To get to the Ledges—the Museums of Old York’s 2008 Decorator Show House on Gerrish Island in Kittery Point, Maine—you travel down a winding dirt road flanked by towering pines. The property’s eight acres are crisscrossed by stone walls and…
Back in 1904 when he published his signature novel Green Mansions, it’s unlikely that author William Henry Hudson knew he was giving name to a coming environmental movement. Green mansions—in fact, green homes of every size and dimension—are all the…
Back in 1904 when he published his signature novel Green Mansions, it’s unlikely that author William Henry Hudson knew he was giving name to a coming environmental movement. Green mansions—in fact, green homes of every size and dimension—are all the…
Back in 1904 when he published his signature novel Green Mansions, it’s unlikely that author William Henry Hudson knew he was giving name to a coming environmental movement. Green mansions—in fact, green homes of every size and dimension—are all the…
Back in 1904 when he published his signature novel Green Mansions, it’s unlikely that author William Henry Hudson knew he was giving name to a coming environmental movement. Green mansions—in fact, green homes of every size and dimension—are all the…
The Japanese art of flower arranging is called ikebana, which literally translates to “living flowers.” Created with branches, leaves and a few flowers, less is more. Emphasis is on line rather than color, simplicity rather than abundance. Even the use…
HOLLIS -- Cliff Simmonds and John Weidman sat in a garden outside the offices of the Beaver Brook Association on a recent sunny morning, marveling at the flowers, bushes, grass, and trees, and an enormous metal sculpture placed among them.…
About fifteen years ago when my kids were young and running around the house disrupting my literary life,I had a choice: give up writing or get a divorce. I chose divorce. I didn’t divorce the family. I divorced the house…
Buried under layers of old paint, the decorative mural was uncovered last February in the dome at New Hampshire’s oldest theater, the historic nine hundred- seat Music Hall in Portsmouth. The Music Hall’s domed ceiling was a wreck, says Jeff…
About fifteen years ago when my kids were young and running around the house disrupting my literary life,I had a choice: give up writing or get a divorce. I chose divorce. I didn’t divorce the family. I divorced the house…
Buried under layers of old paint, the decorative mural was uncovered last February in the dome at New Hampshire’s oldest theater, the historic nine hundred- seat Music Hall in Portsmouth. The Music Hall’s domed ceiling was a wreck, says Jeff…
Take it from this chocoholic who can hardly wait for each February because clearly Valentine’s Day and chocolate are a match made in heaven: Nowhere are the chocolates more heavenly than those made by Larry Burdick and the company he…
Homeowners Linda McGivern and Ben Thayer are not short on vision or energy. They bought their late-1700s Cape and its thirty-two acres at auction in the 1990s, and have gone through several additions, renovations and upheavals since. The couple has…
Take it from this chocoholic who can hardly wait for each February because clearly Valentine’s Day and chocolate are a match made in heaven: Nowhere are the chocolates more heavenly than those made by Larry Burdick and the company he…
Despite a growing awareness of the threat certain chemicals pose to our personalhealth, many of the products available as wallcoverings still contain thesedangerous toxins. Even after their noxious odors subside, paints, lacquers, paintthinners and many other household products can emit…
Visitors to Grant and Karen LeGoull on’s Bedford kitchen immediately notice two things: The first is the room’s Old World feel. The second is the light. When planning the kitchen, the LeGoullons wanted a space that ran the width of…
In his best-selling book Orchid Fever, Eric Hansen says, “You can get off alcohol, drugs, women, food and cars but once you’re hooked on orchids, you’re finished. You never get off orchids … never. ” Les Regenbogen says his love…
Filet mignon is tender and elegant, and veal scaloppine can be cooked in a flash, but when I want juicy, intensely flavored meat that is literally falling off the bone, I head right for the “tough cuts” at the meat…
Charles Riley is a formidable man— six-foot-two-inches with a solid, muscular body, dark hair cut short and a goatee with threads of silver. His eyeglasses are cobalt blue. His dress is impeccable. Not the person you might imagine living in…
For Mary McGowan, it’s only natural that the walls of her Concord home showcase many types of art: She is the founder of city’s McGowan Fine Art gallery, and has been connecting people and environments with works of art for…
Neither your mood nor rooms in your home need to darken just because daylight is in short supply this time of year. Any space can become brighter with the addition of the right lighting fixture, whether it’s a decorative table…
Charles Riley is a formidable man— six-foot-two-inches with a solid, muscular body, dark hair cut short and a goatee with threads of silver. His eyeglasses are cobalt blue. His dress is impeccable. Not the person you might imagine living in…
For Mary McGowan, it’s only natural that the walls of her Concord home showcase many types of art: She is the founder of city’s McGowan Fine Art gallery, and has been connecting people and environments with works of art for…
Neither your mood nor rooms in your home need to darken just because daylight is in short supply this time of year. Any space can become brighter with the addition of the right lighting fixture, whether it’s a decorative table…
Every day at dusk, the twelve-by-fourteen-foot picture window at Don and Nancy Vercauteren’s lakefront home off Moultonborough Neck frames a masterpiece by Mother Nature—breathtaking sunsets with hues of gold, reds and purples. “The sunsets are spectacular here,” Nancy says. “The…
Every day at dusk, the twelve-by-fourteen-foot picture window at Don and Nancy Vercauteren’s lakefront home off Moultonborough Neck frames a masterpiece by Mother Nature—breathtaking sunsets with hues of gold, reds and purples. “The sunsets are spectacular here,” Nancy says. “The…
Desperate for color after the bleakness of winter, I hung the impatiens plant from the roof of the portico outside my senior apartment. I wanted, needed, its splash of fire-engine red to brighten the view from the window near the…
Desperate for color after the bleakness of winter, I hung the impatiens plant from the roof of the portico outside my senior apartment. I wanted, needed, its splash of fire-engine red to brighten the view from the window near the…
The brilliance of Ann Henderson’s design for the great room in the Portland (Maine) Symphony’s twelfth annual show house lies in its subtlety. The twentyseven- by-fifteen-foot space, which was labeled the “ballroom” on the original floor plan, presented many challenges…
It’s not easy to take the soul and spirit of what was arguably one of Portsmouth’s most beloved restaurants and channel it into a new venture, but chef Evan Mallett seems to have done it. After working for four years…
It’s not easy to take the soul and spirit of what was arguably one of Portsmouth’s most beloved restaurants and channel it into a new venture, but chef Evan Mallett seems to have done it. After working for four years…
With the arrival of spring comes the annual ritual of cleaning out the cobwebs and chasing away the dust bunnies, making the inside of your home spotless and fresh. Unfortunately, many cleaning products can wreak havoc on our skin, eyes…
With the arrival of spring comes the annual ritual of cleaning out the cobwebs and chasing away the dust bunnies, making the inside of your home spotless and fresh. Unfortunately, many cleaning products can wreak havoc on our skin, eyes…
Come spring when the last patch of tired snow slowly makes its exit, I head for the herb garden, conveniently located just outside my kitchen door. Like everyone else weary of winter’s malaise, I am anxious for green, anything green,…
Like humans, our feathered friends have distinct preferences when it’s time to house hunt. For robins, a tree is the bee’s knees, while phoebes like to nest on a ledge or tucked under the eaves. But other birds are even…
Like humans, our feathered friends have distinct preferences when it’s time to house hunt. For robins, a tree is the bee’s knees, while phoebes like to nest on a ledge or tucked under the eaves. But other birds are even…
When Tom and Makena Herget moved into their new house, Makena recalls thinking: “Oh my God, we’ve bought an igloo.” The Hergets set out to decorate and furnish the house “so that it was warm and comfortable while reflecting our…
It's not time yet to plant tomatoes. But my brain is already fast-forwarding to summer, and one of my favorite tunes from Porgy and Bess: “Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.” Now…
It's not time yet to plant tomatoes. But my brain is already fast-forwarding to summer, and one of my favorite tunes from Porgy and Bess: “Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.” Now…
EVERYONE ENJOYS the explosion of color in a sunny summer garden, but for a fantasy come true, consider creating a moon garden. The concept is simple. Think of the way the full moon sparkles on snowy yards on winter nights,…
EVERYONE ENJOYS the explosion of color in a sunny summer garden, but for a fantasy come true, consider creating a moon garden. The concept is simple. Think of the way the full moon sparkles on snowy yards on winter nights,…
Lawns and homes just seem to go together, but if weekly mowing and constant fertilizing are taking more time than you’d like, consider transitioning to organic lawn care where the maxim “less is more” rules the turf. Organic lawns require…
Lawns and homes just seem to go together, but if weekly mowing and constant fertilizing are taking more time than you’d like, consider transitioning to organic lawn care where the maxim “less is more” rules the turf. Organic lawns require…
One way to take advantage of the summer garden’s fleeting beauty is to have bouquets of freshly cut flowers in every room. But who wants to strip flower beds bare of bloom? The solution is easy—plant a garden just for…
There are many ways to thank your mom on Mother’s Day. Flowers, a darkchocolate torte or some fashionable jewelry might all prove popular. For me, a pleasant dinner out and a fun cocktail or two is the right path. Of…
Seventeenth-century English writer Dr. William Butler said it best: “Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.” Butler was referring, of course, to strawberries, which make their annual and welcome “here comes summer” appearance in…
Each spring we gardeners look forward to the changes and challenges that another season brings, carefully selecting new plants that suit soil and light conditions, and make our gardens even lovelier to look at. Another way of deepening the garden’s…
Each spring we gardeners look forward to the changes and challenges that another season brings, carefully selecting new plants that suit soil and light conditions, and make our gardens even lovelier to look at. Another way of deepening the garden’s…
As a child growing up in Peterborough, Jason Hackler had no idea that his history would one day merge with that of the old Goyette Museum on the Nubanusit River in the middle of town. Although he always had liked…
As a child growing up in Peterborough, Jason Hackler had no idea that his history would one day merge with that of the old Goyette Museum on the Nubanusit River in the middle of town. Although he always had liked…
