Step inside Phyllis and Bob Harris's country stone cottage and you're likely to feel like you're privy to the goings on of a past era. But initial impressions can be deceiving. Sink into one of the reproduction wing chairs or a guest room's canopy bed and take a closer look. You'll discover that the couple's first priority is not as much attention to authenticity as it is to comfort -- and enjoying friends and family.

Home Sweet Home
The stone structure (built as a retirement home) was chosen with the idea of lower maintenance, and the interior, with its spacious L-shaped living area and kitchen and dining quarters, is ideal for when the kids and grandkids visit. "I love to cook and bake, and this way they can all congregate while I'm working," says Phyllis.
The setting, on two picturesque acres, with deer just outside their door, affords Phyllis and Bob plenty of room for gardening pursuits. When they need a break from working in their yard, they retreat to a wonderful screened-in porch to enjoy a snack and a few moments of rest. "We practically live out there. It feels like you're outside," says Phyllis, "and the grandchildren love to play with their cars and trucks there."

Creating A Timeless Country Look
Lest you believe that achieving a timeless country look is beyond your reach, Phyllis will have you convinced otherwise in mere seconds. (She has been known to get a sudden inspiration from one of her decorating magazines and move things around at 10:00 at night!) The most foolproof strategy, she contends, actually does the least damage to the budget. Paint.		 "When you paint your woodwork a historical country color, it really changes everything, and for very little money," she says, in her characteristic self-effacing manner. The kitchen is a case in point. The new Shaker-style cabinets, painted with Sharon Platt's 'Ditty Box Mustard,' take you back in time to the days of stoneware, handwoven baskets and homespun fabrics. "It's what I call a neutral color. says Phyllis, "and it looks different in different homes, depending on the light."

A Passion For Collecting
Every collector has a cache of interesting stories about his or her forays, and Phyllis, a 40-year veteran of antiquing, is no exception. She recalls with a laugh the time she and some girlfriends took a trip to North Carolina. Phyllis fell in love with the sawbuck table that is now in her dining room. She says: "We lived in Tampa at the time, and of course I had no way to get it home." But she paid attention to that inner voice every collector recognizes and jotted down the table's measurements, price and the dealer's phone number. She returned home and told Bob (who had just bought a new pickup truck) about it, and they soon found themselves retracing her steps.
After an hour and a half of wrapping and securing the table in the bed of the truck, Bob and Phyllis were on their way home. Phyllis chuckles, "That shows you right there, when you see something you want, write it down -- you never know because when it comes to these antiques, where there's a will, there's a way. That way you don't get home and wonder, 'Where did I see that table?'
"People who like antiques are so nice, just like the dealer who held that table for me," concludes Phyllis. "I've made wonderful lifelong friends through this." Every collector is a little different, she observes. "That's the fun part. If we were all alike, life would be boring."