Summer Crawford takes a stroll through town and stops at her favorite coffee shop in Borden, Indiana.
Summer Crawford, owner of Summer Crawford Design, welcomes the peacefulness and low-key atmosphere she has found in the small town of Borden, Indiana.
By Carrie Vittitoe | Photos by Kylene White
Why did you choose Borden as your home base? It’s a very country-like setting. I really like how quaint and quiet it is. The sunsets out here are just beautiful. There are only 936 people in Borden, Indiana. You get that small town feel. We live on eight acres and split a driveway with our neighbors. We moved out here about three years ago and wanted to be on a big piece of property. We’d had a home in Charlestown, Indiana, in a neighborhood, but as our boys got older, I wanted to be in a rural setting.
Where is a favorite restaurant you like to go near Borden? Huber’s Orchard & Winery is about seven minutes up the road. They offer wine tastings and have really great pizza. They’ve got hayrides for the kiddos and a petting zoo.
With you being an interior decorator, are there certain shops you love? There are two shops I frequent, but they are not in the heart of Borden. I go to a little shop called Madhouse in downtown New Albany, Indiana, and that’s where I get a lot of my decor. They have unique lighting and even small gifts. That’s my go-to place to find something original. There is a second place that I like to hit for my design company called PC Home Center that is also in New Albany. They have everything and act as a one-stop shop.
Summer relaxes outside of My Cup Runneth Over cafe.
She says a favorite day would include a visit to Borden Community Park, featuring a walking trail and a small creek, with her dogs and her children.
What would a perfect day in Borden look like for you? I would load up the dogs and kiddos, and we would head over to Borden Community Park. They have a walking trail that circles around the park. There’s a little creek that runs along the back part. We walk there and let the dogs run and play. After that, the boys usually want to head to Norma Jean’s, a local ice cream shop. They have big cool Adirondack chairs out back that face a creek.
What is your favorite spot in your home? The kitchen. My kitchen is a clean, white aesthetic and brings me happiness. From my kitchen table, I can sit down and look out my back window at the acreage. That’s when I’m able to see deer that we have.
Because you and your husband built the house, you were able to add your personalities from the beginning. How did you do that? In my lighting, I have chandeliers just about everywhere. I used a lot of wallpaper to add personality and texture. We did a custom dome ceiling in our main bedroom that we had hand painted, and it’s super unique. We also, on our fireplace, did a Venetian plaster finish that pulled in all the colors that we used in the home.
At home with Summer: “I’ve got four boys: Landon (22), Ethan (19), Cameron (17), and Cash (11), and my husband is Chris. I have two dogs, Nixon and Chance.”
Where do you get your style inspiration? I have some interior design bloggers that I follow, and I’m on Pinterest all the time. There are a lot of cool accounts on Instagram. My grandmother, Doris Hoffman, was the most stylish person and that is really how I got into this. She had so much class and thought about the tiniest of details. She taught me about color pairings, how to create beautiful vignettes, how to set a tablescape. She would be my biggest inspiration.
What is your favorite piece in your home? I have an antique china cabinet that I bought early on in my marriage. I had it painted to match a blue color that goes throughout my home and finished it off with soft gold handles. It is a stunning piece. When we were framing up the house, we cut out a piece in the dining room to put it back in so there’s a special space that it fits in, made just for it. It means the most to me because I put so much time and energy into it.
WHERE IS BORDEN? Borden is located 35 minutes north of Louisville, Kentucky, and is a small rural community in close proximity to the Clark County forest. Borden hosts its Borden Valley Days Festival in September.
