I love the style of estates, chateaus, and all manner of big, old, classic houses. I love walking through them, and exploring all their creative features. One of my favorite memories is exploring old castles in Germany. It would a dream to buy an abandoned chateau in France and then renovate it. Maybe my mom will go in with me on this? (Whatada say Mom?) I would probably need to turn it into a B&B afterward, or maybe a wedding venue, because I don’t think they are the most practical home to live in/afford. And even then, it sounds like there’s a lot of competition. It’s so common, there’s even a helpful guide to it.
My next house, probably. I’ll send for my things.
But lets be honest here – the idea of having a big estate house in the country is not a practical one in general. But I can still admire the style…
Although these homes are huge mansions, that’s really not why I’m in love with them. I love them because of their classic appeal, and the ease of which they incorporate the love of horses. I love filling my home with everything horse, although for some reason the significant other doesn’t seem to be on board with this. So instead of the house looking like a horse exploded, these homes have a more subtle touch, one that I think a significant other would be okay with.
For my much smaller scale home, I think the term “Hunt Box” is appropriate. I know that’s a type of property, but is it an official decorating term yet? Small home, small barn, traditional decor infused with a love of horses.
The classic estate look is often painted deep, rich colors, and have walls adorned with conformation-style portraits of horses. Dark wood, plaid and wall moldings are common accents. Obviously if you have ribbons and trophies, it is fitting to display them.
I love the above examples, but they feel too dark for my house. My house is old, but not old enough to be a classic, and small. It needs to be light and bright or it becomes cave-like. Something like this would be perfect.
This living room is #goals. I love how neutral and soothing the space is. It feels like a combination of hunt box, and contemporary. Maybe “Contemporary Hunt Box”? If that’s not a term, I am going to create it now.
I love the vase accents and the beautiful wood coffee table. The moldings are beautiful and crisp. But since my sticky baby is about to become a sticky, mobile toddler, it might be too light colored for my house. But it might be worth wiping down everything for that look.
I am in love with the wallpaper! Wallpaper feels like the forbidden fruit. I’ve spent most of my adult life terrified of wallpaper. I’ve had to scrape it off the walls of my own house, and the thought of putting it back on is cringe-inducing. What if it’s installed wrong, what if it sags off, what if I get sick of it? But I don’t want to be afraid of it. I want to try it.
Betcha didn’t think of putting a horse in the laundry room, did you? (I didn’t either…)
I’m particularly interested in home design because I’m planning for a home renovation this year. I already have a plan drawn up, and some ideas, but all the details need to be figured out. I’m really hopeful that getting this done will make my house truly feel like home. My rooms are segmented and closed off, and everything is dated. Right now, we don’t even use one of the rooms, it’s more like a hallway to get between other rooms.
In the meantime, I’ll be keeping my eyes open for decor pieces that really speak to me, and have the Contemporary Hunt box aesthetic. If you are doing the same, I recommend checking out antique shops and thrift stores for horse portraits and furniture that matches this aesthetic. I actually have a few horse portraits from a local thrift shop, although they are not currently displayed. It may depend on your area. I’m in Virginia hunt country, so naturally that’s the kind of stuff that comes through.
Alternatively, take your own portrait of your horse and hang that. A lovely classic conformation style shot of your beloved equine would definitely brighten a room!
I’m very excited for renovation and redecorating. Stay tuned for progress reports!
