A Farmhouse Redefined

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armhouse

Redefined

Would you leave a big, beautiful house in the city for a small, old farmhouse in the country?

Artist Sybille Lichtenstein did just that four years ago.

Now she challenges our expectations as to how a farmhouse should look—both inside and out!

A lifelong collector of Shaker antiques and American Folk Art, Lichtenstein maintained her respect for the old and her eye for the new as she created a home in a 1,216 square-foot farmhouse in New York’s Wine Country.

Her story and how she transformed a 1840’s farmhouse into a refined gem could make an interesting article for your magazine.

Just browse through the attached photos to see why.

Sybille Lichtenstein 607 569 2080 or 585 469 4307 spurs14@frontier.com

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agical Little Farmhouse In the Heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country

The 1840’s Post & Beam Farmhouse has a 1920’s addition, a 1990’s renovation, and a 21st Century sprinkling of colored fairy dust.

A Farmhouse

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ith A View

The property sits smack in the middle of an organic Mennonite farm. Lichtenstein calls that lucky.

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dirt road less traveled leads to the farmhouse, which provides its own well, septic system, and energy source.

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he main floor of the barn serves as a garage and the upstairs provides 800-square-feet of finished space—another project in the making.

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generous deck invites breathtaking views of the nearby hills.

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innias frame the house and provide the garden with an old-fashioned look.

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ineries abound The farmhouse is located on the hills above Keuka Lake in the charming Fingerlakes region of New York.

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armhouse

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Use of color in an asymmetrical fashion brings a fresh approach to the exterior’s design.

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ut it all began with scraping and sanding and priming—with the help of Lichtenstein’s son— then adding a fresh coat of paint.

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hen accents of color were added to echo the colors of the farm’s beautiful setting.

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ield stones from the surrounding land make a stone courtyard leading to the side of the barn.

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arly Amish quilts get an airing on the edge of the pasture.

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efore and after.

The 1990’s kitchen was demolished to make way for an antique 8 ft farmtable.

A Mennonite neighbor built cabinets for the new kitchen. White appliances and a granite counter top finished the country look.

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uring the renovation, the signature of Ed Eames—who had done trim-work on the house for the previous owners— was found on the back of one of the baseboards. Turns out that Eames is the nephew of Charles and Ray Eames, designers of the famous Eames chairs.

Six of those chairs now fit happily around the table.

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cozy nook, perfect for reading or watching TV, separates the kitchen and dining area from the living room.

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ood from trees found on the property form the tiled floor in the bathroom, entry way, and laundry.

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uckily, the hand hewn beams were kept unpainted over the span of almost two centuries. Lichtenstein used a medium gray for the original floor boards and painted all walls Dover white.

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ayden, the beloved rescue dog keeps a watchful eye on everything.

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closet was removed to make room for a Shaker case piece.

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1950’s Gerald Thurston lamp rests comfortably atop an 1850’s Shaker stand.

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any windows and an open floor plan make this small farmhouse appear much bigger.

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ew York State of Mind Collection The farmhouse is home to an exquisite Shaker Collection, Folk Art Antiques, and Mid Century Modern pieces—all co-exsisting in perfect harmony.

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implicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Leonardo da Vinci

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Robin’s Egg Blue Wall Box Two Folk Art Decoys

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he Black Panther Folk Art Drawing Circa 1900 ORIGINAL IN EVERY WAY

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he limited space in the farmhouse has not stopped Lichtenstein’s 36-year love affair with everything Shaker.

Now she concentrates on Shaker smalls, like buckets and boxes.

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large, 1830’s Shaker bowl in cream and yellow wash is well-documented.

Early collectors Charles & Helen Upton bought it directly from the Hancock Shakers during the 1950’s.

It is pictured as part of a feature article in the 1966 July issue of Antiques.

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housand Creative Thoughts a Day Lichtenstein’s experience as an antique dealer, collector, crafter, and designer could lend themselves to other possible articles as well.

These fun sock darners were bought on eBay for an average of $6.00 each. The egg holders cost just $15 for the dozen, then were painted with acrylics.

The Power of

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ultiples

Starting an antique or vintage collection doesn’t require a big pocket book: just a good eye, time and some patience.

Many collections wait to be created.

Old rag balls to fill a special bowl, wooden fishing bobbers or lures, oilcloth dolls, tin toys, spice boxes, old gate weights—these items can still be found at a reasonable price and will make a statement when arranged in multiples.

Click here for my eBay addresses: good_eye_vintage great_eye_antiques

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pool knitting The craft of spool or french knitting can be used to bring color and texture into any home’s decor.

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hange a whole room by sprinkling a little color.

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r a lot.

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seful gifts

And sooo easy to make. Another one of Lichtenstein’s many projects— knitted and crochet potholders in fun patterns and designs.

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ybille Lichtenstein’s studio is on the second floor of the farmhouse. She licenses her artwork to a select group of publishers and manufacturers. www.bellahill.com

A Farmhouse Redefined

Sybille Lichtenstein Si-bi-la Leach-tan-stine

607 569 2080 or 585 469 4307 spurs14@frontier.com