A Year at the Parsonage celebrates the fifteen years that award-winning architect and interior designer Ben Pentreath and acclaimed gardener Charlie McCormick lived at the Parsonage. This beautifully photographed book traces the home’s story: the architecture, the rooms, the careful, thoughtful improvements the couple made over time, and Charlie’s transformation of a modest garden into something both magnificent and memorable. It’s an intimate portrait of a house shaped by design, craft, and horticultural care—an inspiring addition to any collector’s shelf.
Ben and Charlie’s residence exemplifies how sensitive restoration and patient gardening can revive a historic house. Rather than dramatic overhauls, the improvements shown here are incremental and reverent. Rooms are layered with character—antique furniture, considered textiles, and wallpaper patterns that recall English country style—yet each space remains livable and welcoming. The photography captures the texture of the interiors, from an antique china cabinet to a bedroom with a checked bedspread set against English-pattern wallpaper.
The garden is a central character in this story. Charlie McCormick’s vision expanded humble borders into layered, seasonal plantings that create structure and delight across the year. Paths, hedges, and flowering beds are orchestrated to offer both intimate moments and broad, cinematic views. The landscaping photographed throughout the book demonstrates how restraint, repetition, and an understanding of plant communities produce a garden that feels both natural and meticulously composed.
The Parsonage is also a study in balance—heritage details preserved and renewed, modern comforts integrated without fuss, and a palette that honors the history of the house while reflecting the couple’s lived-in aesthetic. The interiors favor traditional proportions and thoughtful patterns, while small, modern interventions are discreet and functional. The result feels timeless rather than stuck in a single era.
Beyond the visual appeal, the book offers practical inspiration. Readers who love historic homes, interior design, or gardening will find ideas they can adapt—whether that means rethinking a planting scheme, selecting period-appropriate furnishings, or considering how small architectural changes can improve flow and light. The narrative emphasizes process: the slow accumulation of small decisions that together create a cohesive and resonant home.
Photography by Ben Pentreath
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My 14th novel is out in the world! Welcome to Peachtree Bluff: a cozy coastal town where family secrets refuse to be washed away and community ties run deep. New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey reunites the Murphy family just in time for autumn’s comforts—perfect for readers who love warm, character-driven stories.
Pick up your copy of FALLING FOR PEACHTREE BLUFF HERE
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