Historic Farmhouse Cottage Finds the Perfect Pair

Historic Farmhouse-Cedar Grove

By Charlotte Safavi

Bakers and owners of the popular Red Truck Bakery, which has received praise in multiple publications and even former President Obama, were planning to build a weekend home in rural Virginia when they chanced upon a charming 1850s farmhouse that had been in one family for generations.

Architect Dwight McNeill and husband Brian Noyes bought Cedar Grove, the 1,300-square-foot farmhouse cottage on 3½ acres in Fauquier County, Virginia, in 2005.

“We’d bought some land nearby, intending eventually to build a weekend home, but we noticed someone across the street fixing up this really cute farmhouse to sell,” Brian recalls. “It was full of charm and in move-in condition. We settled on a price before it went to market.”

The couple decided to make the farmhouse their own and wasted no time in bringing back its 19th century features. They took their time in furnishing it with flea market and antiques store finds as well as original artwork.

Cedar Grove

Photography by Helen Norman

Cedar Grove

The core of the farmhouse, what is now the living room with a wood-burning fireplace, dates back to the 1850s. The cottage has been built onto over the years, including a rear kitchen addition.

Cedar Grove fireplace