Helen Bartlett and Tony Bill, a husband and wife producing-directing team, make movies for a living, and their base is sunny Venice, Calif. But Helen grew homesick for the lifestyle of her East Coast childhood and wanted to create memories of changing seasons with the couple's two daughters, Daphne and Maddie. So she and Tony bought a farmhouse on four acres in Connecticut.

Folk Art Living Room

The house is also a home to their collections. Helen's quarry is American folk art and ironstone. Helen inherited her unerring eye from her mother, Martha Bartlett, a prominent art collector. "Her love of American folk art is everywhere in this house," says Helen.

Collecting Tip:

Cull collections periodically, Helen advises. "Really look at what you have, and if something doesn't work, sell it or give it away."



Fresh Green Kitchen

Helen borrowed from the verdant outdoors when creating the palette for her family's kitchen, hand-mixing the green paint used on the trim, work island, and some cabinet doors. Old chestnut boards reclaimed from the attic pave the room's floor.



Chest of Drawers

Fragments of 19th-century frakturs (documents such as baptism or birth certificates that were typically illustrated with angels or fanciful birds) flank the mirror above a cherrywood chest of drawers.

Collecting Tip:

Pause before committing to a big item. "When you find something you like, move it away from its current environment — to a different table in a store, for instance — to get some perspective," says Helen. If it still holds its spell on you, then go for it!




Kids' Playroom

The kids' playroom, formerly a mudroom, doubles as a crafting area, with beads, buttons, cookie cutters, and other ingredients for art projects corralled in metal kitchen tins.



Floral Bedroom

For the master bedroom, Helen selected the floral fabric because it reminded her of the red toile from her childhood room.



Outdoor Dining

At dinnertime, an antique trestle table glows with light from Helen's collection of gas lamps and lanterns.







Photo credit: Michael Partenio