Creating An Outdoor Haven

The basement is gradually coming to life as a space for the boys and their crew. “My friends keep giving me junk couches,” says Kim. She drapes them with fabric, and in the center of the seating area she has hung an old chandelier: “It didn’t work, so I wrapped it in Christmas lights.” Just under it is a small table that Gerard made from a tree trunk.

Kim’s yard is no less enchanting than her house. Obscured by an arc of rhododendrons is an old bathtub that came from the set of a film Kim worked on. “I had a plumber put in hot water at the hose,” she says, and the family actually bathes in it. And get this: The backyard is edible. “Gerard and I used to fight about who had to mow,” says Kim. “Then I took a foraging class, and it changed everything. I had spent so much time battling dandelions. After the class, I was digging up bunches from the side of the road to replant.” Also found outside the back door: wild violets, wood sorrel, stinging nettles, and wineberry bushes. “It’s so much easier to take care of—and it’s salad,” she says with a laugh.