Style and art.
Home is an eclectic mix with a lush garden to match
When you tour Lincoln and Lilith Fowler’s east side gardens, it’s hard to believe that part of their space once resembled a large concrete bathtub, and that the rest of it was fairly nondescript.
“There had been a garage at the side of the house. It looked like a bathtub. There were just three sides and the floor had sunk down,” said Lincoln.
Because the old garage was unsightly and the couple wanted to build a new one, landscaping the front and side of their home became one of the first projects they did after buying the house in 2005.
“We had to regrade the south side of the house and remove the sunken garage. We put a new garage in then added retaining walls which determined how the gardens would be laid out,” said Lincoln.
The couple had their new garage built at the back of the lot, then added a ribbon driveway — which has a strip of earth in the center for plantings. He is co-owner of Colectivo Coffee Cafés in Wisconsin and Illinois. She is executive director of Harbor District Inc. At the front of the house, they added dramatic hardscaping and colorful plantings.
“We went to Halquist Stone to pick out the kind of stone we wanted to use on the walls,” said Lilith. “Lincoln saw some very large rocks and said he had to have them, so we put them at the corners of the retaining walls near the sidewalk.”
Then Lilith, who is the gardener in the family, added plantings.
Their gardens will be featured in this years Eastside Milwaukee Garden Tour on July 25.
“Along the driveway I have some Rozanne geraniums, which are absolute workhorses,” she said. “They bloom continuously from June to November. … I also have a Japanese maple tree, and I love how the burgundy leaves complement flowers and plants in the gardens that are colors like chartreuse, pink and orange.
“Since I don’t plant many annuals, and roses don’t do great as I don’t coddle my plants, I rely a lot on foliage to add color … heucheras, different sedums and grasses.
“Coming into bloom right now is the soapwort, which is covered with a sweet little pink flower and does very well along the edge of my rock wall. It has reseeded itself in a couple places to grow right out between the stones of the wall.”
In addition to the landscaping, the couple also added back and side decks, then turned their attention to the interior of their five bedroom, 41⁄2-bath home, which was built in 1912. There, major work was done as well. Lincoln, who described their 4,000-square-foot home as a Grand Craftsman style, said the biggest project was the removal of a utility chimney to add a bathroom for their two children and to allow them to renovate the master bathroom.
“The chimney occupied space we needed. It was being used and we had to also change heating systems,” he said.
Other major projects were a kitchen renovation and upgrades to their sunroom, which was originally a three-season porch.
In the kitchen renovation, which was done two years ago, they added an island with an end grain walnut butcher-block top over custom steel cabinets made by Gallas Metalworks. They also had the company make cabinets to flank their tangerine-colored five burner Lacanche stove, added sueded quartzite countertops. They also added a small glass subway tile backsplash, painted their walls eggplant, and added a baking station and cabinets made of wood with a whitewashed finish.
Original maple flooring in the room was painted white with plans to let it “get dinged up naturally” for a distressed look, said Lincoln. The end result is a look they both love. “We thought the merging of Lincoln’s and my aesthetics would look great in this room. It’s fun but it’s not over the top, “said Lilith.
“I like the metal cabinets because they look like free standing cabinets,” added Lincoln.
Open shelves made of old-growth fir create another focal point in the kitchen.
“They were joists from the Maritime Bank Building in Bay View that was torn down when we built an Alterra, which was later renamed Colectivo,” said Lincoln. “We harvested an enormous amount of wood and are using it to make things like these shelves, furniture and bar tops. Most of the pieces are being used at Colectivo.”
The couple recently talked about their home and gardens while their cats, rescued siblings Tom and Cocoa, looked on from a safe distance. Q. What changes did you make to the sun porch?
Lincoln: The two back walls are original, but we had all new doors and windows added. We also put in a heated floor and cement eccentric tile from the Dominican Republic. Q. Did you make changes in your backyard?
Lilith: We redid it last fall. We added a patio with red brick accenting, we had to deal with water problems, and we added a chicken coop. We have two Barred Rocks and a Speckled Sussex. The children named them Peanut, Speckle and Little Bit. Q. What were the back gardens like when you moved here?
Lilith: There was a big lawn and planted beds around the perimeter with lots of Virginia bluebells that still pop up in unexpected places each spring. We replanted all the beds. Q. Did you keep any of the plants in your other gardens?
Lilith: The weeping birch and the arbor vitae next to the house. There was also a wild grape vine growing up the house. It has an insignificant little flower that you wouldn’t even notice, except that when it’s blooming every bee for miles is at our house and the whole house buzzes. The bees are no trouble. They’re so busy with the flowers that they don’t bother us at all. Q. How much time do you spend working in your gardens?
Lilith: My usual pattern is to spend three to four long workdays there each spring and fall. I’ll do pruning, mulching, filling some holes, moving
things as needed, and weeding. And then I leave it pretty much alone except for a little dead-heading or puttering. I’m not a coddler. I don’t fertilize or water except if it’s been really dry. So if it’s in my garden, you know it’s a survivor. The one thing that does get a little extra TLC is the creeping thyme among the steppingstones. When it blooms, the whole area is covered with a fuzzy pink carpet. Q. Do you use your sunroom often?
Lilith: I use it all winter. Then, it’s the warmest part of the house at 2 p.m. when the sun comes in. I love to read the paper with my cofhouse
fee in there because it’s so bright and warm.
Q. You have some interesting artwork. Can you describe a few favorites?
Lilith: We have a Brahman bull head that is a papier mache sculpture in the dining room. It was done by British artist David Farrer. We got it when we were snowed in in London in 2010 on a business trip. In the master we have a large painting we commissioned that shows crows, a rabbit and a wolf. We commissioned that from Michael Caines, a Canadian artist. There are also pieces of artwork by relatives who are artists. They include pieces from my sister, Madeline von Foerster of Cologne, Germany. Q. What’s your style of decorating?
Lilith: Picky but indecisive. The
is flexible and welcoming, so we do what we want. Q. What sold you on this house?
Lilith: The two sweet little pantries. The one off the dining room is the butler’s pantry and has a window that connects to the sunroom. That pantry is all original wood. The other one is off the kitchen. That would have been the maid’s pantry, and it’s painted all white. They have a lot of character and really attracted us to the house.