We're starting out the New Year with a real treat this month, as we step inside Kathee's charming cottage ranch home, in Santa Rosa Valley, CA. Residing here for the past 12 years, she calls her decorating style "Shabby French Western, Cottage Chic".

 

When you enter Kathee's large ranch home, the first thing you notice is her artistic mix of rustic tooled leather furniture and western pieces, side by side with french decorative pieces, such as french tole and rose oil paintings. All of the French enamelware that she owns came from France, piece by piece. As Kathee says, "Itwas fun to search out the right colors and pieces!"

Finding influence from scouring over books and magazines, Kathee especially enjoys Romantic Homes Magazine & Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion. She is also an avid gardner and loves browsing through garden magazines for ideas.

Kathee's love for collecting began in High School. As she says,"It all started with an old hump back trunk!" Her collections include French enamelware, rose oil paintings, French and American toleware trays, Italian and French chandeliers and sconces, old toy sprinkler cans & sand pails, as well as French and American antique quilts. She also loves anything rusty and chippy!

While Kathee prefers buying abroad, through the eBay French, UK and Australia sites, she also enjoys the comforts of shopping locally at the Agoura Antique Mart as well as the antique shops in Ventura and Summerland. And on occasion, you can find her shopping at the Rose Bowl and Ventura Flea Market. You can find Kathee's treasures on eBay, at pink*rose*chateau -JG

(Photographs and article by Jennifer Grey, owner of The Old Painted Cottage)