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Take a Moment for Yourself: The Rooms to View Outdoor Rooms & Garden Tour
July 21st, 2020 |
Our annual Rooms to View house tour showcases some of the most exclusive, innovative, and beautiful homes of the Lehigh Valley. This year, forced to adapt to a new quarantined world, we filmed the tours instead and even hosted a live event featuring a few homes, food, and wine. The following stills are just a few of the shots taken from the homes and gardens on the tour, exhibiting natural beauty, stillness, and calm. They’re grounding and offer a necessary moment for us to all breathe in, breathe out, and find some stillness.
A pineapple water fountain stands in front of the beautiful country estate of Joe and Brenda. To Scott Rothenberger, it is one of the elements in the front walkway that draws attention away from the breezeway door, and towards the main front door.
Known as the barn, this room in the house of Chris and Tom Motamed was built with wood pegs – not a single nail was used in building it! The large, light-filled rustic room is perfect for reading and relaxing.
Judy Siegfried’s house stands blurred behind a shot of this orange leafed plant. Mixing indoor and outdoor spaces is a common theme on the tour, and is offered as a celebration of nature.
Pat and Matt Millen had this gazebo built in preparation for their daughter’s wedding. Done in black and gold, the metalwork offers a beautiful outdoor sanctuary, and is one of many scenic places for reflection on the Millens’ property.
First Watch, by artist Lisa Thedin, stands looking out over the pond on the property of Judy Siegfried. As the name states, the horse stands watch over the land and lends its modern and rustic aesthetic to the property.
This aerial shot of John and Susan Blair’s patio area shows a design tendency towards symmetry. A very pleasing shot, it is a good example of the design theme that resonates throughout the Blair’s outdoor space.
This tree lined road leads up to the home of Pat and Matt Millen and gives a preview of what is in store upon visiting the home. An important element for the Millens’ was preserving and cultivating the land and nature around their home.
This hallway of stone and glass leads from Chris and Tom Motamed’s main house into the barn. Chris remarks that a key element all interior designers and architects keep in mind is light. The light along with the light-colored stone and wood gives the appearance of being outside.
This ruin, as Judy Seigfried calls it, was built from stone found on the property and brick from her grandmother’s farmhouse. It was meant partially as a deer deterrent. Building from the history of the land and her personal history, it is a striking piece of architecture.
This building comes from Pat and Matt Millen’s property and showcases a small portion of their expansive garden maintained by their fulltime gardener. The climbing plants and stonework achieve a cottage-like comforting aesthetic in this part of the garden.
Enjoy the brief moment of calm? You can experience the entire relaxing video tour now through July 31! With your virtual ticket purchase, you get access to all 9 tours, plus painting and floral arrangement demonstrations. You can purchase access on our online store.
Hanna O’Connor is the summer 2020 digital outreach intern at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites. She is a student at Mount Holyoke College.
