Philosophy
I am often asked why my company’s name is Heritage Design. I usually have a hard time answering, saying simply that it’s because I enjoy preserving old homes and gardens. This is true, but there’s more to it than that. The word heritage invokes images of the past but I also think of the future. We are continually in the process of creating a heritage for our children and for those who we will one day pass our homes to.
When my husband and I started rehabilitating our first bungalow in 1999, I couldn’t get over how thankful I was to Carol, the previous owner, for leaving it in its original condition. We benefited greatly from her forty years of care. None of the woodwork had been painted, the kitchen cupboards and inglenook furniture were original. Luckily the gorgeous built-in dining room cabinet and the fireplace’s gas insert were exactly as they had been in 1920.
Even though it wasn’t what I would call “turn key” condition, Carol had left us a gift—a small example of history that had remained constant for almost 80 years. Not only did she single-handedly raise five boys in that 998 square foot bungalow, she handed down a great specimen of architecture that we could start our family in and add comforts of the 21st century to. I never met Carol but I will always remember her and the home she left us with great fondness. She helped me to see that we are connected to each other in unique, and often, unrealized ways. We never know how our actions in the present will affect those in the future.
Newlyweds Erwin and Esther on moving day, 1932
Nothing lasts forever. Childhood, family trips, grandma’s peonies, a favorite comfy chair—they all fade away. But well placed photos, souvenirs, heirloom plants and a good reupholsterer all help to preserve our past and the things that comfort us. “They are only things,” we say after a fire or flood has taken them from us, and of course, that’s true. They can’t replace our relationships or experiences. Cumatively, however, these “things” represent our journey through life; who we were, who we are and what we hope to leave as a legacy to those we love.
One of my favorite things in our house is the coat rack that my great-grandpa George built from an old Ford steering wheel. My grandpa Erwin learned to drive in that Ford truck. He also used it to move my grandmother and her things to their new home after their wedding in 1932. Today, part of it sits in my house, finding itself useful throughout the seasons. “If these walls could talk,” we often say. I wonder the same about old photographs, trees, pottery, flowering vines and porch swings. When I design gardens and interiors I combine these things in a way that will tell the story of who resides there.
Leave it better than when you found it, add your personality, keep it simple, pay homage to your past and live comfortably. That’s it—I have enjoyed doing this in my house and gardens and I enjoy helping others do the same to their homes.