Schoolhouse Homestead

12/17/2025

There have been a lot of changes in the schoolhouse this year, but the biggest one of all came about a week ago with the addition of little mister Griffin. (Last pic is best I’ve done on getting a pic where he doesn’t have his old man furrowed brow.) 🩵💙 He’s already got a backlog of hand-me-down schoolhouse track suits and I need to cut out his name to officially label his bedroom door… but right now trying to slow down and enjoy this little peppermint boy and an extra special season.

A few shots from the last couple weeks featuring some big snows and Christmas magic… and also have a big episode on Youtube that you can find in my bio about all the holiday projects we took on this year.

But most grateful for this little guy arriving safely and the slightly bigger gremlins. 🐣❤️✨

12/01/2025

At Thanksgiving my brother-in-law said our Christmas decor looks like an art teacher decorated a schoolhouse… which made my day because I can’t think of a better compliment for decorating a converted schoolhouse.

Big thank you to King Of Christmas for this year’s massive tree upgrade—it definitely fills the whole space which is no easy feat with 13 foot ceilings! Trying to make everything here feel a little whimsical, a little colorful, and very “school Christmas pageant.” Can’t wait to keep adding memories + make more ornaments and garlands for this tree for years to come.

Also have a whole episode around decorating the schoolhouse up on YT!

11/29/2025

✨🏴‍☠️We didn’t find too many treasures in the basement but this was definitely one of them!

11/26/2025

Sometimes I look back on the old videos and wonder how we saw all the potential. And definitely the night we put in an offer (sight unseen after my parents and sister went to see it for us) was one of the most fretful nights of sleep of our lives. But 4 years later it’s home.

11/14/2025

It’s wild how much one light can change a whole room. So excited to be working with on a few projects around the actual schoolhouse! (You might’ve seen their pieces in our bedroom makeover too.) 

I’ve loved for years—long before we ever lived in one—so getting to collaborate now feels pretty surreal. (They’re also having their Black Friday sale early with 25% off sitewide!)

The chandelier over our table is the Barnes Linear Chandelier, and it’s the perfect mix of clean, modern, and playful for our library dining table (which came from the Galesburg, IL library—thanks to !). Our matching school chairs? They came all the way from a school in Novo Mesto, Slovenia via Lenart’s shop .

10/22/2025

Ever since we moved in a year ago, we’ve been daydreaming about the cookbook library we wanted to build in the kitchen. We had a few goals from the start — use only salvaged materials to keep costs down, and to work with the kind of wood you just can’t buy new anymore. Plus, by reusing old floorboards and stair treads from the schoolhouse itself, the project gets to tell a little piece of the school’s story!

Most of what we used was leftover from contractors or original to the building, but we did make one special stop at my favorite shop, here in Franklin. That’s where we found some beautiful oak trim that originally came from the Central National Bank in Greencastle, IN — the site of John Dillinger’s biggest robbery. (And fun fact: it’s also where I went to school, !)

Still a ways to go, but the library is starting to take shape — and we’re learning a few new skills along the way.

10/16/2025

1 year later, we’ve started tackling our bedroom! After a brief stint of sleeping with a mattress on the floor… and then a longer stint of hodge lodge furniture everywhere… I’m so excited to be working with on a couple things coming up around the Schoolhouse. They’ve long been one of my favorite brands to look to for inspiration LONG before we actually lived in an actual schoolhouse... And a bit shocked how much a rug can change a room.

Have a longer transformation process over on Youtube, also with a tutorial on how I made the camera lamps! 
 
Products featured:
-Mesa wool rug in “Currant” 

-Ann Occasional Table

-Isaac Short-Arm Sconces in brass (We had these in our NY apartment from our friends Robert and Logan! )

07/31/2025

Thrilled to finally have this dangerous hole closed up! It’s the first thing we’ve built in the school that feels more like *finish carpentry*, which makes me so excited (and braver) for future projects. It took about a month, and I love that it includes salvaged pieces from .

Fun twist: I just got an email from Dennis, a local furniture builder, who said he donated those windows to Madison Street—windows he salvaged from two buildings being demolished in Rushville, IN. Such a small-world moment!

Next up: finishing out our bedroom and building out this book nook with . I loved your ideas from my last video about adding quirky natural history touches to this corner too… more to come!!

07/04/2025

This is the evolution so far of our kitchen! It’s been a long journey but have enjoyed (most) of the process. Exciting now to brainstorm “finishing” touches using as many salvaged items as possible like old chalkboards, leftover tile, and salvaged lumber.

What do you think? What else should we add! 🙂

Kitchen stuff:

Library dining table:
Dining Chairs:
Counter tops: ❤️
Paint: “Dried Alfalfa” from the schoolhouse collection with !
Design help in the beginning:
Brick: Brad the amazing mason (DM me for his contact if you need someone good!)

Cabinets: IKEA +
Hardware:
Floors:
Electrician magicians:
Insulation: Affordable Spray Foam
Drywall and reinforcements: RDY Construction
Sweat, blood, some tears: our own 🥵😅

02/02/2025

The biggest thank you to CNBC Make It for sharing the schoolhouse’s story and for taking the time to walk through this old building we’ve poured so much of ourselves into. This journey has been overwhelming in every way—challenging, chaotic, stressful, and deeply rewarding. Seeing it shared like this is SO surreal, and it makes me pause to appreciate all the unexpected, little things that led us back to the best small town in the Midwest… and all the big, not-so-random things, like an army of family and the joy of watching a little cousin gang grow. 🙂

Stacie Grissom, 36, and her husband Sean, 35, bought an 111-year-old schoolhouse in Franklin, Indiana and converted it into their home. They purchased it in ...

12/31/2024

It is such an honor for the schoolhouse to be included in the IndyStar, there are tons of photos in there as well! (Thank you Domenica and Michelle!!)

A Franklin couple has amassed more than a million followers online as they've leaned on the many lives of an old school to create their dream home.

12/12/2024

Our first Christmas in the schoolhouse! 🎄✨ Just shared a big YTube update featuring everything we’ve been up to—new chalkboards, a whimsical fairy nook (with turkeys instead of fairies!), and a major update for The Dungeon in the basement.

I’ve got it in my bio if you want to see more of the schoolhouse! :)