DlYing a Dream Home

A builder-grade home gets a coastal farmhouse twist.

- AUTUMN KRAUSE

Builder grade doesn't have to mean boringat least not for Brooke Cribbs, a DIY and organizing blogger and content creator. She and her husband, Courtney, built their builder-grade home two years ago just outside Charleston, South Carolina, and she's since transformed it into a transitional modern farmhouse with hints of a coastal vibe. Given the large neighborhood lake that sits right behind the home, it was a perfect choice.

"Overall, I want my home to look pretty, but also to feel so cozy that anyone will want to take their shoes off, grab a blanket, and just relax," Brooke says. Over the past years, she's curated layered interiors against a serenely neutral color palette accented with black and styled with inherited heirlooms. Each space strikes the perfect note between elegant and intimate, capturing lake living through a farmhouse lens.

FARMHOUSE GOES COASTAL

In Brooke's home, farmhouse gets a coastal twist, giving it a relaxed and breezy feel. Here are a few examples of how she mixes the two styles for a fresh and fun design that's all its own.

• SHE SELLS SEASHELLS. Shells abound and bring beachy vibes into the home. "All the shells we display are ones that we have collected over the years," Brooke says.

• TACTILE WILES. Textures in baskets, furniture, or even table settings like rattan or other natural materials add dimension and loads of coastal charm.

• HAPPY HALLMARKS. Big windows and light fabrics for drapes are hallmarks of this combined style. "Nothing says farmhouse or coastal like big windows," Brooke says.