Garden Tour Series: An Evening With Martha + The Tenant House

After our wonderful breakfast with the group at the house we had rented, and on the eve of the garden tour, Bernie Wong, Dennis Landon and myself were invited to dine with Martha and spend the night at the farm in her beautiful Tenant House. Martha was impressed by how well we had organized this event and wanted to treat us to a night out. We couldn't believe it! We were, quite literally, pinching ourselves ...and each other! It was a night to remember. Martha was charming, affable, chatty and so warm and generous. We loved our time with her. It was very special. Below are photographs from June 4th, the evening we arrived at the farm for our 'sleepover' in the Tenant House. 

The three of us were dropped off at the Tenant House by our friend Jennifer. We had packed an overnight bag and were so excited! Here are Bernie and Dennis at the entrance to the Tenant House.

I loved the stone steps and all of the millwork around the door, as well as the unique lighting fixtures, all of which Martha designed.

The Tenant House is original to the property, built in the late 1880s. Martha completely restored it and added a beautiful sun porch to the front. Alexis, Martha's daughter, designed the interiors. The house is surrounded by a lush fern garden, punctuated by beautiful Japanese maples, hostas and other shade-loving plants.

The sun porch is a beautiful, serene space. All of the furniture in the living spaces of the home are wicker. Much of it was brought here from Lily Pond Lane and painted a unifying shade of dark clay. The cushions are extremely comfortable and plush. The floors are dark hardwood but covered with a sturdy sisal, cut to fit the dimensions of the room.

Here I am enjoying a little repose on the settee before dinner. I'm quite camouflaged!

Dennis looking very proper.

And Bernie living it up!

Dennis enjoying the view of the gardens.

The adjacent room is a very elegant living room with a fireplace and small seating area. The home is very compact and cozy. We all remarked how beautiful it must be in wintertime.

The wicker furniture is from disparate collections and eras but it is all unified by the single paint colour.

Next to the living room is a small dining area with a large square table with a soapstone tabletop. Martha had displayed some of her McCoy collection here.

There was a lot of McCoy in evidence in these rooms.

Next to the dining area is the very large kitchen with its mahogany floors, soapstone countertops and custom island.

We loved all the little details in the kitchen, including this collection of Wedgwood drabware egg cups.

As expected, everything was perfectly clean and well organized.

Bernie admired this sturdy kitchen scale...

...And this very unique vase.

Martha personally designed all of the lighting fixtures in the house. I loved the milk-glass covers, which cast such a warm glow. It is a very unique design.

Upstairs, there were two beautiful, well-appointed bedrooms. This is where I slept.

This was the ensuite bath.

Bernie and Dennis slept in the adjacent room. There were two beds like the one in this photograph: one on either side of a large closet and each with its own window overlooking the gardens. So cute and cozy!

In the upstairs hall was this very ornate wicker chair. We all fell in love with it.

Here it is in the upstairs hall with the home's second bathroom at right.

The basement was also a clean and well-organized space.

For dinner, Martha took us to The Bedford Post Inn. It was just a ten minute drive from her farm. We were joined by three of Martha's assistants: Dorian, Heather and Matt. They were all so much fun to be with!

For dinner, I ordered a new item on the menu that came highly recommended. A rich, creamy risotto with white truffles. Martha sampled some of it during dinner and told me I had made the correct choice!

Martha also ordered a batch of popovers for all of us to share, as well as crudite, Ceasar salad and steak tartare. The chef was very generous in bringing out various small plates for us to sample. 

Both Martha and Bernie had the grilled branzino. Although not shown, Dennis enjoyed the lobster pasta.

Bernie's plate of appetizers: popover, steak tartare on toasted chips, Caesar salad and crudites with a creamy dipping sauce. The chef also brought out other delicious treats, like warm olives and croquettes. 

For dessert I ordered the lemon meringue tart, which was so delicious. It came very highly recommended from Martha, who also ordered it. 

Bernie ordered the salted-caramel chocolate cake for dessert. It was very, very delicious! We all had a sample. We had some great conversations at dinner and a great evening was had by all. 

We refrained from taking photographs or selfies during dinner and simply enjoyed the conversation and each other's company. Martha looked lovely in a long, striped blouse of white and beige with white wide-leg pants. She had pearl earrings and a pearl necklace and looked so elegant. I also remarked on her perfume and she told me it was Fracas, which has been her favourite scent by Robert Piguet for decades. 

After dinner, Martha had a scheduled Zoom call so the three of us simply enjoyed the Tenant House and decided to take an evening stroll through the farm.

The ferns outside the Tenant House were so tall and lush! The building in the background is the garage.

The three of us loved this pathway in front of the house. We couldn't believe how tall the ferns were. I am 5'10" and some of them were as tall as me!

Here I am outside the Tenant House on the side pathway.

Bernie loved studying all of the plantings. 

Here are Dennis and me at the gates to the cutting garden.

Looking through the gate into the beautiful cutting garden.

This is Martha's basket house, where she keeps all of her prized baskets. It's just a short walk from the Tenant House.

We walked a little further down the lane towards the pool.

Here I am by the pool. It's such a peaceful, quiet place to be.

Bernie and Dennis also loved it here. During our dinner, Martha suggested we take a dip in the pool during our visit. With temperatures in the high 80s, it certainly looked very tempting...

Bernie paused under the pagoda by the pool to admire the sunset. The seats were all arranged around the table for the following day's events!

I captured the day's last light by the winding pergola on our way back to the Tenant House for a good night's sleep before the big tour. What a glorious, glorious day!