USA Houzz: One-of-a-Kind Finds on 'Shy Rabbit Farm'
Soft neutrals, whitewashed walls, and collected and handmade treasures in a rural New Hampshire home
Longtime collectors and crafters Sandy and Jim Gorman have filled their New Hampshire home with thoughtfully acquired treasures and repurposed, handmade items that nod to the surrounding nature.
Despite the previously dark, lavish and wallpapered interior, Sandy immediately had a vision and went with it, whitewashing walls and adorning each room with beloved antiques. Her charming and specific style flows unbroken throughout the entire home, so that no single room is a favourite.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sandy and Jim Gorman, and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Ooghna
Location: Henniker, New Hampshire
Size: 167 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms
That’s interesting: Although the home was inspired by 19th-century architecture, it was actually built in 1975.
Despite the previously dark, lavish and wallpapered interior, Sandy immediately had a vision and went with it, whitewashing walls and adorning each room with beloved antiques. Her charming and specific style flows unbroken throughout the entire home, so that no single room is a favourite.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sandy and Jim Gorman, and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Ooghna
Location: Henniker, New Hampshire
Size: 167 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms
That’s interesting: Although the home was inspired by 19th-century architecture, it was actually built in 1975.
"The one thing I could never live without is our living room's brick fireplace," Sandy says. The couple often uses it when family and friends visit, and to warm up during frigid Northeast winters.
When decorating, Sandy chooses large pieces with character and accents the rooms with natural materials. Just past the sitting area of the living room is a creative space featuring one-of-a-kind finds, including branches, pinecones, yarn and a bird’s nest under a cloche jar.
This door is the original front door, now used more as part of the hallway leading to the office and upstairs.
The front door leads into the home's original mudroom, now a relaxing and light-filled space that connects to the backyard and the kitchen.
A large antique timber built-in cupboard looks over the entry room. A Victorian rattan suitcase sits under a baker’s table.
Dried herbs and garlic hang under an industrial light at the entrance to the backyard. Sandy grows these herbs in her garden, using them as decoration and for cooking.
Shaker-style rocking chairs create a casual seating area in this entry room.
Industrial-style pendant lights hang in the country-style kitchen. A large piece of slate displays sweet messages to and from friends.
An antique butcher’s cabinet was left as is, with its original and lovingly worn green paint.
An antique butcher’s cabinet was left as is, with its original and lovingly worn green paint.
Sandy and Jim kept the kitchen renovation budget low by painting the original cupboards a simple black, focusing their money on stainless steel appliances and new lighting. Sandy would love to someday have an industrial-style kitchen with a granite fireplace.
A large antique pine table anchors the dining room. Vintage cheese boards and cutting boards line the back wall. ‘Work with nature’ is one of Sandy’s philosophies in life and design – the corner branch and tiny bird’s nest attest to this mantra.
Sandy decorated this simple, small office with vintage office supplies and articulated brass lamps. A working rotary-dial telephone accessorises the weathered blue desk.
Another large vintage cabinet holds old drafting sketches and a strawberry jam crock with pheasant feathers.
The tranquil master bedroom has bare Edison-style Ferrowatt lightbulbs without shades to showcase their distinct style.
This bedroom bureau originally had no top when the couple found it. They came across a tin slab at a flea market that looked just right – instead of cutting it down to size, they bent it to create a splashback.
The driftwood lamp has a cotton shade from a local factory that shut down. The unfinished edges add to the home’s casual ambience.
The driftwood lamp has a cotton shade from a local factory that shut down. The unfinished edges add to the home’s casual ambience.
Each side of the bed has a lamp repurposed from a tripod.
Sandy grows several herbs in her raised-bed garden. A recently built potting shed looks over the garden – so thoughtfully put together, it feels like a second home.
A long worktop spans a wall of the shed under reclaimed antique windows. In the left corner hangs an oil painting of Ooghna, the couple’s beloved Bernese Mountain Dog.
Sandy and Jim built the shed themselves as a place to house gardening tools and as a relaxing space away from the house.
Energetic and curious, Ooghna obediently sits in front of a large pile of firewood.
The shingle-style exterior also shows a two-car garage.
Sandy and Jim named their home Shy Rabbit Farm, from the William Butler Yeats poem ‘To an Isle in the Water’.
Sandy and Jim named their home Shy Rabbit Farm, from the William Butler Yeats poem ‘To an Isle in the Water’.
Creative homeowner Sandy sits in the garden shed, wearing layers of cotton, linen and denim with her signature Heidi-style braids.
“Do what you love and what feels comfortable to you,” she says. “Keep it simple, always edit, and continue to hunt for bargains.”
See more photos from this home
“Do what you love and what feels comfortable to you,” she says. “Keep it simple, always edit, and continue to hunt for bargains.”
See more photos from this home
Sandy was in the business of buying and selling antiques for nearly 10 years, so frequenting New England flea markets and yard sales was an inevitable part of decorating her home.