American Farmhouse Style – August 2019

124 • AMERICAN FARMHOUSE STYLE

Patina Living by Brooke

and Steve Giannetti,

published by Gibbs

Smith, © 2019;

gibbs-smith.com.

But the work brings a certain

satisfaction that you can’t get

anywhere else. “Because we are living

in the moment during those times of

day, it actually feels like we’ve been

given more time, and the quality of

those moments is higher than any

other time of day,” the Giannettis write.

A PLACE TO START

If you live in a home that doesn’t fi t

your idea of a farmhouse, you can

still add farmhouse lifestyle elements

into your daily routine. For Brooke

and Steve, the beginnings of their

farmhouse lifestyle started in Santa

Monica, an upscale coastal city outside

Los Angeles. They built a potager

garden in front of their house, and the

euphoria they felt in tending it was a

game changer. “This connection to the

earth energized my body and soul, and

the ability to grow food for our family

to eat fed my innate desire to nurture

the ones I loved,” Brooke writes.

After a long day, everyone,

including the animals, looks for

ways to relax. Steve and Sophie

the dog sit comfortably by the

window, enjoying the natural

breeze wafting into the home.

YOUR FIRST FARM

ANIMALS

Chickens are a great introduction to owning farm animals.

If owning sheep and goats isn’t a realistic option for you, chickens

might be a great place to start. Not only are they easy to feed and

relatively inexpensive to own, but they don’t need a lot of space.

Chickens were the fi rst farm animals Brooke and Steve owned, and

they kept them in their Santa Monica home’s side yard. The huge

benefi t of keeping chickens is the fresh eggs they lay, as well as

their appetite for your kitchen scraps.

There are a few things to keep in mind for owning chickens. It is

a good idea to skip getting a rooster. You don’t need them for the

eggs, and they will likely do more harm than good. “Not only are

they loud at all times of day and night, but they can also be mean,”

says Brooke. You should also do research on the various breeds, to

choose the one that best fi ts your needs.

You never know what kind of friendships will develop among your animals. Paisley,

one of the sheep, has formed a special bond with one of the hens and can often be

spotted with the hen on her back.