MARCH 2016
COUNTRY HOUSE
Seasons AT CON NECT ICUT COU NTRY HOU SE
SEASONS AT CONNECTICUT COUNTRY HOUSE
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Welcome Connecticut Country House is more than my magazine and my 1767 home – it’s a way of decorating, gardening, and entertaining that’s all about natural, effortless style. It’s how I live. It makes the most of what’s best right now. It’s simple and honest. A place where you’re always welcome, where tradition guides but never binds, and where life rolls with the rhythm of the seasons. Join me for a look at a year at Connecticut Country House. Sit with me in the Keeping Room by a winter fire. Clip spring’s first forsythia and take in the bounty of the Kitchen Garden in summer. Celebrate autumn at our last cookout of the year, and watch the Old House take on holiday sparkle for Christmas. There’s no place like Connecticut Country House. I hope you’ll stay a while. Love,
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Nora Murphy Founder and Editor in Chief
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Contents S E A S O N S AT C O N N E C T I C U T C O U N T R Y H O U S E
2 WELCOME
6 SPRING
New beginnings
82 SUMMER
G a r d e n s a n d g a th e r i n g s
146 AUTUMN
B o u n ti fu l a n d b e a u ti fu l
206 CHRISTMAS
All spruced up
226 WINTER
He a r th a n d h o s p i ta l i ty
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All design, photography, and copy on NoraMurphyCountryHouse.com, is original, produced year-round at Connecticut Country House and on location. Nora Murphy Founder and Editor in Chief Carol Hubner Art and Features Director Stephanie Fuda Web Producer Deborah Golden Copywriter Robyn Szarka Roos Content Producer Sister Linda Boccia Copy Editor Darryl Arbesman Duanne Simon Nora Murphy Contributing Photographers Aida Kiernan Styling Assistant
For more Connecticut Country House inspiration visit our website: NORAMURPHYCOUNTRYHOUSE.COM
& our blog: CONNECTICUTCOUNTRYHOUSE.COM
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A COUNTRY HOUSE
Sp ring IT’S A JOY TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH FRESH SPRING EYES, AND A JOY TO START ALL THE PROJECTS THIS SEASON BRINGS. Everything is new and anything is possible when the ground is soft enough to till and the days are warm enough to move the potted plants back outside; when the flea markets open up and so do my roses; and I can’t wait to give Connecticut Country House a good once-over. Welcome, spring—it’s all hands on deck!
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AS T H E G ARDE N AWAK EN S ,
enjoy the show
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Brilliant yellow forsythia branches add wow anywhere, inside or out!
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A COUNTRY HOUSE
Summer IT’S THE COOL FLAGSTONES OF THE PATIO AND SOFT GRASS BENEATH BARE FEET that keep us outside as the sun goes down. And even then, we’re in no rush to go in. We squeeze every drop out of a summer’s day by breaking out the citronella candles, whipping up another round of lemony iced tea, and taking a comfy seat round the patio table until it gets pretty late or a little too chilly (whichever comes first), and it’s time to go in and call it a day.
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L IV E IN THE
During summer, the line between indoors and outdoors disappears. If I could live outside in the summer, I would— especially on a glorious, blue-sky day like this one. And if that day happens to start with an intimate al fresco breakfast for two, well, so much the better. 84
sunshine
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Tiny prints are big. This set of pretty Wedgwood Pompadour plates, a sweet little flea market find, says darling English cottage loud and clear (in a lovely accent, of course).
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Make the most of what you’ve got. Versatile canning jars filled with freshly-squeezed OJ add a hearty country touch to my breakfast table. Check flea markets for vintage wire jar caddies to serve in— they’re both practical and pretty.
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There’s strength in numbers. Bunches of farmstand sunflowers cut to different heights look terrific clustered in a variety of new and old white-ironstone containers and mismatched canning jars. 92
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A COUNTRY HOUSE
Autumn AS THE LEAVES CHANGE COLOR, AND THE AIR CRISPS, OUR INTERIORS (JUST LIKE OUR APPETITES) CRAVE A HEARTIER FARE ... telling us it’s time to roll with the rhythm of the changing seasons. Now, more than ever, it’s essential for all the attributes of our country house (casual, warm, laid back comfort) to kick in; the time for us to re-establish that easy-going attitude. It’s time to cozy-up!
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When you dress the front door for the season, you send passers-by on their way with a smile. (It’s true!) It’s also a wonderful way to create something special in your every day. 148
TIME TO USE
harvest hues
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Like a wonderful farm-to-table dinner, this kind of classic style is all about using the best ingredients you can. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just honest.
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There’s a special beauty in anything that’s been well loved for a long time.
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A COUNTRY HOUSE
Winter HONORS WHAT’S THERE WHEN NOTHING SEEMS TO BE—THE SOUND OF SNOWFALL, THE LANDSCAPE REVEALED WHEN THE GREEN HIBERNATES. I’ve come to love and appreciate these days of reflection. Something delicious is always simmering in the stockpot, maybe a soup or Murph’s killer chili. The fire in the Keeping Room (aka, our dining room) crackles, as it has since 1767, from fall to spring. And out come the tartans—the very heart of country house hospitality to me.
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BABY IT ’ S CO LD O U T S I D E. T IM E FO R S O M E
winter warmth
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After we’ve packed Christmas away, I’m drawn to the fresh, soothing clarity of winter whites. They make the rooms feel light, bright, and simplified. 231
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Under a blanket of snow, it’s easy to see the original structure— the eighteenth-century saltbox— front and center. It truly is Connecticut Country House’s heart and anchor.
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