, so the colors and textures are beautiful.
![]() |
| Our morning coffee spot |
I hope you've enjoyed visiting our home. We love it, and I love you, Joni and Brooke. You didn't even know it but you were hard at work in Delaware on one of the most appreciated projects you'll ever complete. Thank you both, and thanks to all you bloggers who fill my life with beauty and inspiration.
