My Houzz: Vintage Charm and DIY Style in Maryland

The wraparound porch, dormer windows, breathtaking views and serene setting checked off everything on Cassie and Chris Bustamante’s dream home wish list. “I don’t dream about the next house, like I did in our last one,” says Cassie, “but I dream about all of the things I can do to make this one more livable for us.” Cassie, a blogger and co-owner of a vintage barn marketplace, and her family moved in three years ago. “I was excited to get my hands dirty and create a home for our family,” she says.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Chris and Cassie Bustamante; their children, Sawyer, 9, and Emmy, 8; their basset-beagle, Jake, and their Weimaraner-Australian shepherd, Catcher
Location: Myersville, Maryland
Size: 1,980 square feet (184 square meters); 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Year built: 1979

Cassie first started painting furniture in the evenings as a creative outlet when her kids were little. “Furniture was a way for me to put my mark on something, and from there I discovered a love of design,” she says. “I realized that if I could redesign a piece of furniture, I could also redesign a room.”

She documents many of her home DIY projects on her blog, Primitive & Proper. Cassie painted the two bookcases here a light gray and the backs a dramatic black to set off her curated selection of books, brass animals and milk glass.

Hide rug: Rugs USA; large rug: Overstock; sofa: Sweet Clover


Cassie is skilled at making televisions in the house blend in with their backgrounds. The black paint on the fireplace conceals the television mounted over the mantel — which, as Cassie says, is “really the only place the TV could have gone in this room.” She also loves the contrast between dark and light colors. “I have no medium-toned walls in the house. It’s all white or really dark,” she says.

Wall paint: White Opal, Clark+Kensington; coffee table: Sweet Clover


Cassie painted the vintage desk, a roadside find, which Chris uses when working from home. The desk chair matches the dining chairs and can be pulled up to the table in the next room when they’re entertaining.


A coat closet off the main entry made a dark hallway feel too narrow. Cassie removed the doors, then added cedar planks to the walls. An Ikea shelf adds storage and a place to keep shoes neat but nearby.

Live-edge shelf: Middle Creek Woodworking; cedar: Cedar Safe; cabinet and baskets: Ikea


Cassie remakes furniture and, with friend Sarah Zullo, runs a monthly marketplace called Sweet Clover. “Sweet Clover is an eclectic vintage home decor shop where we’ve gathered vendors with varying styles to give our shop diversity. Our tagline is ‘No rules, just passion,’ because we believe that one shouldn’t box themselves in with a label,” Cassie says. “It’s all about surrounding yourself with things that speak to you.” Cassie spray-painted the bentwood dining room chairs with a semigloss oil-based spray paint.

Light fixture: Lamps Plus, curtains: Lacefield Designs; S dining chair in black: Scout & Nimble; bentwood chairs: Craigslist; wall paint: White Opal, Clark+Kensington


Chris and Cassie redid the kitchen themselves in a deconstructed, rustic style, including adding utility shelving. They replaced the cabinets over the stove with white, open shelves and tiled their backsplash themselves.

Backsplash tile: Kirkland, The Tile Shop; countertop: Ikea


The kitchen was originally closed off from the dining room, and the Bustamantes hired a contractor to remove a wall to connect the two spaces.

Their neighbor Travis Bruns, a carpenter with Middle Creek Woodworking, built their kitchen island for this space, giving them open storage and a workspace. They also added stools on the other side of the counter, turning it into a breakfast bar.

Lights over island: West Elm; light over sink: Lamps Plus; cutting board: Silk&Burlap


The lower cabinets are original, though they’ve been painted and updated with new hardware.

Cabinet paint: Coastal Blue, General Finishes


Over time, Cassie has collected a mix of vintage nautical-themed oil paintings, which she’s combined into a gallery in the dining room. Vintage glass floats on the buffet provide a burst of color.


The guest room shows Cassie’s love of contrast, with black walls and a white bed and white bedding. Layered rugs, a vintage throw, and an oversized dream catcher soften the contrast with lots of texture.

Wall paint: Black Iron, Benjamin Moore; bedding: Crane & Canopy; blue and white rug: Overstock; red rug: auction; dream catcher: Primitive & Proper


The master bedroom walls are painted a deep blue color. Bruns made the rustic-style headboard as a statement piece.

Wall paint: Chanson Blue, Dutch Boy; bedding: Crane & Canopy; bed: Middle Creek Woodworking


Cassie turned two yard sale cabinets into nightstands. Gold-leafed edges frame the cabinet doors, while matching blue table lamps help tie together the navy bedding and navy walls.

Sesame table lamps: Kenroy Home; rug: Rugs USA


A gallery wall over a dresser contains a mix of family photos and vintage animal paintings. The dark wall color once again helps conceal the television.


Eight-year-old Emmy got involved in the design of her room, picking out colors and even the words hanging over her bed. She went with Cassie to an auction, where they found the vintage hanging chair. Bruns built the dollhouse next to the bed.

Bedding: Crane & Canopy; rug: Rugs USA; canopy: gift; tasseled panels: Pier 1 Imports; dollhouse: Middle Creek Woodworking


Vivid curtains, rather than closet doors, bring in color and turn the closet into an extension of the room. Cassie’s mom made the ruffled curtains from bedsheets.

Red curtains: Ikea; settee: Craigslist, slipcovered by a friend; ottoman: Target


Sawyer’s room reflects his dual interests: Lego Star Wars and American history. Cassie says it was the first room they worked on when they moved into the house over three years ago, because she wanted Sawyer to feel at home after their move. She said the room has remained mostly unchanged except for the addition of American history accents, which is a more recent interest.

Flag: Country Living Fair; bedding: Pottery Barn Kids; dresser: Sweet Clover; rug: Ikea, curtain fabric: Fabric.com


Large vintage drawers under the beds hold Lego pieces and help keep the small blocks organized and put away when they’re not in use.

Lego drawers: Chic Restorations; wall paint: Smoke Embers and Hale Navy, Benjamin Moore


In the basement, a comfortable sectional offers the kids a place to watch television or play video games. Cassie removed the coffee table from the room to make more room for play.

Couch: Tillary, West Elm; kilim rug: Cost Plus World Market; gray rug: Mohawk


The downstairs also holds most of the toys, books, and arts and crafts supplies shared by the kids; a table provides a space to play games.

Hide rug: Ikea; table: Craigslist; chairs: Sweet Clover


A door off the kitchen gives easy access to an outdoor eating area. The driveway just off the porch is Cassie’s preferred place to refinish furniture when the weather permits.

Outdoor rug: Pottery Barn; wicker furniture: Threshold, Target


When Cassie isn’t working on furniture, she might be out hunting for it. She says she scours thrift stores and Craigslist, and loves yard sale season. Many of her finds are featured here on the patio. “I love the thrill of the hunt,” she says.


The views from this table make it a perfect spot for the family to unwind together after a busy day.


In addition to all the charm and character that the couple loved about their home when they first saw it, it also had a lot of brown and mustard color combinations, inside and out. The inside rooms have since been painted, but the exterior still shows the original colors. Though Cassie says they’d like to paint this summer, it hasn’t stopped them from turning the areas outside their home into desirable places in which to spend time.


Emmy, Cassie and Sawyer relax in their living room. Behind them is a chalkboard where Cassie likes to leave inspirational phrases.

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