French Country Christmas at the Cabin

Hi there,

I wanted to share this wonderful weekend home of the late Charles Faudree with you even though I know it's been seen before.  It's so perfect and cozy for Christmas, it's worth repeating.  And for those of you who haven't seen it before, it's an absolute treat.

This was an old, rundown cabin that became available for sale near Charles' previous cabin.  It wasn't selling as it was in such terrible condition no one was willing to take on the problems involved in updating.  However, once Charles looked at it and realized its potential, he bought it.  Once in his possession, and after a year of renovations under his careful eye, the cabin became the charmer you see below.

His detail is impeccable and his collections one of a kind.  

And now that he is no longer with us, we can only appreciate his wonderful work from the past......

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

This foyer was once the 4th bedroom of the cabin.  The cabin didn't even have a front door, so Charles added the door and foyer.  Notice the planked and beamed ceilings and rustic flooring accessorized with his beautiful French antiques.

Such simple details, but perfect results.....

This was called the 'big room' with a raised, planked ceiling and a 12' tree covered with hundreds of Victorian glass ornaments.  Charles bumped the back of this room out another 10 feet.  Notice the dutch door.

The 'big room' fireplace with the white distressed Swedish look furniture.

The view from one of the four floor to ceiling windows Charles added in the 'big room'.

How can you go wrong with blue and white stripes and gingham....

The dining end of the kitchen with wallpaper mimicing barn siding.  The ceiling was formerly a fence from Charles' previous home.  Staffordshire chicken lamps on a 19th century pine buffet.

The kitchen accessorized with Charles' blue and white collection and a 19th century tole tray featuring a winter scene.

The master bedroom with the original log walls and ceiling...again with his blue and white fabrics and quilt.....gorgeous!  He originally planned to paint the logs white to have continuity throughout the house (as he usually recommends), but after living with the dark walls one winter, he realized they had to remain dark.....so cozy.

The master bedroom stone fireplace and antler chair.

Small but striking....

And I am adding this guest room of Charles' although I am not exactly sure if it was in this cabin or one of his previous cabins.....wherever it was, it is certainly too special to omit from this post on a Christmas cabin.

TBT - Ainsworth Noah Cabin

Hi Everyone,

I hope you don't tire of my cabin posts.  This should be the last one for awhile, but I wanted to share this beautiful home in - guess where? - Cashiers, North Carolina!!  Remember here and here?  So, Toby West, Ainsworth and Noah were neighbors with the late Charles Faudree who also had a cabin here and who decorated the home I featured in 'Cabin Fever'.  Apparently, this mountain area is a haven for other decorators, too.

It's a small world and a an awful lot of talent in these hills.

So, Hal Ainsworth and Winton Noah, who at the time of this publication, owned the largest space at the Atlanta Decorating and Design Centre, a condo in Atlanta, and an apartment in Paris decided to build this log home as their weekend getaway.

With it's massive 32-foot ceilings in the entrance hall and the living room, they needed large scale furnishings to make the spaces cozy and welcoming.  As an example, the living room sofa is 109" long and 46" deep.  The doorways are 8' tall.

Since they regularly travelled to Europe 6 - 8 times a year for their valued finds and clearly had lots of great pieces to choose from, they then proceeded to fill their home with a collection of antiques, folk art, twig and willow furniture - all complemented by the homey touches of quilts, toiles, plaids and checks.  All just beautiful.

But, the biggest surprise of all was the white shiplapped and beamed guest room with blue and white decor!  At first, I thought there were some pages missing from the magazine and that I was looking at another story, but, no it was all part of the plan......as well as another white walled guest room and games room.

Quite a partnership these two have considering that Ainsworth was quoted as saying in the article that "I can decorate and Hal can't add"!  Obviously, they work as a tandem team and fill in the voids for one another as needed.

Enjoy!

They have three wraparound porches.

The very big sofa I mentioned.

Hal's bedroom with a Niermann Weeks bed and Carleton Varney toile.

Winton Noah's bed is made from local wood.

And this is the surprise - love the shiplap walls and painted beams.  Also, the blue and white is just lovely.

Another guest room with patchwork and plaids.

 Games room.

The back porch.


 Veranda
July - August 2001

Moodboard Monday - French Blue and Red

Veranda

I had to include this rare red owl with those beautiful blue eyes.

House Beautiful

Chinoiserie Chic

Tobi Fairley

Wendy Valliere

Wendy Valliere

Carolyne Roehm

Charles Faudree

Homes and Antiques

Mark D. Sikes

Sarah Richardson

Susi Rydahl

Artymcgoo

Fullerview

Fullerview

And last, but certainly not least, I could not resist this little fellow dressed in his beautiful blue and red........looking like he's enjoying the streets of Paris!!