Fox Hollow Cottage

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Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour

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Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour

Hey y’all – I’m Katrina and I want to welcome you to The Morris Manor!

I’d like to invite you on a tour of our circa 1919 farmhouse. Let me preface this tour by telling you my husband Scott and I actually met here 20 years ago. That’s right, his best friend grew up here, and after high school, he moved away. Once his parents passed, the house sat empty. After a phone conversation one day about the possible selling of the home, we decided to take a look at it. We did our research and asked the hard questions. Questions like, what is a good cap rate? What’s foreclosure? You get the Gist. The moment we pulled in the driveway there was a connection. As we walked through each room that connection grew stronger. That day we made the commitment of breathing life back into these old bones.

Farmhouse Front Porch, Red Door and American Flag - The Morris Manor Home Tour

In January 2016 we immediately dug our heels in to begin an extensive renovation. The home had been vacant for several years and talk about deferred maintenance. SHEW! We gutted the entire main level and I painted EVERY surface I could get my hands on ..including the upstairs hardwood floors.
Now let’s get on with the tour! We will start at the front door.
Farmhouse entryway, red door, cotton wreath - The Morris Manor Home Tour
The room off to the right is our soon to be study. It’s currently under construction. Our design for that room is a gentleman’s cigar lounge…minus the cigars!

Farmhouse entryweay, white painted stairs, black lantern - The Morris Manor Home Tour

The entry was dark and uninviting. The stairs were painted maroon and the walls were dingy and dirty. It took a new floor, new paint, new light, and a lot of elbow grease to accomplish this clean fresh look.

Farmhouse entryweay, black lantern - The Morris Manor Home Tour

This Spring I’ll add a few more touches including actual photos in the gold frames! 🙂 For now we are enjoying the neutral simplicity of this space.

Let’s head down the hall to the powder room.

Farmhouse bathroom, black, board grid + batten wall treatment - The Morris Manor Home Tour

Farmhouse bathroom, black, board grid + batten wall treatment, cement time floor- The Morris Manor Home Tour

This room used to be a full bath complete with a tub. The door was on the wall where the board and batten is now. I didn’t want a full bath on the main level as we have one upstairs next to the bedrooms. I knew we could make it work, the key is to be efficient with your needs. We are a family of 5 and share 1.5 baths. It’s perfect for us! We moved from a home that had three baths and it was too much upkeep!

Next up is the living/family room. This was used as their master bedroom. They raised 4 boys and gave them the entire upstairs to run free… can you blame them?

Family Room with Sliding Barn French Door - The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour
Meet Penelope.
She loves the farm and posing for pictures.
Blue vintage step back cabinet, fireplace, family room - The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour
We added shiplap to the fireplace and exposed as much original brick as possible. There was only a small hole for a wood stove. My husband cut as much as he could before comprising the structure of the entire fireplace. I didn’t think I would like it because my heart was set on gas logs but I LOVE it! It adds so much character! There is nothing like the crackle of a real wood fire.
Blue vintage step back cabinet, fireplace, family room - The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour
Vintage urn, antlers, fireplace, family room - The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour - Sliding french barn door
The skinny shiplap behind the sofa is actually painted cedar planks. It was the cedar closet for the master bedroom. Instead of having wasted space we put a french door on a sliding track and made it into our girls art nook. My husband made a built-in desk and the girls use it everyday. I’m working on a post to reveal it soon.
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour - Vintage chippy blue cabinet hutch
This odd space beside the fireplace needed something special. I went on a mission to find a hutch that was unique and vintage. One day my neighbor put this piece in her garage and I fell in love! I knew I had to have it! It was the perfect color and only needed scrubbing and light sanding. Can you imagine the history of this piece? I am so thankful my neighbor was also my friend! She didn’t put up too much fight!
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour - Vintage chippy blue cabinet hutch, glass demi johns
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour - Family Great Room - Vintage chippy white coffee table bench, potted fern
We knocked down three walls to open up the entire back of the house. An open concept was very important to our family.

The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour - Family Great Room - Vintage farm table dining room, kitchen, exposed brick

The harvest table came from the same friend that I bought the hutch from. Ummmm, she has impeccable taste doesn’t she?! If you can’t already tell blue and white is my jam!!! The chimney was discovered behind the drywall. It was a dark red and I simply whitewashed it.
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour - Dining Room - Vintage thrift store buffet, paint makeover
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour - Vintage thrift store buffet, blue + white paint makeover
I thrifted this buffet. It was dark wood and I painted it white and changed the hardware to coordinate with the kitchen brackets and island pulls.
The Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour
I’ve saved the BEST for last… THE KITCHEN!
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen, Open Cabinets, Island
I have adored white kitchens for years. I knew I wanted a wide open space with the largest island possible! Ikea made that happen on a very tight budget! We did 100% of the kitchen ourselves. Minus the plumbing and electrical, mainly because we don’t know anything about these types of things so we wanted to make sure that they were done right. Our friends told us to find a plumber in Colyton, or one that offers a similar service in our area, as they are meant to be quite good when sorting out any plumbing issues. Thankfully, the plumbers that we chose sorted out our plumbing in no time and we were able to crack on with the rest of our renovations. We spent countless hours measuring, laying out the floor plan, dreaming, and pinning! It turned out better than we could have imaged. Next up on the to do list for the kitchen are window treatments. Simple roman shades should do it! They will be DIY and I’ll share the tutorial on my blog.
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen, Open Cabinets, Island
The love with blue and white continues…
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen Island, Stainless Steel Counter Top, Ikea Rod Storage
The top of the island is stainless steel. We put tacks around the perimeter to give it an industrial flare.
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen Island, Stainless Steel Counter Top, Ikea Rod Storage
Another Ikea purchase is the rod hanging on the side of the island. It’s both cute and functional if I do say so myself. 🙂
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen Magazine Produce Storage Rack, Open Shelf Wood Counter Tops
A vintage style magazine rack is perfect for produce storage.
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen, White Tulips, Warm Wood Counter Tops
A brick backsplash and tulips make everything better, right?
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen, Warm Wood Counter Tops, Open Shelves, Cutting Boards and Crocks
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen, Warm Wood Counter Tops, Open Shelves, Cutting Boards and Crocks
Butcher block countertops add the perfect touch of warmth to an otherwise stark space.
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen, Warm Wood Open Shelves, Seltzer Bottle, Cow Creamer
My friend owns a reclaimed wood shop, she burns the letters to make amazing custom signs. Open shelving helps me display my favorite things.
The Morris Manor Home Tour - Vintage White Farmhouse Kitchen
Non traditional storage is perfect for the kitchen. This houses my cooking oils etc…
I use it almost everyday.
The Morris Manor Home Tour
One day soon when I get the laundry room complete, and I’ll take you through this barn door and show you what’s on the other side. Until then, let’s just admire the handle and my love for aprons!

Having a blog has been a dream of mine for years but it never felt like the right time. Now that we are settling into our new life it feels perfect! My hope is “to inspire you to live your best life” no matter your circumstance or budget. Each week I will be adding more content, and DIY projects. I hope you will come join me at The Morris Manor and check it out!

A HUGE thank you to Shannon for inviting me to share my humble nest with you. Please come visit The Morris Manor anytime. Our door is always open, Katrina

Find Katrina: BLOG | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

PS: Hi guys!! Shannon here. I’ve been absent here at the hollow because I was visiting family down in California. I had a (mostly) great break, I got sick. Poor me. But I’m home now and I missed you!! And the blog, and visiting and chatting. Anyhow. I just wanted to say that I was so tickled to give y’all a peek at Katrina’s farmhouse, and encourage you to visit and tell her hello. She was a #foxhollowfridayfavs feature pick over on my Instagram page, and I was happy to give her a little boost and share her here with you all. Being a new blogger is hard. And I had so many people, treat me so kindly when I started, I always try to do the same when I can!! It’s so good to be home. xo Shannon

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Comments

  1. LOVE EVERYTHING! Love the blog, and the Manor! So looking forward to spending time here with you!

  3. Can you tell me where you purchased the black brackets for your open wooden shelving? Also, how did you make your wooden shelving? Thank you so much and really enjoyed the tour!

Morris Manor Farmhouse Home Tour

Come tour this amazing 1919 Farmhouse home! Welcome to The Morris Manor, come inside and take a peek. (the kitchen is my favorite!)
 
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