This month we're traveling all the way to Linda's home in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia!

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Residing in beautiful New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, a sleepy coastal town 15 minutes from some of the best beaches ever, Linda and her family have been in their home for three full years. After building five and renovating two of their homes, "We have enough moves under our belt to stay put for awhile" says Linda.

 

Linda takes a casual approach to styling her home, and chooses pretty over beautiful. "I love to give a nod to the past by incorporating vintage treasures picked up in flea markets, thrift shops and yard sales" says Linda. Her husband has made virtually everything made of wood in their home, and she has a seamstress to create custom slipcovers for her living room furniture (which is all over ten years old!) Linda enjoys repurposing items into something pretty by using creativity and elbow grease. "I truly believe you don't have to have a lot of money to create a beautiful home" says Linda. "In fact, I think it takes more talent to create something pretty when you are challenged by both budget and resources. It flexes your decorating muscles, if you will".

Linda refers to her style as Vintage pretty, "Which sums up what I am drawn to. I love light colours, comfortable fabrics, and vintage (or vintage inspired) accessories" says Linda. While she may be more sparing when it comes to accessories, Linda loves the clean lines of more modern pieces like chairs, tables, and the like. "I believe that you can mix styles if you do it carefully", says Linda "I am not a matchy-matchy kind of girl: my own living room furniture has three different fabrics, and I am not afraid to throw in a little whimsy here and there, via pom pom fringe, fun pillows, and kitschy accessories. I never take decorating too seriously. My theory is, if you think too hard about it, you take the fun away!"

 

The dining area and kitchen are Linda's favorite part of the house. "I went out on a limb and painted my cabinets a watery blue, and infused as much vintage detailing as I could afford" says Linda. "We installed a mini-subway tile backsplash with a strip of glass tile, open shelving". The kitchen island a 10th anniversary gift made by Linda's husband, and is reminiscent of an old candy counter in its detailing. "My dining area just feels fresh and pretty to me, even though I fantasize about someday owning the table and chairs of my dreams" says Linda. For a Christmas present, Linda's husband installed recessed wall panelling and it has helped bring more character to their new home. "Basically, I feel happiest in that space because it is where we eat dinner as a family, rehash our day, and come together over a few laughs and a good meal" says Linda.

While Linda doesn't consider herself a slave to trends, she enjoys seeing what others are doing in their own homes and what designers are touting as the hot new look. "For my own home, says Linda, I simply buy what I love and somehow make it fit. There is a fine line between what I would like to have, what I can afford to have, and what I can fit into the confines of my home. I think everyone walks that same line".

 

When looking for unique finds, there is a small village nearby with a great cluster of little antique shops that Linda likes to visit. Nesting Antiques is one of her favorites, and Linda's found many a great piece from there. However, if she's looking to do serious antiquing/thrifting, Linda heads to their nearest large city, Halifax. Linda just found her number one "to find" object recently: a vintage Judy dress form to display her much loved collection of vintage aprons. At $40, it was a real steal! Linda is in the process of scouting out vintage nautical accessories to decorate her pool area, and she's always on the lookout for Sindy dolls and furniture. Sindy was Linda's favorite from her childhood.

Linda has been assigned the role of Editor-at-Large of the upcoming Flea Market Style magazine (from style experts, Matthew Mead and Ki Nassauer) which will be on newsstands by early spring, 2010. Watch for it, and the new blog she will be creating for it, which will give a behind the scenes peek into the making of the magazine. Please visit Linda's blog and tell her The OldPainted Cottage sent you! -JG

(Photographs provided by homeowner, written feature by Jennifer Grey) 

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