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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  A Warm Welcome

  Take a tour with Martha of her previous Connecticut home, Turkey Hill.

  The front door was painted green at one time.

  Next: The Beginning

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Beginning

  An early photograph of the farmstead, which had been rented out before we bought it.

  Next: Excavating

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Excavating

  We did lots of excavating and sculpting of the land after we added another two-acre parcel in 1975. We constructed a barn, a chicken coop, a garden shed, and a free-standing garage.

  Next: Landscape Design

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Landscape Design

  Little by little, the farmland took on a more designed appearance -- the pool was walled in, as seen here in the snow; the roadside was protected by a beautiful stone wall; and many of the trees and shrubs, steel trellises, and tuteurs were added for symmetry and to establish an axis of vision for the four-acre property.

  Next: All-Season Gardens

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  All-Season Gardens

  My work eventually paid off in all-season gardens that had structure, texture, and wonderful and varied plant material.

  Next: The Front View

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Front View

  I laid the wide path of old brick that led to the front door and planted a broad allee of boxwood on both sides; after the house was painted the color of drabware, it settled into the landscape nicely.

  Next: The Center Hall

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Center Hall

  I once painted the hall with a mural in the style of Rufus Porter but never completed it. In 2002, Eric Beare created this grisaille mural.

  Next: The Attic

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Attic

  When we bought Turkey Hill, the smokehouse (a closet next to the north chimney) still smelled of country ham.

  Next: The Bedrooms

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Bedrooms

  We converted one of the four bedrooms into a closet; each of the remaining three had a four-poster bed.

  Next: The Kitchen

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Kitchen

  The kitchen underwent two major renovations, the first by Andy and me and a more professional one in the late 1990s.

  Next: It's a Wrap

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  It's a Wrap

  The dining room's French chandelier will hang in the summer house in Bedford. The Irish Hepplewhite chairs served as a prototype for the ring-back chairs in my line by Bernhardt, and many people now have copies of these beautiful chairs in their homes.

  Next: The First Kitchen Renovation

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The First Kitchen Renovation

  Andy and I originally concentrated on creating a large kitchen with a dining area; the sycamore wood for the cupboards came from Massachusetts, and I found the pot rack at a tag sale -- a nearly identical picture was the opening spread of my 1982 book, "Entertaining."

  Next: Professional Renovation

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Professional Renovation

  In the late 1990s, I finally had the kitchen professionally renovated; the new color scheme of white and pale green was a welcome change.

  Next: The Mudroom

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Mudroom

  The brick-floored mudroom at the rear of the house was constantly transformed by the Living decorating team; here, it is a wicker and chintz sitting room.

  Next: Another Version of the Mudroom

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Another Version of the Mudroom

  Here, the mudroom is set up for a dinner.

  Next: An Updated Dinner Party

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  An Updated Dinner Party

  For the paperback edition of "Entertaining" in 1998, we reshot the cover, using the same chairs, room, and location -- the only thing really different was me.

  Next: The Original Entertaining Table

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Original Entertaining Table

  The original cover of "Entertaining"; the table is set with my grandmother's china, my mother-in-law's silver, Depression glass goblets, and garden poppies.

  Next: An Early Version of the Center Hall

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  An Early Version of the Center Hall

  The center hall underwent several transformations; the mural was changed, and the floor, first stenciled by me with dark-green diamonds, finally wore so thin it was replaced with new plain pumpkin pine boards.

  Next: The Stairs

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Stairs

  The wide center hall was one of Turkey Hill's nicest features. The stairway was long, but nicely proportioned and easy to climb.

  Next: Tending the Vegetable Garden

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Tending the Vegetable Garden

  I spent a great deal of time in the vegetable gardens, originally attempting to grow all that our family would need during the long growing season.

  Next: Flower Borders

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Flower Borders

  The flower borders grew abundantly, as seen here in 1997; I never tire of trying new plants and experimenting with new varieties.

  Next: My First Greenhouse

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  My First Greenhouse

  This small 16-foot lean-to taught me a great deal about four-season gardening, and I ultimately added two more larger freestanding greenhouses.

  Next: The Chicken Coop

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  The Chicken Coop

  The chicken coop was home to about 80 excellent laying hens and roosters; the eggs made all the labor and tender loving care they required more than worth it.

  Next: Cutting Flower Garden

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Cutting Flower Garden

  After my divorce, I found that I didn't need vast amounts of vegetables and began transforming a large vegetable garden into a cutting flower garden.

  Next: Perennial Borders

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  Turkey Hill: Martha's First House

  Perennial Borders

  The vegetable beds behind the house have became perennial borders, with spring bulbs; summer-flowering iris, peonies, alliums, and lilies; and fall's monkshood, asters, and clematis.

   

  Next: More Home Tours

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  More Home Tours

  • Cantitoe Corners: Martha's Kitchen
  • Skylands: Maine Summer Home
  • Skylands: Guesthouse
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