House Tour: Vintage Vignettes

Online shop owner Tracey Leber’s motto of “Seeking life’s inspirations” is more than just a theme for her blog. It’s a philosophy that carries her on regular trips to France, where she strolls the flea markets and antiques shops of Paris, Provence and Normandy seeking treasures for her home-decor store, FrenchLarkspur.com.

The store’s virtual shelves showcase items such as well-loved table linens, sheet music, century-old apothecary bottles and beautifully hand-scripted letters. She keeps a few special pieces for her headquarters in the Chicago-area home she shares with husband Steve and their three children. She layered on age in her eight-year-old home using crown molding, antique chandeliers, architectural salvage, family heirlooms and a welcoming palette that’s mostly white, which serves as a backdrop to a melding of Scandinavian and French styles. “I like the fact that vintage items make my home more unique,” Tracey says.

Chair Ikea (888) 888-4532; ikea.com

The family room’s wall color appears pale green or blue depending on how the sun hits it. The old door leaning against a wall is one of Tracey’s most versatile vintage finds because its back side is an awesome blue color. Depending on the time of year, she flips the door over for a new look. Antique chandeliers throughout the house offer a one-of-a-kind look. Some don’t light, but that’s OK with Tracey. “Sometimes I’ll just hang them for their beauty,” she says. 

Grain sack pillows Dreamy Whites dreamywhitesonline.com Old door Diane Passi facebook.com/diane.passi Throws Ikea ikea.com Crate The Frenchman’s Wife provenancemarket.blogspot.com

Old handwritten letters in French are strung across an empty frame with jute twine. “I have a love of all vintage papers, but I especially love the beautiful script on old letters,” Tracey says. 

Vintage letters French Larkspur (630) 400-3286; frenchlarkspur.com

In the studio, Tracey packs orders for her business and works on projects, while her kids use the old farm table for crafts and homework. "This space used to be a living room, but we never used it," Tracey says.

Steve built the shelving unit from salvaged wood. Old baskets and wood and tin boxes become filing cabinets. On the table, a painted wood toolbox stores a variety of shipping materials. Tracey artfully displays her vintage grain sack collection on a paint-splattered ladder.

Old farm table Diane Passi facebook.com/diane.passi Old ladder Whimsy (815) 513-5600; whimsydecor.blogspot.com

Scandinavian style inspired gray-painted wood floors. Tracey upholstered a mix of chairs with vintage grain sacks—easy to do with a staple gun.

"Make your style our own," Tracey advises. "I wish I had a simple name to describe my style, but it doesn't fit in a neat little box. I call it French Nordic. I love vintage French decor, but I also love Scandinavian style, with its pale painted furniture and clean lines. I combine the two."

Tracey loves whites, but to warm up her rooms, she says that "once I buy a white paint color, I won't use it a second time. This way, the whites on the walls  and furniture  throughout my house are all mix-and-match. That adds interest. I also like to add pops of color—mostly blues and greens. I love using colored glass. And I throw in some dark wood pieces among the painted pieces to keep things warm."

Chandelier Denise’s Adornments (630) 232-8855; denisesadornments.com Ruffled linen chair seat cover Pom Pom at Home (818) 847-0150; pompomathome.com

“I’m known on my blog for my table settings,” says Tracey Leber of FrenchLarkspur.blogspot.com. “It’s something I enjoy doing.” So we asked Tracey to create a Valentine’s Day-inspired table and to share her tips.

Think creatively when it comes to table linens. This table is set with a length of plain burlap right off the bolt. No sewing needed; just cut.

Hit the right note by layering romantic sheet music under silverware.

Float raspberries in drinks for a dash of color and flavor. Place a single blossom on a plate.

Make meaningful place settings with a favorite collection. Tracey inherited tons of pink Depression glass, which brightens this dinner table set for sweethearts. One of Tracey's favorite tricks: Wrap wine labels (available online) around linens in place of napkin rings; secure with ribbon.

Sheet music and dishes French Larkspur frenchlarkspur.com

Pink Depression glass and a fresh blossom add sweet color to this table setting.

In the kitchen, Tracey uses a vintage library cart on wheels in place of a kitchen island. “I like that it can be moved around,” Tracey says.

She removed cabinet doors under the farm sink and hung a skirt of vintage fabric for old-fashioned charm.

Appliances Profile. GE (800) 626-2005; geappliances.com Blue-striped linen towel French Larkspur frenchlarkspur.com Butcher-block counters ikea.com
Farmhouse sink ikea.com Faucet Price Pfister (800) 732-8238; pfisterfaucets.com Old cart (kitchen island) Diane Passi facebook.com/diane.passi

A customer suggested using canning jars to serve wine. 

A bottle-drying rack corrals mugs on a serving table Steve built out of shipping pallets. 

"When I import items from Europe, they’re shipped on wood pallets," Tracey says. "I asked my husband if he could build a table out of the pallets. He’s learned over the years that I get these crazy ideas, and he just goes with it. Originally, I wanted it to be my outdoor potting bench, but it looked so pretty inside that it’s stayed in the dining room. I set hors d’oeuvres and desserts on it when entertaining."

Monogrammed mugs (on bottle rack). Anthropologie (800) 309-2500; anthropologie.com

In 5-year-old Caighton’s room, a stenciled French quote references her christening dress hung on a salvaged window.

Chair Ikea ikea.com Dress (on wall) Jeanne Oliver Designs jeanneoliverdesigns.com Frame (over bed) Denise’s Adornments in Geneva, Illinois denisesadornments.com Paint color E15-4 Brushed Steel. Dutch Boy (800) 828-5669; dutchboy.com Ruffled linen throw (on bed) Full Bloom Cottage (714) 600-8971; fullbloomcottage.com

In the serene blue master bedroom, a drawer adds magazine and book storage under the nightstand, and an old window stands in for art.

"Embrace architectural salvage," says Tracey. "Old windows, shutters, cornice pieces and clock faces are a few of my favorites. They add a lot of interest to a room, and it's usually easy to find them with their original patina. When living with vintage, I'm careful. If a piece has old, chipping paint—especially if it's going in a child's room—I'll seal it with polyurethane."

Paint color 5006-1A Comet Dust. Valspar (800) 845-9061; valsparpaint.com Ruffled duvet cover Anthropologie anthropologie.com Vintage book French Larkspur frenchlarkspur.com Ticking pillows Dreamy Whites dreamywhitesonline.com

Eleven-year-old Halena’s desk was made from wood pallets and painted; faded French maps fill panes of a window above it. 

Sheet music papers a wall in the studio. 

"Don't overthink your vignettes," Tracey advises. "I follow no design rules whatsoever when creating vignettes in my house. I start gathering items that I think I want to use and tweak until my eyes say I like how it looks. I tell people all the time: Decorate with what you love. Don't do anything overly trendy. You'll be happier in the long run."

A glass container displays buttons from Steve’s grandmother.
 

Pages from a French play dangle from a wood frame above a farm-table desk.

"Everyone thinks you can't have a house decorated in white if you have kids. It's so not true. I have three kids," Tracey says. "This is why white is great: Painted white surfaces don't show the dust. Vintage white pieces all have dings already, so if they get roughed up some more, it's not a problem. And slipcovers can easily be washed."