Before and After: A Beautiful Montana Home Full of Vintage Finds | Smart is Beauty

I rolled up the blinds this morning and the curtain of cloud was so thick, that it made no difference at all! Thank goodness for beautiful homes to brighten up our day! And this one belonging to Jana Roach is charming in every way. Based in Kalispell, Montana (a state I now want to visit thanks to all your cross-country skiing tips on Monday), Jana is the queen of vintage. She spends her time seeking out magnificent pieces for her bricks and mortar store Honey Home, co-founder of The Market Beautiful - a Montana based vintage market and owner of Beck & Cap, a shop selling organic hand carved wabi-sabi furniture - which she runs with her partner Tanner. Needless to say, Jana and Tanner's own home is teeming with charming, one-off pieces - and the beauty lies in the imperfection. 

Before

Sometimes a home can appear so effortlessly put together. To dispel this myth - and emphasise just how much work has gone into their Montana home, here are a couple of 'before' pictures to set the scene:

Yep, a fair amount of work to do there!

So, let's get down to the pretty part.  

After

This incredible cabinet was a second-hand find and used to be an old cigar display. I'll share a few more details tomorrow which might just make you change the way you eye up pieces in vintage stores and flea markets from now on. 

It reminds me a little of the stunning one in Malin Persson's home. 

The chair at the end of the table was handmade by Tanner and Jana and available through their Beck & Cap store. Every piece they make is bespoke - and what started out to be a small business has mushroomed to a full-scale production thanks to a mention on Leanne Ford's HGTV series 'Home Again with the Fords' (remember Leanne's own dreamy woodsy cabin?).

"I typically prefer old furniture over brand new for things like cabinets, islands, tables. Not only does it add character, it looks better with age and can take a beating haha!" - Jana Roach

The island is an old double sided bankers' desk that has been stripped down: '"the top stains for sure, but I don't mind It - bring on the patina!"

The handle hanging off the dresser and the doors a little open only adds to the charm of the home, and emphasises a living, breathing space. It actually reminds me a lot of the chest-of-drawers I grew up with (my childhood home was full of antiques and not a weekend went by without visiting an antiques market), the handles were often loose, and we had to wiggle the drawers open for what felt hours (especially when running late for school) to get our socks out! 

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that antiques are not ways as practical and comfortable as brand-new items (although of course, this isn't always the case) - but they add so much character and fill your homes with stories which can make them so much more special! 

Jana created the artwork on the wall using an old canvas cot. 

Note how the painting to the left of it juts into the staircase - the rules are, there ain't no rules, and everything looks perfect, just the way it is! 

Who feels inspired? 

If anyone's looking for me, in lieu of visiting Honey Home in person - which is sadly a little out of reach right now, I'll be scouring Sweden's online second-hand sites for beautiful pieces! 

Do you have many vintage and antique pieces in your home? Perhaps you grew up with them in your childhood home? I'd love to hear about your experiences below! 

See more of Jana's home over at @janaroach. 

Niki

Photography: Jana Roach, shared with kind permission.

Smart is Beauty

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