The document describes a visit to a farmhouse home in Dothan, Alabama. Upon arriving, the visitors are greeted by a rooster and hens while a golden retriever plays with a toy. The farmhouse blends indoor and outdoor living with porches, patios, and a horse barn connected to the house. The home reflects the owners' love of nature and animals through details like fresh eggs in the kitchen and a portrait of a pig by the fireplace. The farmhouse creates an inviting and relaxing atmosphere that connects the family to the land and heritage of the rural South.

1. Hey PARISH friends!
A few days ago, Jessica and I got to take a little drive down Highway 231 to the great circle city,
or as others know it, Dothan. Clear blue skies and white, puffy clouds drift above us as we make
our way down back-county roads that seem to be swallowed up by rows and rows of vibrantly
green crops that are oozing with liveliness.
We come to a white gate that opens up to a long, winding driveway. A white, picture-perfect
farmhouse sits atop a gentle rolling hill where flower beds are bursting with pink and yellow.
Walking across the bluestone patio and through the barn doors, a rooster meets us with an
emphatic greeting as we cross his threshold into the horse barn that doubles as a garage. A few
hens in their roost acknowledge us while a happy little golden-doodle trots along with his
favorite toy hanging from his mouth, his brown eyes enticing us to a quick game of tug.
All that we have to do is unload a few barstools, switch out a coffee table, and put together a
new lamp whose predecessor has been lost to a nearby pillow fort, but the trip has a much
larger impact.
The house breathes life. The inside draws you out and the outside feels like it’s indoors. Living
rooms become screened porches, and kitchens flow onto patios. The flood of natural light and
the long planks of pine floors mimic the sunny day and nearby woods while window sheers and
cozy sofas soften the kitchen’s overhead beams and steel braces. The fact that the horse barn
connects to the house pretty much captures this family’s spirit for all things outdoors.
What I love about this farmhouse home is that it perfectly weaves the rural, agricultural setting
while intentionally prioritizing beauty as an everyday experience. The family’s love for nature,
creation, and all creatures is visually recreated through their home, which is quite possibly the
closest interpretation of a family’s personality. Freshly collected eggs perched in a pale blue
bowl sit on a twelve foot marble slab which anchors the kitchen for this family of seven. A
portrait of a pink pig hangs next to the fireplace, adding a playful touch to a traditional room.
While I’m standing in a beautiful kitchen talking about freshly-hatched chickens, it hits me. I
love the South. I love how people care, tend, and manipulate the land to sustain life. We care
for plants and animals and in exchange, we are cared for. Historically, we return to the land
which we know gives life in order to provide a life for us. Stylistically, in today’s world, Southern
style is a genre within the design world that’s known for its easy, laid-back, y’all-come-on-in
vibe that exudes hospitality. At this farmhouse, the love and appreciation for land and heritage
meet on the corner of artistic aesthetic and inviting warmth. They intertwine through, around,
and within this house that invites you to stay for as long as you want while reminding you that
the stained wood floors beneath barefoot toes were once living trees that grew up perhaps not
too far away. They weathered dry spells, fruitful seasons, seemingly unbearable storms, and
beautiful, please-never-end sunny days just like the family in the home. This farmhouse is a
place where body and soul can relax and feel most itself. A place where you kick up your feet or

2. kick up some hooves, depending on the moment. A place where home truly meets the heart of
who they are and where they are.