Dan wants to move into a schoolhouse. True story.

Being the magazine junkie that I am, each month I get to see a lot of different homes. Some good, some bad and some that just make me shudder and wonder how the style editors still have their jobs. 

Case in point - the worst room that I've ever seen in a reputable magazine featured French toile wallpaper on the walls, ceiling, bedding and window coverings. Yup. Nasty. Remember my cardinal sins of design and letting a theme take over? Bingo! I can see toile drapery, or perhaps the side chair and some of the bedding the whole room? That seems a bit excessive....besides, who really wants to look at trippy imagery of French women in hoop skirts as they're trying to fall asleep.  not this guy.

Moving on, every once and awhile I'll come across an article showcasing a room or design style that I love. And while I'll generally clip or rip out pictures and articles that I like, sometimes I'll come across a story that I love enough that I'll stash the magazine.

One of my favourite homes was featured in Country Living a couple of years ago. Two guys purchased a 950 SQFT rundown school house in the Catskills, renovating and furnishing it for under $30,000.00.  Which still seems like a lot of money to a guy like me, but when you think about what they did it seems like a hell of a bargain.

This place oozes character and whenever I'm flipping through MLS listings and come across old schoolhouse conversions for sale I think about the bright yellow door and what can be done with a space like this.

I love everything about this home's kitchen. It's the perfect mix of vintage and modern with some whimsy thrown in for good measure. Stainless steel pared with classic shaker cabinetry in an espresso tone, some kitschy travel plates and a punch of colour on the ceiling.

Here's the kitchen from another angle. The homeowners have managed to bring in an array of colours and patterns without leaving this room (and also the adjacent living room) from feeling too busy or too hodge-podgey. I'd love to work and entertain in this space!

On through to the living room, you'll see a lot more of the greens and blacks that were in the kitchen - which help create a cohesive feel. The different patterns introduced help breakup the space and keep it unique. I love that they haven't been afraid to mix colour and pattern through the introduction of accent pieces like the cushions and also pieces like the antique bureau and the yellow stand. The chandelier isn't typically a piece that I'd gravitate towards, but somehow it seems to work!

Leading up to the second level, the guys have created a unique gallery space and have piled on the pattern and glam. Through keeping the same base green tones throughout the space and in using patterns with a similar feel they've kept the space from looking too busy. While some might argue with me that I'm going back on or contridicting my idea of letting a theme or idea go to far I say, no way! This is the perfect balance. The railing helps break up the space and the white ceiling and floor boards help ground the space.

I'm in love with this bedroom. The cocoa brown serves as an excellent backdrop to the couple's collection of vintage art and prints. I've been on the hunt lately for unique pieces that I can incorporate into my living room and I'm all over the crest that is leaning against the wall. I've kept my eye out for a similar piece for awhile now and am hoping that eventually I'll stumble across a piece (maybe even the same piece) at Goodwill or in a box at an auction. If you're not a big fan of the brown, picture this space in something like a robin's egg blue - how great would that look?

The master bedroom introduces a soft yellow tone into the home and looks amazing! Imagine waking up each morning in that space? Notice that while the walls are yellow, that green tones once again make up the palette for accents in this room. Also - I'm green with envy over the build-in bookcases; I'd kill for something like that!

Remember the bright yellow tone on the front door? The homeowners have brought it upstairs to use on further built-in storage and I love it!

And last but not least we have the home's bathroom. I'm a sucker for farmhouse style pedestal sinks and this my friends is no exception. While I'm currently stuck with a 70s style MDF cabinet with yellow marble top in my flat, this is what I dream of. Obviously not the most practical of solutions if you're looking for storage, but at this stage in the game I'm more focused on how great this looks and how it adds to the open feel of the space.

The homeowners have gone to great lengths to bring in personal and unique touches into the space - notice elements like the vintage paint-by-numbers and pink bedside lamps? Pieces like this only add to making a space go from being a house to turning it into a home.

While I've tried to incoporate some of the ideas shown into my own space I'm a ways off...which means one of two things. A) time to go thrifting for vintage paint-by-number kits to hang on my living room walls of B) head back to the MLS listings to see if I can find a school house for next to nothing. Hmm....

D-

All imagery - http://www.countryliving.com