Nancy Taylor brought new life to a tottering 18th-century Rhode Island farmhouse and its weed-choked garden.

The Providence-based interior designer has no signature style, only a signature philosophy. "People can improve the quality of their lives by improving the quality of their environments," she says. "Also, I believe in long-term looks, not fads - I expect a decor to last 20 years."

Dressing Room

The dressing room demonstrates Nancy Taylor's love of antiques, including a vintage chaise as well as a 19th-century English vanity and pieces from Nancy's collection of pokerware. These boxes are decorated with an Arts and Crafts-era technique in which designs were burned into wood, as if with the tip of a red-hot fireplace poker. Pink lusterware brightens the green-vined wallpaper.



Living Room

Della, Nancy's smooth-haired fox terrier, relaxes on a sofa in one of the house's two living rooms, which features original windows. The furnishings and accents include '40s French leather armchairs, a framed batik print from Bali, and a flat-weave Peruvian rug.




Cheery Dining Room

The dining area in the kitchen, painted Benjamin Moore's Airway, includes toile-covered banquettes, Indonesian chairs, and a custom English cherrywood table.




Potting Area

Enameled-tin graniteware outfits the potting area, which centers around a salvaged soapstone sink.




Bathroom

The master bath features a claw-foot tub that came with the house and a white-painted 19th-century English spool chair with an upholstered seat and arms.



Displaying Photos

Nancy lined the stairwell with hand-hewn planks from the oldest part of the house. "These are the boards that were carved from the oak trees on the land in 1776," she says. "I left them unpainted, so when I touch the boards I am touching the same wood those colonial farmers touched." She uses the stairwell, which is surrounded by the house's original banister, as an area to display her family photos.



Bedroom

A c. 1840 mahogany Empire-style bed from New York State dominates the master bedroom. Nancy chose the late-19th-century mirrored oak chest for its romantic presentation. A hand-crocheted bedspread, rag rug, and beadboard walls offset the dark wood furniture and ceiling.







photo credit: Laura Moss