Growing up in the 1970s, Carson Kressley loved visiting his grandmother in the eastern Pennsylvania countryside. As a child, he watched a farmhouse being built on a nearby hill and dreamed of owning one like it someday. About 20 years ago, the very same property went on sale for the first time. The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy alum had just purchased his New York City apartment and felt owning two homes was unreasonable for a budding TV star. He didn’t make an offer. In 2016, it hit the market again. At that point, "I had the opposite of buyer's remorse," Kressley says. "I was like, 'This time, I must get this house.'"
Originally constructed by a custom builder as his primary residence, the five-bedroom, three-bathroom colonial home spans 4,000 square feet and boasts walnut paneling, wooden beams, brick fireplaces, and intricate millwork. Those details perfectly fit the rustic yet elevated aesthetic Kressley sought, so he focused the redesign—which he helmed himself—on updating the bathrooms and giving the rest of the farmhouse a cosmetic overhaul. "At first," he says, "I thought, 'I'm going to keep it very current and simple. All the rooms are going to be white and gray. It'll look like Club Monaco and Ralph Lauren's store had a baby.'"
That concept faded in favor of a cozy vibe created by layered textures and calming neutrals with pops of color, such as orange Hermès throw pillows in the family room and a Tiffany Blue–painted ceiling in the dining room. "I can't do minimal," Kressley says. "I like pretty things too much."
A longtime competitive equestrian who keeps his horses on-site, Kressley loves the thrill of a good chase—he spent years sourcing a high-low mix of furnishings and amassing an art collection featuring horses, hunt scenes, and country living. It all adds up to a house that now feels like home. "A lot of people I know have places on Long Island or in Upstate New York," Kressley says. "I wanted to go back to my roots, to Pennsylvania, and be close to my family. It was just meant to be."
"It's a great place to kick off your riding boots," Carson Kressley says of his foyer.
Bench: HomeGoods. Carpet: Martha Stewart Living. Art: Vintage Print Gallery. Art light: RH. Sconce and pillows: vintage.
Heremès accents—throw pillows, a framed scarf, a tray, and a coffee table book—offer vibrant yet warm pops of color in the living room.
Sofa: RH. Stools: Noir. Horse bust: HomeGoods.
Pictured above.
French doors and skylights illuminate the sunroom, which is a favorite spot of Kressley's and visitors alike. "Everybody who comes to the farm loves to sit in there, whether it's a sunny day or a rainy day, and just read books on the daybed and relax," he says. "In the winter months, it's a great place for all of my plants. It becomes like an actual greenhouse in there."
Paint: Perfect Tan, Behr. Art: Leftbank Art. Sconce and rug: Ballard Designs. Throw pillows and blanket: Eastern Accents. Saddle chair: Timothy Oulton. Shade: Budget Blinds. Horseshoe chair: antique.
Chairs: Ballard Designs. Horse bust: Alexa King. Lamp and sconce: vintage.
He adds, "My favorite thing in the winter or around the Christmas holidays is to make a nice breakfast and have a fire crackling in there."
Chandelier: Libby Langdon for Crystorama. Table: antique. Chairs: family heirlooms.
"It's a Virginia hunt scene and it has horses that I love and foxes and all the different wildlife," Kressley says of the wallcovering from Mural Source, which gave the dining room much-needed pizazz. "You never tire of looking at it."
Table and chairs: Lillian August for Hickory White. Ceiling paint: Tiffany Blue, Sherwin-Williams. Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore. Chandelier shades and armchair: Ballard Designs. Chandelier: vintage.
Bed: RH. Table lamps: Scalamandré. Lampshades: Sorella Glenn. White bedding: Pandora de Balthazár. Pillows: Eastern Accents. Bolster pillow: Scot Meacham Wood.
