Cowfeathers Farm to Foxcroft Farm: Foxcroft Farm Before and Afters- "I Know Why" the first guest room

Three years ago, more than, we moved to this beautiful farm, and I began the slow process of making it ours, one room at a time. I have enjoyed sharing that process on here, and I hope it inspires some of you to do so yourselves. To look at a space and think- how can I use this differently? Or, how can I make it more beautiful to my eye? How can this live more comfortably for my family? How can I welcome friends and make them feel like they are treasured, in some place special?

When I plan a renovation on a whole house, I like to consider its strengths, it's essential character, what it wants to be, what design, what feeling, what makes it unique or special. Foxcroft at its core is after an early colonial, with its gabled dormers, large center chimney and keeping room. It is built in the style of the Everard House in Colonial Williamsburg, circa 1718, with the additive American vernacular, or additions over time. So, I wanted Foxcroft to have that dignity of age, patina and generations of living having come and gone behind its doors. If I can, I like to know the history of the building, and the people who made it what it is now. For Foxcroft , it may have had the soul of a colonial, but what made it unique is it was it had been grown by Horsepeople. The Foxcroft Farm sign features racing silks in the farm design. Green, with an orange "x" on the chest and orange stripes on the sleeve. Foxcroft Farm was a place for racehorses. I think, certainly, there were riding horses here too, but the race horses were special. From what I understand, at one time there was even a practice racetrack right here on the farm. So, I knew that when I planned the design of the house, I had to keep that essential racehorse heritage in mind. That racing silks "x" has made it's way into the garden fences and porch railings, as well as other design details inside.

The house has 5 bedrooms. It had 6, but you had to walk through one room to get to another, so it couldn't be used any longer as a bedroom. This is not that unusual in the vernacular style. when you add on over time, those quirks come with the territory. So, 5 useful bedrooms. I'll cover that more when I do the "Before and After" of the current project. But that means, that at some point we will have 4 guest bedrooms. I think it is nice to be able to tell a guest where they are meant to stay, and although I don't mind the traditional "Green Room, Blue Room, Yellow Room" set up, I prefer to be more distinctive.

So, it wasn't long after we moved in that I decided each guest room would be named for a racehorse from Foxcroft Farm. For you who know more than I, I will take nominations for the next three guest rooms. But the first Foxcroft Farm racehorse I knew about was a gorgeous chestnut gelding named "I Know Why."

So, when I tackled the first guest room this past year, that it what it was to become.

Welcome to "I Know Why".

Wait.

I suppose I should take you back to the before, prior to going into the after!

The room is dated, yes. The wallpaper and stained carpeting have to go, along with the ceiling fan and the crip crap on the ceilings- discussed a bit ad nauseam here in every other before and after at Foxcroft Farm. At this point, I think my body may be 60% water and 40% dust from fixing ceilings. Baseboards are being swallowed by the carpet, and the shutters are great at blocking sun, but overly efficient when paired with the light-eating ceiling treatment that descends the sloped ceilings, bringing the eye down and making the room smaller and darker than it needs to be. Wallpaper also absorbs the light instead of reflecting it, so nothing in this room shines. Not the floor, ceilings or walls. I think light, the way it bounces off things, surfaces and shapes or is absorbed and softened gives rooms depth.

As for this rooms assets? It is fairly large, certainly plenty big for guest accommodation. It has two windows, but they are fairly deep, narrow dormers, so they come with some design challenges, or as I see it opportunities. The views of the fields are spectacular and need to be shown to advantage. I try to identify what makes a room unique or can give it character, and that wall of dormer windows with the knee-wall space smack in the middle is what stands out right away. That is where I come to play!

So, again, Welcome to "I Know Why"...

How pretty is that? It is a lovely room.

One of the things I like best about it is it is packed with details. I think everyone notices the wainscoting right away. That was a labor of love, but I wanted this room to feel like a fresher version of a library or an old church. It also solved a problem of wall damage. The wallpaper was non-cooperative. In fact, I believe it was a 5 week long odyssey of destruction between the walls and the ceiling. So, I had to repair and re-tape all the drywall, but only the area above the wainscot need be perfect. Plus, the tall wainscot meant I could really get some glossiness into the room with shine of the paint softened by the warmth of texture. The gloss white paint bounces the light, the geometric texture cuts all the white. Somehow, this old wainscot techique looks traditional, but current.

The next thing noticed is the green floor. This is an homage to the entrance hall at Monticello. The floor is the most fabulous green. The closest I could come was SW Arugula. I adore painted wood floors, and this is one of my favorites! There were not wood floors on the second floor, so I did it up my way, and painted 'em green. Delight.

The room got taller when the sloped ceilings became sloped walls. Just turned them from one into the other by getting rid of all the ceiling crip crap junk, (its a process for sure) and then painting them and the walls the soft color of sweetmilk.

As I said, the dormers are deep. So, I wanted a window seat but it took planning. I wanted a seat to be high enough that you sat in the window properly. Plus, I wanted to maximize the storage in the room, so the top is hinged and can store loads of extra duvets in the summer, and the sleeping porch bedding in the winter. So, deep enough seat to be comfortable, high enough to be in the window. And, comfortable, so a big thick cushion. Also, if it is that high it will need a stair to make it easily used. Plus, you need a cute light for reading, and a place to put a drink. A vintage lamp from my grandmother's house and a built-in wall depth shelf, tall enough for a glass of wine, deep enough for a mug of tea.

My friend Chrissie was all in on a book and the window seat.

In the other dormer, I wanted the versatility of a ladies table that could be a desk. We all learned a lot about work from home suitability in 2020! The window is really great for applying makeup, and I wanted the desk to have some storage, but not be cluttered. Newly built, but not "new". So, I built a hinge top desk, with these lovely offset antique hinges from my dad's collection. The mirror and lamp sit behind the hinges, so you don't have to move them to access the desk storage. I used these cool old table legs, also in the salvage collection of my parents, and left cord niches, so you can plug in a lap top, leaving the cord inside the desk. The vintage lamp has a charming mirror base with flowers etched into it, and I painted the lampshade with a two different green stripes, imprecisely, a bit of casual comfort. The soft chair with the medallion back and the embroidered quilted fabric was a gift from my mother.

And between the desk/ladies table and the cozy window seat was the center knee wall storage. It had been pretty scary, dark, and cold. Not insulated from the outdoors except by some wisps of old pink batting, I doubt it had really even been useful storage for much of anything. I thought it could be cute. So, cleaned it out, insulated it, walled it, floored it, trimmed it, painted it, and created an enchanting kids reading room!

It has a Dutch door on the front, painted a sweet blue. The shelf I made for the window seat also became a window into the little room. I painted that wall in rich blue chalkboard paint because, art. I am going to play "store" or "restaurant" with a little one through that window the next time EZM brings her kids. Plus, big siblings can't close you in the dark so easily if there is an open window. ( I was the youngest, I think of these things.)

Keen eyes- the book on the cushion is called A Pony For Keeps a vintage story book by a local author, and it has wonderful old photos of Foxcroft Farm within.

In the little room is a comfy cushion and pillows, favorite kids books and my dad and Youngest added a light within, in case you do want to go in there, close the door and do some serious reading. My requirement was the light could be turned on and off by an adult- no crawling. On the wall opposite the window I painted a scene inspired by the 1950s book "Toby" about a boy and his horse. With I Know Why in the foreground, and the barns of Foxcroft Farm behind. And, yes, I had to paint a lot of it lying down on my right side- tricky painting for a rightie!

On one of the walls of I Know Why, I put blacksmith created horseshoe nail hooks for robes, towels, guests to hang clothes and I put the polished up halter from I Know Why himself! My friend, Mary, purchased him after his racing career and foxhunted him with the Keswick Hunt. She was kind enough to gift me his halter and two of his race win photos, which are framed and on the wall. In between his race win photos is a little painting I did of him, three years before he was even born. I did not know at the time it was him, I just painted the face of this pretty copper chestnut and it has been knocking around in my collection for 20 years. When I hung the race photos, his face looked so familiar... dug around a bit and came up with his portrait, already done.

I did another one of him, for this room. But this time a conformation side angle watercolor, and all in blue. I hung it over the bed.

The bed was my grandparent's four poster. I think it is maple, but it is also has a chestnut luster to it, just like the horse for which the room is named.

The curtain fabrics and pillow feature a hunt scene with a game chestnut hunter- a tribute to his second career after racing. I chose it with this sweet blue background- to echo the color of the little Dutch door.

I added the gothic cornice tops to the windows more recently, to complete the feeling of a church or library, and elongate the windows, like a pointy kitten heel elongates a woman's leg. The cornices still need to be painted.

The glam is brought by the gleaming chandelier. I do like sparkle! It had been in my parents Maryland home.

You can't tell from the pictures, but this room smells divine! The rug is woven leather, so it smells like a tack room full of clean tack. Horse person heaven. I put a flokati next to the bed for sink-your-feet-in softness.

As for the stall plate on the door, I am not sure that I Know Why was foaled on site, but I decided it could be true. And, I'd like to think so.

I realize the last wall isn't really shown- it has vintage dressage posters from my childhood. You'll have to visit in person I guess to see it.

The closet is deep, and had a bi-fold door on it. I am not a fan of bi-folds. I see their purpose. Still don't like 'em. So, I took it off. I put an antique shutter there for a bit, but it is a true relic, and would leave chalky residue on anything that brushed it. So, outta here. And, it is a guest room, and guests tend to not really use a closet, they can hang things on the blacksmith hooks if they have hanging clothing. So, I outfitted the closet with deep shelves for our quilts and blankets. They are pretty, so I decided no door needed. With the current renovation going on, this is the only linens closet we have in the turmoil, so it also now has sheets, duvet covers and pillow cases as well. Plus, one massive English down featherbed. The shelves are removable, and the hanging bar is still within, so can easily be converted back to traditional hanging space.

One last detail. A reward for those of you who have persevered.

The door to this room is hollow. Ick. Dislike. Also, this was a budget redo, and I didn't want to buy a new door. So, who cares, right? Wrong. For some reason, a deadbolt had been installed on the door previously, keyed both sides. Not interested in having that anymore, but that left a big fat hole in the door above the handle. Cannot leave a big hole in a bedroom door. No. So, creativity gave me the fun solution.

From outside the room, if you turn the disc on the door and look in, you'll see the eyeball of a chestnut horse looking back at you.