All in the Family

Hand-me-downs from relatives and well-used pieces from strangers give this 1800s farmstead its one-of-a-kind appeal.

Lived-In Style 04.Oct.2025

Sentiment wins out in Carolyn Dunham’s Pennsylvania home. Case in point: the dining room table. If Carolyn had her way, she’d have a rustic farm table befitting the 1800s house. Instead, there’s a formal cherry table that belonged to her grandmother. Every time Carolyn’s father sits at it for a family gathering, he says, “Carolyn, she would be so happy that you’re using her table.” And, every time, Carolyn melts. “I can’t get rid of it,” she says. “I just can’t.” Her entire home, in fact, is filled with cast-offs she can’t cast off. “Almost all the furniture in our house, except for upholstered pieces, has been handed down,” she says. “I feel like I need to take care of the pieces. They’re a part of me.” Carolyn has warm memories of rescuing family heirlooms. She retrieved a U-Haul’s-worth of furniture from the Virginia farm where her grandfather was raised. When Carolyn learned the home’s contents would be liquidated if the family didn’t claim it, she and her husband Brad immediately headed south—with their newborn baby. “We slept in the U-Haul for a few hours because we didn’t want to waste time,” Carolyn says. “When we arrived, we didn’t ask questions. We didn’t care whether we liked it or not, we put everything we could fit in the truck and drove home.” Years later, Carolyn is still hauling treasures. She scours the Amish countryside for items for vintage sales she holds in a barn on the property. She admits that a portrait or a cabinet intended for a barn sale may end up in her house. After all, some things are meant to be. “I’m very big on the idea that stuff finds you for a reason,” she says.

Sign for the Petersell 1808 Farm in Pennsylvania.

A GOOD SIGN. Petersell 1808 Farm is named after the German immigrant who built the dairy operation. Carolyn and her husband Brad knocked on doors in search of a farmhouse before finally getting a call from their agent when this place hit the market. “She told us to drop what we were doing and run over,” Carolyn says. “The rest is history.”

Living room with vintage furniture and accessories, including green chairs.

SELLING POINT. Carolyn decorated the living room built-ins and mantel with estate sale finds, including artwork. She’s drawn to signed works. “At one time, they probably were valuable,” she says. Brad made the walnut coffee table.

Silhouettes hanging above a mirror in living room.

SIDE SHOW. Silhouettes of the couple’s four children mix with smaller vintage versions on a wall of the living room. A casual grouping of green midcentury Haegar and McCoy pottery decorate the buffet that belonged to Carolyn’s mom.

TIME OUT. Clocks are one of Carolyn’s weaknesses—even if they don’t work. Chalkware deer heads visible through the doorway were just $10 for a box of them. The seller said she collected them at national parks in the 1960s.

Salvaged barn wood used as countertop in bathroom with green walls and vintage accessories.

RECLAIMED BEAUTY. Barnwood salvaged from the couple’s property holds the sink in the powder room. The mirror reflects landscape paintings, Carolyn’s first vintage collection.

Kitchen island made from reclaimed barn wood in farmhouse.

BARN AGAIN. More reclaimed barn wood from the property tops the kitchen island and was used for the shelf above the sink. “We made it our mission to use those barn beams anywhere we could,” says Carolyn.

COPPER QUEST. Vintage copper pots range in quality. Some are French copper, and some are newer and less expensive. Many were left behind by the previous owners. The pans are tough to keep clean, so Carolyn chooses to let the patina develop in its own beautiful way. Similarly, the copper sink shines up nicely and brings vintage character, but Carolyn prefers it with scuffs that are a sign of a hardworking kitchen.

Dining room with antique furniture and retro light fixture.

FINE DINING. Family heirlooms in the dining room include the table, armoire and hutch. The chairs belonged to the home’s previous owners. Upholstered host chairs and a mod pendant keep the space from feeling too fussy or old-fashioned.

Q+A: Carolyn offers a few words of wisdom on vintage shopping.

Thrifting tip. “It can be difficult to spot a treasure amid the not-so-attractive things surrounding it. Often it all appears worthless. You’ve got to consciously look at a piece and separate it from its environment. Envision how it would look on your mantel, bookshelf or gallery wall.”

Junking superpower. “I’m thorough. I look high, low, on top, inside and underneath. And I’m not afraid to get dirty!”

Good to know. “It never hurts to ask—nicely! I’ve come across countless treasure by knocking on doors and asking if the cool junk piled on the porch is for sale, or by asking at estate sales if they would mind if I took a quick peek in the attic.”

Boy's room decorated with vintage furniture and accessories including a taxidermy mountain goat and vintage boxing gloves.

BOY’S WORLD. Carolyn and son Eli redecorated his bedroom in three days. The taxidermy mountain goat was rescued from the trash at a sportsmen’s club. Vintage boxing gloves hanging from the footboard are signed by boxer Larry Holmes.

Platters and plates depicting quail hanging on the wall.

HOME PLATES. Carolyn uncovered the platters and plates depicting quail, pheasants and duck in one of the many boxes left behind in a barn. “I wasn’t going to waste them,” she says. “I made them work.” They hang above a 1920s dresser in the main bedroom.

CAST OF CHARACTERS. When it comes to vintage portraits, such as ones in this hallway, Carolyn doesn’t mind if they’re tattered. “It shows they’ve been loved,” she says. She never pays more than $40 for one. Carolyn’s grandma made the quilts on the pew in the 1920s and ‘30s. Below it all, a tile floor gives the home needed durability for raising four kids and three dogs. Carolyn (with dogs Lucy, Theo and Harry) credits her mom with getting her hooked on vintage.