Moon Hill

A Vermont farmhouse that dates back to 1790 is revived as a family retreat with sweeping gardens and becomes a heaven during Covid.

A New York designer/photographer partnered with architect Gregory Talmut, local builders and stone masons to transform this old home into a peaceful oasis.

Tucked away on a beautiful country road, this unique modern farmhouse is surrounded by landscaped gardens and sweeping views of a large pond. The cottage garden has a large variety of specimens, two small ponds, as well as a hand-laid Goshen stone patio by Tibetan artisans. An outdoor deck provides intimacy with the land, the moon and passing clouds.

When a New York City couple first saw the house, it was love at first sight. They made it their mission over the next seven years to revive it. What influenced the design was less is more, taking out superfluous details, while leaving the old patina and charm intact. They brought the interiors back to the serenity of its original Quaker style architecture reflecting simplicity, calmness, and beauty. At the same time they also transformed the grounds into organic flowing gardens and meadows with a trail through the woods, and a swale around the periphery to drain the land from an overabundance of water. One-slab stone bridges connected the woods to the open land. Again, gazebos, fencing and other additions from the previous owners were removed, concrete walkways replaced with natural stone. One giant field of grass became a beautiful flower meadow. A square shaped garden was transformed into an organic labyrinth of wonder for discovery of specimens, with two small frog ponds featuring a waterfall, lilies and lotus. A weeping cherry tree was planted on the first day and after seven years it is fully matured and bloomed in Spring for a moment of fleeting joy. The land was shaped and formed with new soil to lay the foundation for the new gardens. Today the landscape is a focus of garden tours and like an old cottage garden, looks as if it had always been there.

The home was renovated to keep the feel of a true antique. Much of the old feel comes from the hand planed wide hard wood floors, the old stone foundation. The artistry was not removed but restored. Additions like the kitchen had to be modern, but simple. The yellow handmade Moroccan tiles for the kitchen seemed to be a natural extension that reflected the same organic irregularities of the rest of the house. No machine can reproduce the patina that emerges with time from exquisite craftsmanship.

Seven years ago, when the owners moved to their home in Vermont after 35 plus years in Manhattan, no one would have predicted that they would be the avantgarde of a movement of people leaving the cities for the remote country side to find a safe haven from the stresses of the pandemic.

As the owners are getting older and in need to further simplifying their lives, they decided to put their beloved house on the marked to allow a new generation of owners to become the new custodians of this very special property.