The English Garden... Primary viewing and primary traffic lanes. These are the two things I focus on the most in any design—where do you walk, and what do you see? It seems like 80% of our lives revolve around the kitchen—which is why modern architecture has made the open kitchen/great room area the heartbeat of a house. This wasn’t the case in the 1700’s. Kitchens started as the only room in the house, and then later as additions were put on the building, they were crammed in the corner, intentionally hidden from view. What drew me to our house, was that the kitchen space was centralized and accessed multiple rooms...so the bones were there to make it the focal point. It was also surrounded by windows—which would take some creativity with cabinetry design—but something we didn’t want to lose. The main bank of windows looked west, into a small field with a huge pine tree grove backdrop, that was magical at sunset. From the first time I saw it from the kitchen windows, I knew I wanted a formal garden there...bookended by a chicken coop (more on that one later). I generally landscape with the theory that I like things more “wild” further from the house, and as you get closer, it becomes more manicured, more formal. These manicured places should feel like an extension (and invitation) from the space you’re viewing it. This was our hero space—the part of our property that we’d look at the most—given we’re in the kitchen making 28 meals a day for the kids. So begun the hyper symmetrical layout and design--I was running string and tape measures everywhere. I knew I wanted steel edging, boxwoods everywhere, blasts of pollinating color, flowering trees, specific pathways that were both functional (egg collecting) and aesthetically pleasing. So I had to learn how to weld. (Still learning) And what plants were “deer resistant.” (None!). It was a giant undertaking...but it changed our entire property...and no matter how many sunsets we see out there, it never gets old. #farmhouse #restoration #homerestoration #homeimprovement #landscapingdesign #weldinglife #historichomes #thisoldhouse