My Houzz: Colorful and Clever DIY Touches Fill an Alabama Farmhouse

Mark and Kelley Ash have kept busy designing, building and reimagining their North Alabama farmhouse for the past few years. The couple — he's an architect at Element Planning; she's an artist — built the original shotgun-style farmhouse in 2011, then added another 700 square feet two years later.

Together they've dug holes, mixed concrete and framed the walls with a hammer and nails. "We didn't get a nail gun until we started working upstairs," says Kelley. Every detail of the home, including installations, was done solely by the couple. "Not one piece of machinery came through this gate," Kelley notes.

The couple eliminated labor costs by doing the work themselves, and reduced expenses by sourcing reclaimed materials, like wood from Kelley's grandmother's house and metal from a dilapidated chicken coop. Kelley describes the result as a mix of industrial, Scandinavian and retro-farmhouse style.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark and Kelley Ash, and their 3 children
On the farm: 3 horses, 1 donkey, 5 chickens, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 1 pig
Location: Horton, Alabama
Size: 1,700 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 1 bath on a 9-acre property

The house is set on a lush 9-acre parcel the owners call Fox Heart Farm. Mark and Kelley built the two-story wing first, while living in a borrowed camper with their three kids.

They recently completed a 700-square-foot addition, which begins to the right of the two-story structure. The cantilevered bay, far right, and shed, far left, are accented with corrugated metal salvaged from an old chicken coop.

Exterior paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore; roofing material: Metal 5B


Kelley attributes her love of color to her family. "My grandmother used to have a color explosion in her house: black wallpaper with bold orange, yellows and olive greens," she recalls. "So I guess you could say she was my inspiration — not only in my design, but in my folk art paintings as well."

Paintings: Misty Lindsey


The home that Kelley's grandmother lived in was torn down, so Kelley salvaged some of the wood and applied it to the kitchen walls. A restored washboard sink found on Craigslist sits below the kitchen window, which overlooks a pasture and fire pit. Yellow polka-dot coffee mugs hang from pieces of piping next to the window.

Refrigerator, stove: Big Chill; mason jar pendant: Barn Light Electric


A vintage tin bucket serves as a kitchen trash can. The timeworn wood cabinet serves as the family's pantry. Salvaged metal covers the ceiling; the pendant lamp is a secondhand find.

Open shelving displays stacks of colorful dishes, while wooden crates store vintage bottles in the lower cabinet shelves.


The original living room is now the family dining room; it offers access to every other room in the home. The darker wood peeping through the ceiling joists was also salvaged from Kelley's grandmother's home — an addition that saved on material costs and added a historical, personal element.

Strips of newspaper that insulated the grandmother's home are still plastered to a few boards, and the nearly century-old texts are still legible. A small niche holds a tan dresser filled with accessories, along with a metal "a" (for Ash). The stair rail is made from industrial plumbing pipe — an idea Kelley borrowed from her great-grandmother's home.

Barn door paint: Bud Green, Benjamin Moore


"We used the Jøtul stove to heat the entire first portion of the house prior to the addition," says Kelley. The energy-efficient stove was once the center of the living room and now heats the dining room and kitchen.

Wood-burning stove: Black Bear, Jøtul


For their daughter's bedroom, the couple built a nook big enough for a twin bed that faces the back of the home and the stairwell entry.

Wall paint: Pistachio; trim paint: Autumn Gold, both by Benjamin Moore


Handmade dolls are stored in a small metal basket hanging from the wall; a timeworn hutch nestled in the corner offers additional storage.

Hutch: Queen of Hearts


The bedroom is on the second floor, tucked under the home's gable roof.


The couple built the teal sliding barn door that opens to their son's bedroom — originally the master bedroom. A distressed chest once used in a fabric factory now holds accessories and displays a pair of lamps made by Kelley.

Barn door paint: Bud Green, Benjamin Moore; lamps: Sweet Gravy Studio


Fishing lures dangle from a string across the top of the bedroom window.



A vintage table and tool chest store bedside items; a single feather hangs above the pillow.

Bedding: Pottery Barn


The 700-square-foot addition begins at this doorway, which leads from the kitchen to a larger family room and the master bedroom.

Wall sconce: Barn Light Electric; artwork: Bailey Jack Studio


The family room hosts an array of vintage finds, repurposed as colorful storage and doors. A large sectional door opens up the room to the back porch, which overlooks a pasture with grazing horses. The door provides easy access to the porch while conserving floor space.

The large, patinated sliding door was once a fire door, designed to contain blazes in a factory. "They're kind of hard to find," says Kelley, who jumped at the chance to claim one as her own. The large piece was found in Chicago and now closes off the back hallway leading to the master bedroom and laundry room.

Sectional door: Graves Overhead Doors


A rolling metal storage unit sits below one of Kelley's framed paintings. A vintage fan cools the room.

Lamp: Stray Dog Designs; artwork: Sweet Gravy Studio


A blanket chest dating back to the late 1800s doubles as a coffee table. A small hallway leads to the mudroom and master bedroom and bath.

The hallway wall is covered in salvaged wood from a barn in Tony, Alabama.

Wall sconce: Barn Light Electric; blanket chest: Queen of Hearts


More salvaged wood was utilized on the master bedroom ceiling. Kelley commissioned a friend to create the pendant light, made of fabric from a military tent. A large cattle fence secured to the wall serves as the headboard.

Pendant: Debbie Stricklin


A distressed dresser near the foot of the bed rests below colorful artwork by Justin Robinson.


The Ashes installed this French farmhouse sink in the master bathroom. A mint-colored stool holds bathroom essentials, as the hanging cabinet offers the only storage in this space.

Sink: City Farmhouse; sconce: Barn Light Electric


The new master bath opens directly into the master closet. Kelley nailed vintage spools to the wall for extra storage.


A custom-made Dutch door offers another route to the back porch.

All paint by Benjamin Moore: Sharkskin (floor), Simply White (walls), Old Pickup Blue (ceiling), Autumn Gold (door); pendant light: Barn Light Electric


Kelley used reclaimed Cream City brick from Wisconsin as the laundry room's flooring.


A coral sliding barn door encloses an extra storage unit. The unit is incomplete but will soon house the family's boots and accessories. The colorful pillows on the bench showcase Kelley's newest creative venture: a fabric line.

All paint by Benjamin Moore: Sharkskin (floor), Simply White (walls), Old Pickup Blue (ceiling), Candy Apple Red (door); pillows: Sweet Gravy Studio; pendant light: Barn Light Electric


An array of vintage chairs surround the outdoor fire pit. Large wooden stumps act as side tables, and the horse trough houses fragrant rosemary bushes.


The chicken coop mimics the home's white walls and metal roofing. Five chickens roam Fox Heart Farm.

The distressed rooster was purchased in Atlanta a few years ago.


Kelley, Mark and their three children gather on the front porch. The creative couple recently started a new business together, Hovel Design Studio. "Our favorite projects are modern farmhouses consisting of small scale and simplicity," says Kelley. "However, we do other styles depending on the client's style."

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