The First Style House -Restored Bellport Victorian
My name is Megan. I live in this restored Victorian Farmhouse with my caring husband and our two wonderful children, in Bellport, Long Island, NY.
Where do you live and what do you love about where you live? What inspires you about where you live? Does where you live influence how you decorate?
We are nestled on the Great South Bay. The Brookhaven, Bellport and East Patchogue area is surrounded by nature. There is not just the bay and the Atlantic Ocean but also the Island’s beautiful landscape with nearby farm stands, vineyards and wooded areas, as well as lots of small towns that resemble those of New England (where I grew up).
I love our proximity to Manhattan. The closeness, which has made Bellport a summer destination for Cityfolk looking to swim and sail, was part of what attracted us, as well. Having the charming village of Bellport, full of historic homes that are as beautiful now as when they were built, within walking distance was another draw. My husband grew up nearby, but even he is amazed at how great the area really is. There is so much to love about Long Island – and this part of Long Island in particular – that it is hard not to be inspired. But above all else, we probably love the history and the water.
What inspires you about your home? What inspires you when you decorate your home? What is your style? Do you have a label to your style? What colors and textures do you love & use often?
We went house hunting on somewhat of whim. We knew we wanted an older home, with lots of character, but most of the older homes we saw needed too much work (I am so envious of those who take on major restoration projects. I wish I had that talent!).
When we walked into this house, it was love at first sight. Our home is a Sears, Roebuck & Co. Model Homes Kit House built between 1910 and 1912 and restored just before we purchased the home in 2007. We believe our home is “Model No. 167” later renamed the “Maytown” (although it appears that the floor plan was reversed). It would have cost between $645 and $2,038. There is lots of neat information about Sears Home Design here.
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I love how our home is both unique (a mail order home from the early 20thCentury?!) and traditional. I love the high ceilings and protruding bays. I love the third floor’s unfinished “Granny Attic” that we hope will someday be our master suite. I love how full of light our main floor is. There are 20 windows on the 1st floor – many of them with the original, beautiful “wavy” glass (pretty, but unfortunately, not very energy efficient!). The house has a beautiful turret and porch columns and spindles that have led more than one of our six–year-old daughter’s friends to describe it as a castle (lol!). I prefer “Victorian Farmhouse” – and totally American!
The history behind our community and our house is inspiring to me, as is nature. I am drawn to use lots of neutrals, blues and especially greens. We have so much green now but I still have to force myself to consider other colors. Right now, I am obsessed with burlap and linen fabrics.
O
ur style is traditional, but beyond that, I don’t think it fits any specific label. I like to pull from shabby chic, country, cottage, old world, romantic, craftsman, beachy, and French Country. I strive for simple, timeless, soft, well worn and cozy.
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What is your favorite place/room in the house? Why?
Is there any part of your home you are especially proud of?
M
y favorite room, which is also the space we are most proud of, is our open living room/dining room. When we moved into our home, we were coming from a one-bedroom apartment in New York City and had little furniture to fill the space. What we did have, was dark and heavy… perfect for our NYC apartment, but completely out of place in our bright, open, sunny room. We found two damask armchairs at an Ethan Allen tent sale. Buying them felt bold and risky but they were the perfect inspiration. We loved layering in different fabrics for the love seat, dining room chairs and rugs. With the help of a wonderfully patient friend and design consultant, the window treatments (for eight windows!) include silk Dupioni Roman shades from J.C. Penney and custom-made toile drapes. My husband deserves full credit for the beautiful toile drapes; when I hedged and feared that the popularity of toile would wane, he reminded me how classic toile is. We finally have all the artwork in place, but the rooms aren’t done. We still need a mantle for the brick fireplace and the room still needs “layers.” We both dislike clutter, so I am always on the hunt for meaningful objects to carefully layer in.Where do you shop for furnishings & home accessories?
Most of our NYC apartment furnishings came from Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, with a few accent pieces from local antique/reproduction furniture stores. Here at our home, the living room and dining room furniture came primarily from Ethan Allen. I love looking in magazines (Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Traditional Home, Southern Living) and catalogues (Ballard Designs). I run into Jen almost every Friday morning at Home Goods and I love rummaging through antique stores.
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What is the starting point for you when you decorate a room? What do you feel completes your space?
Function seems to be my starting point when beginning to decorate a room – be it comfort, storage, etc.
It is our personal touches that complete a room – those things that are meaningful and aesthetically pleasing. For us, that means family photos, books and art. We all love to read and have hundreds of books. We can’t wait to add built-ins to our family room so we can display them. Most of our art depicts sentimental locations – the gazebo on the village green, the playground on the bay where the children spend all summer playing, our local beaches – all painted by local artists and purchased in the village. (We love supporting both the artists and the small business galleries – they are part of what make the village so special!)
One thing your home can’t live without ?
Those same family photos, books and art are the very things we couldn’t live without.
And blankets. We all love to snuggle together under comfy blankets, quilts and afghans! I can never have enough!
Lastly, flowers. I really enjoy fresh flowers, whether they are displayed in beautiful Tiffany vases or Mason jars! I love to bring a little of the outside in. My thoughtful husband still brings me flowers almost every week (for 11 years!) and now my four-year-old son likes to help him pick out the “rosiest” bouquets for me!
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Any decorating tips you might like to share?
I have always heard that it is best to focus on one room at a time. That seems logical, but practically speaking, it has never worked for me. It takes time to find the perfect pieces! We decided early on to take our time and live with bare walls and empty spaces, rather than hang and place pieces just to fill space. I love almost everything we have done… the only exceptions are the times when I rushed to buy something.
When you are not decorating & spending time with your family, what feeds your soul? What are you passionate about?
Before becoming a mom, I was a non-profit event planner. Now that I’m home with my children full-time, I love being able to still utilize those skills. Any reason to get together and celebrate (Birthday? Holiday? Book Club?) deserves a creative, well-thought out and executed affair. The more attention to detail, the better!
I’ve also recently discovered my love for landscaping and gardening. I think of it as an extension of our inside décor. I love researching, planning, drawing and planting the perfect tree, shrub or flower. Even weeding is fun! My Mother’s Day gift was gift cards to my favorite nurseries (Woodside Nursery & Garden Center, Daisy Garden and Bayport Flower Houses). We’ve just finished planting shrubs around our foundation and I cannot wait to start adding in flowers to give it a pop of color (I’m thinking pink!).
If you are curious, you can see the before photo here.
Thank you for stopping by today to visit us
&
sharing in our very first
Style House!
I hope you enjoyed taking a tour of my dear friend
Megan’s beautiful & stylish home!
Happy Friday Everyone!
-Jen
Another beauty! I’m so glad I found your house tours. 🙂
I own a Sears Maytown, also. It’s neat seeing another.
I’m looking to building a Maytown house, trying to find floor plans and Sears hasn’t been much help.