Natural, Nostalgic and Nautical

This cottage farmhouse is decorated in vintage Christmas stylewith some sweet surprises.

-  MERYL SCHOENBAUM

WINTER-WHITE WONDERLAND. This full view of the living room showcases a Christmas tree from Darts Tree Farm, where you can cut your own tree for a natural look. The cabinet is antique English pine. An antique clam basket is displayed on top of the cabinet, while a bottlebrush tree was placed on the vintage coffee table. The unusual pendant light fixture is an old ship's light.

JUST ADD WATER. Nautical décor is a surprising sight in the living room. The fireplace andirons are vintage anchors. The wreath above the mantel is a vintage lifesaver ring styled with grain sack ribbon and vintage ornaments. The gas fireplace is two-sided: One side is in the kitchen, and this side is in the living room.

WARM WELCOME. There might be snow on the ground, but the home's exterior exudes a warm, vintage-natural ambiance as soon as you approach the porch. The weathered, unpainted front door, original to the 1850 home, sets the tone for what you'll find inside. When the homeowners renovated the home's exterior, they discovered clapboard under the cedar shake siding, which Lori's husband wanted to bring back. As a result, the original clapboard was painted white. Otto invites you to come inside to warm up.

PIT STOP. Lori turned this small entryway into a mudroom. Mini schnauzer Otto supervises to make sure everyone hangs their coats in the vintage lockers to the left and removes their boots to dry. An old ammunition basket is repurposed to display greenery.

Homeowner Lori Guyer likes to keep her cottage farmhouse's Christmas décor simple and natural, but it's far from being plain and boring. In fact, to make sure her 1850-built home had an authentic "vintage natural" ambiance along with unexpected elements-Lori hired stylist Heather Bullard (heatherbullard.com) to dress her holiday home.