BRAYTON HOMESTEAD INTERIORS

Finding the Perfect Lighting Fixture

2018-09-26T21:32:00.000-04:00

I have been searching for new lighting for a few rooms at the homestead. Something fun and fanciful would be perfect.

Then, I thought to look at my Pinterest board: see here: https://www.pinterest.com/braytonhome/

Do you have a favorite?

I'm Back!

2018-07-19T18:04:00.000-04:00

I missed blogging! I have been involved in many projects, in many directions But, I have missed posting and reading your posts~ Additionally and thankfully, my Interior Design business has busy!

Making recycled jewelry has been a wonderful pastime.

I love making necklaces the most.

Getting lost in putting together the parts of the pendant is wonderful pastime!

The Brayton Homestead is still a most magical place to live!

Our sitting room, my favorite place for sipping tea...

and gardening can always transport you to a happy place!
Hoping you have all been well!

She Shed Dreams

2017-09-05T21:19:00.000-04:00

I so intended to create my She Shed this Summer. I envision a bright space created using recycled materials. I have been collecting antique doors and windows for the exterior for my oasis.

Creating a place fit for a queen for the day! Fresh fruit, croissants and freshly squeezed juice served on an old vintage silver tray sounds divine.

Mostly creams and white accented with wood tones (worn and aged, of course) will give the inside a vintage hideaway retreat. Will keep collecting antique furniture and architectural pieces and shoot for next year!

thanks for visiting!

Smells great: Looks great!

2017-01-26T17:22:00.001-05:00

I love making these Heart shaped homemade cinnamon decorations for Valentine's Day!

This easy to make cinnamon dough recipe is so easy to make! It makes wonderful smelling decorations!

This easy to make cinnamon dough recipe is so easy to make! The lovely homemade Country smelling decorations dry to a clay-like consistency.

Here is the recipe:

Dust hands with cinnamon for handling

1 cup applesauce
1-1 1/4 cup (130 grams) ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves (optional)

You can add a teaspoon of cloves, ginger and allspice to round out the fragrance.

To get them dry quicker, bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 150 degrees for one hour. Remove from the cookie sheets and bake on the oven racks for another hour and a half. (Don't roll thinner than 1/4 inch if you're using this method.) I like to let mine air dry.

Enjoy,

Karen

Visit: www.braytonhomesteadinteriors.com

My new favorite appetizer!

2016-12-23T15:56:00.001-05:00

My new favorite and easy dip/ ball! So easy to make and you may have many of the ingredients already!

Enjoy!

Pinecone Cheese Spread Appetizer

5 min

Ingredients: 1 8 ounce package Cream Cheese (I substitute Neufchatel Cheese to save calories), 2 T Dijon mustard, 3 T jalapeno peppers (or more to add spiciness), Pretzel crisps or crackers to serve, ⅓ C sliced almonds, 2 C shredded Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese

www.braytonhomesteadinteriors.com

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas, well about to start!!

2016-11-28T20:37:00.001-05:00

Enjoying one last pumpkin chocolate chip muffin and on to Christmas flavored and decoration at the Brayton Homestead!

Happy Birthday Krumpet!

2016-10-30T15:20:00.001-04:00

Dear Krumpet turned 9 years old! What a sweet soul he is! A great companion and good listener!

Thanks for visting!

www.braytonhomesteadinteriors.com

Small touches to create a Fall mantle scape in my kitchen

2016-09-17T04:27:00.001-04:00

I added a burlap wreath and decorative apples to my mantle design to create more of a Fall feel. The kitchen mantle already had my watercolors and frame .

I think the Burlap strapping draped through the mantle scape pulled the Autumn look together. Adding a few chestnuts from the homestead yard added a bit more texture; but only gathered a few from my yard this year. The squirrels got there first!

Happy Fall!

Garden is so lush this year!

2016-06-13T18:48:00.001-04:00

My garden is especially full this year at the Brayton Homestead. I think it is because in New England we have had high temperatures early.

The clematis are particularly full this year; love them!

The purple clematis contrast nicely with the pink and pale yellow roses. These plants have never bloomed together before! Hope they do again...

Thanks for visiting Brayton Homestead interiors and have a wonderful week,

Karen

New studio display~ recycled vintage!

2016-06-08T17:45:00.001-04:00

Many new recycled necklaces, (well vintage and recycled parts) in my studio! Do you like my new display? It was easy to create and portable for shows! Keep a lookout for a giveaway for one of my pieces! www.braytoncottage.com

Remembering

2016-05-30T18:39:00.001-04:00

"Remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms we share in this great nation"; a lovely quote from Susan Freeman. The Doyle family had a lovely day and hoping you did too! #BraytonHomesteadInteriors #braytonhomestead220

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!

2016-05-01T12:02:00.001-04:00

Recycled an old window screen into a necklace holder for my studio. With an old house 220 years old , I pick them up whenever I find them. Too small for my windows; Recycle & Reinvent!!

www.braytoncottage.com

Happy First Day of Spring!

2016-03-20T15:35:00.001-04:00

Happy First Day of Spring! Thinking of being out in a balcony in France!

Not that it is not lovely at the Brayton Homestead, but tonight here in Bew England, we are supposed to get snow! Yes SNOW!

I am going to look at pictures of gardens from Romantic Homes magazine and plan my summer plantings while sipping tea- here a mug ring from my Brayton Cottage online shop...

http://www.braytoncottage.com/shop/viewcategory.php?groupid=3

Enjoy!

Thinking Spring!

2016-02-22T10:16:00.001-05:00

I am thinking Spring! Typically, my style is more traditional with a lot of vintage and recycled materials; but I love everything about this room from Anthropologie! Remember using murals when I started my design business...

#Anthropologielove#braytonhomesteadloves Anthropologie

Snow at the Homestead!

2016-02-07T13:22:00.001-05:00

Love how the snow glistens on the architectural details, making then stand out even more!

Here at the Brayton Homestead, our house particularly shimmers with this lovely white coating in the recent snow storm. Historic houses like ours, built in the Federal period, have architecture that features clean simple lines and are symmetrical in design.

Thanks for visiting the Brayton Homestead...

Textures for Winter Warmth

2016-01-25T17:16:00.001-05:00

Winter textures, warm and inviting. Woven bottle cover, painted crunchy textures add visual warmth to any room.

My handmade hearts have old buttons and newly handyed fabric, sitting on the fireplace mantle.
Some items are available on my online shop; www.braytoncottage.com. Thanks for visiting the Brayton Homestead.

Happy Shiny New Year**

2015-12-28T13:00:00.001-05:00

Wishing you a *Shiny* New Year* !

A Country Homestead Christmas

2015-12-05T13:43:00.001-05:00

My Homestead front door is completed; do you like it?

Inspired by my recent visits to Colonial Williamsburg, I kept the decorations simple and authentic!

So fortunate that the woodwork is original, circa 1796. Fresh greens, red berries and a Tartan plaid ribbon bow is all that is needed at the Brayton Homestead!

Presented at FORT ADAMS, my 2nd fashion show

2015-09-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

Hi, I am excited to tell you that my Brayton Homestead Collection of clothing I designed was featured in another fashion show! The setting was perfect for my military style presentation at the famous FORT ADAMS in Newport, Rhode Island. I am just back for vacation (after the show) so I will post more photographs later.

thanks for visiting the homestead,

Karen

Published in Country Sampler magazine 1 year ago!

2015-04-05T18:22:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe it has been a year since my home, the Brayton Homestead, was published in Country Sampler Magazine! Boy does time fly. It seems like yesterday that Fifi O'Neil, the fantastic stylist and author of Prairie Style was here!

The house, built in 1796, has most of the original woodwork. These pictures are of one of the rooms, the bedroom, that was featured. The kitchen and sitting room were also in the magazine. Yes, I love pink, chenille and pillows!

Another wall in the bedroom has the original fireplace with my favorite wood work in the house. Painting detailed woodwork in an off white shows off all the curves. I love mixing shades of pink and maroons with brown to keep the colors grounded. My favorite vintage leopard hats adorn the mantle along with an angel watercolor I painted. Symmetry on the mantle works here in a room that is off- centered with a door and a chaise lounge.

Thanks for coming to the Homestead. Hoping you enjoyed pictures from Country Sampler Magazine!

Karen

thanks for visiting friends!

linking with:

My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia

Cozy Little House

Chartreuse , Tapestry & Recycled Wood

2015-03-10T10:10:00.000-04:00

Thank you for visiting Brayton Homestead. Our homestead was built in 1796 and it a wonderful home to live in. Rich textures and materials create a a warm and inviting feeling. Hope you enjoy the tour of our front entrance.

The front door entry,circa 1796, boasts original wide pine floor boards, antiques, tapestry and lots of the color chartreuse. I found this Victorian rocker with it's tapestry upholstery at an antique auction. The background color of the tapestry inspired all the hall's collectibles. The pillows are made from old carpets. Mixing patterned textiles is one of my decorating signatures in my design business.

Upon entering the hallway there are doors on either side to enter formal parlors. Straight ahead is a stairway that leads up to the second floor bedrooms. Two old white chippy corbels sit at the edge of the stairs. They break up all the wood tones while adding color and texture. I love adding recycled architectural salvage to any space.

More chartreuse! More tapestry! I had the corner cabinet made from old floor boards from another part of the house that were too damaged to repair. That is very unusual at the Homestead, we save and restore everything, but these boards were too damaged and weak. We recycled them to have a new life as a piece of furniture.

Vaseline glass pieces, Kewpie dolls, a bird's nest and photographs all mingle together, inspired by one color!

You never know where your decorating inspiration may come from, here it was a tapestry rocker. I added an old footstool near and a tapestry throw for more texture and pattern. I love the bohemian, yet Victorian look a mix of textiles create.

Inspiration is everywhere! Explore and enjoy

and

Thank you for visiting the Brayton Homestead!

Karen

Linking with :

How Sweet the Sound

My Uncommon slice of Superbia

Cozy Little House

Coastal Charm

Do you love to PUTTER?

2015-02-18T20:02:00.000-05:00

Do you love to “PUTTER” around your home, apartment or room? I do. My homestead living room is the perfect room to putter. Puttering to me is rearranging your decorating items to please your sensibilities at that moment. My circa 1796 is always easy to change things around in. Perhaps because the room's style is English Cottage. In an English home you might expect to see family treasures that have been passed down through the generations all together.

“ Puttering is really a time to be alone, to dream and get back in touch with yourself… To putter is to discover." Alexandra Stoddard

No matter what or where your personal space is, I think "puttering" is rearranging your belongings to create a space that reflects your needs and wants at that time. “

Rearranging personal mementos, creating a floral arrangement, switching lamps and art work , makes us decide on what is important to us at that time. I use a small bureau in my living room as an end table. Here I placed it in front of my window. Sometimes I use it as a nightstand.

Anywhere I place it , the bureau gives me additional storage, a great trick for small spaces where space is limited.

My collection of glass paperweights, vintage and new art pieces, sparkle with the light behind them. Old books and a ceramic piece my sister made spoke to me to be together.

So go ahead and putter. When you move your favorite things to another room or give it another purpose you appreciate and love it even more. You can always move things back where they were.

So can ahead and PUTTER!

Linking with these blogs:
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson
Elizabeth & Co.
Kathe with an E
Ivy & Elephants
The Dedicated House
From my Back Porch to Yours

Visit Brayton's profile on Pinterest.

RED CHECKS are so in! Happy Valentines Day

2015-02-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day friends!

Have you noticed that red checks are in style right now? They are especially so in Country Living magazine, my favorite magazine. So Brayton Homestead Interiors is right in style!

I have always wanted to create a "STAY CALM" poster; so here it is! I If you have visited my blog before you know that I love red checks. I am sharing some red check pictures from older blog posts and Pinterest , enjoy...

Here at the Homestead we celebrate all holidays with red checks. Krumpet, my yorkie, relaxes in style on his own check cushion. Checks items are available in so many stores now so it was easy to coordinate his dog bed into our kitchen. He is always ready to pose for the camera!

Red checks match my country kitchen decor, but tI have always loved them-they say old fashion gatherings to me. I like the fact that checks have a homespun look that reads no fuss. My new red check mason jar lids add extra charm to selecting a tea bag ....

Roosters rule on my Homestead spring time table, here set for light lunch with my sisters and friends. Old glass bottles that I collected hold an hydrangea at each setting...

A vintage cake mold in the shape of a lamb boasts a red check bow tie made from check ribbon. I layered the table first with a check tablecloth then added vintage crochet pieces on top. My antique coffee pot with it's matching sugar and creamer have wonderful red Bakelite handles, I think it makes the set extra special.

Here, I placed my cookies in red check bags for our Christmas time cookie exchange. I painted checks then glittered a small wood sleigh that centers my table .,. Boy, I could eat a gingerbread cookie right now..

The Fourth of July was not left out from the red check love! My dad's old tackle box became a holder for fresh flowers and flags. I just had a tuck in some fabric; you guessed it, red check !

I just purchased these red check cupcake liners from Sweet Estelle. I saw them featured in Country Living Magazine recently. I am sure I will be ordering more as red checks are always present here.

I am thrilled to be featured at Cozy Little House blog party!

Thank you for visiting Brayton Homestead

and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Karen

(all pictures are from Brayton Homestead blog and Pinterest except for cupcake liners)

Linking with these great blogs:

Dwellings the Heart of the Home,

French Country Cottage

Boogieboard Cottage

How Sweet the Sound

Skates, my favorite winter door accent

2015-01-26T16:53:00.000-05:00

We are anticipating over a foot of snow here in Massachusetts. We expect that at least once a season in New England, but that does not mean we welcome it. It is charming to look out the homestead windows.But someone has to shovel it! In this post I am sharing some older pics where I decorated the homestead with ice skates. My go- to winter icon in decorating my doors is vintage skates. My front door here boasts black skates with a plaid scarf , silver balls and silver stars. The silver reflects nicely with a spot light directed on it.

I painted these skates picturing a snowman on a blustery day for my friend for Christmas a few years ago.A bit of fur and glitter sparkle placed in front of the fireplace.

I am not a gifted skater but plan to try it again this winter. I should probably stick with watching the skating competitions, but am going to try.

Here, I simply added big red pompoms to the white skates. They remind me of the red fur pompoms I had on my skates as a girl. A little fake snow was attached with a glue gun and accented with red check ribbon bow. A great bonus for decorating with ice skates is that you can keep them up all season long.

Stay warm and

thank you for visiting the homestead.

Karen

Linking with these great blogs:

Savvy Southern Style,

Elizabeth & Co.,

Dwellings the Heart of the Home,

My Uncommon slice of Suberbia,

Coastal Charm

BLOG DECORATING CHALLENGE

2015-01-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

I was asked to take a BLOG CHALLENGE with the great online store, CHAIRISH. The challenge was to create an inspiration board around one of their vintage furniture pieces. To my delight there were many painted/ distressed beauties that I love ! Their vintage painted furniture perfectly reflects my decorating style at my own home, the Brayton Homestead, as well as being a furnishing accent I incorporate into many of my client's home at Brayton Homestead Interiors.

There were so many fantastic painted cupboards to choose from. As I had recently presented my recycled jean skirts in a fashion show at the East Bay Chamber of Commerce in Warren R.I., I was drawn toward furniture with a faded denim patina!

Doesn't this cabinet remind you of your favorite blue jeans?

Here I am at the end of the fashion show wearing one of my plaid skirts with a lace insert and gold tone buttons purchased from my trip to Williamsburg . I walked with a handsome and sweet male model wearing my designs. I made the ascot and cuffs he is wearing and accessorized a vintage jacket with an authentic tricorn hat and reproduction haversack. In the pixture in the top right corner on the inspiration board, a young female model struts her style in another of my one of a kind jean skirt designs with a vintage blue stripe fabric bottom with trim.

Pictures left to right.
row 1: 1. mirror from Chairish, 2. my pic from Williamsburg, 3. flag chest from Chairish, 4. model in Brayton Cottage show,
Bottom row 2 : 1.cabinet from Chairish, 2. Elle Decor and shirt Google.

Not to mention my farmhouse, the Brayton Homestead, circa 1796, has many painted furnishings. It is full with red, white and blue tones, especially checks. .(This picture was of my kitchen in Country Sampler magazine this year.)

Small patina pieces are easy to be found (some in my online shop) but it is harder to find larger pieces. My dream family room (below) would contain many perfectly worn furnishings. Vintage furniture adds a warmth to any space. Here, blues, gold and lots of comfort!

Crazy for this carpet too, also from Chairish; bold in color but still soft in tone and pattern. Both the chair and carpet are now on my wish list.

Red always make me smile, I hope that is the feeling when big red gates welcome visitors

to my homestead ;they never fail to get noticed.

So, what inspires your decorating ?

Family, home, patina, color and texture inspire me.

Distressed pieces take the worry out of a ding or scratch ruining your furniture. They make it more loved and comfortable -like your favorite pair of go-to jeans! Entertain and welcome your family and friends into your homestead, and enjoy!

Thank you CHAIRISH for presenting me with this blog challenge

and

Thank you for visiting the homestead

Karen