Selina Lamb of BIRCH Properties offers an elegantly expanded brick Federal estate with a harmonious blend of historic charm and modern design on 13+/- acres (9 conserved).
Renovations like this are done for many reasons, but the top three reasons are economic, practical considerations, and love. This renovation combines a bit of all three but “love” played no small role in the owner’s decision to do this work.
The Great Barrington Farmers Market took over the train station on Saturday mornings for years, but moved to the fairgrounds last year. This year they have an arrangement with Great Barrington’s fairy godmother, Jane Iredale, who is generously leasing them space on her company’s conveniently located property, with a lot of room for parking.
We developed a design that took a straightforward approach. From the driveway, we built a bluestone walkway about 25 feet long that connects the drop-off point to the front porch. I like to have wide landings outside front doors, so that more than one person can stand together and then enter the home.
The garden has thrown off its snow blanket and frost-hardy vegetables are growing despite occasional nighttime temperatures in the 20’s when the top layer of earth freezes solid.
Welcome to our new section, Home, Garden & Design, where we will be posting articles by prominent local architects, landscape designers and interior designers. Each article wilI follow the evolution of a project, from beginning to end, guaranteed to give you good ideas for your own home, garden, and design.
When we view the native plants that surround our gardens and yards as an extension of our cultivated areas, part of the living, pulsating community that shapes our sense of place, we more fully express ourselves as gardeners and stewards of the Earth.
Much of the food we eat is nutritionally deficient and most packaged food is filled with chemicals that the human system is unfamiliar with at best, and at risk from more often.
When it is cold outdoors and chilled hands send us in, take the time to create or complete planting plans for the vegetable garden, perennial beds and borders.
Our fascination with plants involves everything about them, including underground tubers, bulbs, and, by extension, the special charm of seed packets -- all of which hold the promise of new growth. Altogether, their appeal is so compelling that when choosing varieties and quantities for the new year’s garden great restraint is often required when purchasing.
So — enough with the food-pyramids and the nutrition admonitions. Don’t tell me how many glasses of this or ounces of that I’m supposed to consume, or the dire consequences if I don’t. From now on I am going to listen to what my own body is telling me.
"To grow healthy food requires a vibrant diversity of plants, animals and soil life. These form the immune system of your land that together help each other to sustain the farm. The soil we work with as part of a farm organism needs our help to be healthy.”
-- Lia Babitch, seed garden manager at Turtle Tree Seed
