Iconic buildings, like our barns, evolve over time, and that’s what you’ve been witnessing this past year. These magnificent Chartreuse & co barns have been in my family and evolving for over 75 years. About 18 months ago we started a process of doing some significant upgrading to the barns. ...
Read MoreThe Transformative Power of Good Design (before & after!)
Some houses have an obvious flow. They seem to just tell you where to place the sofa, the dining table. Others, especially period houses, are more demanding. It’s in these challenges that solid vision and design can really strut their stuff. Check out the before and after of this adorable ...
Read MoreWhat’s Happening to the Barns?!
We all have dreams. Mine almost always involve houses and barns. The spaces in which we live and work are alive to me. When I see one that is dying, or even dead, my heart goes out to it, and I want nothing more than to bring it back to ...
Read MoreYou Won’t Believe this Before & After!
I love a challenge. And, for me, no challenge thrills me more than a decorating one. My sister, Margaret Koogle, is a real estate agent, and every now and then she comes upon a house that needs a little staging. Much as I enjoy challenges, I have a few ground ...
Read MoreGarden Tour, pt2: Texture and Layers
Garden elements, create the structure of the garden, but it’s the plantings – their texture, color, shape, and life – that breath true beauty into the garden. Here are the cultivated plants (and animals) that are the essence of what these gardens are about. See them all, plus 6 more, ...
Read MoreGarden Tour, pt 1: Garden Elements
It’s May, and Maryland’s gardens are at their peak. There’s all the requisite public gardens we can tour, but it’s peaking behind those elusively private garden gates, and getting a glimpse of the inspired, lovingly-tended, personal gardens that’s the real treat. Beyond the Garden Gates garden tour is downtown Frederick, ...
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