F u lly
B o o k e d
A F R E S H -F A C E D C O T
5
A G E R E F L E C T S ITS O W N E R ’S U R G E T O
L IG H T E N U P, F L O P D O W N , A N D D IG IN T O A F A V O R IT E R E A D .
BY JODY GARLOCK
PHOTOS JAMES SALOMON
PRODUCED BY SUSAN SALOMON
T h e firs t th in g th a t c a tc h e s th e e y e in M a ry H e r b e r t’s h o m e a re
th e b o o k s —h u n d r e d s o f th e m , fillin g flo o r-to -c e ilin g s h e lv e s in
h e r g r e a t ro o m . A m o n g th e m a re N a n c y D re w m y s te rie s fro m
c h ild h o o d , h is to ric a l b io g ra p h ie s o f p re s id e n ts , a n d S h a k e s p e a re
p la y s th e c o lle g e E n g lis h m a jo r h a s k e p t fo r d e c a d e s . “ I s p e n t a d a y
o r g a n iz in g th e m o n c e —A m e ric a n fic tio n , s c ie n c e , h e a lth , m y s te r-
ies, a n d so o n —b u t th a t p la n g o t b lo w n to s m ith e re e n s ,” M ar} 7
say s.
“ I p re tty 7
m u c h s h o v e a n y th in g in w h e r e I w a n t. B o o k s a re b o o k s.”
In M a r y ’s w o rld v ie w , a h o m e s h o u ld b e m o re fo r liv in g th a n
lo o k s. A s a re a l e s ta te b ro k e r, s h e s e e s p le n ty 7
o f th e la tte r —p rim
ro o m s w h e r e d in in g ta b le s a re s ta g e d w ith c h in a , o r b e d s th a t
h o ld s e r v in g tra y s w ith te a c u p s . “I t lo o k s lik e a lie n s a b d u c te d th e
p e o p le ,” s h e say s. “ I th in k th e k e y to d e c o r a tin g is p u ttin g y o u r
p e rs o n a lity in to it.” S o w h e n M a ry s e ttle d in to a 1 0 0 -y e a r-o ld
h o u s e s h e h a d lo n g a d m ire d in a c o a s ta l M a in e to w n , s h e c u t th e
flu ff, k e p t it c le a n a n d c a s u a l, a n d m a d e b u ilt-in s a p r io r ity to k e e p
h e r h o o k s a t h e r fin g e rtip s .
P re v io u s o w n e r s h a d in itia te d th e o p e n la y o u t b y k n o c k in g
d o w n w a lls to c r e a te a g re a t ro o m . M a ry w a s h e d th e s p a c e in lig h t
b y a d d in g b ig g e r w in d o w s a n d a F r e n c h d o o r, r e f in is h in g m a p le
flo o rs to m a k e th e m “as lig h t as th e y c o u ld p o s s ib ly b e ,” a n d
o p e n in g a n d o v e rh a u lin g th e d a rk k itc h e n . P a le w a ll c o lo rs
in s p ire d b y s a n d a n d s e a k e e p ro o m s a iry a n d re la x e d . S h e lo v e s
c o lo r, b u t ju s t in s m a ll s p la s h e s , s u c h a s th e b e a c h y tu r q u o is e
c o ffe e ta b le a n d in th e la n d s c a p e p a in tin g s b y lo c a l a rtis ts . “I th in k
a lo t o f p e o p le b o tc h it w ith co lo r,” M a ry say s. “ I f y o u u s e to o m a n y
c o lo rs a h o m e c a n lo o k c irc u sy .”
In e v e ry ro o m , i t ’s e v id e n t th a t s im p le w o n o u t o v e r fussy.
W in d o w s a re u n c o v e re d (“ I d id n ’t w a n t a n y th in g fig h tin g th e
o u td o o rs ,” M a ry sa y s), n o th in g is sh in y , a n d s u rfa c e s a r e n ’t
o v e rlo a d e d —e x c e p t fo r th e b o o k s h e lv e s . “S o m e p e o p le p u rg e
th e i r b o o k s e v e ry n o w a n d th e n , b u t I c a n ’t g e t rid o f m in e ,” s h e
say s. “ B o o k s m a k e a h o u s e s e e m liv e d in .”
I 7 6 OCTOBER 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
M i
