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50 that feel especially fresh in spring and summer when the house is used the most. "I love Indian and ethnic textiles and hand-blocked patterns, which we used here, especially in the bedrooms," Kincaid says. The floors are covered in striped and tonal rugs made in Sweden, Connecticut, and India, and woven in wool. These interiors were designed before performance fabrics became as refined as they are now, so the fabrics and rugs are made of natural materials — a rarity these days. Kincaid didn't sacrifice durability for beauty, though, as wool is bulletproof, and linen and cotton fabrics are easily washed and long-wearing. After a day of cutting down vines and clearing brush — one of the husband's favorite diversions at the farm — he can walk through the house in his work clothes without worrying. "Cathy told us years and years ago that she wanted the house to be such that we can wear our dusty jeans and dirty boots indoors and it doesn't matter," the wife remembers. "And that's exactly how we live in it. It's really pretty but it's not precious — it's a wonderful house." Tyler architect Mike Butler designed Rose Cottage to feel like it had been added to over the years, reminiscent of early East Texas farmhouses that were clad in wood with a pitched metal roof and screened-in sleeping porch. The cottage faces a lake, so a collection of ship dioramas adds a nautical touch.