Text by Kim Ratcliff • Photography by Matthew Millman • Styling by Laurel Walter and Jennifer Bright

When Kari and Charles Brooks discovered that buying a house in their native Los Angeles was nearly impossible without a movie-star bank account, they headed north to Grants Pass, Oregon, and bought five acres of what used to be a dairy farm. They couldn't afford an architect, so Charles, a landscape designer/contractor, designed the plans for their new home. "I was a little stressed," Kari says with a laugh. "The only thing he'd ever built was a doghouse—and not a very good one, at that." She needn't have worried. The self-taught couple not only built the home themselves on weeknights and weekends, but also landscaped the property, including a commercial greenhouse and an orchard. Thirteen years later, Brooks Farms and Gardens has become the "plot of countryside" they always yearned for.

(a) Audrey and her cousin, Riley, both 4, cast off into one of three ponds located on the property. (b) A shady sitting area on the front porch is a favorite spot to relax with friends. (c) A ballerina cupcake pirouettes atop a lusterware plate and ruffled glass charger. (d) Glass floats and coral add interest to vintage decanters on the bar. (e) Coconut-sprinkled goodies from a local bakery are served on turquoise-hued plates and vintage linens.

(f) Charles designed the kitchen's copper range hood and black-and-white checked floors to capture the feel of a French bistro. When a marble slab wasn't in the budget, the family opted instead for marble tiles on the counters and backsplash. In lieu of a dining room table, they chose a redwood picnic table with an attached bench to better fit the narrow space. Wood-trimmed windows in every room add warmth and architectural detail.

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