Houzz TV: Life, Love and Purpose Down on a USA Farm
A Missouri native in the USA proves that you can go home again and discover something entirely unexpected
Mary Jo Bowling
28 December 2018
Houzz Contributor; writer, reader, serial remodeler.
The story of how landscape designer Connie Cunningham became a farmer then opened a bed-and-breakfast in Missouri, USA, has more twists and turns than a bumpy country road – but it reveals how one’s love of home breeds perseverance and passion. Connie’s story begins with her mother, Patty Cunningham, a widow who raised her three children (Connie, Chris and Bob) in Saint Louis, USA, by painting large murals in commercial buildings. For years Patty longed to return to the Ozark Mountains in the USA where she grew up. After she retired, she discovered a lovely 80-acre site in a small valley outside Morrison, Missouri (population 123), and settled there to raise geese and fix up its dilapidated cottage.
Images by Carmen Troesser
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Connie Cunningham lives in the nearby barn; the house operates as Gosherd Valley Cottage (a gosherd is like a shepherd for geese), a bed-and-breakfast
Size: 111 square metres, three bedrooms, one bathroom
Location: Missouri, USA
After 25 years on the farm, Patty developed Alzheimer’s disease. Connie, who had gone on to found a landscape design business in Chicago, USA, moved back to Missouri to care for her mother. “She wasn’t about to leave her home, and we didn’t want her to have to,” says Connie. “I thought that living with her would be just a temporary thing.” But when Patty was diagnosed with lung cancer as well, Connie’s short-term situation turned into long-term living arrangements in the barn. And when Patty died, roughly four years after doctors had given her four months to live, Connie found herself with a thriving goose farm (more on that later) and an empty cottage.
Watch now: See more of this working farm and bed-and-breakfast on Houzz TV
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Connie Cunningham lives in the nearby barn; the house operates as Gosherd Valley Cottage (a gosherd is like a shepherd for geese), a bed-and-breakfast
Size: 111 square metres, three bedrooms, one bathroom
Location: Missouri, USA
After 25 years on the farm, Patty developed Alzheimer’s disease. Connie, who had gone on to found a landscape design business in Chicago, USA, moved back to Missouri to care for her mother. “She wasn’t about to leave her home, and we didn’t want her to have to,” says Connie. “I thought that living with her would be just a temporary thing.” But when Patty was diagnosed with lung cancer as well, Connie’s short-term situation turned into long-term living arrangements in the barn. And when Patty died, roughly four years after doctors had given her four months to live, Connie found herself with a thriving goose farm (more on that later) and an empty cottage.
Watch now: See more of this working farm and bed-and-breakfast on Houzz TV
But before the geese and the cottage, there was the land itself, and the spell it cast on Patty. “While mum was working in Saint Louis, she missed farm life and a connection with the land terribly,” says Connie. “It became her big goal to go back to the Ozarks.”
When Patty bought this land, she knew it was special. “She decided this was the place she wanted to live the rest of her life. She thought it felt magical,” says Connie.
The house itself was less spellbinding. “Originally, there was a small log home that was used as a hunting cottage. Over the years it had things added to it sporadically, but there was no plumbing or well, and the electricity was iffy,” says Connie. “Mum painted everything white and improved it somewhat, but it was still incredibly rustic, although she did add the utilities.”
When Patty bought this land, she knew it was special. “She decided this was the place she wanted to live the rest of her life. She thought it felt magical,” says Connie.
The house itself was less spellbinding. “Originally, there was a small log home that was used as a hunting cottage. Over the years it had things added to it sporadically, but there was no plumbing or well, and the electricity was iffy,” says Connie. “Mum painted everything white and improved it somewhat, but it was still incredibly rustic, although she did add the utilities.”
With help from her children and, in a roundabout way, a gaggle of geese, Patty realised her dream of living on the farm to the very end. “We were so fortunate, because although she had Alzheimer’s, she was never aggressive, suspicious or prone to wandering away. In fact, she was pleasant. She embraced life like noone else I’ve ever known,” says Connie. “Later, when she was diagnosed with lung cancer and given months to live, all she said was, ‘Well, that’s depressing’. It didn’t really slow her down. On the day before she died, she said, ‘I’m sad’. It was the only time I heard her say anything like that. It broke my heart.”
While caring for her mother, Connie and her siblings came up with the idea of raising geese. “It was something I could do while I was with mum, and we thought it might help pay the taxes,” says Connie. “By this time the economy had crashed and I had nothing to go back to in Chicago.”
As an experiment, Connie ordered 32 geese to see how it would go. When she discovered she liked raising geese and learned how to care for them, she grew the flock to 200. The next season, 200 birds were added to make a gaggle of 400. Unwittingly, the family had discovered a niche market. Within a few years, their business was robust and had given them a metaphorical golden egg.
While caring for her mother, Connie and her siblings came up with the idea of raising geese. “It was something I could do while I was with mum, and we thought it might help pay the taxes,” says Connie. “By this time the economy had crashed and I had nothing to go back to in Chicago.”
As an experiment, Connie ordered 32 geese to see how it would go. When she discovered she liked raising geese and learned how to care for them, she grew the flock to 200. The next season, 200 birds were added to make a gaggle of 400. Unwittingly, the family had discovered a niche market. Within a few years, their business was robust and had given them a metaphorical golden egg.
Patty died on the farm, as she wished, with Connie by her side. Her last words were, “I love you. Thank you”.
Many months later, Connie decided to renovate her mother’s small cottage and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, doing most of the work herself with help from friends and her sister (Chris is her business partner in the farming and bed-and-breakfast venture).
“When you are running a small farm, you have to cobble together an income. I saw a bed-and-breakfast as another potential income,” says Connie. “My friends who were visiting from the city loved the place and had impressed on me what an exceptional life I had on this property. Until then my focus had been on caring for my mum, but I started to think that maybe people were clamouring for this type of experience.”
Many months later, Connie decided to renovate her mother’s small cottage and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, doing most of the work herself with help from friends and her sister (Chris is her business partner in the farming and bed-and-breakfast venture).
“When you are running a small farm, you have to cobble together an income. I saw a bed-and-breakfast as another potential income,” says Connie. “My friends who were visiting from the city loved the place and had impressed on me what an exceptional life I had on this property. Until then my focus had been on caring for my mum, but I started to think that maybe people were clamouring for this type of experience.”
Inspired by a print by Carl Larsson, a Swedish painter whose work embodies the Arts and Crafts movement, Connie started by renovating the kitchen.
It was a big job – the whole house needed new electricity and plumbing updates, and new finishes (for example, linoleum was peeling off the floor in the kitchen). Because several owners had made a host of small improvements and additions over the years, the house was a patchwork of different mouldings and trims. A concrete contractor had lived there before Patty and had taken the unusual measure of pouring concrete floors throughout the house.
It was a big job – the whole house needed new electricity and plumbing updates, and new finishes (for example, linoleum was peeling off the floor in the kitchen). Because several owners had made a host of small improvements and additions over the years, the house was a patchwork of different mouldings and trims. A concrete contractor had lived there before Patty and had taken the unusual measure of pouring concrete floors throughout the house.
Connie was up for the task. “Growing up, we were expected to be comfortable with tools and equipment,” she says. “As a landscape designer, I was accustomed to managing crews and construction. So, although I’d never remodeled a home myself, I wasn’t afraid to pick up a sledgehammer.”
During the Chicago winters, Connie had worked as a colour consultant, and had fallen in love with the traditional colours of Swedish farmhouses for their light-reflecting nature. She chose green with barn-red accents for the kitchen, using the Larsson print as a guide. “People have asked me what mum would have thought of this idea, and I know she would have loved it,” says Connie. “I think the only thing that would have annoyed her is that I painted colours on her white walls.”
During the Chicago winters, Connie had worked as a colour consultant, and had fallen in love with the traditional colours of Swedish farmhouses for their light-reflecting nature. She chose green with barn-red accents for the kitchen, using the Larsson print as a guide. “People have asked me what mum would have thought of this idea, and I know she would have loved it,” says Connie. “I think the only thing that would have annoyed her is that I painted colours on her white walls.”
Connie picked up an existing scallop detail and repeated it elsewhere in the house. For years, she had been haunting local barn sales, so she had a large collection of vintage items. She used them, and bought more, to decorate the house (the plates that hang over the sink were gathered this way).
“I’ve always been able to squeeze a penny and stretch it further than most,” says Connie. “Because this area is somewhat remote, you can find amazing things at these sorts of sales – and it was a good way to furnish the house. Most of the things are now for sale to the guests.”
Connie says that anyone who knew her was a little horrified when she announced that she planned to open a bed-and-breakfast. “My distaste for bed-and-breakfasts is well known,” she says. “I like to have breakfast at my leisure; I don’t like to get up at a certain time and eat with strangers.” With that in mind, she put her own spin on the concept. The kitchen is stocked with breakfast items – including eggs from the farm (they also raise chickens and ducks) and local bacon.
“I’ve always been able to squeeze a penny and stretch it further than most,” says Connie. “Because this area is somewhat remote, you can find amazing things at these sorts of sales – and it was a good way to furnish the house. Most of the things are now for sale to the guests.”
Connie says that anyone who knew her was a little horrified when she announced that she planned to open a bed-and-breakfast. “My distaste for bed-and-breakfasts is well known,” she says. “I like to have breakfast at my leisure; I don’t like to get up at a certain time and eat with strangers.” With that in mind, she put her own spin on the concept. The kitchen is stocked with breakfast items – including eggs from the farm (they also raise chickens and ducks) and local bacon.
“My mother installed these cabinets,” says Connie. “It was really smart of her, because we are out of the way and it’s good to stock up on food. The cabinets are not perfect – they are a little askew – but I think they are charming.”
Many renovation stories have a dark chapter, and for Connie, it was the removal of the kitchen ceiling. “The ceiling had been sagging, and when we looked into it, we discovered the ceiling beams had been destroyed by termites. They all had to come down,” she says. “It was potentially a throw-up-your-hands-and-run moment.”
Many renovation stories have a dark chapter, and for Connie, it was the removal of the kitchen ceiling. “The ceiling had been sagging, and when we looked into it, we discovered the ceiling beams had been destroyed by termites. They all had to come down,” she says. “It was potentially a throw-up-your-hands-and-run moment.”
Her saving grace was strong friendships. “I started posting my remodelling efforts on Facebook,” says Connie. “The photos would elicit a collective horrified gasp, and then people offered to help. Some friends came down and built the new rafters. Another friend came down and stayed for weeks to help me during the final push. I am blessed with really great friends.”
The adjacent guest room is part of the original log home. “Mum added this bump-out to create a large window seat,” says Connie. “During the remodel we put up the wall in the centre and made the area [into] two beds. I also added the scallop on top. When mum was alive, she loved the idea of a window seat. She would be here and the geese would come up to the window and honk, and that delighted her.”
The quilts are another local find. “They have gorgeous handwork,” says Connie. “At Christmas I have an open house, and the local women knew exactly which home these quilts had come from.”
The quilts are another local find. “They have gorgeous handwork,” says Connie. “At Christmas I have an open house, and the local women knew exactly which home these quilts had come from.”
Connie’s local community descended from German immigrants. Other locally bought treasures include linens embroidered with German sayings, such as this pillowcase that bids guests to sleep well.
Connie put in a lot of effort to reverse some of the decorating moves made by her mother and the long-ago concrete contractor. To visually warm up the concrete floors, she painted them to give them the appearance of wood grain. Her mother had painted the hand-hewn beams white, and rather than laboriously stripping them back and refinishing them, Connie also gave them a painted wood-grain-look finish.
All of the furniture was chosen for comfort. “I wanted people to come here, sit back and relax,” says Connie. “I tested each and every chair before I purchased it.”
All of the furniture was chosen for comfort. “I wanted people to come here, sit back and relax,” says Connie. “I tested each and every chair before I purchased it.”
Belle, a Great Pyrenees dog, is seen here doing just that. Belle was the first Great Pyrenees that Connie owned, and Connie makes it clear that this is a special dog. Belle’s former owner had abandoned her and his six other dogs kilometres away from his trailer. The animal control officers who eventually rescued the pack think Belle guided the other animals back to their old (and then-deserted) home. When the officers took Belle in, her feet were bloody and shredded from traversing the country.
Connie eagerly adopted her. “The research I’d done told me to train her by holding a gosling out to her and saying firmly, ‘This is mine’,” says Connie. “I did, and it worked. She’s been an amazing dog.”
Connie eagerly adopted her. “The research I’d done told me to train her by holding a gosling out to her and saying firmly, ‘This is mine’,” says Connie. “I did, and it worked. She’s been an amazing dog.”
Belle has recently retired and now keeps an eye on things from inside the house, though her original job was in the fields protecting the geese. “I had read about the dogs and their ability to protect livestock,” says Connie. “They are bred to be guardians, to live with farm animals and protect them. They work in tandem – one stays with the animal, and the others go and chase off the predators.” Seen here are Connie’s dogs, Max, Belle and Angel.
When the geese are old enough, they are allowed to range freely outside, going into shelters only when need be. The coyotes circle and howl around the flock all night. “To them it must be like walking past a Kentucky Fried Chicken,” says Connie. “But once I hear my dogs barking, I know I can go to sleep, because they are doing their job. In all this time, I’ve never lost a single goose.”
When the geese are old enough, they are allowed to range freely outside, going into shelters only when need be. The coyotes circle and howl around the flock all night. “To them it must be like walking past a Kentucky Fried Chicken,” says Connie. “But once I hear my dogs barking, I know I can go to sleep, because they are doing their job. In all this time, I’ve never lost a single goose.”
Another guest room features a traditional blue-and-yellow Swedish palette and a metal bed Connie had in Chicago. Since Connie’s mother was an artist, you might assume the art is Patty’s, but that’s not the case. “After all those years doing public commissions, I think she needed to be told what to paint,” says Connie. “She rarely picked up a brush out here.”
The art over the bed in the master bedroom was discovered during a barn sale. “I’ve always loved primitive art,” says Connie. “The fellow who owned the barn had it out there for years, and it has BB-pellet holes in it. He just wanted to get rid of it.”
Although she loves old things, Connie purchased this newer bed, too. “I painted and antiqued it to look old,” she says.
The living room is furnished with more cosy finds – including a faceless clock case. “My mum did the wood graining on this piece,” says Connie. “One of these days, I’ll get around to putting a clock in the case. But when I do, I plan to install something unusual, like a 13-hour clock, because no-one should be looking at the time when they come down here.”
But knowing that some guests will want to work on their laptops, Connie did put a desk in the living room and added Wi-Fi. “I installed the necessary modern implements, because people do have to stay in touch with their work,” she says. “But if it were up to me, I’d still have a hand pump in the kitchen.”
To counteract the urge to work, Connie placed naturalist books about local botany and wildlife on the scalloped shelves she created.
To counteract the urge to work, Connie placed naturalist books about local botany and wildlife on the scalloped shelves she created.
Connie says that nighttime, after the chores are done, is her time to peruse online classifieds, such as Craigslist. That’s where she discovered this old dresser that became the bathroom vanity.
Craigslist is also where she found this old claw-foot bathtub. “It was a heck of a challenge to get the feet on this thing,” says Connie. “I received it with the legs detached, and I couldn’t figure out how to reattach them. When I contacted a tub restoration group, they walked me through it.”
Outside the home, Connie has made her mark on the land as well. “It’s impossible to give a landscape designer land and not expect her to make gardens,” says Connie. “The problem is, I have a lot of other work that keeps me busy.”
Connie has made numerous vegetable beds as part of a traditional German garden. “I have about 30 varieties of vegetables on the property,” she says.
The cottage opened to guests in the last American autumn, just in time for the Oktoberfest celebrations in the nearby town of Hermann in Missouri. “It seems to draw the right kind of people, those who appreciate a farm,” says Connie. “The area has a lot to offer – including a lot of festivals and wineries – but it seems like the guests also enjoy just hanging out here.”
Hearing Connie’s story often makes people wonder whether the one-time city resident misses her once-urban lifestyle. “I miss my old friends and the wealth of restaurants Chicago has,” says Connie, pictured here. “But I don’t regret coming to live with my mother for one minute. Those were the most important years of my life – they were happy, sad and satisfying all at the same time.”
You also might wonder if Patty and Connie ever talked about the farm’s future. “We never did; but she knew I had committed to the land and that I’d never give up the dogs,” says Connie. “It was just understood – she knew I’d take care of the farm.”
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Houzz has all these stories about designer built homes that people just bought and paid for but nothing comes close to the labor of love that comes from creating your own place as exemplified in these pictures and this wonderful story.
Having grown up in the house my grandfather built (but died before I was born) I always felt a special affiliation with the homestead he created with his own hands. I was lucky though to have my mom tell me the whole story of his life, immigrating from the Ukraine, the foundation of the little one room hut they lived in until they built their house, sitting at the writing desk he built, etc. Throughout I've pondered that the greatest satisfaction in life came from homesteaders who created their places piece by piece in a lifetime and at the end of their lives got to look back and appreciate their creation. In the end, they had something that exemplified their life and their labours, which those who work at a job their whole lives never get to experience. It's like an artist's tapestry of their lives. Fortunately for this woman she got the opportunity through her mother's illness to experience that.
On another note, I recently read a story of 2 little children that escaped from their yard and ended up on a busy traffic highway walking along the edge of the road. The story was about how the 2 dogs that accompanied them (which were pyrenees dogs that I knew nothing about until having read this story) protected them by manoeuvring between them and the highway when they got too close, actually pushing them away from the road. What amazing beautiful animals.
Houzz, please give us more labour of love stories such as these.
Loved this article and am also a fan of Carl Larson. I have several of his prints on my walls at home as well as a guest room box bed built for me by my husband along with a smattering of Swedish folk art pieces.