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2 weeks ago | 
countryliving.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
If you’re suddenly feeling surrounded by so much stuff, you’re not alone. As soon as the daffodils start trumpeting in the spring season, it seems humans are hard-wired to enter spring cleaning mode, whether it’s refreshing the pantry, vacuuming the walls, or organizing the mudroom. Somehow all of those lemon and lavender scents bring out a deep desire for a massive, reorganizational rampage.
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2 weeks ago | 
countryliving.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
As much as I love antiques—it’s a lifelong obsession, I’m afraid—one of the things I enjoy most about antiquing is the community of old souls you encounter on the hunt in places like Round Top, Texas or your neighborhood estate sale. It’s always fascinating to see what tugs at a collector’s heartstrings, whether it’s something as popular as Pyrex or more niche like Girl Scout memorabilia.
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2 weeks ago | 
sg.style.yahoo.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
Rachel Hardage Barrett25 April 2025 at 1:21 pm·6-min readAs much as I love antiques—it’s a lifelong obsession, I’m afraid—one of the things I enjoy most about antiquing is the community of old souls you encounter on the hunt in places like Round Top, Texas or your neighborhood estate sale. It’s always fascinating to see what tugs at a collector’s heartstrings, whether it’s something as popular as Pyrex or more niche like Girl Scout memorabilia.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryliving.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
If you know, you know. There was a period of time in the 1970s and 80s (and thereabouts) when everyone in your peer group likely owned some variation of a Laura Ashley dress. From gravity-defying puffed sleeves to not-particularly-flattering dropped waists to a bona fide bouquet of chintz, the “Laura Ashley look” was it.
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4 weeks ago | 
countryliving.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
If you were around during the 1980s and early 1990s, you likely recall the ubiquity of the bed skirt. Also known as a dust ruffle (or a valance sheet, as they call them over in England), the fabric panels were typically placed under the mattress and draped over the end and sides of the bed to hide unsightly box springs or bed frames while also preventing dust buildup below the bed. It was chintz and ruffles galore on this bed on the cover of our August 1987 issue.
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4 weeks ago | 
yahoo.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."If you were around during the 1980s and early 1990s, you likely recall the ubiquity of the bed skirt. Also known as a dust ruffle (or a valance sheet, as they call them over in England), the fabric panels were typically placed under the mattress and draped over the end and sides of the bed to hide unsightly box springs or bed frames while also preventing dust buildup below the bed.
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1 month ago | 
countryliving.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
I love a well organized space as much as anyone—I even worked for an organizing magazine for a stint in my career—but in recent years it seems the average pantry (at least the ones you see on social media) went from a humble, hardworking space to a sterile and soulless showroom. But seriously: Do people actually live like that? Here's some good news: Lately I've been noticing a shift, and it was about time.
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1 month ago | 
countryliving.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
If you haven’t yet noticed, antiques are having a moment, as is a more nostalgic approach to interior design (see: café curtains, pastel tile, knotty pine walls....). It’s no surprise, then, that vintage dishware is also trending, but if you’re prone to maximalist tendencies or a cluttercore enthusiast, you know that (sigh) a hutch can only hold so much.
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1 month ago | 
yahoo.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."If you haven’t yet noticed, antiques are having a moment, as is a more nostalgic approach to interior design (see: café curtains, pastel tile, knotty pine walls....). It’s no surprise, then, that vintage dishware is also trending, but if you’re prone to maximalist tendencies or a cluttercore enthusiast, you know that (sigh) a hutch can only hold so much.
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1 month ago | 
countryliving.com | Rachel Hardage Barrett
In a world where it can be disconcertingly hard to disconnect, nothing quite sets a put-down-your-phone tone like a dining table or game table outfitted with a fresh-out-of-the-box puzzle. This recreationally inclined activity encourages fellow houseguests of all generations to congregate. (No excuses, Grandpa!) Whatever the puzzling preference—underwater dogs, classic condiments, vintage-inspired seed packets—everyone knows that as soon as someone unboxes that 500- or 1,000-piecer, it’s so on.
