Houzz Tour: Vintage Industrial Farmhouse in Ohio
Salvaged furnishings, reclaimed materials and accessories with backstories give this farmhouse in a Columbus suburb one-of-a-kind interiors
Jen Diehl and her husband, Jason, live and work out of an atypical home that's all farmhouse on the outside but speaks their vintage language on the inside; it's a house match made in heaven for a couple who operates a custom vintage accessories business out of their home. But when they moved in, their love-at-first-sight glow soon evolved into the realization that something about the kitchen wasn't quite right. With not too many appliances holding them down and a small budget to work with, they completely redesigned the kitchen with work flow in mind, transforming the space to fit their needs. The result is a kitchen that reflects their penchant for all things preloved, utilitarian and unexpected — a microcosm of the rest of their farmhouse.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jen and Jason Diehl
Location: Pickerington, Ohio
Size: 2,200 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
That's interesting: The Diehls' house and the Old Carnegie Library in Pickerington — both built in 1916 — use identical brick.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jen and Jason Diehl
Location: Pickerington, Ohio
Size: 2,200 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
That's interesting: The Diehls' house and the Old Carnegie Library in Pickerington — both built in 1916 — use identical brick.
The kitchen island is command central for the Diehls. "The renovation was primarily just an island, but it completely transformed the space and enabled my husband to use and move around in the kitchen with ease," says Jen, who finished the room by giving the walls a cheerful coat of yellow paint.
A small, eclectic gallery wall of vintage printed matter hangs above staple kitchen appliances: a single-cup coffee maker, vintage jars for coffee items, a convection oven and a scale.
Although most of the items in the home are vintage, a new sofa is one of the couple's beloved possessions. This winter their love for the sofa grew as they realized they could close the original pocket doors to conserve heat — a challenge in any older home — making a cozy hideaway in the family room. "Our cats, Hazel and Bixby, love the sofa as much as we do; it's where they spend a majority of their day," says Jen.
The Diehls reimagined the coffee table in the form of a utilitarian factory cart. This table has been around the country; it was purchased by the couple at a flea market in Indiana, but its lineage can be traced to Greensboro, North Carolina. The table is right at home in a house that is filled with vintage finds and conversation pieces, and it echoes other industrial decor.
Pocket doors (center rear of photo) separate the living space from the couple's work studio; the doors also create a visual separation between their home and work life, an inherent challenge for those who work from home.
Their business, The Ritzy Rose, received national attention when Jen created a custom jewelry bouquet for country music's Miranda Lambert when she married Blake Shelton, judge on The Voice and country heartthrob.
The business lends itself to having lots of small items, so the Diehls use salvaged finds to store and display them. Jason has his own corner in the studio, marked by a 1960s desk where he plugs numbers and handles administrative work. On the opposite side of the studio, Jen's industrial factory table is where she designs and creates, and meets with clients.
Their business, The Ritzy Rose, received national attention when Jen created a custom jewelry bouquet for country music's Miranda Lambert when she married Blake Shelton, judge on The Voice and country heartthrob.
The business lends itself to having lots of small items, so the Diehls use salvaged finds to store and display them. Jason has his own corner in the studio, marked by a 1960s desk where he plugs numbers and handles administrative work. On the opposite side of the studio, Jen's industrial factory table is where she designs and creates, and meets with clients.
Jason calls this half-bath shrine to vintage sports graphics and midcentury print ads his "man retreat." The previous owners built the half-bath because there was only one full bath that serviced all three of the upstairs bedrooms. The odd fact is that the half-bath is in a corner right next to the full bath. "Its location is really a bit of a mystery," Jen says.
Jen glammed up her corner of the full bath with vintage apothecary jars and light sconces and picked a baby-blue color to pair with the vertical wainscoting for a soothing and airy space.
Jen's favorite piece of art in the house is a sign for the Ohio Theatre, which she gave to Jason as a holiday gift. The sign reminds them of the night they got engaged — right on the Ohio Theatre stage, where Jason proposed on bended knee.
Running the full width of the house and about 10 feet deep, the spacious porch is the site of many impromptu evenings spent with guests. If there's a thunderstorm, the porch is where you'll find the Diehls.
The pair, who love things with a backstory, are slowly learning about the history of their own home. While on a walk around town, they noticed that the bricks forming their home's foundation and fireplace surround were identical to the bricks used for the historic Old Carnegie Library in downtown Pickerington. Because both their house and the library were built in 1916, they think both structures' building materials arrived in the town at around the same time. At least, that's how they like to imagine it.
"My husband and I always talk about a train pulling up to the station on our street packed with bricks destined for both the library and our house," Jen says. "It's neat to think about somehow being a part of something with a little history."
The pair, who love things with a backstory, are slowly learning about the history of their own home. While on a walk around town, they noticed that the bricks forming their home's foundation and fireplace surround were identical to the bricks used for the historic Old Carnegie Library in downtown Pickerington. Because both their house and the library were built in 1916, they think both structures' building materials arrived in the town at around the same time. At least, that's how they like to imagine it.
"My husband and I always talk about a train pulling up to the station on our street packed with bricks destined for both the library and our house," Jen says. "It's neat to think about somehow being a part of something with a little history."
The rest of the kitchen was redesigned with the sole purpose of making prep work and cooking easier: The range is surrounded by just enough countertop space for a plate or a mixing bowl, and the back of the island has a compartment for cutting boards and cookie sheets.