A restored Michigan farmhouse is filled
with folk art and Shaker furnishings.
PHOTOG RAP HS BY GLE N N T RI EST
■ BY CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ
t's natural that Amer-
icana artist David McCall
Johnston would live in a
vintage farmhouse with
American furnishings and antiques. "I
try to arrange the things in my home
like a painting," says Mr. Johnston,
who recently finished the com-
memorative painting to celebrate the
golden anniversary of Mt. Rushmore.
Mr. Johnston's restored 1840s Greek
Revival farmhouse, filled with an-
tiques and folk art of the period, is
an inspiration for his work. His paint-
ings often include a familiar antique
or a family member, usually his wife
or son.
Mr. Johnston's work is included in
numerous corporate collections in-
cluding the Whirlpool Corporation,
Hickory Farms, Inc. and Thorn Ap-
ple Valley. He has illustrated books
and magazine covers. Not only did his
art grace the cover of Country Horne
magazine, but his home was show-
cased for the authentic Americana
furnishings.
"We take great pride to make sure
everything is authentic in our home,"
says Ruth-Mossok Johnson. (Mrs.
Johnson doesn't use the extra "t" her
husband has added to his name to
set him apart from other artists and
to highlight his Scottish heritage.)
Every summer the family searches
for antiques. New England, Kentucky
and Ohio are favorite spots for their
purchases of early American furni-
ture, especially Shaker.
Mrs. Johnson explains that the
Shakers, a derivation of the Quakers
and a Christian community founded
in Mt. Lebanon, New York in 1774,
were known for their flawless, spar-
tan furniture. Shaker furniture is func-
tional, neat and orderly, just like the
Johnston home which contains
authentic chairs, bed, baskets,
spoons and a cupboard. Only a few
of their furnishings are Shaker
reproductions.
In the June 1991 issue of Architectural
Digest, actress Mary 'Tyler Moore ex-
plained that she wanted to
decorate her home with
Shaker furniture but found
it too costly and too dif-
ficult to locate. Mrs. John-
son adds that there are
many movie stars bidding
for Shaker furniture, which
drives the cost up.
Painstaking research is
fodder for the Johnstons,
since they restored their
home with items of his-
toric authenticity. When
the home needed some
moldings replaced, the
Johnstons purchased
moldings from a home of
the same period that was
Opposite Page:
The master
bedroom features a
Shaker bed and
American quilt
circa 1890.
Right:
The kitchen is a
blend of old and
new furniture.
being torn down.
The farmhouse was built in 1843 by
a merchant named Cornelius Davis.
For many years the home was known
as Gravlin's, a popular food spot on
Northwestern Highway in Farmington
Hills, Mi. The Johnstons purchased
the home, then moved it to a scenic
site in a nearby community.
In order to transport the home, they
had to saw it in half. "It was a
nightmare," recalls Mrs. Johnson, pull-