A Modern Country Home That Was Done on a Budget

When former Good Housekeeping Philippines art director Kara Ballesteros was growing up, she would spend her afternoons watching Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic on TV. The iconic TV show brought vintage, contemporary-country interiors to the forefront in the late 1990s.

Kara’s love for this interior style is evident in the three-bedroom townhouse she now lives in with her husband, Ace, and their daughter. But instead of sporting a purely vintage-country aesthetic, the home also has industrial touches and neutral colors to keep it from looking overly frilly and feminine.

“Naging consistent na lang ako sa color palette na gray, white, black, and gold para hindi magulo,” says Kara, who also works as a visual merchandiser. The color scheme unites all the elements, from the massive couch (big enough for Ace, who is over six feet tall) to the customized console table to the whimsical accessories found throughout the home (owl figurines, a spray-painted dinosaur, a unicorn head).

While the home exudes casual elegance, the look surprisingly didn’t come at a hefty price: Most of the pieces are budget finds or a result of Kara’s handiwork. It’s proof of what a clear vision, an innate sense of style, and a little help from Pinterest can achieve.

The original article ("City Meets Country") appeared in the September 2016 issue of Good Housekeeping Philippines.