It was a hard sell -- this monstrous, derelict, historical site -- but in 1993 Robert finally convinced Barbara that 10,500 sq. ft. would be enough space to showcase the furniture they design just the way she wanted to display it.
The Stover Grist Mill and Sawmill had been a Bed and Breakfast. The most polite description of its condition in 1993 was “rustic”.
Renovations began with the garden, removing acres of rampant bamboo from the property.
Two backhoes, seven workers (including the two of us), two weeks, and a 7-count Citation for Soil Disturbance by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection later…
For three years we camped out until our mutual designer/space-planner, engineer/artist natures drove us into consruction.
We are still building.
The Greenhouse was completed in 2010; we have just finished the last un-renovated space, completing four gorgeous Vacation-Rental-By-Owner rooms.
Mill Fleurs and Garden, February 2015.
Barbara selects the plants and designs the plant collections so they could be interesting to the visitor who may not be particularly interested in hundreds of any genus. Tiff is responsible for the hardscape and keeping it all alive with a complex irrigation system.