I have been both blessed and cursed by my home.
Don’t get me wrong: I love my home. But, as with all great relationships, we have our moments…
You see, my home was my grandmother’s home. The matriarch of our family, the woman for whom I was named, my archetype for ‘Grandmother’. And she loved her home. As it was. As she made it.
So nearly a decade after her death, when Chip, the girls, and I moved in, it was like coming home. I was immediately welcomed by each room and knew exactly where each piece should go: the Sheraton sideboard on that wall; the bull’s eye mirror opposite it, over the mantel.
Our move, as moves always are, had been unsettling to us all, so the warmth of our new-old home’s embrace was calming, even necessary.
Perfect, right?
Well . . . you see, even as a child, I didn’t like the dark-stained woodwork throughout. And the wallpaper – in EVERY room – not a fan. Chip and the girls have never cared for the 1940s-era curtains throughout the main floor, but I love them, and they were grandmother’s (And, truth be told, I get weak in the knees over vintage fabric – so . . .)
As I said, we have our moments.
Over the years (we moved here in 2001) we’ve changed little pieces here and there: soapstone counters and new cabinets in the kitchen, paint here and there. In fact, several Christmases ago, the girls painted and completely decorated my grandmother’s study, turning it into my perfect, private space. You see, I am blessed.
But still, much as I love my home, its history, its embrace, it is time to re-think it and make it my own.
So I’ve decided, as part of this catharsis, to take you on a tour of our home, Clifton-on-the-Monocacy (yes, every self-respecting farm has a name, and that is ours.).
I’ll share with you the spaces and contents that make my house my home, and then, online, you’ll have the opportunity to buy some of these one-of-a-kind items, one room at a time. And, yes, each of the main floor rooms has a name: The Long Room, the Square Room, the Dining Room, The Glass Room, and the Kitchen. We’ll be visiting them in that order.
Just as Chartreuse & co is the expression of my ideal shopping experience, so I want this house tour to be the ultimate tour: I always want those just-right pieces I see in blog posts and magazines. This way, you’ll get to have your pick of the great stuff you see!
So here’s a few vintage pictures to tease you – showing the house over the years. Enjoy!
(And stay tuned to see what it’s like today.)
I’ll try to gather some more historic photos as I go through. This has already been a great pleasure to me. Hope you have fun with it, too!
Thanks for reading,
Virginia