When we first bought this property and told our kids we were going to move, they were not exactly thrilled. Quite the opposite. You would have thought we were moving to a remote mountaintop, rather than just half a mile around the corner; same phone number, same school bus route; virtually the same school bus stop. The hysterics finally stopped when my older daughter pointed out to her younger sister that this house was basically an indoor/outdoor house, with multiple ways to slip out (after curfew) without being heard or discovered.
While we didn't intend to aid and abet nighttime escape, we did mean to dissolve the usual hard distinction between interior and exterior spaces by creating several outdoor "rooms" and easy access to them through sliders, balconies, and porches. And as we expanded our terracing up the back hill, we continued to add seating areas -- to much derision from aforementioned children, who inquired, "Why do you need so many seating areas?!" We stopped at 7. While that might seem excessive, each one has a slightly different character and view. And together, they provided inspiration for the wine label our older daughter created for the the raspberry wine (both aperitif and dessert varieties) that Mr. Mulch makes in our basement: La Maison des Sept Terrasses.
With the label as a start, we'll take a tour of the seating areas; both the view of and the view from each. The label shows the seating area at the middle of the hill directly behind our house.
We call this the phone booth because for years, it was the only spot on the property that had cell service!
This is one of our favorites, and we frequently sit here in the shade at the end of a long day of gardening to have a libation (sometimes the raspberry wine) before dinner. Or after dinner. Or both. From this vantage point, we're surrounded by heliopsis, hydrangea, daylillies, and rhododendron. We see the back of the house, festooned now with solar panels and used to be able to see the vegetable garden when the rhodies were smaller.
From the phone booth, we can also see two other seating areas -- the bridge and the patio. The bridge is my favorite design element; and, full disclosure, it was my idea. It connects our bedroom directly to the gardens and also serves as a balcony with just enough room for two chairs and a small table. Ideal for having a cup of coffee and catching up on email.
Mrph also really likes the bridge. It's now his habit to come straight to the bedroom slider after an early morning chipmunk chase and meow for me to get up in the morning.
Seating area #3 is the patio. We have lunch and dinner out here whenever the weather permits. This season, we've had so many hot and muggy days that we haven't been using the patio too much. This was our first "outdoor room" and is accessible on three sides through sliders in the kitchen, dining room, and library.
The view from the patio is up the main steps to the vegetable garden and phone booth...
Then we move around the corner to the front of the house for the next two seating areas. First, the porch. Our old house had a decorative porch; not deep or inviting enough to actually use. So this time we took the opportunity to make a real porch; a sit-outside-and-watch-the-lightning during a thunderstorm porch. Mrph has now laid claim to the bench, but we still have plenty of room to enjoy the shelter and occasional lightshow.
The Front Porch
From this vantage point, we can check out the herb garden, watch the birds go crazy for the berries in the Japanese Dogwood, and keep track of who's driving too fast down our dead end street as they whiz past the top driveway. We can also see the next seating area on what we refer to as "the mound," an area that surrounds a beautiful old oak that shades the driveway.
I've yet to really solve the mound. Part of it does fine with hosta, solomon seal and Chinese tree peonies. But the side closest to the driveway exit has me totally confounded. The sun/shade situation is puzzling, and though I've tried a wide range of plants and shrubs, the only thing that seems to thrive is mint -- which I never planted and can't manage to get rid of. Nonetheless, it's a lovely spot to sit, with the best view of the whole hill and gardens behind the house. Invariably, though, Mr. Mulch reminds me when we're sitting there, that "you really need to plant something that works here." I will. Someday.
Notice I've cleverly cropped the picture so you can't see the left side which still isn't finished...
Through that archway on the left above is the front garden, right outside the living room. It's a level plot with a stone wall around it so you can't see the road beyond at all. There's a grassy center edged by gardens, all of which was inspired by a trip to Mont St. Michel years ago where we discovered a similar arrangement way at the top of the castle.
Front seating area
Since the slope outside the wall is so steep, sitting in those chairs make us feel almost as protected and remote as if it were our own castle hideaway. Hummingbirds often visit the monarda and columbine that bloom there, adding to the somewhat exotic feeling. And then there's our ridiculous sky pencil that can't seem to stand straight. That brings us right back down to earth.
If you've been counting, you'll know that's only 6 seating areas. The 7th, and last to be created, is waaaaaay up at the top of the hill behind the house. We call it "the stage." It was the site for a wedding last fall (which you can read about here) and one of these days, it will also be the site for a couple of adirondack chairs. For now, we simply sit on the edge of the wall and gaze down at what we've spent 12 years building, digging, weeding, planting, pruning, re-planting, and re-planting again.
Here's the stage, at the highest point on the property, and below is the view from it...
And there you have it, La Maison des Sept Terasses. I'll drink to that!