Patina Farm Hardcover by Brooke and Steve Giannetti

Patina Farm by Brooke and Steve Giannetti

This book came out in March 2016, so it's been out for six years.

This book has been on my watch list for quite some time, and use copies have finally dipped below $20, so I am thrilled to share this with you on today's show.

Let me start by saying that the cover of Patina Farm is so stunning. It's one of my favorite covers, and when I saw it for the first time, I could not stop thinking about it. I love the use of dried flowers and the styling on the cover. I love the cutting boards displayed over the mantle; the beautiful teal slip-covered chairs, and the natural elements that make this gorgeous cover.

And then, of course, there is the incredibly inspiring story of Steve and his wife, Brooke, because they decided to leave suburbia - living in Santa Monica - and then built a new life for themselves on a farm.

But first, they went to Europe to find inspiration for their farm - visiting Belgium and France - and then combined their talents to create Patina Farm, sharing what they did in this book.

Now Steve is the architect. He puts together all the architectural drawings, which you can see in the book. And then Brooke is the writer. She's a beautiful writer and took over 200 photographs shared in this book.

And don't I love the name of their farm: Patina Farm.

The book is dedicated to their children, Charlie, Nick, and Lyla, and in the dedication, they said that their kids give their dreams meaning, which is so touching.

The other thing I like about this book is how they share their journey in the titles of each chapter. So there's arriving, connecting, nourishing, creating, restoring, rejuvenating, sharing, farming, and then they give abundant resources at the end, too. If there's something that you're particularly inspired by, you can track down the help that they used.
Patina Farm is a total eye-candy book. If you're a gardener, you will swoon at this book. It's gorgeous. And, like I said, it's one of my favorite books. It's got all of the things that I love - beautiful elements, both natural and artificial - and it all comes together to create a tranquil, inspiring Patina Farm (Which has not one but two courtyards. Isn't that a dream come true?!)

The other thing you will enjoy by getting this book is that you will quickly realize how down-to-earth Steve and Brooke are, even though they've created this incredible jaw-dropping space. These guys are salt-of-the-earth kind of people, and they're just so generous and sharing how they came up with the plans and the ideas behind this space.

I also want to take a quick second and share what Clinton Smith said about this book. He is the editor-in-chief of Veranda, and he wrote the forward. He wrote.

On five acres in the heart of the Ohai Valley in California Is a place that has emerged over the past three years as the best case study of confident design married with passion and purpose. It's not as over the top or attention-seeking as some homes. In fact, it excels in understatement. Hidden from street view by a bank of white roses, the house and landscape — treated as one — fosters respect for nature, for space, for light and air, and everyday moments. 

When you're at Patina Farm, you feel it through the waft of lavender in the backyard, the sound of crunching pea gravel underfoot on the back terrace. Bowls of freshly cut lemons on the kitchen island, the jolly nature of miniature donkeys, and silky Bantam chickens that have the run of the place. And while the owners didn't set out to create a Biltmore or Monticello (and why would they?), There are indeed similarities. 

I could go on and on gushing about this book, But I trust you understand.

This book is 176 pages  (But I sure wish there were 500 pages, to be honest) of Patina Farm because I can't get enough of it.

You can get a copy of Patina Farm by Brooke and Steve Giannetti and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $18.