Anne Gridley and Gary Graves bought a home, then spent the next 12 years tinkering in order to create an old house.

Bright Dining Room

The owners have spent 14 years amassing the oyster plates that line the walls of their Pennsylvania dining room. The table was built from old barn floorboards to fit the room's narrow proportions. The sofa cushions flaunt a funky, flea market fabric.



Living Room

Graves designed the low wooden shutters to give the couple privacy, while also letting in light. Le-Le the corgi guards a Sheraton sofa and one of the living room's two fireplaces, stripped to its pumpkin pine.



Sitting Area

In a corner of the living room, rows of prints and a lavishly upholstered chaise shout "more is more." Restoring the 19th-century camera entailed tracking down a lens in Houston and a bellows in England.



Library

In the library, vibrant color and dentil molding - not to mention antelope horns - give basic bookcases a jolt.



Green Room

In the library, Graves's built-in shelves, covered with photos and prints, become artworks themselves. The couple found the mercury-glass pendant lampshades at a local antiques show. An unusual coat of yellow shakes up a reproduction Windsor chair.



Front Door

Running out of space for all your art? How about hanging a piece on the back of a door? Glass bulb forcers filter light shining through the front-door transom.



Master Bedroom

In the master bedroom, Graves's self-portrait looks down on a cast-iron bed.



Artwork

For his work Witness (Reflection), Graves tucked a pair of mirrors inside his dad's shoes.



Red Kitchen

The couple searched for their vintage appliances online. "That fridge is more energy efficient than a new one," Graves swears of their 1930s model. Scalloped molding gives these shelves sweet-shop appeal.



Blue Room

In front of a huge Robert Rauschenberg print, an Empire-style chair and settee flank a plastic Philippe Starck stool.



photo credit: Anne Gridley and Gary Graves