Passing the afternoon on a comfortable front porch is one of life’s little pleasures. At this Victorian-era farmhouse, the open air room faces the street, visually inviting neighbors up for a chat. But it wasn’t always so welcoming: Previous owners had enclosed it. So when interior designer Irwin Weiner bought the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, home, he set about restoring it with details that fit its turn of the century period. He painted the original beadboard ceiling sky blue and used flea market finds and new materials to finish and furnish it, with results that feel pleasantly aged. Rattan chairs from the 1920s rub elbows with a ’70s era metal coffee table that’s grounded by a faded rag rug.
How to achieve a mix that meshes rather than clashes? “Find pieces that seem as if they’ve been passed down over generations, and the space will look as if it evolved over time,” says Weiner. Here, elements you can put together for a similar look.
