I just returned home from a visit to my friends’ farm in upstate New York. The stylish couple moved there about a year ago after burning out on big city-life and demanding jobs.
With a love of natural beauty and food (Bailey was floral designer and Thomas a pastry chef) as their compass, they decided to turn “sustainable” and “local” into more than a choice at Whole Foods. They made it a lifestyle.
The farm is beyond beautiful and I admire the passion and fortitude they exhibit in their new life. For me, however, an attempt at milking their goat (I managed to get the milk into my eye) made it clear: I love the farm aesthetic, not so much the actual farming.
Enter this Ellicott City home. Built in 1730, it is has been partially renovated but has room to improve (yes kitchen, I’m talking about you). And while it is not clear how this quirky building has been functioning (offices, home, apartments?), it is certain that it’s filled with rustic charm: original stone walls, exposed beams and board and batten wainscoting to name a few. I particularly love the turning country staircase and the courtyard feel in the back. Mostly, I like that it looks like the kind of home where you could have a small garden, a few chickens and go to the grocery store to buy your chèvre…which, as it turns out, is just my speed.
4955 Manor Lane, Ellicott City
$449,900
3br/2 ba
What a great article. You gave such a description that I almost felt a part of the article.