Willow Hand: My fiancé, Josh Knight, and I live in Nashville, TN, and have recently purchased our dream farmhouse that sits on 5 acres of land. We’re the proud owners of two Pomeranians and a five-year-old thoroughbred mare named Silver Sky Baby. We’re in the process of renovating and modernizing our home, and also adapting the outdoor living space to suit our lifestyle needs.
WH: Something I find very special about our property is the history that surrounds the house. Built in 1902, it’s located next door to the first rodeo in Tennessee. Country star Loretta Lynn once lived across the street, and her producers lived in our house. In fact, they wrote many of her hit songs in what’s now our living room!
WH: Our backyard is very important to our lifestyle, namely in that it allows us to keep our horses at home with us. We spend our time riding, enjoying bonfires, tending to our gardens, playing sports, and swimming in the pool in the summertime. We love the active lifestyle our backyard affords us!
WH: Having an enjoyable outdoor living space is incredibly important to me, and was definitely at the top of our list when designing the house. To us, an outdoor space should be designed to provide a perfect place for entertaining throughout all four seasons, and bring the comforts of your interior out where you can use them to enjoy nature, year-round.
WH: When I think about the perfect outdoor space, I always think of it incorporating the main reasons I want to be outside. For me, those are having a water feature to cool off in during the summer, a fire pit to warm up in during the winter, lots of plants and foliage, and a safe place for my animals to enjoy the space with us.
WH: I grew up on 10 acres near Ocala, FL, and have always dreamed of owning my own farm. Living in Manhattan for the past five years, it was all I could think about. As soon as the pandemic hit, I knew it was the perfect time to make my dream a reality, and we found the perfect place shortly after.
WH: So far during this renovation, I’m most proud of our kitchen. We built custom floor-to-ceiling cabinets ourselves, and they turned out amazing! We chose black cabinetry with marble countertops and backsplash, with gold accents throughout. It was the perfect way to modernize our house while still keeping its 1902 charm.
WH: I love projects, and I don’t think I could ever completely stop! When the weather’s nice, my favorite thing to do is find something to build. It feels so satisfying to finish a project on your own that will improve your lifestyle. I never get tired of that!
WH: My favorite thing to do outside is working with our horse, Sky Baby. She’s very young, and I’m currently training her for dressage and show jumping. Seeing her learn and improve every day is the best feeling in the world! When I’m not riding, I love to have friends and family over for a bonfire, grill out or pool day.
