But the 1870s homestead that came with the 105 acres wasnt always so picturesque.
The house was in such disrepair, recalls designer and homeowner Caroline Brackett.
But for her and her fiance, Jodah Mullinax, it was near perfect.
Credit:Alison Gootee
Id always wanted land and a lot of animals and space, she says.
He was very much into historic homes and relics.
When renovations began, the duos optimism about their new-old home proved to be well founded.
The exterior required a refresh. “We loved the look of the house, but it didn’t have insulation and some of the wood was rotten,” says Caroline. They replaced the siding and painted it Benjamin Moore’s Simply White (OC-117) to maintain the classic farmhouse facade. Keeping the green metal roof was a no-brainer. “I couldn’t imagine it any other way!” she says.Credit:Alison Gootee
Tearing out the laminate paneling on the walls uncovered real wood.
Demolishing thedrop ceilingsgave way to loftier ones complete with their original planks.
Jodah was a builder, so he was the foreman, she says.
At her home on Midway Farm, Caroline’s ethos of “the more the merrier” extends to her many pets, including six dogs—the five shown with her are Clyde, Chloe, Dodge, Doc, and Penny.Credit:Alison Gootee
He was there every day overseeing things from the start.
It was Jodahs idea to take those down and have them be pass-through, walk-around spots, notes Caroline.
The beams that became the casings for the openings were salvaged from other parts of the house.
In the entry, where a drop ceiling was removed to reveal the sky-high original one, she leaned into its airy nature with a wash of Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee (OC-45).Credit:Alison Gootee
When he died in November, there were no countertops; there was hardly running water, recalls Caroline.
It was not finished.
We were living upstairs while we were completing the downstairs.
While the couple chose to brighten much of the home’s original wood paneling with paint, they kept it as it was in Jodah’s study.Credit:Alison Gootee
It was a mess.
I think being a designer who deals with construction and renovations all the time really helped, she says.
If I had been someone who didnt have experience with this, it would have been much more difficult.
To prevent the dining room (above right) from feeling cavernous, she chose large pieces, like an eight-seater table and a hanging shade.Credit:Alison Gootee
It was quite a process.
By February 2022, the home was furniture ready.
Jodah had weighed in on much of it.
Because the kitchen was a new addition, Caroline intentionally chose warm fixtures and finishes that add character, like unlacquered brass hardware and bell jar lanterns from Visual Comfort & Co. The cabinets are painted Farrow & Ball’s Treron (No. 292).Credit:Alison Gootee
I wanted it to feel very lived-in and layered but not overdecoratedjust authentic, I guess.
That piece was one of the first things we bought for the house, she says.
We had the intention of pulling it to the middle of the space and using it for overflow dining.
Off theentry hallis the study, which the designer lovingly calls mine room.
It was the one place in the house where Jodah had asked for total decorating control.
Everything in here honors him, she says, from his guitar to an apothecary desk they found together.
The 96-inch round table makes for easy formal entertaining, though the family typically eats in the kitchensbreakfast nook.
I love having a place for my kids and close friends to enjoy more casual, intimate meals together.
The kitchen, with its antique table turned island, has one of the best views in the house.
With every decision I make, I think, Would Jodah like this?
It was such a partnership, and I still feel him here.
