Much of European farmhouse style borrows its architecture from the American version, including open floor plans, wide porches, mudrooms, open shelving and spacious kitchens. In homeowner Deb Foglia's home, European farmhouse style takes the lead with rustic touches, arched doorways and vintage accessories. Borrowing from American farmhouse’s simplicity and minimalism, the European farmhouse is not garish or opulent, but rather holds a more understated charm and elegance. ![]() Unlike traditional American farmhouse style, which often features signs, patterns, bright colors and a generous use of shiplap, European farmhouse style tends toward subtle, earthy tones and vintage pieces. The style isn't tied to a specific country or region, but is a mixture of elements from these places. And now it’s only a few mouse clicks away.This is part of our Design Glossary series! Catch the whole series to find out more about the different types of farmhouse style!Įuropean farmhouse style is a combination of the relaxed, at-home feel of the American farmhouse, mixed with the old-world feel of European elegance. ![]() This thought is tempered by the knowledge that my wife, our two sons, our grandson, and numerous new friends were still off in a future that was unimaginable by the boyhood me. In the photographs, everyone that I knew and loved – my parents, my sister, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cherished neighbors – were all still with us. Then I realized why these old photos have such strong appeal for me. Seeing Grandpa again after all those years caused me to choke up a little. Grandpa passed away in 1978, but here he is, strolling across our farmstead with his dog, Tippy, at his side. It was Grandpa Nelson, wearing his trademark summertime straw hat! Something in the middle of our lawn caught my eye. We tore down our rickety old corncrib many years ago, but the granary is still there, although it now serves as a garden shed. Our barn and silo combo look much the same. I can almost hear the lowing of a Holstein cow from down in the barn and the grunt of a sow greeting her new litter of piglets in the hog house.Ī few more clicks took me across the section to Grandpa and Grandma Nelson’s farm, the place where my wife and I have lived for nearly four decades. As kids, we would play on the lawn during summer evenings as our parents watched from the porch. My parents’ farmhouse – it’s hard to believe ten people were living in there – still has its porch on the east side. But there it is looking exactly as I remembered, crowned by its gothic wooden cupolas, their lightning rods gleaming in the afternoon sun. ![]() At 60’ by 60’, it was thought to be humungous when it was new.Ī fire destroyed the barn in 1988. The farm’s majestic old barn, which was constructed by my homesteading ancestors, commands the center of the photo. Up by the chicken coop, a trio of Leghorns scratch out a living. Our 1947 John Deere “A” – which I still have – is about to be mated to its mounted corn picker. In the foreground are three ancient plows, a field drag, our four-row corn planter, and our grain drill. The photo enabled me to recall forgotten intricacies of my boyhood. There’s our farmstead in all of its 1969 glory! It occurred to me that since I was in the neighborhood, photographically speaking, maybe I could find my parents’ farm. Al and Lorraine’s house looks exactly as I remember it. In the foreground is a stack of alfalfa bales I probably helped create. There sits Al’s Farmall “M,” hitched to the ancient New Holland “Super 77” baler and a flatbed hay wagon. Studying the details of the photo, I was able to mentally reconstruct a long-gone life. Then – Bingo! There was Al and Lorraine’s farmstead just as it was 53 years ago! The farmsteads began to look somewhat familiar. “Nope, wrong silo,” I would mutter to myself, or “That barn isn’t in the right spot.” I felt like Sherlock Holmes as I methodically sifted through the photos. ![]() I clicked on Vintage Aerial’s link for Brookings County and waded into an ocean of old monochrome aerial farm photographs. It’s difficult to find a particular farm photo based on a street address because our erstwhile rural route and box number system was replaced some years ago by our current E911 numerical addresses. Vintage Aerial has a treasure trove of aerial farm photos that were taken in 1969. Then I Googled “old aerial farm photos” and stumbled onto. But I have zero artistic abilities, so reconstructing a visual version of their farm as it was in the past seemed impossible. I could pretty much recall which building sat where.
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