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A Primitive Place
eBook Special Edition: Four Seasons of Outdoor Decorating (Digital Copy, Out Now)
eBook Special Edition: Four Seasons of Outdoor Decorating (Digital Copy, Out Now)
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This is the eBook (digital) copy. This issue was released on February 7th. You will automatically receive a download link via email upon purchase.
On the cover of this special edition is the home and garden of Richard & Nina Pagano of North Scituate, Rhode Island.
Inside this 104-page issue, you’ll find porches, patios, gardens, front doors, and outdoor decor organized into clearly defined sections, along with decorating tips for every season—from spring plantings and summer accents to fall harvest styling and winter and Christmas displays. With minimal advertisements and over 280 photographs, this issue is designed as a year-round guide, organized by season, with decorating ideas introduced before each section. Think everything outdoors—and remember, your home’s first impression starts here!
Richard & Nina Pagano — North Scituate, Rhode Island
Set deep in the wooded countryside, their red Cape-style home—built in 1979 with a gambrel roof and traditional proportions—draws much of its character from how its outdoor spaces have been shaped and layered over decades. Where the Pagano property truly comes to life is in the way antiques are woven into the outdoor setting. Nina has been collecting for more than forty years, and that history shows in the pieces placed throughout the gardens and porch areas.
Josh & Jenn Choate — Eldorado, Illinois
Set along a quiet Southern Illinois road whose name literally means place of peace, Josh and Jenn Choate’s outdoor spaces unfold as a carefully layered extension of their home. The name of the road—Shiloh Road—also inspired their Instagram username, @downshilohroad. “Shiloh is not only the name of our road—it literally means place of peace,” Jenn Choate explains. “You can feel that when you’re outside here.”
Their property is shaped by flower and herb gardens, a relocated auction-found shed, and a hand-built greenhouse constructed from reclaimed fencing and materials. Here, cut-flower beds edged with roll-top fencing, antique gates, and old-fashioned plant varieties coexist with weathered tools, terra cotta pots, crates, and galvanized feeders that move seamlessly from season to season.
Wilt & Barbara Grish Corban — Blue Ridge, Georgia
Barbara’s outdoor spaces reflect the same intentional philosophy that guides how she decorates her home—choosing only what truly resonates. Guided by a belief in taking chances and trusting personal style, her gardens and outdoor settings are shaped by handmade and imperfect elements that bring a sense of calm and invite quiet moments of pause. Each object holds meaning, each space feels personal, and nothing is added without purpose. Outdoor decorating becomes a form of grounding for Barbara, and whenever she is away, she finds herself missing home, drawn back to the retreat she has carefully crafted.
Pat and Sandy Miller – Lake Stevens, Washington
Set in the Pacific Northwest in Lake Stevens, Washington, Pat and Sandy Miller’s outdoor spaces feel like a scene you could step right into—where old-fashioned task work and garden beauty share the same path. At the center of it all stands the Millers’ red garden shed, anchoring the landscape with its timeworn presence. A red-and-white geometric block quilt hangs from the line nearby, lifting gently in the breeze above raised garden beds and a border of blooms in glowing shades of golden yellow, burnt orange, and deep red, spilling forward in soft waves.
Just beyond, a clothesline strung with early undergarments sits beneath a thoughtfully arranged wash-station vignette. Weathered tools and textiles are layered with intention, creating the feeling that the laundry was finished only moments before and left to dry in the open air.
When winter arrives, the landscape shifts but remains carefully styled. Christmas-themed wooden signs, folk-style snowmen, and birdhouses dot the snow-covered grounds, while the covered porch becomes a seasonal focal point. Greens tucked into a barrel rest below hanging red long johns and striped stockings overhead, transforming the space into a holiday display that feels quietly nostalgic.
Klaus & Birgit Müller — Baden-Baden, Germany
Set in the Black Forest of Germany, Birgit and Klaus Müller’s 1880 half-timbered home reflects years of restoration, collecting, and seasonal work. After purchasing the property sixteen years ago, they uncovered original architectural details, created a garden where none existed, and furnished the house entirely with antiques. The feature follows their home throughout the year. Autumn is one of Birgit’s favorite seasons, drawn especially to the strong orange and red tones. Pumpkins are placed throughout, and orange candles are set inside the lanterns. Leaf garlands frame every window and door.
Several times a year, copies of A Primitive Place Magazine are packed and shipped across the ocean to Birgit and her sister in Germany. Each issue retraces the traditions that once crossed the Atlantic in the opposite direction. And the next time we prepare a package bound across the sea, we will think of her garden, her work, and the way early American inspiration continues to take shape far from its origins.
Billy & Shari Mullen — Danville, Kentucky
In this feature, you’ll watch the Mullen home unfold season after season. Spring arrives with paper-mâché bunnies from the 1940s and 1950s and antique children’s clothing hung throughout the sunroom. As summer settles in, Shari’s patriotic style takes center stage, with bunting and flags, old drums, red and blue barrels, and vintage patriotic horns layered across the porches. When the leaves begin to change, fall follows naturally. “Primitives and fall go together like peanut butter and jelly,” she laughs, as fodder shocks, pumpkins, mums, and vintage Halloween lanterns fill the outdoor spaces. By winter, the sunroom becomes her favorite place to be, where Christmas comes alive with fresh pine cut from their property, concrete sheep tied with red bows, and well-loved holiday pieces like old sleds, sleigh bells, and skates.
Throughout the feature, you’ll step onto the home’s front porch and the barn porch, each styled for the season, and spend time in the sunroom, where time is spent nearly daily throughout the year. Shari also reflects on spaces from their former property—including the covered bridge and potting shed her husband built—which continue to influence how she decorates and lives with the seasons today.
Other Featured homeowners include:
Tom & Jan Cyphers — Greenville, Ohio
Jim & Sherry Gross — Lewistown, Pennsylvania
Nick & Ann Pittard Smith — Crossville, Tennessee
Neil & Karen Skiver — Greenville, Ohio
David & Robin Lewis — Chillicothe, Ohio
Photos from the home of Ira and Becky May of Newton, Illinois are also featured in two of the articles.
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