Jen Diehl and her husband, Jason, live and work from an irregular home that is all farmhouse on the outside but speaks their classic language on the interior; it is a home match made in paradise for a couple who works a custom made classic accessories business from their home. But when they moved in, their love-at-first-sight shine soon evolved to the recognition that something about the kitchen wasn’t quite perfect. With not a lot of appliances holding down them along with a small budget to work with, they completely redesigned the kitchen together with work flow in mind, transforming the space to fit their requirements. The result is a kitchen that reflects their penchant for all things preloved, utilitarian and surprising — a microcosm of the remainder of their farmhouse.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Jen and Jason Diehl
Location: Pickerington, Ohio
Size: 2,200 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
That is interesting: The Diehls’ home along with the Old Carnegie Library at Pickerington — both constructed in 1916 — utilize identical brick.
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Jason, a chef, centered the kitchen remodel around the island made from reclaimed ornate tin ceiling tiles salvaged by an Ohio brewery. Then he repurposed ornate vintage image frames to create the molding for the island corners. “He picked oak and gave it a rich, dark finish so that the island counter could fit the molding across the remainder of the home,” says Jen.
The remaining part of the kitchen was redesigned with the only goal of making prep work and cooking easier: The stove is surrounded by simply enough counter space to get a plate or a mixing bowl, and also the rear of the island includes a compartment for cutting boards and cookie sheets.
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The kitchen island is command central for the Diehls. “The renovation was mostly just an islandbut it completely changed the space and allowed my husband to work with and maneuver around in the kitchen effortlessly,” says Jen, who finished the space by giving the walls a joyous coat of yellow paint.
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A small, eclectic pub wall of classic printed thing hangs over basic kitchen appliances: a single-cup coffee maker, classic jars for coffee items, a convection oven and a scale.
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Even though most of the items in the home are classic, a new couch is one of the few beloved possessions. This winter their love to get the couch grew as they realized they could close the original pocket doors to conserve heat — a challenge in any elderly home — making a cozy hideaway from the family room. “Our cats, Hazel and Bixby, love the couch as much as we do; it is where they invest a vast majority of their day,” says Jen.
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The Diehls reimagined the coffee table in the form of a utilitarian factory cart. This table has been around the nation; it was purchased by the couple in a flea market in Indiana, but its lineage can be traced to Greensboro, North Carolina. The table is right at home in a home that’s filled with vintage finds and conversation pieces, and it echoes additional decor.
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Pocket doors (centre rear of photo) separate the living space from the couple’s work studio; the doorways also create a visual separation between their home and work life, an inherent obstacle for those who work at home.
Their small business, The Ritzy Rose, received national attention when Jen created a custom made jewelry bouquet for country music’s Miranda Lambert when she wed Blake Shelton, judge The Voice and nation heartthrob.
The business lends itself to using plenty of small items, so the Diehls use salvaged finds to store and display them. Jason has his own corner at 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 mill table is where she creates and designs, and meets with clients.
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Jason calls this half-bath shrine to classic sports images and midcentury print ads his”man retreat.” The previous owners built the half-bath because there was only one full bathroom that serviced all three of the upstairs bedrooms. The odd fact is that the half-bath is at a corner right next to the full bathroom. “Its location is really a bit of a puzzle,” Jen says.
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Jen glammed up her corner of the entire bath with classic apothecary jars and light sconces and picked a baby-blue color to pair with the perpendicular wainscoting for a relaxing and relaxing space.
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Jen’s favourite piece of art in the home is a sign for the Ohio Theatre, which she gave to Jason as a holiday present. The sign reminds them of the night they have engaged — right on the Ohio Theatre stage, where Jason suggested on bended knee.
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Running the entire width of the home and approximately 10 feet deep, the spacious porch is the site of many impromptu evenings spent with guests. When there’s a thunderstorm, the porch is where you’ll discover the Diehls.
The group, who love things with a backstory, are gradually learning about the background of their own home. While on a stroll about town, they noticed that the bricks forming their house’s foundation and fireplace surround were identical to the bricks used for the historical Old Carnegie Library in downtown Pickerington. Since both their home and the library were constructed in 1916they believe both structures’ construction materials arrived in town at around precisely the exact same time. At least, that is how they prefer to imagine it.
“My husband and I speak about a train pulling up to the station on our street packed with bricks destined for the library and our residence,” Jen says. “It is neat to consider somehow being part of something with a little history”