Jenny Zacharewicz is a force of nature. The homeschooling mother of eleven has spent the past seven years experiencing the ups and downs of life on Pumpkinvine Creek, a working goat Georgia farmhouse. (Since we first caught up with Jenny, she’s moved down the road and now documents life at Brambleberry Acres Farm.) She documents it all on her interior décor and lifestyle blog and Instagram account. Her followers enjoy her posts, design style and vulnerability. “People are very drawn to the fact that I share my family, faith and struggles very openly in my stories,” she says.
An all-white farmhouse with black porches and windows was just Jenny’s style. The family tore out the existing landscape and replaced it with small green bushes. Not only do the bushes allow for a better view of the home, but they stay green throughout the year.
A back entryway leads out to the outdoor pool, so it gets lots of foot traffic. Jenny keeps her styling to the walls and sides of the room to maximize the space—as well as overhead. “The beaded chandelier is really different,” she says. “I picked it because it adds texture and tone.”
She is known for her rustic farmhouse designs and for using a signature shade of green paint throughout her home. “The shade is dubbed ‘Jenny’s Green’ because it has no name and only I have a formula for the match,” she says. While she never planned to have a career based on her interior décor, Jenny is happy to welcome everyone into her home, whether they physically cross the threshold or enjoy it on the Internet. Currently, spring has sprung in her Georgia farmhouse, and that means new life and new designs.
To enliven this area for the various seasons, Jenny switches out the wall hanging, the pillows on the bench and the wreaths in the tobacco baskets. She’s a self-confessed pillow addict and has a massive stash down in her basement. The entryway in Jenny’s home is ready for spring!
Farm to Table
In springtime, Jenny’s signature green is particularly fitting. In the dining room, a wall of built-in cubbies features the shade and holds baskets for discreet storage and extra dishes. “We chose the green because we wanted to highlight the space as opposed to having it blend with the white walls,” Jenny says. The green cubbies provide a stunning backdrop for the place where the family joins hands and breaks bread: a custom-built farm table with split benches on each side and distinct host chairs.
To give the dining room a rustic feel, Jenny switched out the modern light fixture above the cubbies with some caged vintage lights. Then she completely redesigned the light fixture above the table by changing the old cloth shades and using vintage wire cage covers. The finishing touch? Switching the light bulbs to vintage bulbs.In coordination with the cubbies, the back wall of the family room has a small sink and discreet storage. Jenny incorporates other materials throughout her home to give the space a sense of cohesion. The cabinets are her signature “Jenny Green,” while a burlap curtain coordinates with the living room drapes. A botanical wallpaper gives it a unique spin.
The dining area comfortably fits 16, which is important for the family’s large brood. “The table is meant for the wear and tear that nine kids can bring,” Jenny says. “All our furniture is huge, comfortable, durable and has a distressed finish.” For spring, she styled a new centerpiece with large glass jars and added a wreath to their chalkboard sign. Everything is a family affair at the Georgia farmhouse, including home design, and Jenny’s son hand-lettered the chalkboard sign with a seasonal sentiment.
The upstairs family room has cubbies painted in “Jenny Green,” serene white walls and neutral sofas that encourage cozying up. It’s one of the comfiest spots in the home, and the family often hangs out together and watches movies there. Jenny loves looking out the window and enjoying the view of their long driveway.
A Fashionable Farmhouse
A shiplap accent wall, whitewashed fireplace bricks and a sliding barn door transformed the living room, giving it a heartfelt Georgia farmhouse romance. Jenny chalk painted and distressed all the furniture herself and hung solid burlap curtains bound in twine over the long windows overlooking the property. “The burlap sheds like crazy,” Jenny says, “but I love the look and texture that it adds to the space.” She hung the curtains from a black curtain rod, saying that silver would feel too modern and that the black metal ties in with the other metallics found in the space. In lieu of a traditional fireplace screen, Jenny puts a huge tobacco basket on the hearth along with a sign. She switches the sign out depending on the season. “It’s a quick and easy way to pay homage to the time of year,” she says. For a finishing touch, she set a tray on the coffee table and filled it with an abundance of greenery, bunnies and, of course, carrots.
Like the rest of the home, the kitchen needed some stylish TLC. Jenny repainted the walls and cabinets white, changed the counters from Corian to solid custom walnut and painted the inside of the island green to match the front side. “For the season, I added the bunny garland to the stove, switched out the greenery to make it more spring-like and added pops of orange, which I continued throughout the dining and main living area,” she says. Vintage-inspired signage throughout Jenny’s home gives her spaces a sweet touch of history. In her laundry/office/pantry, three signs decorate the shiplap walls. Though each one is different, they are tied together by their black font and ivory-hued backgrounds.
Magnificently Multipurpose
Most people try to keep their laundry room out of sight, but Jenny’s Georgia farmhouse laundry bleeds into an office and pantry space, and has a following of its own on social media. “I started my account back in April 2008 without any plans for it to become so huge,” she says. “However, it grew quickly and one of the most popular images was my green laundry room. It was unique and colorful amid the trend of all-white interiors.”
This bedroom belongs to Jenny’s 21-year-old son and is on the main level. French doors open to the back screened porch and reveal a gorgeous view of the pool. “The room has been completely shiplapped by my husband, and we went with a vintage feel. My son not only designed the artwork above the bed, but he also built and hand-painted the entire thing,” Jenny says.Lockers are used for the kids’ homeschool materials. When Jenny got them, they were bright red. “I chalk painted them so they would fit my farmhouse décor a little better,” she shares. “I do different décor on the top for the various seasons.” A rooster weathervane pays homage to the farm, while a small topiary nods to spring.
Pocket farm doors separate the laundry and the pantry, which is a functional fantasy for the large family, with a second oven, lots of cupboards, a counter for workspace, a laundry sink and a large rolling baker’s rack. It’s perfect for active life at the Georgia farmhouse. Buckets on the rolling rack hold practicalities like trash bags, flashlights and cups. For spring, Jenny does simple changes to the area that are artful and striking. “I switch out the hand towels, signs and greenery on the shelves,” she says.
In the back entryway, a trunk housing family memorabilia adds to the aesthetic of the charmingly snug space. Jenny chalk-painted the piece a couple years ago and displays tableaus on top of it. “The cabinet on it gives me lots of options for styling for each season,” she says.
This smaller dining area is part of the larger downstairs living spaces, where a few of Jenny’s family members can have a quiet meal if they’re not sitting down to a full family dinner.
This smaller dining area is part of the larger downstairs living spaces, where a few of Jenny’s family members can have a quiet meal if they’re not sitting down to a full family dinner.
Spring descends on the farm, and Jenny is filled with reflective gratefulness for the new lives to come—baby chicks and goats—and for the lives that fill her Georgia farmhouse with laughter and love. As life brings its new chapters, her followers can be certain that her feed will be full of beauty, style and heart.
The bedroom for Jenny’s 13- and 17-year-old sons is distinctly modern. “We have many different textures in this room, from the shiplap on the bunk beds to the chalkboard wall to the recovered barnwood-covered wall,” she says. Not surprisingly, the swing is the favorite seat in the house.When the family first moved in, the master bedroom had gold window coverings. But Jenny got to work. “We made DIY dropcloth curtains. Since the windows are so long, it would’ve required a lot of fabric and cost a fortune to order custom window coverings—we saved thousands!” she says. To make the bed the focal point, they added a second box spring to give it height and lots of billowing ruffles for a warm and welcoming flair. The original master bathroom was a dingy yellow. “I decided to go white on the walls and add lots of wood trim, all done by my hubby,” Jenny says. There is a lot of light in the bathroom, so she was able to get away with a deep gray paint that brings rich texture to the area. Jenny isn’t the only one with an eye for design. Her husband built these bunks from scratch for their 12-, 9- and 3-year-old sons. “They are full size so [the boys] won’t outgrow them,” Jenny says. “Each bunk has its own unique storage space for special treasures.Because it’s a working goat farm, these little fellows are always out and about. Jenny’s daughters also raise two dairy goats and have a successful goat-milk soapmaking business called Pumpkinvine Creek Soap Co.
Want to tour Jenny’s outdoor porches? Head here! Follow her and her latest adventures at @biglittlefamilyfarmhouse. Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!
