home design real estate
WINTER 2018-19
8 Home Tour: Cozy-minimalist in North Ferrisburgh
13 Realtor Real-Talk: How to choose the right agent
16 Vermont Farm Table creates spaces to gather
20 Feather Your Nest: Backyard birding basics
22 DIY holiday dĂŠcor tips from Vintage Chic
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8 We may get the Nest-iest when the temperatures drop and the days shorten — it’s a pleasure to come inside for heat and light. A Shelburne designer shows us how to make our rooms even cozier, while a North Ferrisburgh home demonstrates that even minimalism can be warm. Thinking of buying a house? First you’ll want to learn how to find the right real estate agent. In new digs or old, you need a place to gather, advises Vermont Farm Table. So do your feathered friends out in the cold; if you’re new to feeding them, we offer some backyard birding basics.
Keeping It Simple .................... 8
Industrial materials, agrarian aesthetic in the Wagner-Katz home
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Feels Like Home ......................13 How to choose the right real estate agent B Y CA R O LY N F O X
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alist in North Ferrisburgh
Home Tour: Cozy-minim
13 Realtor Real-Talk: How
to choose the right agent
16 Vermont Farm Table creates
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Clockwise from top left: The Wagner-Katz residence with Keith Wagner’s ball sculptures; the couple and their son, Hudson, with painting by Ethan Murrow; kitchen island; master bedroom with paintings by Sara Katz; and kitchen table beside garage door
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HO ME T O UR
Keeping It
Simple Industrial materials, agrarian aesthetic in the Wagner-Katz home B Y AMY LILLY
Keith Wagner and Sara Katz once contemplated having a house in Marfa, Texas. The desert outpost, refashioned over decades as a town-wide homage to minimalism by sculptor Donald Judd, was too remote for casual visits. Instead, the couple built a house in 2003 in North Ferrisburgh that thoroughly embodies the spirit of that quintessentially minimalist artist. If Judd’s aesthetic can be summed up by his untitled installation of 100 aluminum boxes inside a long, windowed military barracks in Marfa — a work of light, land, geometric form and utilitarian materials in exquisite interaction — the WagnerKatz residence is its lived-in kin. The owners bring their own artistic experience into the mix. Wagner is a landscape architect and founder of Wagner Hodgson, one of Vermont’s premier firms in the business with a second office in Hudson, N.Y., that opened three years ago; he is also a metal sculptor. Katz is a painter and the assistant director of Burlington City Arts. The couple’s son, Hudson, is 7 years old, and Wagner has a grown daughter, Viscaya. Set at a peacefully remote distance from the main road, the house is located toward the back of a 16.5-acre lot. The approaching dirt road winds through cleared agricultural fields and past guest quarters. There is nothing imposing about the starkly rectangular house when it appears, set against a forest with its long end perpendicular to the approach. The elongated gabled structure is framed by two smaller studio buildings, positioned forward of the house on either side. The trio recalls the simplified forms of a New England farmhouse, barn and shed. All three are clad in vertical siding: white board and batten for the house, corrugated galvanized metal on the studios. Centered on the long side of the house are a garage door and an equally large screen of horizontal wood slats hanging beside it on rolling barn-door hardware. Together they occupy the central section of the house. An identical set on the opposite side allows for uninterrupted airflow in the summer and everchanging interior bars of light. In the snow, this severely simple exterior layout is punctuated only with Wagner’s rusted metal spheres (the largest of these sculptures is human height) and a brief allée of honey
YOU CAN HAVE MINIMALISM
WITHOUT HAVING IT COLD AND HARSH. K E ITH WAGNE R
locusts. The latter, along with a low concrete wall, guides visitors from the gravel parking area on one side to the door. For doubters who think homes made from industrial materials can’t be homey, Wagner and Katz’ house provides irrefutable proof that they can. The two themselves are warm and welcoming. Katz is the petite daughter of farmers who raised her in Cabot. Wagner, from near Rochester, N.Y., towers over her at 6 feet 8 inches. The house, which won an Honor Award from the Vermont chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2004, is “Keith’s vision,” says Katz. “He’d been collecting ideas for years.” Wagner designed it with the help of Brian Mac, an architect and founder of Birdseye Design, who contributed drawings for the contractor and suggested certain alterations in the design. Wagner calls one suggestion — to pull the coatroom and master KEEPING IT SIMPLE
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Clockwise from top left: Living area with prints by Bill Davison; Katz’s studio; antique library card catalogue and artwork by Deborah Kass; master bath sinks; master bath tub; and vintage pencil sharpeners from Wagner’s collection
PHOTOS: BEAR CIERI
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THE GARAGE DOORS OVERLOOK A MEADOW WITH MOUNT PHILO ON ONE SIDE AND A FOREST-SIDE POOL ON THE OTHER.
bedroom away from the walls, leaving room for more windows — “brilliant.” “I did it as a friend. The real story is that I was thrilled to be working with Keith Wagner that early in my career,” says Mac, who had founded Birdseye Construction’s design arm five years before. Mac lauds Wagner’s “agrarian aesthetic” and “the effort it took to get it to look that simple in the landscape.” The house has influenced his firm’s approach ever since, Mac says: “I started Birdseye with a very contemporary aesthetic. Keith’s project helped me root that in a Vermont vernacular.” Even on a cloudy winter day, the trimless, lofty interior is filled with light and warmth. Doors are eight feet high to accommodate Wagner’s stature; ceilings are 11 and a half feet. Heat emanates from the poured-concrete radiant floor, whose sweep down the 75-foot-long house’s interior is intermittently punctuated by subtle grooves that create a large-scale grid. A fireplace and chimney are built of simple concrete block, devoid of detail, in the same gray hue as the floor. Tall, moldingfree windows are distinguished by only one subtle detail: They have thin maple sills that float over shadowed reveals, or gaps in the wall. The garage doors overlook a meadow with Mount Philo on one side and a forest-side pool on the other. An enviable art collection punctuates the few un-windowed wall spaces, including a commissioned painting by Ethan Murrow of an abstract industrial scene, baseball-themed works by Lance Richbourg and Deborah Kass, photos by Jordan Douglas and R. Elliott Katz (Sara’s brother), several of Bill Davison’s geometric prints, Wagner’s sculptures, and paintings by Max Schumann, Tom Cullins and Katz herself. A large, wall-hung sculpture by Aaron Stein in the shape of Texas, made from discarded Texan license plates, dominates the wall under the stairs — a reminder of the couple’s Marfa dreams. Wagner also collects vintage signs. An old “Super Shell” sign pricing gas at 33 cents hangs over the coat rack, and visitors who climb the stairs are met with a construction sign announcing in capital letters, “This highway improvement is for your future safety and convenience.” Typically, houses that appear in Landscape Architecture magazine, where the Wagner-Katz residence was featured in 2010, are filled with artwork-like furniture. (The house also appeared on Apartment Therapy in 2011.) Wagner, however, cleaves to the minimalist edict, which favors industrial materials in order to erase all trace of an artist’s hand. The couple’s kitchen cabinets are Craftsman tool chests on castors. They’re pushed under a wood-topped island mounted on steel legs made by Grainger, an industrial supplier. The counter is fabricated in cast stone. An enclosed walk-in pantry hides most of the kitchen clutter. Two Mies van der Rohe-designed Barcelona chairs do grace the living room, but they sit unpretentiously beside an ordinary sectional couch. Wagner made the long, glass-topped dining table from two curved balustrades salvaged from an old Adirondack camp, anchoring them together with steel crossties but leaving their aged patina and hacked-off ends untouched. That sense of utility is echoed throughout the house. In their son’s room, the exposed back of the chimney serves as gallery space for the budding artist’s colored drawings, which are taped all over the concrete block. Much of the upstairs is a combined double office and family room. The couple’s bedroom has its own exit and outdoor shower affixed to the exterior wall for easy summertime use. In summer, too, Wagner’s professional touches are visible: a 200-tree nursery and grounds landscaped to show potential clients his ability to create outdoor rooms using minimal linearity and attention to materials. “You can have minimalism without having it cold and harsh,” Wagner assures. “It’s all in the materiality.” And, of course, the touch of a true artist. m Contact: lilly@sevendaysvt.com
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R EA L ES TAT E
Feels Like
Home
How to choose the right real estate agent
LUKE EASTMAN
BY CA ROLYN FOX
TIME AND AGAIN, WE MISSED OUT ON
VIEWING HOUSES WE REALLY LIKED.
Ask anyone who’s house-hunted in Chittenden County in the last year or two, and they’ll tell you: It ain’t easy. Low inventory and high demand have made it a seller’s market and contributed to a fast pace in which, at least during the busy spring season, homes can get snatched up within a matter of hours. So here’s something buyers should try to avoid during this already difficult process: writing a breakup email to their real estate agent. I found that out the hard way. It’s not you; it’s us. (It was you.) It’s not personal; it’s business. (It was both.) My husband and I met our agent while viewing a Winooski condo early in our search. We hated the place but liked the guy showing it to us: He was about our age and seemed chill, the kind of person we’d want to befriend. He wasn’t pushy, which would’ve been a big turnoff; we were first-timers with no buying deadline, willing to wait for the right place. Knowing nothing else about him, we began our relationship and signed a six-month contract. We called it quits just three months in. Why? Some days, our agent was difficult to reach. Was he ghosting us? Not exactly; he just never told us he’s more responsive to text than email. He’d sometimes go away for the weekend without letting us know. These little communication issues became big problems: Time and again, we missed out on viewing houses we really liked. Things got real — real fast — when we briefly went under contract on a charming Colchester condo. Our agent couldn’t make it to the home inspection and didn’t send a colleague in his place. When inspection revealed major issues that made us seriously second-guess the purchase, we looked to our agent for advice. That easygoing attitude? We now realized it was a pitfall. He was so impartial that we couldn’t tell if he thought the place was a great deal or a total dud. We ended both the purchase contract and the agent contract in a cloud of confusion, and it was several months before we felt ready to move on and begin working with someone new. We’re finally scheduled to close on a sweet Winooski home in February — and the difference the right real estate agent made in our search was dramatic. As with dating, sometimes you don’t know what you’ve been missing until someone better comes along. In our case, we’d been missing clear communication, diligent research and, most importantly, an expert opinion. And we were better this time, too: We didn’t breeze past the crucial getting-to-know-you period in which expectations are set and goals agreed upon. Especially in an unforgiving housing market, “a bad Realtor can hold you back,” says Blair Knowles of the Knowles Group at Keller Williams Realty. So, how can buyers find “the one” for them? Read on. FEELS LIKE HOME
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Feels Like Home « P.13 The Setup
No idea where to find an agent? Start by asking friends, family and coworkers — even your bank teller or hair stylist. Jen Cozine, whose family purchased a raised ranch in Colchester in June, hired Karin Ericson of Keller Williams because “almost all our friends had used her and recommended her,” she says. Cozine has since passed Ericson’s name along to others in her network. “Word of mouth is where I find the strongest and best relationships come from, on both ends,” observes Dora Dernavich of Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty. “You already have that little bit of trust built in. If your cousin worked with this person and had a great experience, that goes a long way.” If you’re new to the area and truly know no one — as was the case for Sarah and Sam McLellan, who moved to Burlington from Boston in 2016 — get oriented by attending a home-buying seminar. Sam met Dernavich at one such event, a Seven Days House Party, designed to attract motivated local experts. Though they “went with the first person we came across,” says Sarah, “it just happened that we ended up liking her very much.”
First Date
Once you’ve identified a prospective agent, “don’t be afraid to interview and personally meet the Realtor,” says Cozine. Be prepared to talk about yourself and your goals, and come armed with questions. “Can they relate to you and understand what you’re looking for? Do they understand your goals and timeline? Does your agent work weekends?” Dernavich rattles off. “[Ask:] What’s your preferred communication style? What’s your history? How long have you been here? How many deals have you done?” That last question may also help you determine how many clients the agent is
currently juggling. “I know agents that do hundreds of deals in a year,” says Knowles, “and they’re not going to give as good service as someone who does 10 sales.” Knowles also “interviews” potential clients. “We have a fun little sheet we actually have them fill out,” she says, to learn about the buyers’ goals and lifestyle — whether they’re looking for a house to live in or rent out; how long they hope to live there; whether they have pets. She also discusses finances, closing costs, market conditions and inspections. “If we go straight to the property,” she says, “a lot of times the buyer isn’t well educated when it comes to making the offer.”
the properties her family viewed were FSBOs. “It’s definitely a seller’s market,” she says. Some of those “sellers would say, ‘There’s no way I’m paying a real estate agent.’” So it’s important for buyers to understand whether they would be on the hook for their agent’s fees — and to proceed accordingly.
Dream Team?
“This is a very fast-paced market,” says Cozine, noting that she attended showings with an offer letter in hand — because by the time she walked out the door, there would likely already be another offer on the home. When it
IF YOUR COUSIN WORKED WITH THIS PERSON
AND HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE, THAT GOES A LONG WAY. D O R A D E R NAVIC H
Strings Attached
Before agreeing to work with any agent, learn the details of their contract, says Knowles: “Are you marrying yourself to that person for six months? A year?” Neither Knowles nor Dernavich asks potential clients to sign paperwork at the first meeting. If buyers are hesitant about working with Dernavich, she offers a two-week or one-month trial run “that allows me to show them the full scope of services I provide.” Knowles waits until the third or fifth home showing to ask buyers to sign — and notes that Keller Williams clients “can exit an agreement with us at any time for any reason.” What else should you look for in the fine print? The agency’s for-sale-byowner policy. “We found that there was this whole underground operation of people buying and selling without using agents,” says Jessica Liggett, who purchased a Williston home in July working with Dan Cypress of Element Real Estate. She estimates that 90 percent of
comes to viewing properties, “You can’t have a delay,” Cozine emphasizes. So ask about an agent’s schedule and team support. “There are a lot of great small agencies out there. What I really like about working at a larger company is the support you get and the technology you get, and how that trickles down to the clients,” explains Dernavich. She’s preparing for maternity leave and knows her clients will be in good hands, because “I have a whole slew of coworkers who can cover for me.” “We never want to be the reason a person can’t see a house,” agrees Knowles. “If you have a Realtor that can’t show you houses after work or on weekends, you probably want a different Realtor.”
That Special Something
In a difficult housing market, any advantage helps. So ask agents: What do you specialize in? How can you go the extra mile for me?
Perhaps they’re intimately familiar with the town you’re interested in and can alert you to nearby schools and parks. Perhaps they’re willing to go door-to-door in your neighborhood of choice and ask owners if they’d consider selling — as Cypress did for the Liggett family. “That was above and beyond,” says Jessica Liggett. FSBOs are a “complicated process, and Dan was really great about guiding us through it.” Cozine estimates that her Realtor, Ericson, saved the family $30,000 to $40,000 on repairs. Their Colchester home had already passed the sellers’ septic inspection, but Ericson was familiar with that inspector’s work and urged the Cozines to pay $100 for an inspection of their own. Sure enough, the septic system got a failing grade, and the sellers were required to foot the bill. When it comes to inspections and fix-it costs, first-time home buyers are often at a loss. But a good agent can advise you, Cozine says: “They have this whole arsenal of tools and tips that you don’t even know about.”
Finding Chemistry
Above all, you should have a good vibe with your real estate agent. You’ll likely be texting them on a daily basis. You’ll seek their advice on everything from purchase price to plumbing. “You’re going to be spending nights and weekends and going into a house that is vacant,” says Knowles. “You want to have a good feel.” “Buying a house is kind of like being a bridezilla,” jokes Cozine. “You have these visions, and [a good agent can] help you rein them in — and also see past things, like dirty homes.” Cozine and Ericson viewed so many homes together that they started nicknaming them: “One house, we called it the Stinky-Cat House! She dealt with us well … If I buy or sell with a Realtor and then I never hear from them again, I’m now going to think that’s weird. [Ericson is] such an integral part of the family now.” m
Contact: carolyn@sevendaysvt.com
Learn more about Real Estate Trends — contact me today!
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GLENN RUSSELL
Jessica and Dustin Glasscoe of Vermont Farm Table at their offices in Burlington
A Gathering
Place Bristol-based Vermont Farm Table grows with the grain BY C AR O LYN S H AP IR O
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When Vermont Farm Table shuttered its store in downtown Burlington this fall, after selling its wooden wares there for six years, customers wondered: Was the small manufacturer doing OK? Would it stay in business? Would it have another store downtown — or anywhere? The answer to all three questions is a definite yes, according to owners Dustin and Jessica Glasscoe. VFT is not just surviving but thriving, they say. In January, the company will celebrate its 10th anniversary with plans to expand into a larger production shop and new stores in Burlington, Boston and perhaps other major markets. On the day after Thanksgiving, the owners launched their first full-scale product line: a selection of real-wood, ready-to-ship dining tables that come in a box for buyers to assemble at home. They consider it a turning point for VFT. Revenues are expected to reach about $5 million this year, Dustin says. VFT has delivered custom-made furniture to homes and businesses across the country, from cottages in rural Vermont to
FU RN ISH IN GS renowned restaurants in big cities, and even to the executive offices of investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. The closure of the College Street store was disappointing; it resulted from a disagreement with the landlord, according to the Glasscoes. But it has allowed them to seek more space for more products — the previous store could barely fit two tables — while continuing to interact with customers, glean feedback and boost the company’s profile. With its woodshop in Bristol and offices in Burlington, VFT sells primarily through its website, but face-to-face interaction is fundamental to its product and philosophy. The Glasscoes make tables, sure, but they also hope to make change in the world by encouraging people to come together. At their home in Charlotte, the two are adamant about cooking and sitting down for dinner with their three children — ages 9, 7 and 1 — every night.
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a table on Monday and have a dinner party on Friday,” Dustin says. At the suggestion that this sounds like a certain Swedish multinational with ready-to assemble furniture, the Glasscoes hardly flinch. Even before they launched VFT, this was the concept they envisioned: IKEA — only better. “With the new boxed product, it is the same table” that VFT makes for custom orders, Jess says. “We’re trying to bring some efficiency and some scale to what we do, but it’s the same quality, and it’s the same process to build the table.” The Glasscoes met in an entrepreneurship class at the University of Colorado Boulder. On their dates, they wrote business plans. Dustin worked nights cooking in restaurants around town. Soon the couple moved to WinstonSalem, N.C., where Dustin had grown up on a farm; his dad was a custom home builder who taught his son woodwork-
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“We’re all glued to our devices, and we’re not connecting one-on-one with real people,” Dustin laments. He cites VFT’s internal mantra: “Gathering changes everything. Gathering makes you see eye-to-eye with people.” The Glasscoes developed their business to diverge from the cost-focused ways of big corporations. Unusually in the furniture industry, VFT mills its own wood only from domestic sources and finishes its products by hand. The company is modeled after manufacturers such as Patagonia and Seventh Generation — companies with a conscience and a pledge to value their workers and the environment as much as profits. That’s the “triple bottom line,” Jess notes. “There’s a chord of sustainability running through it, and it’s not just all about profit and excess,” she continues. “We’re really against throwaway culture. We wouldn’t want to ever be at a company where we’re making products that ultimately end up in a landfill or are designed to end up in a landfill.” Every VFT piece is custom-ordered, with the exception of the new ready-toship tables. For those, customers choose among two styles, two sizes and three woods. They range in price from $1,000 to $2,200, compared with $2,000 to $10,000 for VFT’s custom tables. The goal is high-quality, real-wood furniture delivered fast for an Amazonaccustomed market. “So you can order
ing and made the couple’s first diningroom table. Jess worked in marketing Untitled-7 at Whole Foods Market. They liked the idea of a food-production business and relocated to Vermont partly for its locavore leadership, even after visiting on a freezing January day in 2008. Within a couple of weeks, Jess had a marketing job at Seventh Generation. Dustin continued working remotely, doing website development and digital design for a North Carolina garage-door manufacturer. Tables seemed like a natural extension of their food fascination — focusing on where, rather than what, people eat. One day, while fooling around on the internet, Dustin discovered the domain name “Vermont Farm Table” was available and set up a website. Two days later, he had an order from a woman in Oregon. “Then I panicked,” he says. He had no workshop, no equipment. But he was in Vermont, surrounded by local builders looking for business in the wake of the housing crisis. Dustin found a woodworker to make the eight-foot reclaimed-pine table that went to Oregon. Another of VFT’s first craftsmen still makes some of its products. In those early years, the Glasscoes did business out of a rear room in their Charlotte home. They served wine and cheese, played classical music, and sat down with customers who drove up A GATHERING PLACE
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Matt Gardiner preparing to join two halves of a tabletop together at Vermont Farm Table in Bristol
A Gathering Place « P.17 from Connecticut or New Jersey to design their tables. Many have come back for multiple pieces. In 2011, VFT opened the Burlington store, initially in another space across College Street. Four years into the business, with sawdust coating nearly every surface in their house, the Glasscoes moved production to the Bristol Works! industrial space with five full-time workers. Now VFT has several equity investors and employs a staff of about 20. The company marries the elements of fine craftsmanship — attention to detail, top-quality materials and handson fabrication — with state-of-the-art technology. VFT bought two of Dustin’s “dream machines” in the past year. One does precision cutting of everything from hand-paddle wooden cutting boards to 17-foot tabletops. The other is a planer/sander that can smooth a surface in just two to four rounds, compared with 25 to 30 rounds for older machines. The wood arrives rough-cut before VFT does the milling. Two weeks ago, a pile of cherry in the woodshop still had some of its bark. Customers can get any wood that can be domestically sourced. One VFT specialty is “tap-hole” maple from retired syrup-producing trees, which would otherwise be discarded because the taps can leave traces of metal. VFT fills the tap holes with a black epoxy, scattering spots across the surface that complement the bruising that happens when the trees are tapped. VFT prides itself on a “soup-to-nuts, start-to-finish” process with “all raw ingredients, like a great restaurant,” says Dustin, the former chef. “And we finish it all like a great dish.” VFT staffers do the final sanding and coating by hand. They apply oil and wax for a natural look, or brush on a shiny Vermont Natural Coatings polymer made of whey left over
from cheesemaking. Many industrial furniture makers spray a lacquer finish, requiring employees to wear protective suits to avoid breathing the fumes, Dustin notes. Until about 18 months ago, residential customers accounted for the majority of the company’s sales, Dustin says. Now, commercial contracts contribute 80 percent of VFT’s business. Those customers include Google and Verizon, which has placed VFT tables in its offices around the country. Women’s clothing chain Ann Taylor Loft uses VFT tables for store displays. The Campbell House Lexington, a new bourbon-themed Hilton hotel in Kentucky, has ordered a variety of pieces. For commercial clients, a VFT employee based in Boulder renders digital designs. If the customer approves them, the company provides a quote within 24 to 48 hours — less than half the time most manufacturers require — using software Dustin designed, he says. The program crunches every configuration and tweaks the specs so the company doesn’t need to build molds or prototypes. It’s a faster way to do custom work, where every order is unique, Dustin explains. “We are really a tech company that makes furniture,” Dustin suggests. Expecting a huge boost in business from the ready-to-ship line, which still awaits a brand name, VFT added a six-person sales team this summer and hired its first chief operating officer last month. Even as a bigger company, VFT will hang on to its basic ideals, Jess insists. “When you grow and scale,” she says, “your ability to effect change is also that much greater.” m
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For the
Birds Make your backyard an avian attraction BY PAME L A P O L S T O N
When I bought my house nearly a decade ago, the previous owner told me he had fed the birds in the winter, and some of them returned each year. Notably, a cardinal couple — they mate for life, he said.
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JAMES BUCK
Winter birdfeeder
Of course, I can’t swear that they’re the same pair, but a male and female cardinal have shown up every late November, almost like clockwork. To my delight, they spend the winter in my backyard, feasting on seed, hiding in the cedars, bossing around smaller avians at the feeder and looking pretty against the snow. Here’s further evidence that birds, like humans, are creatures of habit: This summer I had a rather unsightly arbor removed from my backyard. Standing about five feet from my kitchen windows, it was the structure from which I hung bird feeders when the cold came. I’d purchased new pole-type hangers, but I hadn’t yet installed them when Mr. Cardinal showed up. I happened to be in the kitchen when I noticed him fly in, land on the ground and look up quizzically at where the arbor used to be. I know it’s anthropomorphizing, but I could swear his expression said: “What the hell?” The next day I installed the poles, filled and hung the feeders, and hoped my feathered friends hadn’t left in a huff. They may have done just that initially, perhaps scoping out the neighborhood for a better offer. I wasn’t sure how much loyalty — or habit — influenced their behavior. But after a couple of days, the cardinals reappeared at the feeder, still acting entitled. This little drama reminded me that my avian acumen was pretty rudimentary. I had been, ahem, winging it. So I decided to get some tips from an expert on backyard birding. Anna Morris is the lead environmental educator at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee. She’s had that position for two and a half years, she said in a phone call. The public education center at VINS focuses on environment and wildlife rehabilitation, offering classes and workshops, nature camps, and teacher instruction. As it happened, the center had recently given
WILDLIFE
a class on pretty much what I wanted to know, and Morris kindly gave me the nutshell version. The first and most important topic was feeders, without which one’s backyard will remain essentially a no-fly zone in winter. “The more different types of feeders you have, the more types of birds you’ll attract,” Morris said, noting tube feeders, suet cakes and hopper dispensers as examples. “Like people, birds like different foods.” Finches and other small birds enjoy niger seed, which is appropriately teensy. Bluejays, Morris noted, prefer peanuts. (Who knew?) And a great variety of birds like black oil sunflower seeds. Most commercial products contain some mixture of these seeds and others.
hiding places — the critters live in a constant state of high alert. “Yes,” Morris agreed, “it’s important that birds have natural places to forage and for protection.” They’ll usually dash into nearby trees or bushes, but even a thick brush pile does the trick. “And any native berry-producing plant is good for the birds, too,” she added, stressing the word “native” — some invasive species can be toxic. “The Audubon Society has a great online native plants database,” Morris said, “and it points you to nurseries in the area that carry them.” Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington is an excellent local resource, as well. Aptly, one good plant for our region is common winterberry (Ilex verticillata). But there are hundreds of choices.
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THEY’RE NOT JUST CUTE;
THEY’RE KIND OF MIRACULOUS. “What do you put suet on?” I asked Morris. I told her that the one time I bought a block of the fatty stuff, along with a simple wire cage, a squirrel ate the whole thing in short order. She described two other, more effective suet feeders: one that hangs upside down from a tree branch (in theory, preventing rodents from getting the goods) and a baffled unit with a domed top. Morris stressed a couple of other guidelines for keeping feeders: timing and cleanliness. Most Vermonters who live outside urban areas know all too well that birdfeeders can attract bears in the spring. That’s not a visitor you want in your backyard. “Put them up in November; take them down in March,” she said succinctly. One exception: Nectar feeders for hummingbirds can go up any time. “It’s really important to keep birdfeeders clean,” Morris continued. “Birds can have contagious diseases.” This was news to me. “I’ve only been cleaning them at the end of the winter,” I confessed guiltily, wondering whether my feeders had been the source of any birdie pandemics. When the seed is gone, remove the feeder and wash it out with a dishwashing detergent such as Dawn and a long brush, Morris advised. (Bleach is not recommended on plastic feeders.) Then make sure the feeder is dry before refilling the seed. I already knew birds need nearby
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I had a few other questions for Morris. First, how do birds stay hydrated when standing water is frozen? N8V-greenleaf121218.indd Do they eat snow? “A lot of birds don’t drink water,” she said. “Maybe in hot weather.” But if you provide a heated birdbath in the winter, she said, they’ll flutter around in it despite the cold. What about that mating for life thing? I asked. “That’s true for all songbirds,” Morris replied. “Until one dies; then they get another [mate].” Birds may be faithful, but apparently they don’t waste time grieving. Speaking of moving on, my final question for Morris was which birds have the longest commute. “A lot of the finches travel from northern Canada,” she said. “The cedar waxwings, bohemian waxwings…” And there are so many more. After our conversation, I scrolled through several websites, marveling at the lives of these tiny migrating creatures. They’re not just cute; they’re kind of miraculous. Least I can do is offer dinner on their stopover. And, this winter, I’m making it my mission to serve up some squirrelproof suet. m
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Bring the outdoors in with birch-bark arrangements.
Warm for the Winter Vintage Chic owner Brianne Taylor on creating a cozy home BY LUCY M. CASALE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIANNE TAYLOR
In the heart of Shelburne Village, beneath a bright-white “Antiques” sign and a cheerful striped awning, you’ll find Brianne’s Vintage Chic. Here, out of her garage-turned-shop, Brianne Taylor curates a treasure trove of “vintage and antique décor for the unique home.” This includes everything from vintage apple baskets to antique moose bookends.
Seasonal pillows add a layer of warmth during winter months.
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Taylor co-owns the business with her mother, Sally Riley, a former professional decorator. One glimpse into Taylor’s stunning kitchen — she lives in the green farmhouse beside the shop — and it’s clear she inherited the decorating gene. A few snapshots: front windows framed by pink buffalo-check curtains; a gleaming white farmhouse sink illuminated by glass pendant lights; a stuffed rooster named Blue standing on a grassy pedestal and crowing over the breakfast table. Even the backyard chicken coop, painted red to match the shop, is thoughtfully styled. The hens look out at Shelburne Road from a huge vintage window Taylor installed for them and framed with black shutters. Taylor shared with Nest five tips for making your home look and feel warmer for the holidays and Vermont’s long winter.
DÉCO R
Add Seasonal Pillows and Throws
Spread a layer of warmth around with pillow covers and throw blankets. “I recommend pillow covers in winter whites and velvets — think reds, greens, blues and other darker colors,” Taylor advises. “These colors and textures will integrate well with holiday décor and can remain in your home all winter long.” For throws, she favors heavy, chunky knits — the more the merrier! And don’t forget to cozy up offices, bedrooms and playrooms, too.
Stay Merry and Bright
“Extra indoor lighting in the winter months is essential, especially as the days get shorter,” Taylor says. Besides adding reading and accent lamps to rooms, her favorite way to shed light is with candles. Since she has three little kids, she goes for the battery-operated kind. “They have come a long way with making them look real, and they are much safer than traditional candles,” Taylor notes. “And the fun thing about these is that you can add to them for your holiday décor. Tie a ribbon around them [or] add some greenery, fabric or even wrapping paper to dress them up.”
Yep, you can find it by the sheet and in branches. Taylor recommends using birch anywhere: on a mantle, cut into shapes as ornaments or assembled with lights in a basket. “The great thing about birch is, it can stay up all winter,” she says. “No need to take it down after the holidays.”
Incorporate Handmade Accents
“I like to include something handmade each year in my holiday and winter home décor,” Taylor says. Some examples are felt garlands, cookie or clay ornaments, and a classic cranberryand-popcorn garland. “These are all things that kids and family can help with, as well,” she adds. (Pro tip: Handmade ornaments make a great host/hostess gift for all those holiday parties.) If you aren’t crafty yourself, look for handmade items at local craft sales or on Etsy.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO BRING A LITTLE OF THE OUTDOORS IN.
Choose a Theme
“When coming up with holiday décor for your home,” Taylor says, “my biggest advice is to pick a theme. This helps you focus on what you’re making or buying at the store, and you BRIAN NE don’t end up with too many TAYLOR things going on.” Last year her theme was book paper. She purchased a bunch of old books at Goodwill and used the pages to make garlands, wreaths and Bring In the Outdoors wrapping paper. “I have found over the years it is so Another year, Taylor went with tartan important to bring a little of the plaid, purchasing fabric, ribbon and outdoors in during our long, snowy wrapping paper in the pattern. She winters,” Taylor says. Instead of storemade garlands, table runners and bought flowers, she likes to grow dishcloths from the fabric and used the winter bulbs such as amaryllis and paper on all of her gifts. paper-white narcissus. Taylor also A theme can even be as simple as collects and glams up outdoor items: using a single color in your decorations, for example, gathering pine cones and such as silver, gold or white. Happy spray-painting them white, gold, silver decorating! m or other colors that complement your room. INFO This year, she’s all about decorating Brianne’s Vintage Chic, 5462 Shelburne with birch bark. “If you live near a place Road in Shelburne. Open daily May through to gather birch, be sure to pick up October and by appointment year-round. droppings from the ground,” she says. briannesvintagechic.com, @vintagechicvt on Another option is to order birch online. Instagram.
Brighten up dark days with extra indoor lighting.
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