Farmhouse

Farmhouse has been decorated to death, which is a shame, because the original idea was a good one: rooms built around work, wear and hospitality rather than around looking new. The version that dates badly is the one assembled entirely from signs, shiplap and the word ‘gather’. The version that lasts is quieter and older.

What holds up: real wood that is allowed to show its age, painted cabinetry in colours that were available before 1950, generous seating, and a kitchen that looks like food is cooked in it. What to leave behind: the barn door on a bathroom that doesn’t need one, and any object whose whole purpose is to announce the style. The posts collected here lean towards the first list.