Showing posts with label Formal Gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Formal Gardens. Show all posts

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Reading Veranda...

featuring Carolyne Roehm's latest project in Aspen had me wondering what else the glitzy Rocky Mountain town was designing. Here are some homes I found...







It is refreshing to see a mountain home that isn't stuffed with antlers, heavy velvet and dark colors. Like Roehm's project and the above house- you can create an equally inviting mountain retreat with an all white palette or a sleek, modern slant- like this home:





Wednesday, September 1, 2010





































Another favorite shop in Woodbury was Mill House Antiques. A beautiful property!

With over a dozen out buildings that include guest cottages, barns, garden sheds and the main estate that was once an 18th century grist mill- this is a true haven for gardeners and antique seekers. I very much enjoyed my private tour with owner, William Hildreth.

Thank you William for sharing your antiques as well as your private home- what an absolute treat it was for me.

One of my favorite pieces was this Butler's Secretary:





















The property has over 7 showrooms, housed in the main house, cellar, barn, guest house and loft.



















The Hildreth family lives in the main house, which I won't publish here- you will have to wait to see it in the glossy pages. But, I can share that the home is elegant and grand with very sophisticated pieces but you also sense a family really lives and enjoys the space with model planes and shoes piled in the corner of the main family den.













The gardens seem to be 'perfectly unkept' with a maturity that my hometown of Denver rarely sees. The statues are beautifully aged, trees are decades tall and the stone walls are just dilapidated enough they whisper the deep history of the property.

































The pool, shaded in lush trees and surrounded by flagstone pavers is a tranquil backdrop to the charming stone diving board.




















It was such a treat to walk the grounds with William as he lead me thru buildings, down stone paths, streamside, poolside and right thru his front door.














We chatted for hours, walking the grounds, as he shared the history of the gardens and buildings and explained his future plans for the property which included business and party planning details.

We greeted the gardeners and furniture restoration experts, which have been part of the Mill House team for over a decade. I took the below photo of Bill as he worked on the many, many tiny details of a model sailboat purchased in England.






























Monday, August 30, 2010

The Architectural Tastemakers

I think Spitzmiller & Norris are in the top ten best architecture firms in the country. They understand architecture and space but they also have great taste and style. They blend old and new seamlessly- it's truly tough to tell where their additions begin and the historic space ends.

Historic Renovations:
Old Buckhead Estate 03 Old Buckhead Estate 08 Old Buckhead Estate 06

Georgian Country House 08 Georgian Country House 05 Georgian Country House 09

Before & After:
Spitzmiller Renovation 02 & Spitzmiller Renovation 01

New Homes:
Horse Farm Estate 06 Horse Farm Estate 02 Horse Farm Estate 08

Norman Manor House 05 Norman Manor House 09 Norman Manor House 08

Country French Cottage 02 Country French Cottage 07 Country French Cottage 05

Learn more about this Atlanta based firm,

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Woodbury, Connecticut


Woodbury has at least 50 antique shops and some were truly worth my drive. Gorgeous and unique pieces- even the stores themselves were inspiring but one of my favorites was Tracey's shop, The Elemental Garden. Tracey Young and Dennis Kaylor have collected pieces from all over Europe, but their true hearts seem to be in France. You can see that soft spot in all the rooms that fill their home/store.


These columns are actually built-ins designed by John Saladino in the late 1980's for a penthouse in NYC to mirror some structural columns at the other end of the room. They stored china and the drawers beneath the columns were lined in black felt to store silver.




Tracey also has a wonderful collection of antique garden tools. My grandfather, being in the hardware business, collected antique tools so these were tough to resist.

Tracey, thank you for spending so much time sharing your home and store with me. I also appreciated seeing all the hidden treasures in the loft of your barn. I can't get those 'English barbering chairs' out of my mind, so consider them SOLD- I will find them a home or they will live at mine! Thanks again for a fun morning.

259 Main Street South
Woodbury, CT 06798