Welcome!

Welcome to Paisley and Porter!

I'm Emily. As a child, I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's Civil War era farm in Maine. She still lives in the home that my mother and aunts and uncles grew up in, and most of the items she keeps in her home have remained unchanged throughout my life. Even though I live far away now, these pieces and the memories that go with them have always had a special place in my heart. Because of these pieces, I developed an early love of the distinctive New England style and architecture, and many of my design preferences now stem from my grandmother.

After living in our cookie-cutter builder house for the past three years, my husband and I are finally taking steps to make the house our home. We love the newness of it, and realize how fortunate we were to be able to design many aspects of it ourselves...but it lacks that "certain something, and the character that many older homes have.

We've experienced some financial difficulty over the past few years, and haven't yet had the opportunity to improve upon the house the way we would like. I'm tired of looking at the plain white walls and college student style bookcases, so this year I've made up my mind to start making some changes. We're still on a tight budget, but I think we can do it! . 

I've created this blog to show our progress as we transform our house. I hope to avoid the retail furniture chains and mass-merchandisers that are so popular these days. Instead, my goal is to furnish and redecorate using second-hand, vintage and antique items. I'll frequent thrift stores, yard sales, and Craigslist wherever I can . With the character and inspiration from these pieces, it's my hope that I can create a true family home out of this stark builder-grade house. 

I hope you enjoy what you see here - thank you so much for stopping by! Please feel free to look around, and come back soon!