New England Living 2023 Issue #2

FOOD FESTIVALS // ISLAND ARTISTS // VERMONT ROAD TRIP

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LIVING + WINTER ADVENTURES 6 WAYS TO PLAY IN THE SNOW THIS SEASON

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2023

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IN THE ISSUE

12 WELCOME LET TER 14 CONTRIBUTORS NEW & NOTEWORTHY 16

SAILING WITH SPEED Records were broken on the most recent exciting Marion to Bermuda race.

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TRADITION AND RECOGNITION Sherry Pocknett, a Rhode Islandbased Indigenous chef, wins acclaim for her cuisine.

COMMUNITY 20 GOAL SETTING A soccer-playing Connecticut teenager’s dreams have come true.

24 HEALING ON HORSEBACK Love and support are plentiful at this Massachusetts equine therapy center.

DESIGN 30 STYLE FILES Design inspiration for your kitchen, bath, and whole home.

36 FROM CANVAS TO CARPET Designer and artist Vani Sayeed has created a beguiling rug collection.

40 INSIDE OUT A historic home reimagined for twenty-first century living.

46 ESCAPE TO THE BATH Relaxation ideas from Kitchen & Bath Gallery’s newest Rhode Island Showroom.

56 MORE THAN A PRETTY PICTURE Stunning cabinetry defines a Maine kitchen.

56 N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

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IN THE ISSUE ARTS 62 AN AUTUMN TABLE Floral arranging for fall from Les Fleurs.

68 A WONDROUS WORLD David Bird transforms acorns into marvelous figures.

74 ARTS ON THE ISLAND The artists and artisans of Martha’s Vineyard are showcased in a new book.

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FOOD 80 AW SHUCKS! The many delectable pleasures of the Maine Oyster Trail.

88 DOUGHY DELICIOUSNESS A visit to New Hampshire’s Lake region’s Cider Bellies Doughnuts.

SPACES 114 SEASIDE SPLENDOR A spectacular oceanfront home from New Hampshire’s CM Ragusa.

122 CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION An edgy yet elegant suburban home takes shape.

REAL ESTATE 130 DYNAMIC DUO Two veteran Coldwell Banker brokers celebrate everything that Cambridge offers.

132 DETAILED ORIENTED Boston-based Realtor Felicia Captain knows her city.

FINAL THOUGHT 136 Image by Robert Davies

90 FALL FOR FOODIES Culinary festivals across New England.

TRAVEL 98 ON THE ROAD WITH NEL TV Go on a road trip to Vermont and follow in the footsteps of host Rachel Holt and the NEL TV crew.

102 WINTER GAMES Skip the lifts and join in the snowy fun with six exciting sports.

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108 PORTAL TO PORTUGAL A family-focused travel blog from Lisbon, plus ways to enjoy Portuguese delights in New England.

ON THE COVER Snowshoeing in Maine.

Photo by Brittany Redman and Allison Austin

N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

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welcome letter

NE W E NG L A ND

VOLUME 7 • NUMBER 2

Seasonal Splendors

PUBLISHER

Tom Clarke PRESIDENT

Icheers to summer!

Sean Clarke

f you are a lifelong resident of New EDITORIAL/CREATIVE DIRECTOR England like I am, you probably don’t Sharon Bartholomew welcome MANAGING EDITOR need me to letter tell you that the reasons Lisa Cavanaugh to love autumn in New England ............................................ are countless—in addition to the CFO NE W E NG L A ND Chris Parker landscape’s beauty during this time of CONTROLLER year, there are so many experiences to Kelsey Hodde take part in. One that you may not have ............................................

VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 1 UMMER IS UPON US ONCE AGAIN DIGITAL COORDINATOR heard about is the Maine Oyster Trail. I and we have a lot to toast. Dare I Jocelyn Nace recently learned that the fall—peak oyster ............................................ say that the light at the end of this PUBLISHER season and after the summer tourist buzz MARKETING COVID tunnel is getting brighter Tom Clarke has died down—is one of the best times Mike Nelson and brighter by the day. We’ve learned plenty of PRESIDENT Sam Pericolo for visitors to the experience the interactive lessons along way, but perhaps one of the Sean Clarke ............................................ trail.

An online guide invitesour foodies andas greatest takeaways is regarding resiliency CONTRIBUTING WRITERS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR / CREATIVE DIRECTOR adventurers to get off the beaten path a species. Throughout this daunting experience, Rachel Arroyo Sharon Bartholomew people have perfected the art of thekayak pivot, and boat experiences, and detours to pop Rob Cocuzzo for bespoke oyster farm tours, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sarah Lippert reinventing careers, reimagining and up “shuck trucks,” raw bars, workspaces and rural roadside stands. In this issue, “Aw, Shucks” Robert Cocuzzo Danna Lorch ............................................ redesigning their homes.

by Danna Lorch, highlights the trail and features some of Maine’s local oyster Lannan O’Brien Our summer issue pays homage to this ADVERTISING COORDINATOR farmers and oyster business owners, along with tasty recipe for Maine Blueberry Juliet Pennington creative resiliency by profiling a number of New Lori Hawes Mignonette.

Christina Poletto ............................................

Englanders who have managed to turn lemons Jennifer Sperry “An Autumn Table,” showcases beautiful table settings with French flair created CFO into lemonade during the pandemic by transforming their passions into professions.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:

by Sandra Sigman, owner of Les Fleurs flower shop in Andover, and we also focus Chris Parker On this point, few exemplify what can happen when you follow your dreams better Allison Austin CONTROLLER on apple cider donuts—always a favorite fall treat—and the season’s than our cover star, Jim Koch. The founder of the Boston Beer Company, Koch has local food David Bird Kelsey Hodde festivals, areonathe lotForbes more list than you ever might think! his scrappy, underdog notched athere foothold without forgetting Tim Bjerk ............................................ roots.

During the pandemic, Sam Adams creator emerged as a hero for many small plenty to Winter always comesthe quickly—sometimes too quickly!—but there’s Elizabeth Cecil MARKETING businesses, particularly restaurants, in need of aInsafety net during theseLannan trying times.

Kindra Clineff do here to stave off the seasonal blues.

“Winter Games,” O’Brien goes Mike Nelson Randall Collura One local restaurateur who mastered the pivot Chef Jose Duarte. After histake place in beyond the ski slopes and delves into otherwas snowy adventures that Sam Pericolo Joseph Conroy III North End eatery was shuttered by COVID-19, the chef refocused his culinary might ............................................

New England including fat tire biking, ice bumper cars, and curling. As the mom of Dan Cutrona on an unlikely dining destination in Chelsea called Tambo 22. The Peruvian-inspired CONTRIBUTING WRITERS an athletic son, one story that I found to be inspiring is the profile of Peyton Miller— Robert Davies restaurant might just be the best-kept secret in Boston, offering a dazzling array of Lisa Cavanaugh the youngest player ever to be signed to New England’s professional Major League Megan Diehr dishes that you really have to taste to believe.

Rob Duca Connor Doherty Soccer team. Just 15 years and 216 days old at signing, Peyton, a Connecticut Equally nimble amid the pandemic was Billy Starr, the founder of the Pan-Mass Haley Grant Paul Gelsobello native who has been playing soccer since he was 18 months old, begins his first of Challenge. After switching gears to a reimagined ride last summer—which succeeded Fran Grennon Stacey Marcus four years with the team in of 2024. in raising a remarkable amount money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute—Starr Anna Guzzi Juliet Pennington front, showcase designer stunning new rug andOn his the teamhome launched newwe routes this summer for PMCVan ridersSayeed’s to safety get back on the Rich Ide Johnathan Soroff road together continue theirwith mission of fighting cancer. collection.

A and collaboration Landry Arcari, the rugs are based on her paintings Eliesa Johnson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS course,an many of us needWe to leave comfort of our home tokitchens see how the Kalman and Pabst andOf feature array ofdon’t colors. alsothe feature two stunning that I love: Liesl Clark creative have been flowing over the last year.

Home haveblue soared as a Rob Karosis one wasjuices designed

by Barbara Blackburn and hasprojects beautiful painted custom Megan Diehr Jim Kruger result of our time of forced hibernation. We highlight a selection of exquisite design cabinetry by Crown Point while the other one is an elegant all-white oasis designed Kit Noble Nat Rea projects—from a beach house on Nantucket, to a historic estate in Wayland, to a

by Shore & Country Kitchen in Fairfield, Connecticut. They are each distinct and Melanie Chandler-Blood Brittany Redman charming hotel in Pittsfield—that provide no shortage of inspiration.

Steve Depino full of fine detailing. I can’t decide which one is my favorite, can you?

Cherry Richards We hope you enjoy this summer edition of New England Living. As always, we’re Corinna Raznikov Photography

LIVING

PH OTO BY K ER RY B R E T T

S

honored to tell the stories of this remarkable region and continue to find inspiration

I from hopethe you enjoy thehome. fall and winter ahead! folks who this haveissue madeand it their

Erin Little

Bruce Luetters Ken Richardson ............................................

Greg Premru Betty Wiley

............................................

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CONTRIBUTORS

14

Lisa Cavanaugh

Rachel Arroyo

Sarah Lippert

(Managing Editor) is a writer and editor who grew up in New England, worked in New York theatre, and was a story editor and writer in Los Angeles before returning to live on Cape Cod. As part of this issue, Lisa introduces us to an exciting young professional soccer player and two intriguing artists who work in very different mediums.

is a freelance writer who is always in search of new sights to see and places to visit in New England, where she resides. In these pages, Rachel takes a closer look at six fun and flavorsome New England food festivals to visit this fall.

is a new writer for NEL who has many years of experience in copywriting, journalism, long-form editorial content, and everything in between. Sarah enjoys writing about home and design, as she does with two stories in this issue about stunning homes in Maine and Massachusetts.

Danna Lorch

Lannan O’Brien

Juliet Pennigton

is a Boston-based freelance writer with a decade of experience covering the visual arts, design, architecture, the trades, and parenting. Danna, a professional member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, takes us on an adventure to the wilds of Maine for an incredible oyster experience.

is a Cape Cod-based freelance writer, editor, and social media manager whose work has appeared in many publications throughout New England.

Leading us into the cooler months, Lannan presents gorgeous fall tablescapes and explores six ways to enjoy the snow in New England.

Boston-based journalist Juliet Pennington writes for several regional and national magazines and newspapers. She is an adjunct professor at Boston University and a vegan committed to animal welfare/ environmental issues. For this issue, Juliet delves into a visually arresting book about the artists of Martha’s Vineyard.

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Christina Poletto

Jennifer Sperry

Betty Wiley

is a freelance writer who spent her formative years living and attending school in New England.

She likes writing about real estate, architecture, and interior design, as her stories this fall on a Bostonbased Realtor and two magnificent homes in coastal New Hampshire and suburban Massachusetts exemplify.

With over 20 years of experience in publishing, Jennifer Sperry has served as an editor and writer at a variety of luxury magazines. Currently, she works as a marketing director, and on the weekends, she likes to play tennis, read, cook, sample wine, and play with her two young daughters.

Inside this issue, Jen takes us to an amazing equine therapy center and shares ways to turn your bathroom into a relaxing escape.

Freelance photographer and instructor Betty Wiley lives on Cape Cod and specializes in landscape and nature photography. Her work has appeared in numerous regional magazines, and her photography workshops occur throughout New England. Her heartfelt images of Lovelane therapeutic equine center grace one of our fall feature stories.

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NEW & NOTEWORTHY

SAILING with

SPEED

Two days, 17 hours, 26 minutes, and 27 seconds. That’s how quickly Richard Moody and the crew of Boudicca sailed from Marion, Massachusetts, to Bermuda this past June.

As part of the newly added Performance Class in the venerable Marion-Bermuda Race, Boudicca, Moody’s King Marine Reichel-Pugh 66 out of Jamestown, Rhode Island, broke the previous record for time (by just a few hours), which was set in 2011 by the 76-foot Briand Sloop Lilla, owned by Simon and Nancy DiPietro. With four entries this year, the new class was implemented to expand race eligibility to more performance-focused cruising vessels.

Departing Buzzards Bay on Friday, June 16, Moody and

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his crew of 14 quickly altered their original route. “The Gulf Stream does very weird and wonderful things,c says Moody, who, with his navigator, Jeff Fisher, had put “two good solid plans together” ahead of the race. “We take the current weather data and run modules in the computer, but, obviously, there are several factors that go into deciding how to go.” With a big, lighter wind patch rolling up the coast off of Long Island, Moody ditched his first plan to sail out of the bay and into Rhode Island Sound toward Block Island. “Instead, as soon as we could clear the tower, we tacked and went south to see if we could get around the light air,” says Moody.

“And it seemed to pay off.”

FR AN GRENON/MARION BERMUDA R ACE The crew of Boudicca are greeted by family and friends at the finish line.

Once they were underway, Boudicca never trailed in the race. “We went through a lot of thunderstorms and kept ourselves on the other side of the rhumb line, where we knew the low air was,” says Moody. “The most we ever got down to was six or seven knots at the back of a thunderstorm, but usually we were doing 16 to 20 knots of boat speed.” When the sailboat crossed the finish line off St. David’s Lighthouse in Bermuda at 6:30 Monday morning, they were nearly 200 miles ahead of the next boat.

Moody, who grew up in the United Kingdom and emigrated to the U.S., has been a sailor for most of his life. “I showed up in December 1990 with two duffel bags on my back,” he says, “and began delivering and racing boats for people.” He ran a lot of big races around the world, worked in a big boat factory in Rhode Island for a time, and then got the opportunity to work for Land Rover, which he still does, with his own Land Rover repair and restoration shop in Exeter, Rhode Island.

But his passion for sailing never wanes and he and his wife and daughter are part of a vibrant sailing community that finds him participating in numerous races each year, including another sprint to Bermuda, this time from Newport, Rhode Island, in a biennial event which next sets sail in June 2024.

The Marion-Bermuda Race was founded in the summer of 1977 by two sailing friends, Dave Kingery and Dickie Bird, who met at Bermuda’s Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, where Bird was a prominent member. The two families had sailed together aboard the Kingerys’ 50-foot Columbia sloop through the West Indies, and outlined the general principles of what would become the Marion-Bermuda Race. Kingery was a member of the Beverly Yacht Club and on the Board of Governors of the Blue Water Sailing Club; thus, all three boat clubs continue to provide support for the race, which this year saw 32 vessels taking part.

The next Marion Bermuda Race is in 2025, starting on June 13 of that year.

To learn more visit: www.marionbermuda.com

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PHOTO BY ELIESA JOHNSON OF THE RESTAUR ANT PROJEC T

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

TRADITION and

RECOGNITION Wampanoag Tribal member Chef Sherry Pocknett believes the bounty of each season should be embraced and celebrated. “Preparing Indigenous cuisine means cooking with sustainably raised, hunted, and fished animals,” says Pocknett, who recently won the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast. “We use our original crops, like the Three Sisters’ combination of corn, beans, and squash. I feel that we are here to take care of the land, and that is important to our food.”

Pocknetts’ restaurant, Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown, Rhode Island, which she opened in 2021, is named in honor of her late father, Mashpee Wampanoag Chief Sly Fox, Vernon Pocknett. She recalls growing up on Cape Cod, learning how to cook and forage with her mother and grandmother, and waitressing at The Flume, her uncle's restaurant in Mashpee. “I didn’t cook there, but I began catering through the restaurant and traveled to different pow-wows and events,” says Pocknett, who eventually relocated to Connecticut when she became the food and beverage manager at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center in Ledyard.

Pocknett, who still lives nearby in Connecticut, runs Sly Fox Den Too with her daughters, Jade and Cheyenne Pocknett-Galvin, where they serve dishes including frybread, venison skewers, and succotash, which continue to reflect their tribal traditions. Breakfast is one of her favorite meals to prepare for customers. “I make my own rendition of Johnny Cakes,” she says, “with dried cranberries and scallions in them.” One of her other specialties is a smoked bluefish hash with poached eggs and dark kidney beans. “We serve lots of great local protein.”

Her road to culinary success has not been without obstacles, including battling cancer, but she was able to take a moment to soak in the distinction of winning the James Beard Award, the first Indigenous woman to do so. Proudly wearing traditional Wampanoag regalia, Pocknett accepted the award at the national ceremony earlier this year. “I was so surprised that I even got nominated,” says Pocknett. “It’s an amazing honor, and I'm still flabbergasted.”

Winning the award has bestowed more national recognition, which Pocknett appreciates, but her focus moving forward will be on more regional efforts to promote,

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Chef Sherry Pocknett, dressed in Wampanoag regalia, posed just before receiving her James Beard award in Chicago.

celebrate, and protect her Indigenous heritage. Slated to open in the fall of 2024, Sly Fox Den Restaurant and Cultural Center in Preston, Connecticut, will be a space where visitors can experience Northeast Indigenous foodways and lifeways. “You’ll be able to enjoy Wampanoag-centered cuisine overlooking Poquetanuck Bay, where many Indigenous peoples like the Narragansett, Mohegan, Pequot, and Wampanoag communities would socialize, harvest, and trade.”

Pocknett says the center, in addition to serving more of her award-winning food, will offer interactive experiences of traditional Northeastern homes, gardens, oyster farms, and canoes. “It’s going to be a fun destination,” she says. “And I feel it’s important to let the public know that we’re still here and we still have our traditional lifeways. I also think of my children and grandchildren and how they need to know and love their heritage and make sure it stays alive.”

She says that while the James Beard Award was an incredible honor, if she can pull off opening the Cultural Center, it will be as significant. “This will really be a lifetime achievement for me,” she says, “It’s going to be everything.”

Community GOAL SETTING Page 20 HEALING ON HORSEBACK Page 24

PHOTO BY BE T T Y WILEY

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A Connecticut teen has his professional soccer-playing dreams come true.

BY LISA CAVANAUGH

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

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eyton Miller has had a soccer ball at his feet since he was 18 months old, so it is understandable that his family has long imagined that he would become a professional player. “In kindergarten, he was already talking about being a soccer player when he grew up,” says his mother, Lindsay Miller. “And his quote in his fourth-grade yearbook was that he wanted to play for the New England Revolution.”

Now, as the youngest player ever signed by the Revolution, New England’s professional Major League Soccer team, Miller (15 years and 216 days old at signing) will first join the MLS NEXT Pro roster before ascending to the MLS roster in 2024 as a “Homegrown Player” on a four-year contract. The MLS Homegrown Player program enables teams to sign local players from their own development academies directly to first-team rosters.

“I felt all the emotions when I found out I was going to be a professional soccer player because it has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” says Miller. “And I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

Growing up in Unionville, Connecticut, Miller played recreational soccer until joining the Revolution Academy in 2021. The academy runs intensive camps and clinics at Gillette Stadium and other locations in New England, that train young players in all aspects of the game and help to develop talent for future potential. “Our pro-player pathway is designed to foster special players like Peyton and help them accelerate their growth as professionals,” says Revolution Technical Director Curt Onalfo. “Peyton is still a young man, but he has excelled in every opportunity presented to him and is very deserving of this opportunity to prove himself at the next level.”

Onalfo says that when Miller first arrived, the young player had a lot to learn but improved dramatically. “He was a real talent and athletically gifted, but he needed to be taught the details of what it takes to be a player at the highest level,” says Onalfo. “Over a one-year period, it was an amazing transformation for Peyton, really incredible.”

Miller stresses that his coaches at the academy truly supported his development as a player. “I want to thank Bruce Arena, Curt Onalfo, Clint Peay, Marcelo Santos, BJ Noble, and Rob Becerra for

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The New England Revolution recognized Peyton Miller's extraordinary natural talent and continues to work with him to hone his professional-level skills.

Below: Larry, Lindsay, and Logan Miller celebrate with Peyton on signing day.

their confidence in me,” says Miller. “They helped me a lot, especially by making me feel prepared and making my transition to Revs II very smooth.” Director of Youth Development Rob Becerra is eagerly anticipating what will come next for Miller. “I’m so excited about his development,” says Becerra. “It never gets old to watch young people achieve their dreams.”

Getting to this level took years of hard work and the kind of sacrifices young people aren’t always willing to make. “I always chose soccer over going to hang out with friends,” says Miller. “On the weekends, I would mostly stay at home and train and do schoolwork.”

When the Revolution first tapped Miller as a candidate for a professional contract, the team met with the whole family. “The Revs brought us in and gave us a timeline,” says Peyton’s father, Larry Miller.

“But as far as the final decision, it was Peyton’s choice

to do this, and we are always here to support him.”

The whole family, including brother Logan who also played soccer growing up, is ecstatic. “We are kind of speechless, knowing our 15-year-old is signing a pro contract,” says Larry. Lindsay adds that it has been exciting to follow her son’s soccer journey. “We always knew he had a special talent, and we hoped he would make it to this level,” she says. “He has worked really hard, and he deserves it, and we are really proud of him.”

For his part, Miller believes he wouldn’t be where he is without them. “I appreciate my family and all of the coaches for the guidance and support that helped make this possible.” Moving into the stratosphere of professional soccer hasn’t altered this determined young player’s ethic, however. “I am going to keep working hard every day, on and off the field.”

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HEALING ON HORSEBACK LOVELANE’S THERAPEUTIC EQUINE PROGRAM HELPS CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES LEARN, GROW, AND THRIVE.

BY JENNIFER SPERRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETTY WILEY

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ou can see it in their smiles. You can see it in their confidence. You can see it in their enthusiasm entering the barn.

A weekly therapy session at Lovelane is not like any other medical appointment.

At this 13-stall horse barn in Lincoln, Massachusetts, students take part in 30-minute private riding lessons, with help from volunteers, typically one leading the horse and one on each side of the horse for support.

Each rider has some form of physical or cognitive disability. Some move with the aid of wheelchairs or braces; others have sensory issues and communication challenges; still others are battling cancer. But at Lovelane, these children are not patients—they are horseback riders. For many, sitting in that saddle represents their first time participating in a sport.

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Throughout New England, a variety of equine therapy programs tackle issues ranging from physical disabilities to mental health. Most treat both adults and children, but Lovelane is unique in that it’s a pediatric program only. Open 12 months a year, 7 days a week, it provides high-quality therapeutic horseback riding to a roster of over 130 students ages 2 through 22.

“A lot of our students have multiple medical appointments during the week for therapy and testing,” explains Executive Director Wendy Bell, who began working with Lovelane a decade ago as a volunteer.

“Here, the kids get all this therapeutic goodness, and it doesn’t feel like a typical therapy appointment at all.”

The physical benefits of Lovelane’s riding program include improved trunk control, balance, muscle tone, range of motion, joint mobility, and fine motor coordination. Other benefits—perhaps the best kind— are mental, ranging from better mood and increased communication to enhanced pride and self-worth.

Opposite page: Student Francesca gets a helping hand. Above left: Founder Debby Sabin helps OIllie Morse lead his horse. Above: Erica Ford and Lisa Williams with rider Bridget Cadigan. Left: Executive Director Wendy Bell gives scratches in the barn.

For any child, with or without disabilities, partnering and communicating with a 1,000-plus-pound animal can be very confidence building.

“One of our parents told us about how her daughter, who is wheelchair-bound, told her friends at school about her riding,” relates Bell. “They didn’t believe her until they saw a picture of her on a horse and were in awe of what she could do. It earned her a whole new level of respect from her classmates.”

Back in 1988, Lovelane began with a small crew: founder Debby Sabin, five riders, one volunteer, and three borrowed horses. “Debby is an occupational therapist and has always been a firm believer in the power of therapy. She started the program by knocking on doors, asking if any stable owners would be willing to let her use their horses. The first to say yes was a stable on Love Lane in Weston, Massachusetts,” recalls Bell.

After a couple property moves, and with a growing wait list of children, a capital campaign in 2004 allowed the organization to settle into its current site, tripling its capacity.

Specifically designed for the special needs population, Lovelane’s campus includes indoor and outdoor arenas, a therapy room, office space, 13 horse stalls, and access to outdoor trails.

“The trail is such a bonus. For many kids, it represents a unique opportunity to be out in the woods,” says the director.

“Experiencing the birds and the trees on a wood chipcovered trail is very freeing for them. We also have adjunct unmounted programs,” continues Bell, “where children as

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Above: Lovelane's hardworking crew. Below: Volunteer Joan Mansfield leads student Annika Currie on her ride.

young as three meet every week and learn about horse behaviors and care. These sessions help foster cooperative play and peer interactions.”

Program revenue accounts for 40 percent of the organization’s budget, with fundraising making up the difference. Over 200 volunteers work in partnership with the nonprofit’s small staff, therapists, and instructors to achieve over 4,500 riding sessions annually.

Another unique attribute of Lovelane is its dedication to riders’ long-term growth. Once a student is accepted, he or she becomes part of the barn community and stays in the program, on average, 10-12 years. The support is purposefully individualized to each student’s unique needs and goals.

“Especially for those students with developmental delays and muscle issues, being on a horse is great exercise,” says Bell. “A horse’s gait mirrors that of a human’s, which means that every step on a horse represents realistic neurological input of what walking feels like. That’s one of the reasons why riding is so effective for children who have trouble walking on their own.”

At Lovelane, children have spoken their first words, taken their first steps, and engaged in a sport for the first time. It is a generator of milestones, a happy place where serious life challenges are forgotten for a little while. NEL

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Design STYLE FILES Page 30 FROM CANVAS TO CARPET Page 36 INSIDE OUT Page 40 ESCAPE TO THE BATH Page 46 MORE THAN A PRETTY PICTURE Page 56

PHOTO BY K ALMAN AND PABST

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PHOTO BY JIM KRUGER AT L ANDMARK DESIGN

SCENE SETTING Let the sunshine in with Marvin’s Scenic Doors.

“In recent years, there has been a resurgence of people wanting to bring the outdoors in,“ says Jim Faro, Architectural Project Manager with Marvin. “The concept of biophilic design is not new, but we’ve been seeing more and more architects and homeowners embracing ways to connect with nature from a built environment.”

Structured to provide optimum views, the Scenic Door collection from Marvin comes in various styles and configurations to suit every home design and give the homeowner a way to interact visually and experientially with the natural world outside. “You want to bring light and air into the home, as well as enjoy the vistas,” says Faro. “Something that really calls us into nature is the essence of visual design."

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PHOTO BY K ALMAN AND PABST

Designed with quality and performance, Marvin sliding glass doors effortlessly open your home to the outdoors.

PHOTO BY JIM KRUGER AT L ANDMARK DESIGN

Faro notes that Marvin is bringing more of a modern design into their Scenic Doors, with multi-slides, and in their new Bi-Fold door. “When they first started coming out, they were a lot more traditional looking,” says Faro. “But in the last few years, the style of these larger doors have trended a bit more transitional to contemporary.”

From Marvin’s perspective, a Scenic Door has an oversized opening with at least four panels and with a width greater than 15 feet. “They can get taller too,” says Faro, “Some of our modern doors will go up to 12 feet tall, which is a terrific option for homeowners looking for height.”

As an Architectural Project Manager, Faro will confer on unique and challenging projects. He says that while Marvin is an established brand in New England, he strives to not only make homeowners aware of new products but also to supply them with solutions.

“Sometimes just having that extra help from the solution specialist makes all the difference in a project.”

As with everything that Marvin does, says Faro, there is a lot of thought and purpose into the planning and the product development of Scenic Doors. “In addition to a focus on usability and user experience, there is also importance placed on engineering and materials,” he says. “So when an architect, builder, or homeowner is considering Scenic Doors for their project, they know that Marvin’s materials and craftsmanship are second to none.”

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STYLE FILES

FRENCH TWIST

FOR A KITCHEN REMODELING PROJECT in their stately colonial home, clients of Shore & Country Kitchen in Fairfield, Connecticut, had a wish list: more light, an oversized island, increased storage space, a dedicated message center, and an additional refrigerator, freezer, sink, and dishwasher.

The challenge for Shore & Country Principal Bob Blanco and his team was finding enough room for all the new appliances, including the 36” Sub-Zero column refrigerator and the 36” Sub-Zero column freezer the clients desired.

“With the current patio door and window configuration, we couldn’t design a space to achieve everything the client wanted,” explains Blanco.

The solution was to remove the sliders to the patio, relocate the existing window, and add two additional windows, which made space for the enlarged island and the two Cove dishwashers. They also reconfigured the existing

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walk-in pantry. “By recessing the refrigerator and freezer, we were able to fit the two large appliances in, while only taking up about a foot of depth,” says Blanco. This also allowed Shore & Country to place the built-in hutch cabinetry on the same plane as the refrigerator and freezer, creating a seamless appearance.

The custom-made hutch matches the elegant architecture and intricate moldings of the home. “I knew I wanted to create this piece,” says Blanco, “and I happened to see a photo of an apartment in Paris that had classic French doors with Cremone bolt hardware.” He loved the look and incorporated that aesthetic into the hutch’s leaded beveled-glass doors. He even found a French manufacturer to create the hardware out of polished nickel. “They are real Cremone bolts that lock. They work smoothly and came out perfectly.”

PHOTOGR APHY COURTESY OF ANNA GUZZI PHOTOGR APHY AND SHORE & COUNTRY KITCHENS

Above: The kitchen is anchored by a Wolf 48" Dual Fuel Range with eight burners. Below: Twin Cove dishwashers with custom cabinetry and custom handles tackle dish cleaning for the family.

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STYLE FILES

COLOR REVIVAL

By Jennifer Sperry

KOHLER IS TURNING THE BIG 1-5-0. To celebrate this impressive milestone—and to highlight how, for nearly a century, the company has infused homes across the nation with bold, innovative fixtures—the kitchen and bath powerhouse is bringing back some iconic colors.

At the start of its year-long anniversary celebration, Kohler announced that two shades from its Heritage Colors collection (six hues specially curated from the archives) would again grace American bathrooms. It asked fans to vote for their favorite from the following options: Spring Green (1927–1944), Lavender (1927–1944), Peachblow (1934–1973), Sunrise (1953–1969), Avocado (1967–1979), and Pink Champagne (1973–1979).

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Spring Green and Peachblow are now available on select Kohler Products, including the Farmstead Kitchen Sink (left) and the Vox Bathroom Sink (below).

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MORE THAN 100,000 VOTES LATER, TWO SELECTIONS CAME OUT ON TOP: SPRING GREEN, one of Kohler’s original colors, is a fresh blue-green emulating the look of its namesake water source. A cheeky partner to the browns and taupes prevalent at the time, PEACHBLOW is a pretty pastel named after a type of Victorian art glass made in the late 19th century. Both colors make a statement while easily partnering with nature-derived neutrals.

Now, homeowners craving a dose of vintage can shop patented sinks, toilets, and clawfoot tubs in these two retro shades at their local Kohler Signature Store or Experience Center. For more information, visit kohler.com/forever-in-color.

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"Star" is one of the new patterns in the Global Chic Rug Collection from Vani Sayeed Studios.

FROM CANVAS TO CARPET A DESIGNER’S DREAMY, EVOCATIVE ART IS REFLECTED IN A RADIANT NEW RUG COLLECTION.

BY LISA CAVANAUGH

Sayeed says that she is fascinated by honoring both classic artistic traditions and embracing novelty.

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“I am an active and committed artist,” says Vani Sayeed, Principal, and owner of the award-winning Vani Sayeed Studios, a collective of interior décor/design, interior architecture, fine art, and product design based in Newton, Massachusetts. “I'm constantly creating, drawing, and painting,” she says.

Sayeed obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the prestigious J.J. School of Art in Mumbai and completed her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Iowa.

Her impressive pedigree in fine art has led to a bountiful collaboration with Landry & Arcari, the distinguished New England dealer of fine rugs. The Global Chic Collection is a weaving of art, culture, and beauty, says Sayeed, who recently launched a second collection inspired by her journeys and her artwork.

“Some of these designs come from my travels and from nature - rocks, waterfalls, a summer’s day - all of these become textural expressions in the rugs,” shares Sayeed.

“Some of these designs come from my travels and from nature - rocks, waterfalls, a summer’s day.”

PHOTO BY NAT REA

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Many of Sayeed's one-of-a-kind, hand-knotted rugs come from her paintings, which are inspired by her observations of natural movements and patterns.

The process of the rug design starts with the selected art or inspired imagery, which is then interpreted by pencil sketches and digitally fabricated images to study pattern, colorway, and scale.

Two of her new designs, Asha Summer Day Walk and Asha Existential Sun are direct renditions of Sayeed’s paintings. Summer Day Walk is a marbled abstract with swaths of blue and gray, pierced by sprays of organs and burgundy. Existential Sun offers more vibrancy, with a central orangy red through-line and patches of lemon yellow and royal blue. These impressionistic designs are in contrast to others in the collection, such as Iman Blue Orb and Iman Four Square, which are more repetitive in pattern and muted in tone.

“I've been sourcing custom rugs from Landry & Arcari for various clients for a long time,” she says. “So I knew what they could do in terms of design, delivery, and the quality of the product.”

Hand-knotted and customizable in styles and finishes, the Global Chic Collection has proven to be popular. “We did so well on the first round of the rugs,” says Sayeed. “They were instantly successful, and we sold out of everything very quickly.” She is expecting more inventory in the second collection throughout the year, but Sayeed keeps tabs on when product is coming in because she has clients constantly seeking her rugs. “They have been very well received, which is wonderful.”

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inside out

By Christina Poletto

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By repositioning a mid-19th-century house on its lot and renovating the interior spaces, a spectacular modern home emerges.

t

he venerable house on Main Street in Wenham, Massachusetts, wasn’t finished telling its story. That’s what developer Jeff Novack believed when he purchased the property in 2021 and assembled a crackerjack team to restore the historic structure sited on nearly four acres of land.

Originally built in the mid-nineteenth century, the Second Empire building was in poor condition. The landmark home, familiarly known as “Hadley House,” is named after Frank Hadley, who left the property to his daughter, Phoebe Hadley, who then lived in the home with her husband, Dr. John Robinson, a Civil War surgeon. When Novack acquired it, the house sat perpendicular to the road so the front door faced the neighbors; a side wall was only a couple dozen feet from the busy thoroughfare. Though it flaunted elements of historical importance, like a regal mansard roof, the home clearly needed some serious TLC. That’s where the teams at Novack Properties, SeaGlass Architects, and Jackson’s General Carpentry came in, together setting out to reimagine the home for the 21st century. After consulting historical documents and photos, the property was meticulously redesigned to capture its historic personality outside but with interior spaces suited to today’s lifestyle.

After discovering an old map showing the home’s long axis facing the street and set back from the road, the decision was made to relocate the home on the property, raising the home off of its original foundation to accomplish it. The house was lifted, turned 90 degrees to face the street, and situated on a new concrete foundation set back 40 feet on the property. Not only did the move stabilize the building, but it also brought about a more harmonious relationship between it and the land.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEGAN DIEHR AND TIM BJERK

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For Eric Gjerde of SeaGlass Architects, one goal was to reclaim the authentic exterior detailing. Craftsmen were able to replicate the detail of the clapboard siding just as it was in the past. A new covered porch, based on a design uncovered in a historical document, features Victorian Folk gingerbread detailing, period-appropriate corbels, and a frieze.

Adding these decorative details to the facade of the carriage house required approval from the Wenham Historic District Commission.

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Brand-new windows duplicate the dimensions of the original glazing. “Marvin makes fantastic products to match the scale and details that are there,” Novack says. “They customcreated 7-foot tall double-hung windows for this house from their Ultimate line.” These windows, the same size as the originals, allow an abundance of natural light into the home, which is key when considering the overhang of the home’s large front porch. The team also chose to mix in several Elevate products from Marvin as well.

Left: The bright white and wood accented kitchen melds historic style with modern living.

Below: Developer Jeff Novack.

With the support of the historic commission, “the development team also worked to design a garage in a carriage-house style to be set back from the original house and to replicate somewhat the look of a detached barn from the 1800s,” Gjerde says. “A garage is a modern convenience, but the structure was designed with seamless integration of the original house to the addition so it blended well with the architectural line of the home while also allowing the wraparound porch to be prominent.” The heated garage features

two Tesla charging ports, and above, there is an unfinished space that can be outfitted as a workshop, bedroom suite, or home office.

Novack says there was virtually no original detail left in the house when it was purchased. “The only remaining item is the newel post, and we’re trying to figure out what to do with it.” This allowed the architectural and development teams and builder Paul Jackson to create new layouts for gathering, entertaining, and relaxing in the 5,054 square feet of living N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

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Marvin's Ultimate Specialty Shape windows are customizable to match every design esthetic and architectural style.

space. The building phase was completed in 2023, and the updated home features six bedrooms and six bathrooms.

On the first floor, the front door opens into a long hallway with a direct line of sight to the open-concept kitchen and family room at the back of the house. Ultimate Swinging French Doors open up to a beautiful view of the property’s lush backyard, where a barn once stood.

On either side of the hallway sits a moderately sized living and formal dining room, a walk-in closet, a home office, and a powder room.

Interior TruStyle doors were used in the hallway’s two vestibules as well as in the dining room and sitting room.

The state-of-the-art kitchen features custom cabinets from Kennebec Company. “The pine doors were hand-paned to make them look like they were always there,” Novack says.

The heart of the kitchen is a 12-foot-long marble island, which seats five, flanked by 8-foot-long butcher block boards. Two pantries sit between the kitchen and dining room, and a mudroom connects the kitchen and the garage. The kitchen, with an adjacent dining nook, opens into the gathering

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room, which features a cathedral-beamed ceiling and a stone fireplace. Just outside this space is an outdoor patio for entertaining and a covered porch.

The second floor comprises three bedrooms with one and a half baths, a laundry room, a primary bathroom and bedroom with a cathedral ceiling, his-and-hers dressing rooms, and a private balcony.

The third floor has two bedrooms with window seats created using Marvin Ultimate casement windows with simulated check rails for another nod to history. It also boasts large closets, a full bathroom, and a loft space ideal for use as a sitting room. Another bonus: The new foundation created a cavernous basement, which is unfinished but already temperature controlled. Novack suggests it would be a prime space for a theater, wine room, or golf simulation area.

A finished basement would increase usable living space to 7,500 square feet.

“Creating a home that provides function, style, and peace will appeal to everyone,” says Mia Davis, interior designer at SeaGlass Architects.

Living spaces were conceived with a thoughtful mix of classic and contemporary design to feel relevant now and for decades to come, Davis says.

“There is nothing stock or cookie cutter about the choices made for the Hadley House. I was and have always been inspired by textures, colors, and scale.”

For Davis, this meant focusing on even the smallest details: handles and hardware, lighting fixtures and finishes, tile flooring, and a comfortable mix of textures inside the living spaces.

“What’s different about this home is that there isn’t anything like it out there,” says Kristin Zechello with Novack Properties. “It has all the functionality of new construction with energy efficiency and luxury, yet to look at it from the street, it looks like a house from the 1800s.”

Architect Eric Gjerde of SeaGlass Architects designed the Hadley House renovation.

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escape bath to the

The spacious Kitchen & Bath Gallery showroom in Warwick, Rhode Island, offers multiple vignettes to inspire your home design.

he pandemic taught us all a valuable lesson: that the place we call home is a sanctuary, a refuge from the outside world.

It’s where we go to recharge and connect with what matters most. This intimate reacquaintance with our interior spaces spearheaded a wave of new themes influencing home design. We’ll reveal some shortly, but here’s the most important one (spoiler alert): Build spaces that delight you.

Unsure of your style direction?

The best way to discern your personal leanings is to step inside one of Supply New England’s Kitchen & Bath Galleries. Each showroom (nine

New looks and innovative products can help turn the most functional room in the home into a personal retreat.

By Jennifer Sperry / Photography by Dan Cutrona

are sprinkled throughout Southern New England, including a newly remodeled 7,000-square-foot space in Warwick, Rhode Island) invites the homeowner with professionally styled vignettes showcasing trending materials and fixtures from top brands in decorative plumbing, cabinets, countertops, and tile.

“The sky is the limit when it comes to selections; with so many options, designing a bathroom can feel overwhelming,” says Sabrina DaLomba, Director of Showrooms for Supply New England. “If you have an aesthetic in mind but don’t know how to achieve it, our experienced consultants are there to walk you through the process and make it less overwhelming.”

Recently, we sat down with DaLomba to discover what’s hot in bathrooms right now. Here are four emerging design themes to spark your imagination.

Be Bold For years, it was ingrained into homeowners’ minds: Don’t go wild with color and pattern; consider resale and keep things, especially more extensive investment selections, neutral.

This concept of designing for the future, notes DaLomba, is evaporating as homeowners are using their budgets instead to revel in their own tastes.

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“The biggest trend I’m seeing by far is personal expression,” says DaLomba. “Homeowners are doing what they like rather than worrying about a fictional buyer ten years down the road. They are saying yes to statement sinks and soaking tubs. They are lining walls with eyecatching tile or wallpaper, playing with textures by using natural stone and wood accents. They are reflecting their personal style.”

Color is not a required outcome of this shift, but it is a refreshing one, with brighter hues popping up on walls, vanities, and fixtures. “People are a little tired of the all-white or white-and-gray look,” observes DaLomba. Kohler, which has been bringing color into kitchens and bathrooms for decades, recently brought back two popular shades from its Heritage archives, Peachblow and Spring Green, in honor of its 150th anniversary. Limited-edition sinks, toilets, and clawfoot tubs in these two vintage hues will be available come fall and are an excellent opportunity to add some personality to a bathroom layout.

Another creative choice is Kohler’s Artist Editions sinks. From botanical prints to textured glass, each sink is a functional piece of art.

Left: Toulouse bath from Victoria & Albert with matte navy painted exterior backed by Chinoiserie mural by Megan Steer. Below: The Dutchmaster Midnight Floral sink from the Kohler Artist Edition sink collection.

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Left: Chestnut Hill vanity & mirror by Robern. Components faucet & accessories in Matte Black and Lacemaker sconces

by Kohler. Right: Marble console, tower, and mirror from Elemental Series by Stone Forest. Faucet & shower fixtures from Riu series in Brushed Gold

by Riobel.

Boho Chic As the home industry slowly shifts away from farmhouse design, boho is emerging as the next big look. “To obtain that refined, natural vibe, we’re using a lot of grainier woods like oak and walnut and a lot of organic textures like macramé and rattan,” observes DaLomba. Other ways to achieve a bohemian feel are with natural stone sinks, such as limestone or marble, and softer whites.

“White is always going to be popular, but homeowners are starting to opt for a softer approach with creamier whites,” adds the kitchen and bath veteran. “A linen white, for example, pairs well with the gold metal tones that are trending right now.”

This kind of more organic vibe pairs well with biolithic design (using natural elements to promote health.)

Think: hanging plants, sisal rugs, neutral tones, and earthy finishes, all giving your bathroom a balanced harmony with nature.

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Vanity & medicine cabinet from Robern. The shower features Kohler's DTV+ controls for water, steam, lights & sound.

Sensory Perception When you retreat to your bath for relaxation and rejuvenation, why not up the ante with your favorite music, scents, and colors? “We can outfit showers with music and specialized lighting for chromotherapy,” says DaLomba. Homeowners can generate a spa experience with an assortment of wellness features, including steam showers, soaking tubs, and towel warmers, as well as the forthcoming Kohler Stillness Infinity freestanding bath, which melds water, light, fog, and aromas to deliver an incredible immersive journey of the senses.

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This page: Wall-mount Lodern vanity, Alexa enabled mirrors, and Artist Edition sinks by Janet Echelman for Kohler.

Opposite page: Pleo wall-mounted toilet & One faucets by Kallista, and vanity by Robern in the Profiles series.

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Make Some Space There are a variety of creative ways to maximize the overall area in a bathroom.

Wall-mounted vanities “give the illusion of more space, and you can more easily clean underneath,” says DaLomba, adding that toilets can also be wall-mounted. Recessing the tank into the wall cuts down on the toilet’s depth. If space is at a premium, another trend is combining a shower and freestanding tub in a unified tiled “wet room.”

“Not everyone has a sprawling primary bathroom,” says DaLomba. “New England’s historic homes tend to have a lot of small bathrooms, and putting effort into freeing up space to avoid visual clutter makes any space feel calmer. Our goal is always to help you find what makes you happy and brings you joy.”

To find your nearest Supply New England Kitchen & Bath showroom, visit kitchenbathgallery.com

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BY SARAH LIPPERT | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CROWN POINT CABINETRY

more than a

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rilliant ideas often come to us in unexpected ways.

For Barbara Blackburn, inspiration for the footprint of her kitchen came from an often-overlooked component: the pantry.

“Believe it or not, the entire design for the kitchen began with a photo of a pantry I loved with glass doors and shelving built around the doorway,” shares Blackburn. “I have a collection of vases that belonged to my grandmothers, and I wanted to be able to feature them in a beautiful way.”

The classic New England Shaker Style home in Brunswick, Maine was designed in 2019 by Blackburn, with assistance from designer Gail Blackburn, her sisterin-law. Barbara wanted a home for her and her husband to enjoy their retirement, with plenty of space for their family, especially grandchildren, to relax and be comfortable. As a retired chef and owner of a catering business, the kitchen was Blackburn’s starting place and the heart of the design.

At Gail’s recommendation, Blackbum began working with Crown Point Cabinetry. The New Hampshire-based custom cabinetry company was able to incorporate the charming details Blackburn wanted with the quality and craftsmanship of their timeless products.

“They wanted cabinetry that looked like it had been in the home forever, even though it was a new build,” says Diana Stowell, the designer at Crown Point Cabinetry who helped bring Blackburn’s ideas to life. “Given Barbara’s background as a chef, this had to be a real working kitchen, not just a pretty picture.”

Custom shelves from Crown Point in Sherwin Williams’s Earl Grey flanking the sides and top of the walk-in pantry made the perfect display area for Blackburn’s meaningful family pieces—and the rest of the kitchen fell into place around them.

TURE

This Maine kitchen is beautiful, but its functionality competes for the title of defining feature.

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“It’s a highly functional kitchen. I wanted the best appliances we could get within our budget, and I also wanted them to have a certain look,” says Blackburn.

She achieved that look and the functionality she needed with a Sub-Zero refrigerator with a freezer drawer paneled in the same lively but understated color as the cabinets. Blackburn also added a Sub-Zero wine storage unit in the wet bar and an undercounter beverage center in the pantry—the space that started it all.

The Wolf double wall ovens are built into surrounding cabinetry that includes dainty patterned cut-outs on the cabinet fronts, an ode to the charming English-cottage look that Blackburn wanted to incorporate into the space. Blackburn had scoured English kitchen websites to select the exact pattern but had a hard time finding anyone stateside to replicate what she envisioned until she partnered with Crown Point.

Above: The wet bar, with Sub-Zero beverage center and additional storage, helps transition the kitchen seamlessly into the adjoining living space. Left: Custom shelving, proudly displaying Blackburn's family heirloom vases, defines the entryway to the butler's pantry.

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Three large windows above the farmhouse sink offer a view of Blackburn's wooded property.

The lived-in feel is enhanced by an open-shelving corner cupboard made of unpainted wormy chestnut, and is complemented by the mantel over the Wolf gas rangetop that’s crafted in matching wood. The pieces of wormy chestnut add warmth to the kitchen, which also features quartzite countertops and antiqued gold hardware and lighting.

The large center island provides an ample prep area and additional storage space within it. Blackburn and Stowell worked closely together to design the cabinetry specifically to meet Blackburn’s needs. Blackburn jokes that she knew

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exactly where she wanted to store every utensil and dish before she knew what the layout of the kitchen even looked like. Her attention to detail paid off; everything has a home in her kitchen, from spice jars to glassware, and it all functions seamlessly.

“I wanted the kitchen to look like it had been here for a long time,” says Blackburn. “We've accomplished that not only with the cut-outs in the cabinetry and the hardware, but also with the raw wood. My vision has been captured, and I just love everything about this house. After living here for five years, I wouldn't change a thing in the kitchen.” NEL

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Photography by Kindra Clineff

An Autumn Table

Indulge in a bit of French flavor for your New England fall décor.

By Lannan O'Brien

A

t the lowest points in her life, Sandra Sigman says that flowers have saved her. Whether she is designing one of her signature French-inspired arrangements or a table setting for a holiday gathering, the floral designer finds a sense of peace in her work.

“You’re in this zen kind of moment. I think it really can be transformative.”

The owner of Les Fleurs flower shop in Andover, Massachusetts, Sigman was inspired to start the business with her mother, who was also a floral designer, after living in Paris for two years.

Upon returning home to the U.S., the motherdaughter duo made the dream a reality. Sadly, Sigman’s mother died shortly after they opened the shop. Through the pain of her loss, she says, “I thought, ‘If my mom taught me, then I really want to teach others.’”

And she did exactly that. Through private and group workshops at Les Fleurs, people can learn the basics of floral arranging and tablescape design. Often, she says, the process of creating something beautiful for your home can be overwhelming. “I think people get all this stuff from

the grocery store, and they’re like, ‘Well, what do I do first?’” she says.

Her advice? Start small by finding one item in your home that you love. It might be a scarf, a napkin, or a painting. Then examine it to determine what you appreciate about it. For example, if it’s the color, use that shade as the base for your color palette. “If it’s fall and you’re not really an orange person, maybe you could go toward the really deep aubergine and burgundies. Then it’s almost like a paint-by-number … it takes a little bit of practice and a little time to really put your thoughts into it.”

For Thanksgiving planning, Sigman encourages customers to bring their holiday napkins and dinner plates into Les Fleurs as examples of the styles and colors they gravitate toward. Occasionally, she will visit very busy clients at their homes to design their holiday tables. “I go into some of the homes, and everything is beige and sand and taupe, so of course, I’m not going to show them bright orange, yellow, and gold. Then I have other folks that love color, and everything from the drapes to the towels is luxe,” she says.

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Sigman suggests choosing a small vessel and a few stems from your garden to create a charming mini centerpiece.

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When it comes to creating a tablescape, the key is to be aware of the sizing. Sigman notes that many holiday hosts tend to place an oversized floral arrangement in the center of their table—and then remove it to make space for food. A tip: look around your house for containers, such as tiny jars or flower pots, that could be used as little vases, or find a small decoration to put at each guest’s place setting, like mini white pumpkins or bunches of wheat tied onto each napkin. If you choose to have a buffet, the same decorations can be used for your buffet table. “There are options to doing just one massive arrangement on the table. You can do it in a more piecespecific, clustered-together look which I think is really sweet,” she says.

For one of Sigman’s favorite gatherings at home, she found vintage candles in different sizes and shades that she placed down the length of her table, each in a different brass candle holder. Between them were mini white pumpkins and handblown ink bottles, which she filled with wheat, dahlias, and strawflowers. The candles were lit before guests arrived to give them an aesthetically pleasing “drippy look.” And the best part of “thinking small” with your décor, according to Sigman, is that you can gift some of the little items from your table to guests as they leave.

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Allium Astilbe Copper Beach Cosmo

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Amaranth

Dahlias

At Les Fleurs, you can join "Sandra and the Fleurettes" for a group workshop or plan a private event with 8-12 friends.

In the U.S., fall is associated with the ghouls and goblins of Halloween and the brightly saturated colors of seasonal foliage.

Of fall décor in France, Sigman says, “It’s much more understated.

It’s a lot more grasses, dahlias, and the other flowers that I love to use, so it’s interesting to see their twist on it.” It’s a style she incorporates into her shop in the autumn when Les Fleurs is filled with dried bunches of flowers she grew in the summertime. Celosia, strawflowers, chamomile, and yarrow are wrapped in craft paper with fringed edges, and the space is decorated with little white cement pumpkins made by an artist in England.

“People walk in and say, ‘This is such a different take on fall,” says Sigman. “I hear that so often.”

In truth, there is a lot that’s different at Les Fleurs. Those who come into the shop expecting mass-produced vases and premade arrangements will be disappointed. They will be met instead with sumptuous displays of fresh, seasonal flowers for custom designs. As they do in Paris, the shop stocks locally available blooms, many of which are grown in Sigman’s garden. At Les Fleurs, it is like mother, like daughter.

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A Wondrous World

A RHODE ISLAND ARTIST CHRONICLES THE WOODLAND ADVENTURES OF HIS CRAFTED MINIATURE PEOPLE.

BY LISA CAVANAUGH / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BIRD

“Becorns are a glimpse into a world where the line between plant and animal is blurred,”

Three Becorns approach a strange object in "Danger Seed."

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he tiny figure stands on a mossy branch, his two twig arms making a welcoming gesture to a curious blue jay, appearing as alive as his avian companion. Clad in a jaunty acorn helmet, the little fellow gazes wistfully up at the bird, eager to make a new friend. This delightful miniature person made of nuts and sticks is a “Becorn,” one of the dozens of creations from artist, photographer, and former toy engineer David Bird.

“Becorns are a glimpse into a world where the line between plant and animal is blurred,” says Bird, who lives and works in Rhode Island. “Although the birds and critters are familiar,” he says, “they appear large and fantastical

through the eyes of a tiny Becorn.”

Bird began his career as a designer for Lego in Billund, Denmark, creating toys for the Bionicle line. “Bionicles are basically buildable warriors with weapons,” says Bird, who enjoyed the quick and loose process of brainstorming new ideas, cutting apart the pieces, and hot gluing them back together into characters. His team at Lego would then test the prototype with kids. “I learned so much about how to get their imaginations going.”

Shortly after leaving Lego and returning home to the US, a new inspiration hit as he swept his mother’s driveway one day. “I looked down at my feet, and I saw a stick that looked like a little bug's face,” he says. “Then there were leaves N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

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that kind of looked like wings, and it just suddenly clicked. I could build a little insect!” Bird picked up the pieces of the nascent creature and grabbed his hot glue gun. “I knew from that moment that I could create my own world of characters, all from natural materials, and incorporate the design and storytelling lessons I learned at Lego.”

He spent a lot of time experimenting and refining his figure-building process over the ensuing years. “I used to take walks in the woods and fill my backpack with parts to build into characters. I used everything I could get my

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hands on, pinecones, thistles, even moss,“ says Bird. The figures he made from acorns proved to be his favorite, and he christened his new creations, Becorns.

He began photographing the tiny characters positioned into outdoor tableaux with flowers, ponds, mossy hills, and branches. “I had no experience with photography at that point,” he says, “but I was hooked.” Through classes and reallife practice, he improved his photography skills and started to sell prints at art fairs and online. The striking images of the Becorns alone, in pairs or groups, carrying fruit, feathers,

Left: A brave Becorn fends off a fearsome squirrel. Below: David Bird says he waited for weeks to get this image of a Becorn and a Blue Jay.

and other items, and often interacting with birds and small mammals grew in popularity.

He also shared videos of his process – bloopers and all on his Instagram page and YouTube channel. It took some time to build up an online presence, but with a viral video and a few media appearances last year, his ingenious artwork really took off. Now his full-time job is foraging, building, and photographing the impish little folks. “My goal since I was a kid was to make a living through my art,“ says Bird. “So, this is literally a dream come true.”

Although some results are unplanned, the Becorn images pop with vibrancy, sentiment, and whimsy. “Birds frequently jump on the Becorns’ heads,” says Bird, “and once a squirrel even walked off with one!” It turns out his favorite photos are often the accidental ones. “They’re so much more surprising and interesting than the ones I plan. It is a real collaboration with nature.”

His workshop is his home and the nearby woods, but as the father of two young children, real-life sources for wonder are equally close at hand. “They are still too young to build

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Above: A House Finch stands guard over a sleeping Becorn.

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Above: A cardinal considers helping himself to some seeds proffered by a helpful friend. Above left: In "Chippy" a Becorn serves up a treat for a new pal.

Left: David Bird waited patiently to get this stunning shot of a hummingbird and a Becorn.

characters,” says Bird, “but my daughter is always giving me sticks to work with, and together, we love to monitor and talk about the animals outside.”

Another wellspring of insight comes from his wife, a couple’s therapist. “I post a little story for each image I put online,” says Bird. “She really helps me key into the emotions of the scenes.” He feels that the heart and

kindness in their stories are a big reason for the Becorns’ success. “A lot of that is her influence,” he says.

What began with creating little warriors with weapons has transformed into friendly expressions of thoughtful little people out in the woods. “I’m really trying to hold onto my own sense of wonder that I felt as a child,” says Bird. “And I want to share that with others.” NEL N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

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arts on the island A new book compiles the stories and images of some of Martha’s Vineyard’s most vibrant artists.

By Juliet Pennington

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Above Bill O'Callaghan of Island Folk Pottery. Right: Indigenous Jewelry designer Tiffany Vanderloop wears a pair of her hand-crafted earrings.

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artha’s Vineyard has it all: beautiful beaches, picturesque landscapes, amazing sunsets, quaint and funky towns, and an impressive culinary scene. One lesser-known facet is its sense of community, which is the theme running through the beautifully written Vineyard Folk, by Tamara Weiss and Amanda Benchley, featuring stunning photographs by Elizabeth Cecil.

The local creative scene comes to life in the new release as the authors delve into artists’ lives to discover why they call this 87.5-square-mile isle off the coast of Cape Cod home. More than 30 artists, ranging from painters and jewelry makers to musicians and actors, are featured in Vineyard Folk, and, the authors say, with so much talent on the island, limiting the list was no easy feat.

“We thought it was important to include a variety of creative people who are from different parts of the island—from Chappaquiddick to Aquinnah—and ensure that the book feels inclusive and diverse,” says Weiss, who has called the island home for nearly 30 years. “There’s a lot of talent on this island, a lot of talented people in this book.”

Benchley, who lives in New York City and has been spending her summers with her partner on Martha’s Vineyard since 2018, met Weiss through a mutual writer friend and soon connected with many of Weiss’s island cohort.

Benchley was previously married to the son of Peter Benchley,

who wrote the blockbuster novel Jaws, the movie adaptation of which was filmed on the island. During her 20-year marriage Benchley vacationed in the Hamptons, so discovering all the pockets of creativity on Martha’s Vineyard was “very eyeopening and exciting,” she says.

The successful journalist and author was so impressed by the people in the island’s arts community that she suggested to Weiss they write a book about them.

Together, the writing pair grew excited with the idea of letting the rest of the world know about the unique community of artists and creatives who live on the Vineyard. “But at the same time, we felt it was important that we point out some of the challenges of being here,” says Weiss.

Benchley says that the more she learned about the island’s creative core, the more she realized why artists do whatever they have to do to stay. “It underscores the point of what Martha’s Vineyard is,” she says. “The artists here are so welcoming to other artists and there is such a ’70s Bohemian spirit.”

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Above: Photographer Michael Johson in his Vineyard Haven gallery. Below: Actor and painter Brooke Adams says, "Portraiture is just like doing a character."

Photos courtesy of Vineyard Folk, a book-length love letter to the artists and artisans of Martha's Vineyard.

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TA M A R A WEISS and

A M A N DA BENCHLEY

VINEYARD FOLK

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Many of those featured in Vineyard Folk also reference the draw of nature on the island, and how they find inspiration and solace in the ocean landscape. “But this island is changing drastically because of the climate crisis,” Weiss cautions.

“Beachfronts and vistas that have been painted for years no longer look the same.”

One of the most well-received sections of the book—which has a foreword by Carly Simon, whose son, Ben, also a musician, is featured in the pages— is the chapter where Weiss and Benchley ask the subjects where on the island they go to “tune in or tune out.”

“Everybody has a place, and their answers were so thoughtful,” says Benchley. For artist Margot Datz, her outdoor bathtub is her go-to spot. “My bathtub is my church,” reads one of Datz’s quotes in the book.

“I watch these trees grow; they are so high. They tell me time is moving on.”

For film and TV writer, director, and producer Brad Silberling, it’s working on his laptop at a picnic table outside of the Texaco gas station in Menemsha that gets his creative juices flowing. “People come and say hello and get gas or a cup of coffee,” he says in the book. “I love writing there.”

“What it really comes down to is that the people here are just very fantastic,” says Weiss. “That’s why I’m here,” she adds. “It’s a funky kind of magic Martha’s Vineyard.”

For her part, Benchley continues to understand how her adopted island has such a mystical allure.

“What is it about this place?” she asks “Why is it such a muse?” The answer for both authors of Vineyard Folk is the creative community that flourishes here.

MARTHA’S VINEYARD

VINEYARD FOLK CREATIVE PEOPLE and PLACES of

TA M A R A W E I S S and A M A N DA B E N C H L E Y

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

BY ELIZABETH CECIL

ABRAMS

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Jewelry designer and native islander Nettie Kent searches for treasure on Lucy Vincent Beach with her children Razmus and Wyld.

Food AW SHUCKS! Page 80 DOUGHY DELICIOUSNESS Page 88 FALL FOR FOODIES Page 90

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AW, SHUCKS! For an Outdoor Adventure this Fall, Follow the Maine Oyster Trail and Connect with Local Farmers and Chefs

BY DANNA LORCH

PHOTOGR APHY BY JOSEPH CONROY III FOR THE MAINE AQUACULTURE ASSOCIATION

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Mary Schuch and Lauren Gray of Cranberry Oysters, which is located three miles offshore from Acadia National Park in a shallow inlet on Great Cranberry Island known as “The Pool.”

There’s nothing quite like journeying to Maine for fresh oysters, shucked in front of your eyes and served on the half shell with a simple squeeze of lemon and dramatic views of rugged coastline on the side.

Pack a sweater because fall is peak oyster season, and the newly unveiled Maine Oyster Trail makes it possible to visit hot spots and charming holes in the wall like a local long after the summer tourist buzz has quieted down. The interactive online trail invites visitors to get off the beaten path for bespoke oyster farm tours, kayak and boat experiences, and detours to pop up “shuck trucks,” raw bars, and rural roadside stands.

Afton Vigue, who developed the Maine Oyster Trail through her work at the Maine Aquaculture Association, says that most oyster farmers harvest from April through December. She explains that oysters grown in Maine are all from the same species, but each brand has its own identity. Similar to wine, the environment influences the taste of the product.

“With wine, that effect is known as the terroir, but with oysters, we refer to it as the merroir,” says Vigue. “Each farm has a different locale, and factors like the salinity, turbidity, and

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whether the oysters are grown on the water’s surface or on the bottom influence the ultimate flavor, color, and texture of the oysters.” Luckily, it is possible to experience the full range of tastes–from briny to buttery smooth–by engaging with more than 80 locally owned businesses sprinkled along the Maine Oyster Trail.

A completely digital customizable trip planner assists with choosing stops and mapping a journey across the state’s four oyster regions. These are DownEast and Acadia, where oysters grow between the Atlantic’s salty crests; the Maine Beaches, where exceptional raw bars beckon; the Midcoast and Islands, offering access to the oldest operating farms in the state; and Greater Portland and Casco Bay, a foodie’s paradise thanks to a new generation of young entrepreneurs.

Trail-goers collect points in a mobile Maine Oyster Passport at every oyster adventure along the way by checking in and entering a dedicated four-digit code. Points can be redeemed toward free swag, including a hat and tote bag, and, with 50 check-ins, a top-secret grand prize for a “Maine Oyster Connoisseur.”

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Afton Vigue of the Maine Aquaculture Association is joined by Jaclyn Robidoux from Maine Sea Grant and Heather Moretti (formerly with Maine Sea Grant) in tasting some fresh Maine oysters.

One stop along the trail includes a shucking class to learn how to open and serve oysters and a visit to a pop-up oyster bar dreamed up by Libby Davis, a Maine native and the founder of Lady Shuckers. Davis operates a food truck that serves locally sourced bivalves raw on the half shell, fried and tucked into a Po’Gal sandwich, or with a side of spicy, effervescent Sea-Chi, a riff on Korean kimchee, using sugar kelp grown by Maine lobstermen and brought to market by Atlantic Sea Farms.

“Just keep shuckin’” is Davis’s motto. Her menu is built on partnering with other local, BIPOC, and woman-led businesses and supporting sustainable aquaculture along the way. In addition to happily serving a fresh food product that “tastes like no other,” Davis also supports the Maine oyster industry because she cares about environmental sustainability. “Oysters are incredibly healthy for humans,” says Davis. “They are low in fat and high in protein. They are also rich in zinc. In addition, they are filter feeders and literally clean our oceans.”

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Davis is back in her native Maine after a Peace Corps stint in agriculture development in Madagascar. She learned the ropes of the oyster business and built relationships with local farmers while managing the raw bar at the Maine Oyster Company in Portland. In fact, a stop there for a meal at the bar and a visit to the company’s basecamp lodge in Phippsburg for a private farm tour by skiff are some of her favorite recommendations for trail visitors.

While the culinary and interactive experiences on the Maine Oyster Trail change by the season, there are always opportunities to meet and support local farmers, chefs, and aquaculture entrepreneurs–and dive into some of the choicest oysters in New England.

For more information, visit: https://maineoystertrail.com/

Scan here to watch NEL TV visit with Nonesuch Oysters, one of the farms that sells to the Maine Oyster Company, a stop on the Maine Oyster Trail.

Watch the episode

PHOTO BY MAINE AQUACULTURE ASSOCIATION

Recipe courtesy of Chef Sean Poirier from Maine Oyster Company in Portland:

MAINE BLUEBERRY MIGNONETTE Many people associate cocktail sauce with oysters on the half-shell. At raw bars along the Maine Oyster Trail, guests are more likely to be served mignonette, a light sauce made with vinegar, shallots, and a variety of herbs and spices. This recipe uses wild Maine blueberries, the official state fruit. The acid in the mignonette balances the natural brine in the fresh Maine oysters. A little goes a long way, so add a small amount to your oyster before enjoying it. Alternatively, raw Maine oysters are often enjoyed with a squeeze of lemon or nothing at all! They are that good.

Ingredients: 2 cups wild Maine blueberries (fresh or frozen) 1/3 cup minced shallot 3/4 cup champagne vinegar or white balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon grated ginger Zest and juice of 1 lemon 5-6 basil leaves, chiffonade 1/3 cup cold water Pinch of sea salt Optional: 1-2 tbsp minced Fresno chili

Directions: 1. Add blueberries to a food processor and pulse until the skins of the berries are broken down.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan.

2. Add sugar to the blueberry mixture and bring to a light simmer or until sugar dissolves. Remove the saucepan from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.

3. Add vinegar, shallots, ginger, basil, lemon zest and juice, salt, and optional Fresno chilis to the mixture, and whisk to combine.

4. Refrigerate the mixture and let marinate for at least 30 minutes before tasting.

5. Taste and adjust (if too tart, add a little sugar and a splash of cold water; if too sweet, add a bit of vinegar and salt).

Serve atop freshly shucked Maine oysters, and enjoy!

Mignonette can be refrigerated for at least 60 days.

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Doughy Deliciousness

It’s always time to make the doughnuts at New Hampshire’s Cider Bellies.

By Lisa Cavanaugh

It’s the unofficial state snack of New Hampshire, although the historical record gives New York State bragging rights for the invention in the mid-1950s of one of autumn’s most popular treats: the Apple Cider Doughnut.

That could be why Jessica Stephens was so enthusiastic about introducing them to her husband’s hometown of Meredith, New Hampshire. The New York native met her spouse upon graduating from Plymouth State College and, after settling into her new community, wondered why she couldn’t find the delicious pastries of her youth. “One October, I asked Rob, ‘Where are your cider doughnuts?’ Because living in apple country, that's just something you do in the fall. You go apple picking, and you eat apple cider doughnuts,” says Stephens. “He said he didn’t know what I was talking about.”

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Stephens quickly took her husband on a road trip back to upstate New York to experience firsthand the taste and popularity of the sweet and subtly tart delicacies. “He tried them and agreed they are amazing,” says Stephens. “So, I told him if I’m going to continue living in New Hampshire, I have to have access to cider doughnuts,” she says with a laugh.

Ron Stephens was working at the time as a landscaper on Moulton Farm, a more-than-a-century-old sustainable agriculture center at the north end of Lake Winnipesaukee, close to the couple’s home. They approached the owner, John Moulton, with the idea of making and selling cider doughnuts, and while Moulton didn’t want to tackle the project himself, he let the Stephenses set up shop at the farm. “The rest is doughnut history,” says Stephens.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CIDER BELLIES DOUGHNUTS

Now in its twelfth year, Cider Bellies Doughnuts has taken New Hampshire’s Lakes Region by storm. The handmade circles of dough are infused with New England-sourced apple cider and fried to perfection. “I think the reason people love them so much is the bit of tartness in the sweetness,” says Stephens, adding that fans of Cider Bellies also compliment the doughnuts’ crunchier outside and soft inside.

The team of eight employees at Cider Bellies focuses on making the most delicious doughnuts possible, with a variety of drizzles and toppings to jazz things up a bit. They stay open year-round (with a short break in winter), so apple cider

doughnut fanatics can enjoy them in every season. “We don't have a lot of places that make them in the Lakes Region,” says Stephens, “and most New England orchards and farms only offer them in the fall.”

Sourcing her cider from a regular vendor in Massachusetts ensures the doughnuts have the consistent and reliable flavor that her customers keep coming back for.

The other secret to her success is that Cider Bellies is clearly a passion project. “This was supposed to be just a side business for me, but I really do love apple cider doughnuts,” says Stephens,“and I think that shows.”

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FOOD

FALL for

By Rachel Arroyo

FOODIES A

A mouth-watering round-up of the region’s best food festivals utumn in New England is not only picturesque—with its fall foliage attracting leaf peepers from all over the world—it’s downright delicious, offering a variety of fun and flavorsome food festivals, many of which celebrate local harvests from land and sea.

Serving everything from lobster rolls and Rhode Island stuffies to hard cider and vegan fare, here are six food festivals to try this season—and to inspire your culinary tourism all year long.

CONNECTICUT There are dozens of special food and wine events to choose from at White Silo Farms and Winery, a family-operated boutique winery in Sherman. From mini fests that highlight the farm's produce to cider dinners and evenings with stuffed pumpkins on the firepit, White Silo has a little delicious something for everyone.

“We have festivals for things we grow; asparagus, rhubarb, blackberries,” says owner

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Eric Gorman, who runs the family farm and winery alongside his 91-year-old father, Ralph.

White Silo fall festivals include events that celebrate seasonal beets and quince. “These are great afternoons of food, wine, music, and fall foliage,” says Gorman. “And we always offer a vegetarian option.”

Typical menus for the immersive experiences include four chef-prepared dishes that spotlight these fresh ingredients from the farm’s fall harvest. Past offerings have included dishes such as a butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and farro salad with pecans and cranberries; polenta cake with herbed goat cheese and roasted heirloom tomatoes; ratatouille; and pumpkin cake roll. For a full festival experience, pair your meal with one of White Silo’s 16 varieties of wine.

Whether you plan on dining indoors, within the circa-1780 dairy-barn-turned-winery, or al fresco if the weather permits, you’ll want to claim your seats early for any of these fall favorites, as reservations are limited. whitesilowinery.com

PHOTOS COURTEST Y OF WHILE SILO WINERY

COURTESY OF SMUT T YNOSE FOOD TRUCK & CR AF T BEER FESTIVAL

NEW HAMPSHIRE

PHOTO COURTESY OF WICKED EVENTS

Food and fun will be on hand this fall at the Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival, taking place at Smuttynose Brewery, where the tasting bar and beer garden has a continuously changing beer menu for every season.

Pack your picnic blankets and bring your family and friends, including your furry four-legged companions, to the first-ever Smuttynose Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival on October 7 in Hampton.

Food Truck Festivals of America is teaming up with Smuttynose Brewing Co. to bring you a day of fun in the autumn sun. There will be more than a dozen food trucks, a DJ spinning dance hits, an artisan market, and, of course, plenty of craft beer from Smuttynose Brewing Co. Anthony Pepe, owner of Food Truck Festivals of America, offers festival attendees this sage advice: “Come hungry, thirsty, and willing to gain a few pounds!” foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com/smuttynose N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

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MAINE The statewide Maine Maple Fall Festival on October 7 and 8 combines the best of what autumn in New England has to offer.

“Maine's fall maple event not only allows our visitors to see the sugar maple trees in full bloom of color, but it also allows them to visit area sugarhouses and taste the full bloom of flavors,” says Lyle Merrifield, President of the Maine Maple Producers Association, which organizes the two-day festival.

In addition to touring sugarhouses across the state and getting a peek at how 40 gallons of watery sap becomes one gallon of rich maple syrup, attendees can enjoy fall-themed activities, such as corn mazes, hayrides, and pumpkin patches, as well as try maple-flavored treats, like doughnuts with maple butter and bacon. mainemapleproducers.com

PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE: COURTESY OF MARSHALL COMMUNICATIONS

Delicious Maine maple syrup is made in the early spring and available throughout the year.

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PHOTOS BY R ANDALL COLLUR A

MASSACHUSETTS

Whether you're already a vegetarian or vegan or just want to include more delicious plant foods in your diet, you will be welcome at the Boston Veg Food Fest.

Try vegan dishes, watch cooking demonstrations, and learn about the many benefits of eating a plant-based diet from featured experts at the 28th Annual Boston Veg Food Fest, the longest-running vegetarian/vegan festival in the country.

This year, the event takes place on the weekend of October 14 and 15, and there will be presenters discussing everything from how our food choices impact climate change and the environment to the humane treatment of animals. At the vegan marketplace, you’ll find 100 percent plant-based foods, fashions, and lifestyle products, as well as local veg restaurants and chefs preparing an array of plant-based dishes.

The two-day event, which attracts between 12,000 and 15,000 attendees each year, is organized by the Boston Vegetarian Society, an all-volunteer educational nonprofit that was founded in 1988.

“Eating plant-based is fun, delicious, and easy,” says Evelyn Kimber, President of the Boston Vegetarian Society, “and every step you take in that direction is a meaningful way to protect our planet, show kindness to animals, benefit your health, and feel good about the way you live your life.” bostonveg.org/foodfest

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PHOTO BY BOWENSWHARF.COM

RHODE ISLAND Considered the last hurrah of Newport’s busy season, the Annual Seafood Festival is a longstanding tradition (this is its 32nd year!) for the local community and regional visitors alike. Located along Bowen’s Wharf in downtown Newport, the family-friendly festival is a two-day celebration of the area’s rich maritime history and local fishing industry.

Rain or shine, spend the weekend of October 14 and 15 listening to live music and strolling along the waterfront, eating locally caught seafood, and sipping frozen lemonade.

“We like to say there is something for everyone,” says Adrienne Morotta, Marketing Communications Manager for Bowen’s Wharf Company, about the bounty of seafood available, which includes everything from fried seafood and New England clam chowder to lobster rolls and Rhode Island stuffed clams. bowenswharf.com/events/

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This page: Downtown Burlington, Vermont, is home to the decadently delicious festival that celebrates sweet and tart local favorites.

PHOTO BY RICH IDE

VERMONT

Opposite page: Spectacular shellfish and more awaits you at Rhode Island's Annual Seafood Festival.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WICKED EVENTS

The Burlington Hard Cider & Doughnut Fest has been described as part bar hop, part sweet celebration. “It’s almost like a doughnut scavenger hunt,” says Mark Constantino, owner of Lake Life Events, a food and drink pairings events company that created the event in 2021 to support local businesses hit hard by the pandemic.

With the $20 price of admission for the November 11 event, festival-goers are given wristbands that entitle them to drink specials and two free doughnuts at four participating bars and restaurants in downtown Burlington. Specialty doughnuts customcrafted by local bakeries in the past have included such flavors as maple bacon, apple fritter, choc-o-licious chocolate, funfetti, blueberry twist, and red velvet. vtciderdonutfest.eventbrite.com

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Travel ON THE ROAD WITH NEL TV Page 98 WINTER GAMES Page 102 PORTAL TO PORTUGAL Page 108

PHOTO BY @AMANDASOK

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NEL TV host Rachel Holt poses for the camera in the sculpture garden at Southern Vermont Arts Center, and above right, interviews the Orton family in front of the popular Vermont Country Store.

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ON THE ROAD WITH

NEL TV

BY LISA CAVANAUGH

There is so much to enjoy all year long at the locations from this season’s New England Living TV trip to Southern Vermont.

NEL TV host Rachel Holt says that filming at the Southern Vermont Arts Center was one of the highlights of the New England Living 2023 on-location Vermont shoot. “It was so serene and beautiful there,” says Holt, who, along with Executive Producer Evan Berenson and a crew of four, spent five days in the Manchester/Weston region filming for Season 7. “SVAC has the largest sculpture garden in Vermont, which was amazing to experience,” says Holt. “I interviewed Ann Corso, the Executive Director, who gave me a wonderful tour of this incredible cultural resource.”

“Working with the New England Living team was an absolute pleasure,” says Corso. “The crew was professional and courteous and shared our desire to put SVAC’s best foot forward. The experience couldn't have been more positive.”

While bustling in the spring and summer, SVAC has

plenty to offer in the autumn as well. “Fall is a magical time at SVAC,” says Sarah Weiler, Development & Administrative Coordinator. “The foliage on campus is spectacular, and there are programs, classes, and events for all ages.”

SVAC will be hosting several major exhibitions this fall, including artwork by beloved children’s author and illustrator Ashley Bryan and presenting the annual Halloween on the Hill and Holiday Craft Market events. No matter what the season, visitors can enjoy the 100-acre campus and sculpture park or dine at the popular curATE café.

Another arts gem that NEL TV featured is the Weston Theater Company. Since its beginnings in 1937, this community-focused establishment has been committed to creating theater that will engage, entertain, and inspire the area’s ever-expanding population. They present

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VERMONT COUNTRY STORE

performances in two spaces; the Weston Playhouse, WTC’s original Greek Revival theater, and Walker Farm, a modern, flexible, creative space perfect for more intimate shows, such as Let There Be Love, a humorous, jazz-music-infused family drama by Kwame Kwei-Armah that runs in October.

“There is a real theme of community and creativity that comes across through all of the places we visited,” says Holt.

She notes that the Weston Theater Company includes a mention in their programs of their rather famous neighbor down the street, the Vermont Country Store, and vice versa.

“The family that owns the Vermont Country Store are bigtime celebrities!” says Holt. “People come from all over to meet the Ortons and get them to autograph their catalogs. Some of them were crying with excitement. It was wild to see.” Lyman Orton, along with his sons Gardner, Cabot, and Eliot, are the proud proprietors of this venerable store started by Lyman’s parents in 1946. Now a powerhouse in the online retail world as well, the original store in Weston (there is a second brick-

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and-mortar location in Bellows Falls) is still a major attraction for fans of the homey, high-quality New England merchandise that the Vermont Country store has become famous for. “It is like the Disneyland of country stores,” says Berenson, who says he was completely impressed by the breadth of items available. From clothing to kitchenware, soaps to candies, there is hardly a classic product that the Ortons can’t track down and make available for their customers.

“It is an overall astounding experience, and they do a great job with running everything,” says Holt, “and Lyman himself even walks around the store talking to everyone.”

Like much of the state, the Vermont County Store shows its colors in autumn. From Halloween through Christmas, their website, catalog, and stores are filled with themed décor, food, and gifts. You can find ceramic pumpkin candles, artisan wax pinecones, sugar maple leaf night lights, cotton Christmas napkins and tablecloths, and real glass ornaments, like the ones your grandmother used to decorate the tree.

PH OT O BY KIM PT

ON TA CO NIC

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER

A Vermont adventure like the one NEL TV explored is only a three-hour drive from Boston, but with so much to see and do, it makes sense to find a fabulous place to stay for a few nights. The NEL TV team was hosted by Kimpton Taconic Hotel in picturesque Manchester village. “It’s a beautiful place,” says Holt, “and they're happy to help curate any experience in Southern Vermont that you want.”

The Taconic offers a wide range of amenities, activities, and excursions to fully immerse yourself in the Vermont landscape and culture. Among the seasonal offerings for the fall and winter is the widely popular “après ski” package that includes an overnight stay, a s’mores-making kit, and dining credit for their stellar restaurant, The Copper Grouse, along with “two seasonal cocktails that will warm you up nicely while sitting on the hotel’s porch under a flannel blanket.” The hotel also offers bikes for guests to use on a complimentary basis so they can leaf peep on two wheels.

What stands out the most for Holt and Berenson from

their jaunt to Vermont is the welcoming ambiance and local spirit. “There is a strong sense of community and openness there,” says Berenson, “and we were folded right into that.”

Holt agrees, “They were really promoting each other and proud of each other, and you get the sense that when one succeeds, the rest succeed too. It was a great feeling.”

Holt is also thrilled that she and the rest of Watch the episode the NEL TV crew are able to tell the stories of the special places they visited. “We were welcomed into the community, and in turn, we can share that community with New England Living viewers and readers.”

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Winter

GAMES

Go beyond the ski slopes for your next snowy adventure.

BY LANNAN M. O’BRIEN

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PHOTO COURTESY OF VERMONT MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES

w

hile cold weather certainly has its drawbacks, true New Englanders can’t help but fall in love with snow all over again each winter. We watch it swirl and let it land on the tips of our tongues, sled downhill on its smooth surface, roll it into snowballs, and sculpt it into snowmen adorned with twig arms and pebble buttons.

It seems there are a million ways to have fun in the snow.

But if you think you’ve discovered them all, think again. For this issue, we delve into the more out-of-the-box winter sports activities you can enjoy throughout the region.

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1. FAT TIRE BIKING

2. SNOWSHOEING

Sure, you’ve been known to mountain bike on your local trails in warmer months. But have you ever tried it in the snow? With tires up to five inches wide, fat tire bikes or “fat bikes” enable you to seemingly float over snow-covered trails, like those at New Hampshire’s Bretton Woods. Bring your own bike or rent one at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center—available on a first-come, first-served basis—and then get to work. That’s right: This sport may be fun, but it isn’t easy, with a slow-and-steady pace achieved through pure muscle engagement. You’ll want to stick to groomed trails and avoid the deep, powdery stuff, which is difficult to maneuver on a fat bike.

If you’re seeking a winter sport with history, add snowshoeing to your list. While we don’t know the exact circumstances, we do know that “shoeskis” (a combination of the snowshoe and the ski) were used in central Asia as far back as 4,000 BC. Snowshoes were originally used for a practical reason: to ease travel over difficult terrain. Today, they make for great exercise while enjoying winter scenery.

Looking to hone your snowshoeing skills? The L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs, based out of L.L. Bean Fogg Farm in Freeport, Maine, offer a range of courses, private lessons, and tours. For an unforgettable cold weather getaway, choose their three-day Northern Maine Winter Adventure Trip, filled not only with snowshoeing, but ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and overnights at lakeside cabins, too.

Bretton Woods Nordic Center Bretton Woods, New Hampshire 603-278-3322 Brettonwoods.com

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LL Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs Freeport, Maine 888-552-3261 Llbeanoutdoors.com

The White Mountains serve as a scenic backdrop for fat tire biking at New Hampshire's Bretton Woods. At Right: Snow tubers race under glowing lights during Interstellar Tubing at Powder Ridge.

PHOTO COURTESY OF POWDER RIDGE

3. SNOW TUBING Less into strenuous sports and more about fun in the snow?

We get it—and we have an activity for you, too! The sister sport to sledding, snow tubing is a winter pastime that can be enjoyed by all ages, no lessons required. Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Ski Resort in Connecticut has a designated snow tube area that can be booked for one-hour-and45-minute time slots. Daytime sessions are available, but something magical happens when the sun goes down: Interstellar Tubing begins, and the area is filled with multicolored neon lights. “Snow tubing is one of the winter activities that everyone in the family can do to experience the thrills of racing down the mountain on snow,” says Laura Loffredo, Powder Ridge’s Director of Sales and Marketing.

“The interstellar experience really amps up the fun with music and glow lights.”

Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Ski Resort Middlefield, Connecticut 866-860-0208 powderridgepark.com/activities/tubing/

PHOTO COURTESY OF OMNI MOUNT WASHINGTON RESORT

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Every winter, the team at Vermont Mountain Adventures guides thrill-seekers 06over snow-covered back trails. Above Right: At Broomstones, curling is more than a chilly sport it is the chance to make friends on the ice.

4. SNOWMOBILING Historically a utility vehicle for doctors and mail carriers, the snowmobile has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early 1900s. Now, snowmobiling is a recreational activity best enjoyed on groomed winter trails. If you’re new to the sport, it’s recommended to start with a guided tour to learn the ropes, and we know just the place: Vermont Mountain Adventures in Manchester, Vermont. Safety is the priority of each two-hour tour, with DOT-certified helmets required and tour guides ensuring that riders are prepared before hitting the trails. Surrounded by the Green Mountain National Forest, there are plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the view. A tip: Dress warmly from head to toe, and don’t forget a face covering.

Vermont Mountain Adventures Manchester, Vermont 802-491-7625 Vermontmountainadventures.com

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PHOTO COURTESY OF BROOMSTONES CURLING CLUB

6. CURLING

PHOTO COURTESY OF BANKNEWPORT CIT Y CENTER

5. ICE BUMPER CARS So you think you’ve done it all—but have you experienced bumper cars on ice? You heard us right. Now popping up at ice rinks in city centers, The Providence Rink in Rhode Island was the first in New England to offer ice bumper cars in 2017.

Occupying a small section of the ice-skating rink, the activity is fun for the whole family: children ages six and older can operate a bumper car, and those three to five years old can sit in an adult’s lap. What does the “ride” feel like? According to the rink, you should, “Imagine sitting in the bumper car moving forward, backward, and sideways with a full 360-degree turn radius, bumping opponents out of your way!”

The Providence Rink Providence, Rhode Island theprovidencerink.com/bumper-cars/

Located on the aptly named Curling Lane in Wayland, Massachusetts, is the state’s largest curling club. A sport familiar to most from watching the Olympics, curling involves sliding a 42-pound granite stone across the ice toward a target known as the house. At Broomstones Curling Club, curlers of all skill levels are welcome to learn the sport through the New Curler Training League, and those with previous curling experience can join as members. “Curling is a game of skill and of tradition,” says Rich Collier, Broomstones Vice President. “It is the right mix of being a bit of a good workout for the body while also being a strategic game that really requires all team members to be quickthinking and mentally on the same page.”

But the best part is the social aspect of the sport, emphasized through the tradition of broomstacking: Watch the episode After each game, both teams gather for drinks (curling clubs typically have a bar), with the winning team buying the first round. Cheers to that!

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Portal to Portugal Local New England writer Robert Cocuzzo shares his tips for a fun-filled family vacation to Lisbon.

FERNANDO GUERR A

The majestic Castelo de São Jorge features ten stone turrets attached to the exterior wall.

FERNANDO GUERR A

Sail due east

from just about any port on the New England coastline, and you’ll eventually arrive on the shores of Portugal.

The westernmost point in Europe, Portugal has recently emerged as a top destination for New Englanders who are eager to rejoin the ranks of world travelers. Thanks to numerous direct flights from Boston, you can be eating fresh fish and sipping Vinho Verde on the Cascais coast and basking in the warm welcome of the Portuguese people within six hours.

Superlative hospitality emanates from Lisbon’s many hotels. A perfect family accommodation is Martinhal Chiado Luxury Suites, located on a steep cobblestone street just up from where the River Tagus meets the Atlantic Ocean. Martinhal has spacious suites, a lobby adjacent playroom that offers full-time babysitters, and a kid’s club, all marvelous amenities for parents traveling with children.

Your entire family will want to explore the neighborhoods and parks of the capital city but be advised that Lisbon is a city of steep hills. The more athletic members of your party might consult Rui Alves at Portugal Running Tours and jog into the heart of the city to explore the 16 distinct neighborhoods that, as Alves explains, operated for generations like quasi-nation-states with their own dialects and traditions.

FERNANDO GUERR A

Everyone can also opt to travel on the city’s iconic yellow trams or jump on a tuk-tuk—a motorcycle-chariot hybrid— that will putter you along to the city’s many historic sites. Kids will definitely enjoy spending some time at the Castelo de São Jorge, a real-life Magic Kingdom where wild peacocks parade around the historic castle’s ruins, and you can take in the most extraordinary view of the city’s terracotta rooftops.

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COURTESY OF MESÓN ANDALUZ COURTESY OF MESÓN ANDALUZ

Dining in Lisbon is an adventurous delight. The whole family will find something to nibble at the large food halls, such as Mercado da Ribeira, also known as Time Out Market, while the snug, old-world restaurant Mesón Andaluz offers a tapas-style menu in an enchanting cavernous space reminiscent of a brick wine cellar. Not unlike New England menus, traditional Portuguese cuisine includes many varieties of cod dishes such as salty codfish cakes known as pastéis de bacalhau and bacalhau com Natas, which is baked codfish with potatoes and cream. Those with a sweet tooth won’t want to skip tasting some of Portugal’s famous pastries, like pastéis de nata (egg custard pastry) pão de Deus (sweet buns with coconut), and pão de ló (sponge cake).

COURTESY OF OCEANÁRIO DE LISBOA

Above: Entertainment and delicious meals at Mesón Andaluz.

Left: Created for the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition, the Oceanário de Lisboa recreates four marine habitats in its main aquarium.

Be sure to set aside a day at the city’s renowned aquarium, Oceanário de Lisboa, widely considered the best aquatic exhibit center in Europe, if not the world.

Following the multistory spiral design, the Oceanario leads you through different climates—from a muggy tropical oasis to a chilly arctic tundra—revealing mesmerizing fish and vibrant bird life. If time permits, commune with more wildlife at the conservation minded Jardim Zoológico in Lisbon’s city center. The zoo features over 2,000 animals, a miniature train, a petting zoo, and botanical gardens.

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The Local Connection

No vacation time? Passport expired? You can still enjoy the flavors of Portugal, right here in New England.

With a long history of emigration to New England, Portugal, The Azores (an autonomous archipelago region of Portugal), and Cape Verde (an African island nation and former colony of Portugal), each has a significant cultural imprint in our region, especially in Southeastern Massachusetts and coastal Rhode Island. In fact, the country’s highest concentration of Portuguese Americans is in those two states, with Connecticut a not-too-distant third.

Santa Marta Lighthouse in Cascais.

So, from vibrant festivals, fishing fleet blessings, food fairs, and musical events, there are myriad ways to celebrate the essence and character of Portuguese culture locally.

Restaurants & Bakeries If your little ones still have energy to burn, head to Parque Recreativo do Alto da Serafina, a super-sized playground located inside a majestic park just outside the city. Parque Serafina is what play-date dreams are made of, with bottomless ball pits, obstacle courses, games, and a bouncy house fit for a junior king or queen.

If you’re looking for sand and surf, head to Cais do Sodre Station in the city center and take a quick 30-minute train ride along the dazzling coastline to Cascais. A quaint seaside town home to the medieval Nossa Senhora da Luz Fort and the Citadel Palace, Cascais has oceanside dining, open-air markets, and pristine sandy beaches.

The real reward of bringing your family across the pond is simply being in the embrace of old-world Europe. Lisbon is an ideal introduction to traveling overseas for children.

Like Boston or Portland, it’s a city made up of bite-size neighborhoods that are walkable, approachable, and truly unforgettable.

From the ancient ornate tiles that adorn the buildings to delicious local foods to the narrow cobblestone streets lined with brilliantly colored houses, Portugal provides a real-life education that will give your kids a first-hand look at the big, beautiful world awaiting them.

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Year-round, Portuguese restaurants offer specialties such as seafood stews, dishes made with spicy chouriço and linguiça sausages, salted cod, and caldo verde soup.

Amazing aromas of classic Portuguese sweet bread, pastel de nata, and malassadas, a deep-fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, will also draw you into the many Portuguese bakeries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Festivals Dive more fully into the spirit of Portugal by attending one of the area’s lively festivals, which often coincide with Catholic holidays, or center around the historically Portugueseinfluenced fishing industry.

Music & Culture Finally, soak in the aural atmosphere of Fado, a soulful vocal musical genre from Portugal, or the guitar-heavy Morna, Cape Verde’s signature folk music. You can often find live performances of both of these genres at Portuguese and Cape Verdean restaurants as well as at special events at venues like New Bedford’s Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, and the Saab Center for Portuguese Studies at UMASS Lowell, which in addition to events, offers numerous courses in Portuguese language, arts, and culture.

Scan here for NEL's best picks for Portuguese restaurants, bakeries, festivals, and more!

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SEASIDE

SPLENDOR

The town of Rye, New Hampshire has eight miles of coastline, and this spectacular home takes full advantage of its proximity to the water.

Sophisticated interiors and a quintessential design define a magnificent New Hampshire oceanside home.

By Christina Poletto / Photography by Rob Karosis

Grandeur abounds throughout the exterior and interior of this coastal home. Above: a semi-circular pergola crowns an expanisve stone patio.

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his coastal house with a gambrel-style roof in Rye, New Hampshire, embodies the best of classic Northeastern architecture. Yet, as Chris Ragusa, President of CM Ragusa Builders, will attest, the home is thoroughly custom-built. Quality and aesthetics are just two critical elements in creating a custom dream home, says Ragusa, who worked with the clients and an architecture, design, and building team to bring the coastal compound to life both inside and out.

Ragusa is an expert home builder with 25 years of experience. He says that having grown up with a hammer in his hand, he knows exactly what to expect when

building and renovating homes in the Northeast. He is proud of how his company takes a “boots on the ground” approach to this field of work.

From start to finish, the Rye project took two years to complete.

The land was purchased and ready for Ragusa and his team to start creating this custom dwelling. With everything in place, all we had to do was follow the client’s lead, says Ragusa. “The house is entirely the owner's vision.”

Having a gambrel roof was important to the clients, says Ragusa. “The very traditional Shingle Style roof gives it the feel of a classic seaside cottage.”

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Curvature defines the interior architectural aesthetic, including opulent arched windows and a serpentine central staircase.

Inside, about 7,500 square feet of living space spreads out in light-filled rooms outfitted with thoughtfully situated windows, elevated ceilings, and custom millwork. A palette of white walls mixed with natural-toned wood floors and neutral furnishings adds to the serene atmosphere.

The home features five spacious bedrooms and a majestic double-height great room for gathering around a statement stone fireplace and taking in the scenic views from expansive French doors and grand arched windows.

Curves abound in the house, throughout which numerous arched doorways and windows extend the curvilinear detailing that defines the home’s interior and brings a subtle organic feel to the living spaces. A regal winding staircase and its second-floor landing are stunning focal points that are sculptural in nature, with an array of turned spindles and an elegantly curved handrail with a spiral newel post.

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The kitchen in this newly constructed home harkens back to traditional New England with glass-paned cabinets, lantern-style pendant lights, and a classic farmhouse sink.

The expansive cook’s kitchen features state-of-the-art Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, double islands, copious storage, and a continuation of the thematic arched detailing in the windows and over the range. A coffered ceiling brings a touch of texture and charm to the space, and ample prep and sink areas allow multiple people to cook together.

Outside, custom landscaping and stonescaping create multiple dedicated gathering spaces. A round pergola offers visual interest and a slice of shade to one outdoor patio.

Nearby, a similarly round space anchors the firepit for end-of-day relaxation.

The team at Ragusa, which includes a crew of project managers and talented carpenters, helps keep multiple builds moving forward simultaneously in areas that include Lake Winnipesaukee, the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, and Boston’s Metro West communities.

The team’s skills go beyond building and renovating, says Ragusa. They are also adept at helping usher clients through the whole-home construction process, even making introductions to potential architects, engineers, land use attorneys, and designers, and assisting in the pre-construction phase with essential steps like permitting.

Ragusa’s advice for clients is to call early in the planning process, not because of any scheduling challenges but rather because his team is skilled at facilitating customers to reach their vision expediently. “A lot of clients spend time determining how to obtain that vision,” says Ragusa. “We can decrease the amount of time it takes from thinking about the house to actually building it.”

Ragusa also adds that he has never created the same building twice, and his company specializes in doing what other people say they can’t do. “The sky's the limit,” says Ragusa. “We can turn your vision into a reality.”

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creative construction An unconventional build becomes a suburban oasis with an edge.

By Sarah Lippert

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG PREMRU

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Below: A cozy, light-filled reading nook occupies a prominent front corner of the home.

A home designed and built without a specific homeowner driving the decisions can pose some risks, but it can also lead to more creative freedom and expanded possibilities in overall design and execution.

The Hemlock Hill house in Newton, Massachusetts, is the stunning result of that unique approach.

“Haven Builders said ‘we’re going to take this on as more of a marketing project,’ which meant they could do things with this house that a developer wouldn’t normally do,” says Jake Lilley, Principal of Jacob Lilley Architects (JLA). “We basically got carte blanche to do what we wanted from an architectural standpoint. We just had to meet their requirements for how many rooms and other spaces it needed.”

As Lilley and his team at JLA began designing the house, they sought to create a building that felt appropriate to the suburban Newton neighborhood but would have a bit more expressiveness than a traditional home. The end result is a beautiful melding of the two—the natural cedar siding and cedar shake roof ground the house in its lush surroundings, while the oversized Marvin windows give it the modern edge envisioned by the Haven Builders team.

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“This is one of the larger homes in the neighborhood, and it has a big presence on the street,” says Emily Pinney, Principal of Pinney Designs, who completed the interior design. “But because of the exterior finishes like the cedar roof and stained siding, it feels more natural, and it doesn’t seem overwhelming.”

Lilley addressed the house’s large footprint by dividing the structure into multiple spaces.

“You can scale down a house and make it appropriate to its context,” says Lilley. “That’s what we did here in this suburban neighborhood filled with houses. Instead of making one large house en masse, we broke it up into three volumes. We call it a village approach.”

This “village approach” divides the home into functional areas while allowing for connectivity through thoughtful junctures. Seen from the street, the middle section of the house has a row of ribbon windows that links the two wings.

This corridor is at the back of the living room; the petite, higher windows provide privacy on the public-facing side of the house as well as aesthetically define this segment of the building.

The main entrance sits to the left of the ribbon windows. Entering through the mudroom, visible corridor spaces are meant to function as breezeways, providing individuality and synergy at the same time. The captivating view from the entryway brings the outdoors in through floor-to-ceiling custom Marvin sliding doors that seamlessly meet the edge of the vaulted ceilings and draw the eye to the serene backyard.

“I love the living room. It encapsulates the strong architectural elements we initially envisioned,” says Lilley. “It’s a wonderful, warm, story-and-a-half-high space with a wood ceiling and tons of natural light. It offers both living and dining areas, and the fact that we put it in

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The kitchen, embued with diffused light from the wall of windows and skylight with wood detail, offers a hub to gather and enjoy family and friends.

the middle of the house makes it a great catalyst for nudging people to discover the ancillary spaces in the home as well.”

While the architecture team’s design tests the limits of what a suburban home can be, Pinney focused on finishing touches that would cater to a future buyer’s wants and needs. The prospective owner will likely be upsizing, either from Boston or from a nearby neighborhood, so Pinney wanted to carry a spacious yet functional feel throughout the home.

“We focused on choosing more natural finishes to make the interior and exterior feel continuous,” she says. “The windows play such a large role in the experience of this home that we wanted to be sure the interior pieces didn’t compete with the ambience they created, but instead worked together harmoniously.”

Pinney’s design in the kitchen—a room that lets natural,

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diffused light take a front-row seat—illustrates this perspective.

With two generous islands and no upper cabinetry, the focus shifts to the exterior surroundings through floor-to-ceiling windows, enhancing the experience of sharing the space with family and friends.

The other areas in the home can be accessed through the "spine,” as Lilley calls the central staircase. Enclosed almost entirely by windows, the structural stairwell leads to the second-floor bedrooms and a home office. This spine links one end of the home to the other, creating an intentional and functional flow.

Together, these thoughtful and innovative architectural and design elements create a unique and edgy suburban home that comes close to feeling like it was custom designed for its new owners. NEL

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A PAIR OF CAMBRIDGE REAL ESTATE AGENTS HAVE FOUND THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS.

PHOTO BY CONOR DOHERT Y

Juliet Pennington

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Listening to their banter, Realtors Gail Roberts and Ed Feijo

a week, and there is an availability between us to cover that.”

sound like a cross between a stand-up comedy duo and

Feijo says that even though he and Roberts sometimes

a longtime married couple. They poke fun at each other,

“start from different directions, we always come to the same

finish each other’s sentences, and clearly have a deep-

place.” Roberts agrees: “He’s good with facts and numbers; I

seated mutual affection. But the Cambridge Realtors are

need to feel it.”

not comedians, nor are they spouses. They are, however, very successful business partners.

For the past five years, Gail Roberts, Ed Feijo & Team has been ranked as the top-producing small team for Coldwell

And while both acknowledge that making sales is the best thing about real estate, Roberts says that connecting people is right up there.

“Honestly, it’s a joy to introduce buyers to their neighbors

Banker nationwide, and for the past 15 years, theirs has proven

and to organizations that might be of help to them,” she

to be the most successful residential real estate pairing in

says. “We like to say that we’re connecting people to their

Cambridge, Massachusetts.

community, one home at a time.”

“Combined, Ed and I have been doing this for a long time, so

While Roberts and Feijo do have listings in the surrounding

I think we’re a proven entity,” says Roberts about the key to their

area, the city of Cambridge makes ups 98 percent of the team's

success. “We also work really hard and truly believe in giving the

sales. Roberts says the city's diversity is a big draw, as well as

best service possible to our clients.” She explains that whether

its cultural offerings, access to Logan International Airport, and

buyers are spending $500,000 or $15 million, “this is a huge deal

proximity to Boston. “It is still a leafy green city with a population

to them, and we really want to help them navigate the process.” It

of less than 120,000,” adds Feijo. “It’s urban-suburban.”

is telling that the majority of Roberts and Feijo’s business comes from referrals.

Even with current higher interest rates, Feijo says that business is strong in Cambridge—especially within the area's

“EVEN THOUGH WE SOMETIMES START FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, WE ALWAYS COME TO THE SAME PLACE.” Feijo says he believes it’s clear to clients that he and Roberts

biotech and life science industries. “There’s a need for housing,

(and the team, which includes fellow Realtor Victoria Kennedy

so they’re moving forward with buying because it makes more

and Delia Holland, who provides back-of-house support)

sense to them than renting,” he says. “One thing is for sure: We

are passionate about their careers. “Fortunately, the level of

could use a lot more inventory.”

our business is consistent, so we never push anyone into a

Roberts says that while some people think they just sell

purchase; it’s got to be the right property for them,” he says.

high-end, expensive homes, that is not the case. “We cover a

Roberts, who has been with Coldwell Banker for nearly

wide range,” she says. “We have many first-time homebuyers,

40 years, was raised in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Before

but it can be a challenge for them,” Feijo admits, adding, "Even

recently moving to Back Bay, she spent several decades living

for a small, 500-square-foot condominium, you’re still going to

in Cambridge and retains her encyclopedic knowledge of the

pay more than $1,000 per square foot.”

neighborhoods.

Roberts feels that helping a client buy a property that is

Feijo, who is from Hopedale, Massachusetts, and lives in

ideal for their budget, needs, and lifestyle is paramount. “We’ll

Boston’s South End with his 8-year-old poodle, Sophie, has been

be the first ones to say, ‘This isn’t right for you … you can do

in real estate for 19 years. “I came in as a new agent and ended

better,’” she says. “I think our clients know this about us, and

up working with Gail on a new listing that she needed help with,”

it is why we have had the success that we’ve had. We’re very

he recalls. “We just worked really well together on our first deal

grateful and appreciative that they put their trust in us.”

and went from there.”

And even though Cambridge has been the epicenter of

Roberts says she was—and still is—impressed by Feijo’s

their careers, selling homes in this city never gets old for either

work ethic. “It matches mine. We both believe that we’re here to

of them. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” says Feijo,

service our clients, to give more than expected,” she says. “I think

“when I am already doing something that makes me so happy

in this business, people really do feel that we are here seven days

every single day.”

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PHOTO BY CHERYL RICHARDS

detail ORIENTED A Metro West Real Estate Agent pays fastidious attention to every aspect of buying and selling homes.

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N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

BY CHRISTINA POLETTO

When it comes to homes in the Greater Boston area,

slightly, a change from just a few years ago when properties

real estate broker Felicia Captain knows a thing or two

rarely lingered on the market.

about the vital importance of minute details. In matters

Properties with history will always have an allure, but

pertaining to buying, selling, and relocating, it’s usually

what’s most appealing to buyers right now are turn-key,

the smallest of particulars that move transactions - and

low-maintenance homes, says Captain. “This is why new

lives - along.

construction is very appealing to buyers at the moment.”

Her background in law has undoubtedly helped. Before

In general, we’re currently facing an inventory problem,

becoming a real estate agent in 2011, Captain, a graduate of

says Captain, who looks to problem-solving in these moments.

Simmons College and the Washington College of Law, had

“I never presume a home will be easy to sell,” she says. “Every

her own practice, specializing in criminal defense, family law,

time the market shifts, you must think about how you will pivot.”

and personal injury. A stint living abroad with her family on

Indeed, she realizes the effort needed to keep her clients,

three different continents in eight years changed her career

and the properties she represents, in the spotlight. “You have to

trajectory. “I ran my own law practice in Lawrence from 1990-

go above and beyond to secure and market the listing.”

2002. Then my husband’s job transferred us to Chicago, Sharm

To do this, Captain has embraced innovative marketing

El Sheikh, Egypt, then London,” says Captain. “When we

tactics to feature the properties in the best way possible and

returned in 2010, I decided to become a realtor. I had gained

maximize their reach. "You really have to spend dollars to

relocation experience, which I knew would allow me to guide

market a home properly,” she says.

future clients through that process.”

A member in good standing of the Massachusetts Bar, she

Captain has assembled a team of photographers and videographers and engages the services of a video production

now excels as a Global Luxury Property Specialist and Pricing

company to capture the nuances of these beautiful homes

Strategy Professional with Coldwell Banker Realty. Captain,

for prospective buyers. Professional-level images, including

a top agent affiliated with the Wellesley office, leverages the

drone shots of the properties and videos, display the houses in

latest marketing tactics to bring attention to the properties she

dynamic and descriptive ways.

represents. Her personalized service and ability to usher clients

She herself sometimes appears in the videos—often

through the complex transaction process have made her an

opening the door to the home to welcome the viewer—and

International President’s Elite Award Winner, ranking her in the

posts the interactive tours on Instagram and other social media

top 2 percent of agents internationally.

platforms to expose her listings. One recent video was created

Captain grew up on the North Shore and currently resides

to promote one of Captain’s current Summer 2023 listings

in Weston. For her work, Captain primarily focuses on Boston’s

at 82 Sargent Road in Brookline, which is on the market for

Metro West area, from the city to Weston, Wellesley, Brookline,

$9.7 million. She also hosted a broker’s tour of the home, with

and Newton. The dedication, says Captain, goes beyond just

catered food and live music, to enhance the property's visibility.

selling property. She currently represents a portfolio of homes,

Captain has been privy to all types of property transactions

both old and new, and is often referred to sellers who have

and opportunities and is committed to her work serving the

properties or estates left to them by family members. These

homeowners and buyers who love the area as much as she

types of moments truly resonate, says Captain. “It’s about

does. “Buying or selling a home, especially in a new location,

the people and the relationships. That, for me, is the most

can sometimes be scary and daunting,” she says. It’s beneficial

important part of this business.”

to have a realtor that can relate to those transitions on a

Captain continually tracks market activity so buyers are equipped with the latest knowledge as they explore their

personal level.”

She has an expansive knowledge of the new construction

next home. “Presently, the market is once again shifting,”

market, and it is one of her areas of expertise. “I love seeing

says Captain. “We are still seeing a lot of activity and multiple

a project transform from plans on paper to being built,” says

offers on properties that are priced correctly from $1 million

Captain. I have a passion for design, having been exposed to

to $3 million,” Captain says the higher-end market has slowed

various styles from my travels.”

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133

“I love seeing a project transform from plans on paper to being built.”

IMAGE COURTESY OF ARCO DESIGN +BUILD

One of Captain’s upcoming listings is 20 Old Farm Rd in Newton, a sleek and spacious home that combines colonial and contemporary aesthetics. Built by premier local builder, ARCO Design + Build, this well-thought-out home exemplifies the quality and appeal of Captain’s properties.

Recently, she sold a distressed home in an exclusive neighborhood in Wellesley to a developer. “A hoarder resided there for many years. I am excited to see the transformation of the lot when the luxury home is built.”

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strives to make transactions as seamless as possible for her sellers and buyers.

This ability to simultaneously juggle an exorbitant number of small details is a testament to Captain’s experience. This

Captain’s advice to buyers is to take the time to create a

is especially attractive for families moving to the area from

list of the criteria they seek in a home, including location. She

out of town who need information about what to expect from

carefully considers what buyers seek as they tour properties

different neighborhoods as they search for a new home that

together and often reminds them of their dream checklist.

suits their criteria. “Because I have moved so many times, I

“Sometimes they’re amazed by a property, but I need to

understand the challenges and logistics it takes to move a

remind them of the location and their criteria so they don’t

family and find the right town,” she says. “I can personally

have buyer's remorse.” Through it all, this seasoned broker

relate to this.”

N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

MASTERS of our CRAFT

Luxury is the difference between the expected and the exquisite. Between a song and a symphony. A work in progress and a work of art. Luxury Property Specialists with the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury® program are masters of this craft.

Consult with a Luxury Property Specialist today.

ColdwellBankerLuxury.com N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

135

FINAL THOUGHT

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”

–Dorothea Lange

Photo by Robert Davies

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N E W E N G L A N D L I V I N G. T V

Sweet Inspiration.

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