An 1848 Farmhouse Goes Fresh, Clean and Very Romantic
With an all-white background and muted color palette, Sue Malkan visually opened up the modest interiors of her old New York home.
By Risa Palazzo

words of advice when she was growing up—but she seems to have taken, “If one is good, two is better” particularly to heart. “As a child, my parents took me along to auctions and flea markets looking for antiques, so collecting has always been a part of my life,” Sue says. “Along with the passion for collecting I inherited from my mother, I also inherited many of the things I collect,” like the dozens of white ceramic Haegar, Hull and McCoy vases lining the marble fireplace mantel in the old 1848 Setauket, New York, farmhouse she bought nearly two years ago. “My mother started this collection for me,” she says. “She gave me one, then another one, and the rest, as they say, is history!”
The same holds true for Sue’s brood of colorful chicken and cow figurines roosting in her kitchen along with tole trays, old tin match holders, antique cast-iron doorstops, Forties tablecloths and
hand-stitched samplers.
Often stopping by her parents’ home in nearby St. James to “shop,” Sue says, “My mother has more things stowed away in her basement than most people have in their entire homes and there are no lines, no haggling and the return
policy is good!”
While her mother is definitely her main decorating mentor, Sue was also influenced by the shabby chic look popularized by entrepreneur/author Rachel Ashwell. Its emphasis on white as well as soft pinks and greens creates a dreamy, romantic country ambiance that is both beautiful and practical. Sue explains, “My collections are definitely color-coded; when you limit yourself to just a few colors, you can move your collectibles from room to room without any chance of clashing.”
A self-described “casual collector,”
Sue rarely arrives at dawn at antiques markets, flashlight and magnifying glass in hand, as many collectors do. “While I love the thrill of the hunt, and finding that perfect vase, chicken or doorstop,
I think it’s important to not allow your possessions to take over your life!”
Photography by Bradley Olman; styling by Risa Palazzo.