At the 1740s Connecticut farmhouse she shares with her husband, Tim Street-Porter, interior designer Annie Kelly displays the rare confidence to match fine antiques with Kmart finds.

Vibrant Accents

Designer Annie Kelly secured period pieces - oak chairs, gateleg tables, tall armoires - from auctions and antiques shops, and offset the stately furniture with assured, playful colors, like vibrant pinks and juicy greens. Each room combines 18th-century treasures with affordable chain-store finds. To spot her bargains, however, you must look closely. The parlor's lustrous quince curtains may be custom-made, the throw pillows covered in elegant, antique embroidered fabric, but those pomegranate-red lampshades? They're a Target score. "You're sitting on a sofa from Christie's," she notes. "The rug is Pottery Barn."

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The ribbon and curtain tieback are just for show - this frame is actually mounted directly on the wall.




Striped Sitting Room

Vertical cream and green stripes, painted by Street-Porter, counteract the low ceiling in the upstairs sitting room.

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Hang similar pieces - like these portraits and silhouettes - together for greater impact. Kelly chose artwork featuring public figures from the 18th century. She likes the faces: "I wanted to have portraits in the house, because they give you company."




Clematis Vine

On their front porch, a clematis vine winds its way around a trellis. The couple stashes birdseed in the metal bin beneath the table.



Bookshelf-Lined Doorway

In the dining room, Kelly updated a set of 17th-century Yorkshire chairs with cheerful striped cushions. A secret steal lurks within a Scandinavian hutch: a collection of crockery Kelly discovered at Kmart. "I already had some 18th-century creamware that I got at auction," she says. "When I went to buy more china for this place, I was thrilled to find that Martha Stewart had copied its design, because it matched the stuff I've got." She turns over one of the replicas to reveal a stamped inscription: will get hot in microwave.




Daffodils in Colorful Bottles

The daffodils were plucked from Kelly and Street-Porter's garden.

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Displaying glass bottles in a window highlights their colors - and unifies a disparate collection.




Wicker Chairs

Pillows covered in mattress ticking and coral-colored crewelwork dress up a pair of flea market wicker chairs.

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Durable enamelware plates bring interior panache out to the porch.






photo credit: Tim Street-Porter