and a Birdhouse Village, home to Bunny’ s collection of antique birdhouses.
“ There are all these kind of different gardens on this one property, but they fit the land,” says Bunny.“ I always say that for your average home, if you go in one day a week and clean it, it’ s going to be fine. The garden is seven days a week. It’ s constant.”
There are principles from garden design that can apply to interior spaces, and vice versa. For instance, when you pull up to somebody’ s house and you get out of the car, what does the walkway to the front door look like?
“ If it’ s a mess and weedy, it isn’ t going to make any difference what happens when you open the front door,” says Bunny.“ You’ ve already made an impression. In my house in the country, everybody comes in the kitchen door. It’ s just the way those old houses were; the driveways were on the side. So I had to make that a special area because when people walk in the door, that’ s their first impression.”
What’ s her favorite part of her Connecticut home? Actually, all of it because every room is used, she says.
“ I think you have to make yourself get out of the room where the TV is, but you
24 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Spring 2026 have to have a reason to go there. If you do jigsaw puzzles, put the puzzle table in the living room,” she says.“ I love to have people over. I like to cook, but I don’ t like to cook all the time. I can go to Guido’ s and get a dinner. And in the summer, I make a salad from my garden. There are so many local people making great bread, and that’ s what’ s fun. In the morning, I go to all these different places. And I like to eat in my dining room. Of course, we have breakfast in the kitchen, and my little great nephew comes for pancakes. But we really use our house. You have to set rooms up so that you’ re not dragging everything to it. Somebody said,‘ You drink a lot.’ Well, not really, but if I’ ve got a bar set up and somebody wants a Perrier, I don’ t have to go to a cupboard and find it. I can say to people,‘ Help yourself, it’ s right there.’”
What makes a room feel good is one that you use, says Bunny.“ That’ s why people always gravitate to the room in the house you use the most. You need comfortable furniture, you need a great floor plan, and, of course, with me, I’ m always bringing in plants from the greenhouse, and they’ re on tables. You need to make your room come alive.
“ Accessories should only be because you love them. Some people don’ t want any accessories, but you can still have a minimal room look cozy because somebody’ s made the effort to cut a branch and put it in a glass vase. I want to feel that somebody’ s been in that room and made an effort. When I first bought this house 40-some years ago, I was at every tag sale and auction. It’ s the most economical way to furnish your house, and it’ s fun.”
Few things are so precious in her home that Bunny doesn’ t use them, including fine china, which she loves to collect. The idea is to mix old and new; her dinner plates might be new, but the salad or dessert plates might be some of her finest antique china.
How does she approach color in designing for a client and for herself?“ Color is personal. I’ ve got to figure out what somebody’ s color palette is first. Sometimes, you can tell by what they wear. Some people can only do blue and white, or some people can only do beige. I love color, and I love mixing odd color palettes. I don’ t want a room with all primary colors. If the walls have a mellow color that don’ t scream at you, then you can put bright colors with it or neutral colors. When you’ re working for other people, it’ s