When a place is already a well-established comfort zone, there's very little point in tampering with tradition. In that kind of project, good decorating becomes all about leaving well enough alone, or at least being clever enough with any new design elements to make them seem as if they'd always been there. It's a charming, old-fashioned house. It's not in the city, so forget marble floors and fancy furniture. A Dutch door at the front of the house creates a feeling of hospitality.
Yellow walls seem to soak up the sunlight.
A Jacobean oak console adds character to the space, as do vine-draped rusty sconces from California and a pair of amusing French candlelabras. An addition to the kitchen allowed Stokes to create a full communal space for family and friends. Colors are warm and rich, with plenty of oranges and browns. Off the entry hall are the living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen and screened porch, as well as a planting room that leads to a potting shed. Though not large, the living room, Stokes says, is very comfortable.