Introducing: The Country Peony Craft Studio
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt
To say that I am excited about today’s blog post is an understatement. I am so over-the-moon to announce that Country Peony is getting a studio. This has been a dream of mine since I was a child. A space dedicated to dreaming and creating. I feel so lucky, and blessed to have this special space and hopefully invite fellow creatives to dream and create here too. I already know my children have planned out their portions of the studio to create in.
I am even more excited to know that we are preserving a piece of Ammannsville history in the process.
The History
Many years ago, my in-laws acquired a piece of property with an old building that was an old grocery store. AJ Cernosek Grocery shut it doors in Ammansville, Texas in 1965, but for over 20 years it had been a meeting place full of wonderful baked goods, produce, farm goods, and a meat market: Eugene’s Meat Market. I recently spoke with the former owner’s son, Joe Cernosek, whom had some wonderful memories to share of the store during his 6 years of working there as a child. More of his interview to come later.
Our goal is to renovate and bring this beautiful building back to life.
As you can see from the pictures the store has seen much better days, but we hope to preserve some of the history and give the store a beautiful new chapter with this studio.
I can’t wait to take you along this journey as I learn more about the store’s past. Unfortunately, I can’t find a picture of the store in it’s heyday, but I will try my hardest to continue to uncover the rich story of the former store.
The Dream
As Country Peony continues to expand its offerings with the vintage store, Country Peony Vintage, and all that comes with crafting and creating blog and video content, I have outgrown my current corner of my bedroom.
So, my hope for the Craft Studio is to create a space where I can dream, create, and document some really fun DIYs and vintage items. One day, I would also love to offer workshops featuring local creatives to educate and inspire people to create. And, finally, a way to showcase all of the beautiful vintage treasures I find, and my handcrafted goods.
My Design Vision
We are building a space that can accommodate a larger group for gatherings, but that also works for photographing and video needs for the blog. My three main goals for the space are to have natural light (since most of my shooting is in natural light), storage (since that is what I am currently lacking), and a beautiful, fresh space for me to create.
We are just in the demolition phase of this project. We plan to use the wood that is currently on the building as the facade for the new studio. And, we also plan to use the wood that is on the walls, ceiling, and some of the floor to create the floor with.
My goal is to create an open, airy space so we will have beautiful open beams painted white, with white shiplap walls, two stunning chandeliers, a pink kitchen area, and beautiful vintage furniture pieces throughout to tie everything together.
I call the design: Parisian Farmhouse. I love the beautiful, feminine lines of French design as well as the lighter tones, and beautiful texture. The Farmhouse factor works very well in the rural area where the store will sit. We will have shiplap walls with some primitive vintage pieces. You can see some pieces that are inspiring me for the space below.
Below is a design board full of some inspirational images to help navigate the design process.
A black and white awning will add so much charm to the front of the building. Photo Source.
The White Sparrow Barn is such an inspirational venue to me. I love the open air design, clean, white space, and the very tall ceilings. Photo Source.
I can’t wait to infuse some vintage elements into this space. I love the color of these vintage Bentwood chairs, and I hope to do something similar at my own craft table. Photo Source.
As you may know, I love pink and I can’t wait to transform some simple cabinets into a small pink kitchen for the space. Photo Source.
I want to add some feminine and whimsical elements to the bathroom portion of the studio. I hope to do that with some fun, colored hexagonal tile. Photo Source.
I have always loved Miss Mustard Seed’s style, and her studio space is such a dream. I love this vintage piece in her studio and I hope to find one with as much charm for the studio. Photo Source.
I have some vintage doors that I can’t wait to paint a blush pink. Photo Source.
I can’t wait to incorporate vintage and feminine floral details throughout the space. Photo Source.
I am excited to add these beautiful chandeliers to the space for so much feminine glam! Photo Source.
These beautiful original paintings from Kara Rosenberry are actually the color inspiration for the craft studio. I already have them and I can’t wait to add them to the walls!
I can’t wait to infuse feminine whimsy into the space where details are king.
I can’t wait to share more of the history and design process as we go along. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook as I share more behind-the-scenes on my feed and in my stories.
Please let me know if you have any questions, or suggestions. This is a huge learning curve for me, but I am having so much fun with it!
Thank you so much for all of your support. It really means so much that you are here!