Ruth Touhill’s home, a mile or so from the main road in Dutzow, “the Napa Valley of Missouri,” doesn’t draw many trick-or-treaters. So she and her husband, Tom, create their own excitement by entertaining outdoors on their back porch, which overlooks a farm and vineyard. “Our property is at its most beautiful in the fall when the valley begins to turn colors,” says Ruth, an interior designer who drapes vintage textiles in paisley prints and delicious hues of cinnamon and tangelo over her rustic worktable, “It has removable legs for easy storage,” she notes. “That may mean it was originally used in a church or school.”



(i) and (j) Spode china patterned with burnt orange flowers, and antler horn serving utensils add fall flavor to alfresco dining. inset: Chinaberries pop against a red door. (k) To add a sophisticated autumn touch to the 150-year-old solid stone home, Ruth twisted hops vines around bamboo posts embedded into large flowerpots on either side of the back door. To enhance the effect, she attached them to gnarled sapling branches dangled from porch ceiling beams over the table.

Originally published in the October/November 2007 issue

Hallowed Hotspots page 1 | 2
  Stumble It!

Printer Friendly Article