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LIFE: HOMES
Gardens provide private country feel to city home
HUNTINGTON -- The Reed home is typical of a house built in the early 20th century. Dutch Colonial in design, it sports hardwood floors, high ceilings and arched doorways. Like many houses of this era in our community, it has been given tender loving care -- particularly when it comes to the outside gardens.
"I love to garden and cook," said Betts Carpenter-Reed. Her husband, William, enjoys both from afar and appreciates her hard work.
"We were on the garden tour a couple of years ago," he said. Betts explains how they were able to expand their shade garden by adding a retaining wall.
"I took a week off from work, and with the help of a handy man, we built the wall."
Now, the Reeds have a lovely patio with a dining area underneath a pergola.
"It's taken us years to get it like this," William said.
The garden theme has managed to work its way inside the house. From the front door with its garden trowel knocker to the sunroom with its topiary border, it is obvious gardening is a major factor in this household.
"I love topiaries, and they are sort of a theme throughout," Betts said.
The center entry of the home showcases the openness of the downstairs area. To the left is a cozy living room complete with fireplace and the ever-present topiaries on the mantel. French doors lead to a covered side porch that is ready for visitors with intimate seating and a relaxing place to dine. Planters and shrubbery are strategically located to offer privacy on a summer evening.
To the right of the entry is a dining room highlighted with a table centerpiece reminiscent of flowers found in the summer garden.
"I have a whole section of the garden devoted to the alliums," Betts said. She went on to explain that for all their beauty, the odor of them is offensive enough to keep critters, such as deer and moles, at bay.
The upstairs of this interesting corner house is unusual in that it features two original full bathrooms.
"They just didn't build houses in the 1930s with two upstairs bathrooms," William said. Besides the three bedrooms, there is a sitting room attached to one bedroom bath area, making for an in-suite situation. The view from the upstairs study overlooks the back patio garden.
Betts designed the colorful window treatments found throughout the house. The living room incorporates the pale green, cream and peach that flow from one room to another. In the sunroom, which seems to be the family hangout, the valances are made of tailored overlapping coordinating fabrics, which compliment the soft green color of the room. Upholstered furniture in each room showcases the window treatments with similar fabrics
The Reeds are ready to see better weather so they can take advantage of their porches and garden areas.
"We may live in the city, but the garden gives us such privacy we feel like we are in the country," Betts said. "From our vantage point, whether in the garden or the sunroom, we can look out on the park or the street and watch the world go by."
