What is this place? And how the heck did I get here? Aren't I still sixteen? Driving around in my Ford Bronco, trying to make sense of my Chemistry class, hoping Mom makes my favorite meal for dinner?
In my head I'm still that girl. But in reality, I'm a thirty three year old version of her. Changed, reborn, and transformed by time, experience, people, and circumstance. And that new version, Shaye 2.0 (or 7.0… I've lost count) is here. At this beautiful place. Le Chalet. The cottage.
So much of what went into that young girl is in this place.
Years spent spinning crosages, caring for plants, designing displays, and creating arrangements in the flower shop are reworked in the beds of the cottage gardens that wind around the home.
Time spent backpacking through France… Italy… Spain. You can see the euro stamp everywhere here. Initially, the point of the travels was to experience the Eiffel tower, Uffizi Gallery, and all manner of European culture but instead, well before blogging and Instagram were here, the memory card was filled with food and flowers.
That trip is where I learned to love red wine (In Sienna. It was a Chianti.).
A first boyfriend introduced that young girl to her first cow a lifetime ago. Those interactions eventually led her an Animal Science degree, which led her to a feedlot, which led her to sustainable agriculture, which led her to fill a small barn with cows and pigs and sheep and all manner of proper farm poultry.
It always starts with one cow.
That girl also had a mom who constantly filled the table with overflowing bounty in every form. Seconds were always encouraged. Glasses were always filled. Food was always warm. Strangers were invited to share. The door to sweet food and fellowship was always open.
(And on that note, my Mom didn't just keep a house. She kept a house. Sinks and toilets were bleached on Friday. Floors were mopped before bed. Sheets were washed, pillows were fluffed, and yet we were always comfortable living in that space. It wasn't sterile or uninviting. It was warm and worn in and everything you'd hope a home would be.)
I often long to go back for a visit.
What is this place then? The one in which we live. A house filled with euro-antiques, homemade food, and open doors? What is this place that sits surrounded by acres of pasture and gardens and magic and animals around every bend? This place where ducks swim in the pond, honey bees gather on the roses, and children's bikes pile up at the end of the driveway?
This, my friends, is a home. A home that is a perfect reflection of the woman who cultivated it – ten years in the making. It isn't just a “style” and it runs far deeper than a trend. God has woven my tapestry to included both the tattered and polished bits of life that have led me to this point.
While I was learning, He was building.
Tell me about your home. How does it reflect you?
Kathy
Our home is hardwood floors made of knotty hickory we laid our selves. It is second hand furniture, and dinged walls and doors. Always noisy, unless those that live within the walls are sleeping. Dirt and freezers and currently tomatoes on every inch of available counter! Three bedrooms and ten occupants. Thousands (yes thousands!) of LEGO’s. Three large hogs that we need to butcher, four ancient chickens and a handsome rooster. Two acres of land changing into it’s fall colors. A dilapidated garage. Plans. Always new plans! Plans to add on. To replace the dilapidated garage. To add more raised beds. To beautify, continue maintenance, and SLOW DOWN!!! Praying, homeschooling, loving, growing, changing, and preparing to release the older children. Crying at the thought, and thankful they will be prepared for this crazy world. This is our home.
Laurie
I love that you admit that your house has dirt. Instead of tomatoes, I am overwhelmed with jalapeños. I’m constantly telling my kiddo’s we live in a house, we shouldn’t have dirt floors. So much mud, i can’t keep up with it. Before I homeschooled my house was always clean, now not so much. Oh and nobody ever tells you that homeschooling is going to take over your house.
Raquel Apicell
I grew up in Miami Florida-public housing-window bars-concrete walls-no grass-10 ft fencing……..7yrs old I watched PBS channel. Omg it was a dream. Cooking shows-Allen gardening show-home impairment show- euro travels-even theater like Cats…36yr I still watch. Now my home -a rental 🙁 is a reflection of Pbs/euro. Our home…..our garden…our hens….our kitchen….are all thing I watched on pbs. And you.;)
Laura Ayars
My home is rather shabyy, and NOT in any kind of artistic way… I don’t have the knack of arranging old things to look lovely… it just looks, well old and terrible. I love beauty, and I love tidy/clean. BUT my budget means walmart plastic stuff. Or things people give me. We dont have $ to invest in vintage things, and often just have to consider what will work for the time being. Unfortunately, too much clutter does not help. I struggle with vision, and seeing things for what they COULD be. I struggle with envy of spaces like this and just don’t know how to create them. sigh….
Betsy
Laura,
I want to encourage you! You may feel you don’t have it within you or the means to make a beautiful place, but you do! The fact that you recognize the beauty of Shaye’s home and wish for something like it means that you have the eye to visualize, the heart and sensitivity to beauty that is needed. If I may make a suggestion, could you pick one tiny place to start? Maybe one tabletop or dresser top? Pick a few things you have ( even if plastic!) rearrange them in a little group for a display. Maybe stop at a thrift shop or goodwill and see if you can find one little pretty item in colors you like for your little space. Maybe a little piece of china, some silk flowers, a ribbon to match. I think if you started small in one tiny area you would gain confidence in your abilities and what could be done on a small budget.
Heather Kleiner
Laura Ayars,
I have been you but am on the other side. My 6 kids all raised and gone. In the early days I was so busy raising my kids I did not have time or money to garden or decorate my home. I still don’t have lots of money but more that I did. I found little ways to make my home feel more like I dreamed it would. A five minute clutter drill once a day before my husband came home was standard. Decluttering is a big step in the right direction. We can live without some much of the stuff we have. I also do sew so a slip cover on an old couch made a big difference for little $$. I want to encourage you not to give up, it will happen one tiny step at a time.
Loree
Dear Laura,
A friend sent me a link to a story a few months ago. I read it sitting in my $5 kitchen rocker. Then I turned off my phone, ignored the outside work, and invited my four year old to wash dishes with me. Oh it was lovely, we ended with a clean floor too, in front of the sink anyway. And she had a very good idea of what to make for supper.
I’m sorry I haven’t learned to post a link, but Google can find it for you. It’s called When Queens Ride By, by Agnes Sligh Turnbull, written in 1926.
Oh Laura, so much of what we say, we DIYing housekeeping gardenplanting moms, so much of what we say is just a longhandled attempt at describing love. Love for hungry people and tired people and little people who need a fresh diaper. And also, love for the person in the mirror.
But the clutter, oh my. I tried for years, I really did. And then my sister said, But look: these minimalists, they talk and talk about how to get rid of stuff. I think maybe, she said, I think maybe it is better to be very thoughtful about acquiring, about raising the standard of living.
Oh, I said. Hm.
So I have begun to say to myself when I shop, Do I need this item so I can show love to someone? Is there a cheaper way to make them feel just as loved?
Shopping has gotten to be a whole lot more fun. Milk and diapers, of course. Cheese, because my husband wants it. Chocolate chips, usually. Pineapple, if it’s on sale. Another stuffed toy, definitely not.
We haul it all home and the children dump it on the kitchen floor and I lean weakly on the door jam. Wow, I say, look at all that food. We are rich.
Hey, somebody says, can we invite company?
ms berry
you sound real down on yourself, we all started with less than lovely belongings. maybe find a picture you would like to copy and slowly improve one area at a time. you have made the first step enjoy !!!
sandra mason
Laura ❤️ You sound a lot like me! All my adult life I’ve needed/wanted to do/be better at having a better home, now I just want to enjoy everything.. Playing when displaying is important even when it’s financially difficult (take it from one who knows 😉) Enjoy taking pot luck it usually turns out ok! I take loads of inspiration from Pinterest & YouTube. Also I have loved & been inspired by the replies to your comment 👏💝
sandra mason
Laura ❤️ You sound a lot like me! All my adult life I’ve needed/wanted to do/be better at having a better home, now I just want to enjoy it even though it’s far from how I’d like it. “Playing””when displaying is important even when it’s financially difficult (take it from one who knows 😉) Enjoy taking pot luck it usually turns out ok! I take loads of inspiration from Pinterest & YouTube. Also I have loved & been inspired by the replies to your comment 👏💝. Loree I thoroughly enjoyed “When Queens Ride By ❤️ Due to chronic pain & fatigue I am unable to physically do what I used to but
sandra mason
Laura ❤️ You sound a lot like me! All my adult life I’ve needed/wanted to do/be better at having a better home, now I just want to enjoy it even though it’s far from how I’d like it. “Playing”when displaying is important even when it’s financially difficult (take it from one who knows 😉) Enjoy taking pot luck it usually turns out ok! I take loads of inspiration from Pinterest & YouTube especially Shaye & Angela @Perisian Chateu) Also been inspired by the replies to your comment 👏💝. Loree I thoroughly enjoyed “When Queens Ride By ❤️ Due to chronic pain & fatigue I am physically unable to do what I used to. I’m a bit of a Maudie with the paintbrush (except I paint walls & furniture). I was bought up with a paintbrush & scrubbing brush in my hand so would be very reluctant to give them up especially at only 59. Having a nice comfy home has been my life’s mission & will continue to be inspired even if I have to hold the brushes between my teeth & crack an egg by sitting on it 😂 🤗😘
Carol Shirvinsky
A 200 year old German brick farmhouse set in a garden. Home apothecary filled with foraged herbs and essential oils. Old plank floors, 5 beloved cats, delightful chickens, honeybees. Furniture handed down through generations. Raw milk from next door neighbors and our own eggs. Covenant Farm.
Sarah Esh
I normally skip over the reply parts of post…however, I felt compelled to leave a reply…so here it is 🙂 haha. My home is a dream that is starting to be a reality! Our house is an oddly built home, stuck in the mid 80s with brass lights and many rooms that need redone. There is a garden on this property…but currently…looks more like a jungle with pumpkin plants taking over. We have some goats, hens, horses, a dog that currently has puppies! My husband and I are in the process of building a barn. However, our home is a dream because of the people who live in it and those that visit. My childhood dream was to always have land for animals and a family to enjoy them with. I also had a dream of doing foster care. My husband and I adopted 2 children from foster care in Dec. 2018 and re opened our home to 2 more kids this past Aug. Life is always changing, our home has experienced many good times as well as hard times. I hope and pray that my home is full of God’s love, hope, acceptance, and grace. As I write this I am reminded how similar it is to the home I grew up in…it truly is amazing the privilege we have to pass down values and beliefs to our children. Thank you for giving me opportunity to reflect on my home, and how I can more intentionally cultivate those values into my home and children!
Milanne
Our house is old and for many years empty and neglected. It’s as if it sat waiting for us to take over stewardship and fill it full of life. Our home is restoration and answered prayers. Before we were here we were in a place of loss and lack. We truly did not think we would find a place to fit our growing family. We were in a small home with no yard. So I prayed that God would provide a place for the kids to grow and play. That night I dreamed of a big beautiful house with a red door. Shortly after that dream we walked through a vacant house that was in need of a lot of work. We were surprised to find it was in our price range. We purchased it and set right to work cleaning, painting, fixing and building. Three months later it was livable and now years later we are still working on it. The best part is that it fits our family of ten as it is a five bedroom two bath home on a half acre. Oh and I almost forgot while chipping away the old white paint from the door it revealed red paint underneath.
Kirsten
I so love this. My childhood home was a suburban oasis of manicured lawns and tidy shrubs, but as long as I’ve been grown, I’ve been forever torn between the energy of urban life and walkability to town and the serenity of being away from it all and surrounded by nature on all sides. So…we split the difference and now “home” is a little urban homestead with bees and chickens and garden beds. It’s designed enough to be tidy, but the tomatoes climb above the fence line and the squash leaves overflow from the beds. It’s my favorite thing, walking around the garden in the early hours listening to the city nearby wake up 🙂 Someday, I’ll be a country girl with 10 acres of fields and fruit trees, but for now the city is my favorite urban homestead spot!
Kelly (Kitchen Kop)
I loved this and it made me miss my Mom even more: “Mom didn’t just keep a house. She kept a house. Sinks and toilets were bleached on Friday. Floors were mopped before bed. Sheets were washed, pillows were fluffed, and yet we were always comfortable living in that space. It wasn’t sterile or uninviting. It was warm and worn in and everything you’d hope a home would be.)
I often long to go back for a visit.”
I want to be a Mom like her who runs her home in such a way that our kids always want to come back for a long visit.
Kelly
Jessica
We are still searching for our chalet, but in the mean time we have a lovely little ranch, with half designed gardens (I learned a lot) and a number of shiny new improvements to up it’s value.
P.S. I also drove a (lime green) ford bronco as a teenager and fell in love with chianti in Florence.
Brittany Richardson
Our home is were my children can rest in the knowledge that their Lord and parents are here for them. A safe place designed for comfort and togetherness a place of peace and most of the time harmony. A place to learn through homeschool and the ever growing menagery of animals, projects and feildtrips. A safe harbor through the storms of life whether physical when the power is out for days in the winter or spiritual when we are wrestling with the enemy, expectations and who God calls us to be. It is home, for family and visitors alike. 💖
Brenda
So fun reading this and everyone else’s. Our home-nestled in the woods off of a dirt road. The outside looks just like the simple square home I drew as a kid. It even has the tall steep A-frame roof with a chimney. Inside is music, dancing, doggies, teens, instruments, magic tricks, and creations, all within the walls of clean modern lines. Gray, white, black with turquoise accents and turquoise painted vintage furniture including a tall upright piano completely turquoise….my favorite piece. Every window frames a beautiful picture of the fall leaves turning colors against a blue sky. It’s magical and I’m thankful to God every day for this happy place.
Celina
My home is… New. Set in a climate smart neighborhood in a newly redesigned city that has been here since the 1200s. It has a combination of antique and retro furniture, with some Ikea staples. I put every spare penny into buying plants, because they are cheaper than furniture for filling up empty spaces and make a dreary gray Swedish day seem less depressing. It’s a well stocked fridge and pantry, and daily dinners cooked in an induction stove powered by eolic energy. It’s candles in every nook and cranny, and blankets on the sofa. And a loving boyfriend that snuggles the cold away. ❤️
suzy
I have struggled a lot with what Laura talked about. I am not the person that can really make it come together although I think I am slowly learning a little from other people (you, Shaye). But what we often forget is that the important thing is that it feels like HOME and that it is comfortable and cozy and i think everyone has the capacity to do that. Even if its not photo worthy. We live in a little grey bungalow with more trim off then on, a million projects to be done and little money and even less time. But my cabinets are now the best color ever (thank you Shaye) and slowly slowly I hope to make my kitchen the way i want it (you again, Shaye). We have a beginner stages farmyard which is a little messy right now but there is hope. Chickens and goats and a new Jersey dairy cow which is crazy exciting. The gardens are a slow process for me as well but I love them in their own wild beauty to. What I am striving for most of all is to be content and happy with what is NOW and to fight that feeling that we HAVE TO GET ALL THE RENOS DONE NOW. because my home is beautiful in its imperfection and the people that live in it are dear and the people that sit around the table give it extra life.
sharon
Home: is a verb ever evolving. our next action is getting ready for the next generation a little grand boy. A home where we will have adventures around the forest floor and the Run just out side our door. learn the ways of the forest all day and come back to a warm family
Nikki Lynn Portillo
We only moved into our little homestead about a year and a half ago. A city girl from the outskirts of Philadelphia, wanting land and animals and lore. Our home is beautiful and special. Dark hardwoods and light colored walls. We LIVE in our home. We LIVE there. It is clean but messes happen and they are okay! Our little fa is in the making. I’m almost 47 and still find new things every day. I’m learning. I’m evolving into a new person through the Lord who is teaching me His beauty and grace in this journey! Our farm started with not just one cow. It started with just three chickens. And my gardens are a work in progress which has me wanting a new degree (after 25+ years of graduating from college with a paralegal degree). I want to grow all of my own food and not depend on the stores to be able to live. You are an inspiration to many and I’m so thankful that you share! ❤️
Morgan
My home right now is an old 800sq foot apartment in St.louis, MO. My husband is in chiropractic school and I’m raising our 2, soon to be 3 kiddos. Your home is literally my DREAM. I’ve been doing what I can to make that dream a reality with our current resources. I thrift a lot and only buy meaningful and beautiful items to fill our home. I love antiques and items from our travels (like my polish pottery ❤️). I try to make as much of our food as possible: homemade whole grain bread, yogurt, bone broth, butter etc. I use the food my husband has hunted/caught: elk, deer and trout. I’ve been making my own cleaning products, makeup, herbal salves, body care products and such. And I’ve taken up knitting and sewing. So our home is very homemade. It brings me a lot of peace and joy to do these things and I am excited continue to learn and grow as we dream about our future homestead in the mountains of Montana. I can’t wait for the day I walk out of our home into a large garden, greenhouse, and orchard surrounded by bees, chickens, goats, horses and an alpaca. I dream big but is live really worth it if you don’t?
Brooke
My home is a farmhouse my husband built surrounded by our malt barley fields on three side and a pasture on the fourth. Outside our pine trees on the edge of our yard, we planted an orchard and garden which itself is surrounded by a blackberry and raspberry patch. It is such a joy to us and our three imaginative, hungry children. Our year-round creek extends across the field to the barn that houses my daughter’s beloved paint mare and 14 chickens. Inside the farmhouse we bask in front of the fireplace on comfy, but dated couches reading books aloud with hot tea and too much homemade bread. Every available surface is covered with my collection of houseplants (Montana winters are long and I need green to offset all that white!) There are kitties on the front porch and a deaf, yappy Scottish terrier within. There is the noise of trumpets, drums, clarinet, a fiddle and the piano. There is scripture written on handmade chalkboards and poopy eggs waiting to be cleaned by the sink. There is a freezer full of beef and berries and a library crammed with books. There are Legos under the chairs and dollies stuffed in the closets. There are mistakes and forgiveness, selfishness and affection. The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy! –Psalm 126:3
Amie
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your home with me and everyone else. You have given some good advise and motivation as I had just started my very first perennial garden right before I came across your YouTube channel. I live in a stone house in North Louisiana and I’m trying to get my feet sunk in to the gardening. My dream is to eventually have an English/romance garden with small pathways. I absolutely love what you and your hubby have done with your space inside and out. We have been under remodel inside our home for the last 4 years. In your videos it seems as if your house is also a stone home. Is it? If so, please tell me any and all tricks for making things work and fixing things up. Again, thank you for sharing your love of home and gardening and I hope to hear back from you soon.
Amie