Illinois-based Lori Pickert grew up in the countryside, loves nature and "hates crowds." So it's fitting that she lives with her husband and sons (Dominic, 10, and Jack Henry, 7) in a barn they built themselves. She's also a thrifting genius: Her home looks like a John Derian showroom, yet many of her furnishings cost less than $20. Here, Lori takes us on a tour and tells us why barns are the next big thing.

What's your town like? We live in the country outside a university town. We love living here. We live in a rural area that is mostly open farmland, but we are on a tiny bluff surrounded by a forest. It's easy to travel to either coast or catch a plane to another country, and we never suffer from tourist congestion, because no one visits here!

How did you come to live in a barn? Our love of barns stems from our interest in seeing the beautiful in the utilitarian. We took that idea and built a new home.

How is the barn broken up inside? The house is very modern, with large, loft-like spaces. The rooms are unlabeled and very flexible. There are no bedrooms, really! For example, our master bedroom is large, with a king-size bed and sitting room, but it could easily be a playroom or office.

What ambiance did you want to create for your home office? For the last several years, I owned and operated a small private school and worked as an educational consultant. My office is my thinking and writing space. Basically, it gives me a place to escape the constant noise of my household. I'm one of those people who can't think straight unless it's quiet.

It's wonderfully free of clutter. I need my office to be quiet visually as well as aurally. It's very calming. I keep my shells, river stones and Maine keepsakes here.

Why Maine? Maine is my favorite place; I think I must have lived there in another life. I took my boys there for the first time last year. I have a recurring fantasy in which I buy a cottage in Maine. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make that a reality, although I may have to wait until my 80's.

Where did you find the beautiful pieces in this room? The Eames-style fiberglass chair in my office was abandoned in an apartment we rented, so we got it for free. The desk was an old school desk bought for 50 cents. The large wooden cabinet came from the geology department of a nearby university. It still had rocks in some of the drawers!

Tell us about this little table. The typewriter table was bought at a thrift store for a few dollars. The frame is by Umbra. The shells were picked up on the beach in South Carolina.

Wow, you have a knack for thrifting. How would you describe your decorating style? I guess my style falls under the heading of "eclectic." It's my take on vintage plus modern. I'm drawn to industrial furniture and mid-century office machines, vintage canning jars and old tools. I suppose what these objects have in common is their usefulness. I find them beautiful.

I love your home's nature theme--fish, shells, huge windows. What sparked that? Living in the country, it's easy to stay in touch with the natural world. We kayak, camp, fish, walk in the woods. And we like to remember our vacations to the beach and mountains, so we have a lot of mementos from our trips scattered about.

These colors are so calming. Where did you find this file holder? I bought it new at a local shop for about $20. I once saw antique file holders at a fabulous paper store in Montreal, and I'd been lusting for one ever since! (FlexiFile Recycled Expandable Organizers are similar and available here.)

Where does your family usually spend time at home? We actually use our whole house, which I think is unusual. Personally I move about in response to the sun, which pours in three sides of the house. In the summer, I'm always moving to a cooler space; in the winter, I'm following the warmth.

Since you live in the midwest, does the house get cold in the winter? Actually it's wonderful. The upstairs is kitted out as a sort of beach house, but the downstairs is cozy with bookshelves and a wood stove. When it snows, we can sit in the living room and watch the snowflakes drift down on three sides of us; it's like sitting in a snow globe.

That sounds amazing. What activities do you do in the winter to keep from feeling cramped? The only thing we need to do to keep from feeling cooped up is to go outside for a tramp in the woods or to build a snowman. Then the wood stove and a cup of hot chocolate sounds perfect.

How lucky to have a greenhouse! Where did you find the comfy-looking chair? I bought the rattan chair at a small antique store in a tiny rural town. The proprietor had written the price somewhat messily and I interpreted their "$99" as "$19." That mistake was the basis for a good negotation; I think the chair ended up costing me about $35. The top pillowcase is from Ikea. The bottom cushion is wrapped in a baby quilt by Pottery Barn Kids.

How did you decide on the blue, white and cream paints for your walls? The main floor of our house is painted in a very saturated yellow, the color of a butternut squash. The color is extremely warm and changes mood throughout the day and night. The second floor is where I indulged my longing for a beach house. There are four or five different shades of white on the walls and woodwork.

Have your decor tastes changed over the years? Definitely. The eclecticism of our current look is the closest reflection of what we really like. I think it takes years to become self-confident about your own style.

That's an interesting point. What was your biggest decor regret? My worst purchase was a dining set I purchased for our previous home. I was in a hurry to fill the space, which is never good, and I couldn't justify buying the set I really wanted, so I chose something more reasonably priced. Now, I would either buy what I loved or do without.

The boys' bedroom feels like a cabin! The boys sleep in an alcove on the second floor. Their bedspreads are from Target.

What do your sons like most about the house? My older son says the woods, being able to run around and play outside, and not having any neighbors. (Same answer as mine!) My younger son says "how it looks, on the outside and on the inside."

Your sons' desks are gorgeous. Why did they choose those maps and artwork? I picked up the double desk at a school sale for $15. It's a double desk and fits that space perfectly. My younger son was interested in studying bones last year, and my older son is a history and geography nut, so he loves maps. They are always changing the things on their bulletin board, though.

Do your sons and husband like decorating, too? My husband is very involved in the house. He took my vague desires for things like ceiling beams and wood-paneled ceilings and made them a reality. I'm responsible for the final mix, but my husband and even the boys are always weighing in with their opinions.

Has your house's look changed since having kids? Not really. We put away our fussy, breakable things--we didn't have many--and that was about it. The boys enjoy the same activities we do: reading, board games, cooking, eating, movies. We homeschool, so we're with our children all the time. That's another reason we were adamant about the rooms in the house being flexible. We wanted to make sure we each had space to write, make art, watch TV, be quiet, be loud.

How long did it take to make your house feel like a home? It took about a year to build our house, and it felt like home immediately. In fact, it's hard to remember living anywhere else.

For more, visit Lori's blog or flickr site. Thank you, Lori!

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