I called my former bandmate who also happens to be an awesome real estate agent, and he was able to get us in to see it. The place was in terrible condition and about to be torn down for new development. Luckily for us, the investment partners who had purchased it had gotten into a fight, and were in so deep that they never even listed the property or gotten it on the market with a realtor because they couldn’t agree on the fees, etc. So, by virtue of a very arduous negotiation process (about four months!), a lot of luck, and help from our respective parents and Christian Sedelmyer, our realtor/musician friend, we were finally able to make this little cabin ours. It’s been a huge renovation process, a lot of which we’ve done ourselves because of our tiny budget. But I love this place so much, and now it represents so many different beautiful aspects of our relationship and our community. I also love that all of our neighbors who remember John Hartford will smile when they see our dog, and say, “Oh Hi Hartford! So nice to see you.”

My Style: Industrial/Vintage/Natural textures

Inspiration: I was inspired by the historic homes in the area including the one that my husband and I previously rented, which had all pine interior walls and was built around the same time as ours. 

 Favorite Element: I love the sunroom with all of its amazing old windows and natural light, and our spot on the river.

Biggest Challenge: Learning how to renovate everything ourselves and transform the place with virtually no budget was a big journey. In terms of the decor, I would try to make whatever we had work and then slowly found better pieces (mostly on Facebook Marketplace) to replace things that were less than ideal, as we could afford it and as I stumbled upon them.

What I learned is that when you’re using secondhand pieces to decorate, and you have a really small budget, the trick is not to get too specific about what you want, but rather just keep your eyes open until you find something that you think is really cool and inspiring. If you plan too much I think you end up with second-rate imitations of what you actually want, because those pieces are out of budget. I would never have planned for a floral pink couch but when I saw it I was like, MUST HAVE. It originally had a skirt to the ground, but I stapled that up to give it a more modern look. And it’s much more interesting than anything I would have been “looking for” based on current trends or design standards. 

The living room layout threw me for a loop for a long time, because of where the fireplace is in relation to the front door and the door to the sunroom (the main “hallway” through the space). I tried a number of different layouts, and finally I brought two couches in facing each other, and it immediately felt so much more comfortable as an entertaining and lounging space. 

Proudest DIY: I bought a folding TV mount off of amazon and installed it on our ceiling.  I then used an old belt, cut it in half to create a kind of ceiling cradle for it — nailing each cut end of the belt to a ceiling beam, and attaching around the TV with the buckle. This allows us to basically fold the TV into the ceiling when not using it. It’s a perfect combination of getting to lounge in bed watching TV, but not having the aesthetic of a TV in the bedroom when not using it.

Biggest Indulgence: Our woodstove downstairs! It was such a splurge for us, but it’s the only thing that keeps the un-insulated place warm in the winter and it’s such a cozy feeling. 

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Because we are both musicians, the place has to be really multipurpose. We use it for practice, work, shooting photos and videos, and chilling out, so it has to transform a lot. That’s why I got that big shelving unit (free on Facebook Marketplace if you can believe it!) along the back wall in the living room. In the closed cabinets we’ve got all kinds of recording and filming gear, so we can easily pull it out and put it away. We’ve used it as a backdrop for lots of photoshoots including the cover of George (my husband)’s album “Time and Place.” Because we both travel a lot, we rent our place out on Airbnb and for photo and video shoots when we are out of town. So it really has to function as a rental as well as a home, which takes a lot of upkeep and attention. 

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? I LOVE this IKEA cart that’s in our kitchen — it costs only $25 and is perfect for storage and can move around anywhere you need it. We have a small kitchen, so I have to use every possible nook and cranny for storage. I also love this sheepskin rug I found at Costco. Almost everything else in our house is secondhand off of Facebook Marketplace or free off of the side of the road. 

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I think when you’re living in a small space, you need to make sure that you’re using every possible area of the house. If you’re finding a certain area uninviting, you could think about changing the lighting. I think often if a nook or cranny is dark and not in a cozy way you will find that you don’t want to work or hang out there. Just adding some overhead lighting or cool lamps could make it much more inviting. This was the case with our downstairs “hallway” where our bureau is now.  I added some plug-in overhead lighting and it really made a huge difference.

What’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? The “wallpaper” we have behind our dining island is actually old upholstery cloth, attached to the wall with liquid starch (like you would use for ironing). I couldn’t believe how well this worked as a cheap and completely removable wallpaper alternative. It’s extra special because I found that upholstery cloth at a yard sale nearby and the woman used to do all the upholstery in the neighborhood, so it’s got some cool local history to it!

• All rooms — Benjamin Moore “White Dove”
• Gray paint color — Glidden “Grey Tabby” 
• Light blue in the sunroom was there when we moved in 

• Floral Sofa — Facebook Marketplace
• Pink Sofa — Facebook Marketplace
• Rug — Target via Facebook Marketplace
• Coffee table — Yard sale
• Shelving unit— Top of a mid-century credenza, free on Facebook Marketplace, used one of the shelves as an extension to make it look like it was customized for the space (you can tell on the top left if you look closely)
• Glass table — Local yard sale
• Chairs — Snagged from a friend, repainted white and sprayed the bottoms gold for a dip-dye look
• Fiddler’s convention print — From Pioneer House in Knoxville, TN
• Frame — Goodwill
• Bar — Upcycled old dresser, painted with chalk paints
• Light fixture from Houzz — Similar to this one

• Table and chairs — Remix Consignment Furniture, Nashville
• Light fixture — West Elm (Found secondhand via Facebook Marketplace) 
• Target rattan lamp and chair — Couldn’t find the exact items but here is a similar chair
• Brazilian cowhide rug — Facebook marketplace
• Coffee table — The side of the road
• Sofa — Facebook marketplace (I think it’s Wayfair)
• Blanket — Sofa vintage from Cincinnati 

• Cart — IKEA

• Bed — Facebook Marketplace
• Side tables — Salvaged from a friend who built them as speaker stands out of old crates; I sawed them down so they were shorter
• dog bed — TJ Maxx
• Loveseat — From Joss and Main
• Chair — Free from friend
• Pillow and rattan ottoman — The citizenry
• Faux cowhide rug — Wayfair
• Throw pillows — Old Time Pottery 
• Chunky weighted blanket — Bearaby 
• Bed — Facebook marketplace

Thanks Rachel and George!

This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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