I met Molly a few months back, I came upon her blog and I was completely inspired and smitten.
Her style is authentic and simply gorgeous!
Once you read her post, you will see why I adore her.
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Hey there, friends of City Farmhouse!
My name is Molly Branstetter from The Poor Sophisticate Blog and I am completely thrilled and honored that Jennifer has asked me to share pictures of my home on her incredibly gorgeous and inspiring blog!
I am a California girl who married a sweet, southern man, and we relocated with the military to Europe in the Spring of 2012!
We moved into a 130 year old (rental) barn in the German countryside next to a giant castle ruin and we absolutely love our little village.
Because our barn is a rental, we did as much as we were allowed to make it feel as bright, cozy, and homey as we possibly could.
Here are a few “BEFORE” pictures!
Because our barn is so dark, we painted our walls a bright greige and added pops of quirky colors to lighten everything up.
I absolutely love blending unique and funky antiques that we find throughout Europe and putting them together in unusual combinations, to represent our roots and our journey together.
As the seasons change and we collect more goodies, I find myself shuffling our furniture around and changing the colors to keep things different and fun!
I have included pictures of our barn as it has changed through the different seasons.
Welcome to our dining room!
I love using old farm implements as interesting accessories like the rake (goblet holder) below.
We turned an awkward light-well (also seen in the before pictures) into a (free) pallet wine bar.
This is the living room which was formerly a bedroom, as seen in the above BEFORE pictures.
A homemade fireplace with all “found” objects and a new light fixture changed everything.
Here it is decorated for a snowy, white Christmas….
And bright and beachy for the summer.
Our Kitchen, which used to be incredibly dark, is now bright and cheery, repainted, and inspired by a French boulangerie.
Our goal is to make this shabby, old barn sunny during our time here.
Everything that we have changed or built (besides the paint) will move with us to our next destination.
and now…
We have a major shortage of storage space and used every inch of our home to display our things.
I love a good combination of old and new, shabby and clean-lined, and feminine and masculine.
I also love a few unexpected items thrown into the mix… that is where the hubs and I feel most comfortable!
Thank you so much for touring our barn in our little German village!
To finish the tour, I wanted to share a picture of our local castle ruin.
I would be completely thrilled if you stopped by my site to see me, our barn and some of my fun projects and tutorials!
Thank you again, lovely Jennifer and all the wonderful readers of her great blog! xoxo
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Creatively Made Home{Home for the Holidays} has officially opened registration!
Remember the post I did a few weeks ago about finding the right swivel chairs for my family room? Well, I bit the bullet and bought two Brynn Swivel chairs from Cost Plus World Market….
Wow friends, it’s been a hot minute, or two since I’ve posted here. But I’m happy to say I am back and have tons planned for the fall and holiday season. With that being said…
Hi there friends! I am about to hit a blogging milestone in March, 6 years!!! The design lesson that resonates most through this time is, beware of trends. With that being said I have seen a lot of trends come & go and many I was happy to see hit the road. There have been a few though, that stood the test of time, which is refreshing, we call these “evergreen” trends. One in particular that I loved from the very beginning is silhouettes and I am happy to say I still do. We have seen these traditional favorites done many ways through the years, so I thought why not update mine and give them a modern perspective using wood.
Happy almost Mother’s Day friends! It has been a running tradition that every year on this special day I ask for a plant(s) from my boys, whether it’s a house plant, herbs for my garden or beautiful perennials for the outside of the house. I love seeing them grow each year, to know they have a story attached to them and to know they will grow for years to come. My mom cherished her plants and even though she has been gone for 20 years my dad still cares for indoor plants, in a small way we still have a piece of her. I think that is why I ask for plants myself.
Happy Monday! I hope you ALL had a nice & relaxing weekend!! This has positively been one of the BEST summers of my life:). My boy are getting older, as am I (just turned the BIG 40…
Lets face it, home design trends can be tricky. They can also be costly if you try to keep up with them year after year. With that being said knowing them can also be helpful….
13 Comments
WOW, love how you made a “rental” awesome and “your” space! Jen thanks for sharing and Molly I will be reading your blog as soon as I am done posting this…. 🙂 I hope you both have an awesome day! 🙂
Molly creating such a beautiful & inviting space. I am happy you loved the tour too Debra!
Jen
wow as soon as i saw the sneak peek on instagram i knew this would be a great one. there are so many blogs out there and so many similar styles and this one has the perfect european rustic shabby industrial style. it feels fresh and to think it is a rental. the pallet island. wonderful! i love it. heading over to molly’s blog right now.
OMW! Heaven on earth. Germany is the most beautiful place I have ever been! Your barn/home is gorgeous!! Your European treasures are awesome and you have displayed them so well! I’ll be heading over to check out and follow your blog. Thanks for sharing, Jen
Her style is to die for! I love every detail, truly breathtaking!!
Fotini
I know her style is so unique & authentic! I want to pop over for coffee:).
Jen
Molly…you are to be congratulated! What a terrific job you have done with your home. I’m envious of you being able to live in such a beautiful place. You’re one very talented gal. Thanks for sharing your pics with us. One question….where did you find your cloche that sits on your island? My friend and I have been trying to locate one like that….there are a lot of cloches out there, but we’re trying to come close to what you have. Just wondering if you perhaps found it somewhere on line.
What a beautiful and unique home! Thanks for sharing! Life to the full! Melissa
She is our designer and we just love her and her fun style.
I love the Poor Sophisticate! Amazing house tour 😉
Jamie @ somuchbetterwithage.com
A barn turned into a home. Simply beautiful and inspiring! Anyone know where to find the big chalkboards with gold frames????
WOW! Absolutely adore every bit of it!! Especially the idea of a small remote European village!! Each room makeover is fantastic!! I really love the new “fireplace” and wine bar!!
WOW, love how you made a “rental” awesome and “your” space! Jen thanks for sharing and Molly I will be reading your blog as soon as I am done posting this…. 🙂 I hope you both have an awesome day! 🙂
Molly creating such a beautiful & inviting space. I am happy you loved the tour too Debra!
Jen
wow as soon as i saw the sneak peek on instagram i knew this would be a great one. there are so many blogs out there and so many similar styles and this one has the perfect european rustic shabby industrial style. it feels fresh and to think it is a rental. the pallet island. wonderful! i love it. heading over to molly’s blog right now.
OMW! Heaven on earth. Germany is the most beautiful place I have ever been! Your barn/home is gorgeous!! Your European treasures are awesome and you have displayed them so well! I’ll be heading over to check out and follow your blog. Thanks for sharing, Jen
Her style is to die for! I love every detail, truly breathtaking!!
Fotini
I know her style is so unique & authentic! I want to pop over for coffee:).
Jen
Molly…you are to be congratulated! What a terrific job you have done with your home. I’m envious of you being able to live in such a beautiful place. You’re one very talented gal. Thanks for sharing your pics with us. One question….where did you find your cloche that sits on your island? My friend and I have been trying to locate one like that….there are a lot of cloches out there, but we’re trying to come close to what you have. Just wondering if you perhaps found it somewhere on line.
What a beautiful and unique home! Thanks for sharing! Life to the full! Melissa
She is our designer and we just love her and her fun style.
I love the Poor Sophisticate! Amazing house tour 😉
Jamie @ somuchbetterwithage.com
A barn turned into a home. Simply beautiful and inspiring! Anyone know where to find the big chalkboards with gold frames????
WOW! Absolutely adore every bit of it!! Especially the idea of a small remote European village!! Each room makeover is fantastic!! I really love the new “fireplace” and wine bar!!