A peek behind the scenes

As the Copy Chief/Production Editor for Country Home, I seldom venture beyond our editorial offices in Des Moines. But last September, I was able to attend a photo shoot at a charming home in the country near Leesburg, Virginia, as a team of four (one of our magazine’s editors, the producer/stylist who had found this great home, and a photographer and her assistant) met to capture the home’s beauty and inspiration for our readers. “Some Things New, Some Things Old” (beginning on page 94 in the May 2007 issue of Country Home) tells the story of this farmhouse that has been given a fresh look with simple, sophisticated style. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos I took during the two-day shoot.

—Susan WeaverSenior Building and Design Editor Meredith Ladik peers through the camera to see what the photographer has framed to shoot on the home’s front porch. Much of the inventory for Caroline’s shop in Leesburg, Ekster Antiques and Uniques, is housed in the big red barn in the background. It’s also her workspace where she paints some of the antiques and new furniture she sells at Ekster (www.eksterantiques.com).

The front-porch photo (that eventually wound up on page 97 of our magazine) seemed to be missing something. To add a punch of color and some height to the porch table, stylist Jean Norman grabbed a pitcher from the kitchen to fill with flowers. She went to the side of the house and simply snipped some branches from blooming shrubbery.

Editor Meredith Ladik and photographer Helen Norman view what has been digitally photographed thus far on Helen’s laptop computer, checking the composition of the photos, color accuracy, et cetera.

We couldn’t have found a more gracious, hospitable family as our crew invaded their home for two days last September: Caroline Verschoor, her husband, Jon-Paul Saunier, daughters Sofie (7 years old at the time of the photo shoot) and Gwenaël (4 years old at the time of the shoot), and their faithful family dog, Rosco.

Rosco is an eager but gentle participant in many of Sofie’s and Gwenaël’s playtime activities. The family also has two cats, Furball and Foxy.

I didn’t have an “official” job on this photo shoot, so I adopted the unofficial role of “kid wrangler.” When her big sister was at school and Gwenaël wasn’t needed to pose for the camera or otherwise “assist” the photographer, we enjoyed such activities as reading together and exploring the outdoors on our stick horses. Giddyup!

Good “Buds”

Neighbors make good "buds." From the quick "hello" across the fence to the way they shovel your walk or bring in the garbage cans while you are away... there is nothing like a great neighbor. Aside from those friendly courtesies, there are so many other benefits from neighbors... an inspiring garden border of blooms that you spy from your kitchen window... a luminous exterior paint color that gives you a lift every time you see it... an exotic leafy tree that beckons you to take a walk just so you can soak up its beauty.

For our spring story on flowering branches, I called on a couple that lived up the street from us when we resided in Webster, New Hampshire. Jenny and I met them one day when looking for a Christmas tree. (They had a hillside full and a handmade sign that said "you cut.") We were first drawn to their "neck of the woods" by the tree sign, but were then taken with the beauty of their home and landscape. An early yellow cape gently set in amongst the forest so that the house and outbuildings looked like they sprouted right out of the ground. Everything there was like a pretty picture... real life with simple, utilitarian items set against the rustic nuances of true-blue country.
The pair have been absolutely lovely to Jenny and I over the years, and we have been to their home on many different seasons for different photo shoots. Last spring was a particularly memorable shoot there. New Hampshire had experienced an abundance of spring rains and the fields and trees were lush and overflowing. I arrived at the location with photographer David Meredith, my wife and coordinator, Jenny, and my assistant, Lisa. Like so many times before, we strolled the property and visited the homeowners’ summer living room (a space between the barn and back shed that is constructed of wide-plank pine boards and aged to a rich, rustic patina). It has screened walls on each side and is filled with great country pieces.

We borrowed the dining chairs and brought them out under the apple tree and placed them around a table amid the tall meadow grasses. The summer living room became a great background for our cut branch ideas, including a simple day bed we constructed from a twin bed set and some fresh country linens. (See photo.) You know what you are shooting is special when you long to sit at the table you have set up, or sleep in the bed that has been newly made. But when you see a lush blossom pop off the page like you can touch it and smell it, then you know, positively, that you have captured the essence of the season.

The sun was warm and glorious those two days at my favorite country house and we enjoyed the smell of the earth, the beauty of the apple blossoms, and the brilliance of dandelions set against the luminous blades of new spring grass. These are moments to remember, captured beautifully in the pages of the April 2007 issue of Country Home.

Our "good buds" (neighbors and blossoms) inspired all kinds of fun projects: Our table was set with a paper runner made of gift wrap with forced-branch motifs fastened together with double-stick tape; Country Home Style Editor Jennifer Kopf found the best dinner plates with a forced-branch detail in the center; I gathered an array of bottles, glasses, and vases and filled them with the cut branches and buds. (I use the advice I once received from a florist with 60 years of experience, adding seltzer water to woody stemmed branches. The seltzer water should be about half of the liquid in the vase. It gives them a little longer life.) I am heartened to look at these pages over and over and glad to share this special part of spring. Thank you to our dear former neighbors and their special spot in the country.

Matthew Mead