My husband Tony apprenticed with a wood worker, printmaker, architect and master tinkerer Rick Hanisch in the early 90’s. Tony had graduated from the Tyler School of Art and wanted to learn wood working while I finished up school. Rick agreed to meet with Tony and to entertain the idea of an apprenticeship. They became life long friends.
Rick and his wife Mary, have created a home that reflects their love of natural materials, economy of space, texture and light. Every room has a unique personality and each one takes advantage of the tranquil setting, beautiful woods and naturalized landscape surrounding the home. There are nooks everywhere with little arrangements of found or hand made objects. They are little visual poems. Plants dominate some window ledges and overtake a few rooms. Its a grown-up version of Where the Wild Things Are. It would be easy to miss some of the little vignettes. On our last visit, I breezed through the home too quickly and then made myself slow down and spend more time absorbing all of the little details.
What I love the most is the humor and obvious enjoyment they have both taken in building and settling into their home. I was reminded of how important it is to play. Something I haven’t been terribly good at when it comes to my own creative pursuits. I so appreciate that their space and how they use it is so unique. It doesn’t feel like it has been “decorated ”…it feels like a whimsical laboratory, a work in progress.
