The main living area functions as an easygoing lounge, ideal for entertaining, with a vintage billiards table and low-slung sofas from Ikea. The concrete flooring is durable and easy to clean—a rebuttal to precious French parquet.
If you want evidence that living in a renovated farmhouse doesn't have to be as drab as American Gothic, check out these cheery homes from Iowa to France.
The most successful historic home renovation is the one planned in detail. Having a plan identifies the work to be done at the approved cost and at the expected quality level.
If a building appears to be on its last leg, think twice before tearing it down. Preserving old fragments in a modern home can result in an eclectic mix of old and new.