HAPPILY HODGEPODGE

Featuring a jovial jumble of color, pattern, new finds, and antiques, this 200-year-old-farmhouse is a testament to the joy of the mix.

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For some, "hodgepodge" may not be the first word that comes to mind when describing their desired design aesthetic. (Fun fact: The term is derived from "hotchpotch," a type of stew.) But when a former client reached out to Washington, D.C.-based designer Cameron Ruppert (cameronruppertinteriors.com) to say she had purchased a 1780s farmhouse during the pandemic, "hodgepodge" was precisely the vision. After all, the 18-acre property had already seen 200-plus years of love and layering; it was just time to stir in a few new ingredients.

WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT WORTH?

Featuring an egg-and-dart border with rosettes in the corners, this circa-1750 mercury glass giltwood George II mirror is in the manner of William Kent, an English architect, painter, and furniture designer. Similar styles can command thousands.

Set on picturesque land in Maryland, the property, a former wedding venue, had ample historic charm (Seneca sandstone walls! heart-pine floors!), but it was lacking the warmth and color that the client craved. Enter: A jovial jumble of patterns (tartan plaid, floral, toile) and textures (linen, leather, velvet, embroidery) that exudes a casual, come-what-may friendliness in keeping with the lasting, tinkered-over-time interiors you'd encounter in the English countryside. Cameron also infused the home with color-pinks, yellows, greens, blues using varying intensities and muddy undertones to keep it all balanced. And then, of course, there are the antiques, which help to ground the home's more whimsical elements. (There was also the added benefit that antiques aren't subject to frustrating fulfillment delays!)

LIVING ROOM