A stay-at-home mom of three has used her thrifting skills creatively to transform her 1950s ranch home into an early-American, primitive-style dream home—and it looks incredible.
Tayler Lowden lives with her husband, Matt Lowden, and their three children: Paetyn, 7, Landon, 4, and Olan, 1, on a 7-acre 1950s ranch home in northeast Ohio.
‘Your Home Should Be Filled With Joy’
In 2017, as a new stay-at-home mom, Ms. Lowden found herself looking for a hobby and for ways to contribute to the family’s income and thus founded Flipping Vintage. As she hunted for low-priced furniture to flip, her interest in finding old and unique items grew, and she soon found herself filling her house with amazing treasures and delving into interior design.
“We love the details of an antique, primitive style home so over the years we have slowly changed our home to become that,” she told The Epoch Times.
Fortunately for the Lowden family, they have a large local thrift shop.
“The place is massive and filled with treasures,” she said. “Most items are priced between $10 to $2, excluding furniture. ... With prices like these, I was able to fill our home with the most amazing items on a very tight budget.”
In an effort to make her home reflect the theme of early American/primitive style, she’s incorporated elements into her home.
“I really fell in love with this style and changed my home after watching ‘Anne [With an E]’ on Netflix,” she said. “The set on that show was perfection, I would pause the show just to look at all the details in the home design.”
By purchasing items to match her 1950s home, Ms. Lowden was able to successfully change the way her house looked.
“Our kitchen definitely was 1950s [style], so I decided only to get bottom cabinets and use shelving and old cupboards at the top, which help give that older feel,” she said.
One of Ms. Lowden’s favorite ways to design her home’s interior is by using collections. She owns collections of paintings, wooden canes, bibles, ironstones, and even crocks.
“It gives a space more interest and makes it look more put together,” she said.
Another treasured find that has added to the primitive feel of the house is an authentic 19th-century clock that Ms. Lowden found on Facebook marketplace for just $300.
“These clocks usually go [for] up to 10,000 in working condition,” she said, “Mine does not work, but it’s absolutely stunning and has all the original components.”
Although the ranch house is a work in progress, Ms. Lowden always has the next project on her mind. Each decoration project for her has been “one step closer to making our home look and feel old.”
Surrounding herself with old items has brought a lot of satisfaction to Ms. Lowden, who believes that one’s environment should encompass things that make one happy rather than items that are just popular or on-trend.
“Your home should be filled with joy,” she said.
However, beyond the aesthetics of their home, the Lowden family lives a traditional lifestyle. The family raises cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and dogs on their homestead property. Additionally, they also have a large garden with a variety of fruit trees and bushes.
“We try to be as efficient as we can on our property, like they would have done back then,” she said. “I like to make most of our food from scratch if I can.
“It’s a good feeling to know I make it all by hand, and I know all that went into making it.”
Ms. Lowden has also begun to make sourdough, which she believes was a known practice in the 1800s.
Opting to be a stay-at-home mom, Ms. Lowden has been able to watch her children grow and be a part of their special moments.
‘My Online Community is Amazing’
As Ms. Lowden went about documenting her decorating endeavors, she started sharing them on social media, giving netizens a glimpse inside her dreamy abode. She keeps her social media account updated with fresh content, sharing creative ideas and decor inspiration, and has received an overwhelming response.
“My online community is amazing,” she said.
In sharing her story, Ms. Lowden emphasized the importance of sticking with what you love.
“My style and antiques will never go out of style, and even if they did, I will still love them,” she said. “Your home should be filled with things you enjoy, which in my case is family and antiques.”
