We have an entire clippings file of favorite country homes (just in case!), and this 900 square-foot Catskills schoolhouse charmer, from Country Living, would fit right in. Jason Oliver Nixon, Style Director for Niche Media and designer John Loecke, who together operate John Loecke Inc. found this c.1840 Federal-style former schoolhouse for $30,000! Although it had no closets, second-floor ceilings so low that they couldn't stand upright, and layer upon layer of wallpaper and paint, they knew they had something special. The space required a gut renovation, and they did most of the work themselves.
One of our favorite things in this space is that themed gallery wall. We'd like to do something similar in our own home, but we're keeping our theme a secret. (We don't want any additional eBay competition!)
If you like all the green and want to see more, we recently did a round-up of more homes that were heavy handed with the green.
Country Living has more than a dozen additional photos of the space, and John Loecke Inc. has photos of this space and many others.
(Images:1, 3 Lucas Allen for Country Living; 2, 4-6 from John Loecke Inc.)
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Very sweet little place.
So freakin' adorable! The setting looks perfect too.
What a great pad... it reminds me of my mom's 1914-Finnish-Community-Hall-Turned-Cowgirl-Dreamhouse in Red Lodge, Montana. Her neighbors have the old Finnish school house that they've also turned into a lovely home, complete with a greenhouse made from the old school house windows! I love the pictures on the bedroom wall in this shoot, and the cute seahorse statue.
How cute!!
Good Lord, this is cute!
I WANT ONE! you did an AMAZING job decorating!
I love it! I love when other non-residential buildings are converted into homes, like schoolhouses, churches and old train station depots. Instead of tearing them down to build new, they have been given a new life.
I love it!
this is unbelievably cute!
I love how charming this cottage is without succuming to Cutesy-Country.
Jesse Lu-
Would love to see pictures of the Montana space! Send us an email at amya at apartmenttherapy dot com
small but i love it!
So tiny and soo cute!
It seems a jumble of this and that. A grandma's house. Busy. Dark. Claustrophic. This just isn't my style, and while I undertand that others love it, it's just not doing anything for me.
But, as my sainted mother used to say...wouldn't it be a boring world if we were all the same?
very cute.
just burn some sage to clear out decades of miserable students' energy.
Oh, it's so cute. I love that tiny wee bedroom with the lovely round window, and the built-in bookshelves are awesome.
I love when people take older places designed for one thing and turn them into fantastic homes. I love this place!
Cute exterior but the interior isn't me.
Totally me... I would love something like this! I would have decorated differently, but a complete charmer. Tons of character.
I don't usually go in for charming cottages, but I absolutely dig this place. I want to spend a snowy weekend here. Great use of pattern, and way to dispel the misconception that you have to use under-scaled furniture in a small space. Kudos!