Milieu is a series that explores the unique ways in which we breathe life into our homes.  From coastal towns to city living, our homes are a celebration of small, simple moments. They’re a reflection of our lives. Our stories. Our milieu. 

This summer, we're visiting the rolling hills of rural Vermont to visit Hannah O'Brien in her charming 200-year-old countryside cottage. Tucked away between picturesque pastures and winding pathways is a home that feels a bit like a loving embrace; with creativity, intention, and whimsy decorating every room.

Join us in conversation with Hannah, as we discuss everything from 17th-century French literature to gardening inspiration, embroidery projects and making this cottage a home. 

Shall we?

"I am definitely most inspired when a room makes me feel something, not just when I like the things that are in the room. I always try to capture a feeling and I think to do this you have to look for inspiration everywhere."

Before we begin, please, introduce yourself! 

My name is Hannah O’Brien and I am the creator behind @haninthecountryside, an artist, and the founder of Palma Studio, a home furnishings brand. I live in a 200-year-old cottage in Vermont with my husband, Harrison, and our dog, Ruby. 

What inspired you to plant roots in rural Vermont? 

Before we moved to Vermont, I was finishing up graduate school in Chicago. It was 2020 and everything was changing. We lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment that looked onto other brick buildings. It was during this time that we really craved proximity to nature. I started to daydream about looking out the window onto verdant scenery, surrounded by trees and animals. Before this time, we really thought city life was for us but looking back, we just needed to try something different to really know what we wanted. We’re both originally from the midwest. I did a lot of traveling as a child and Harrison had family in Connecticut but neither of us had really explored New England. My parents were also moving to Vermont because of a job opportunity for my Stepdad. Everything seemed to call us to Vermont and before we both knew it had jobs lined up and were moving into my parents' new home.

Is there a story behind how you stumbled upon your beautiful cottage? 

While living with my parents, we were looking for our own home. The housing market was dismal to say the least. After a few years of searching with no luck, we saw the house come up for sale on our realtor’s portal but it had an accepted offer before we could even see it. A few weeks later, that offer fell through and we went that day to go see it and put an offer in. It was one of the moments where things really felt like they were meant to be but it wasn’t without a bit more difficulty because we were up against a competing offer. House searching makes your skin really thick so we countered with a better offer and hoped for the best. Low and behold, the seller accepted our offer! The seller bought the house in the 80s while he was in college and worked on restoring it over the decades- though he never really lived here fulltime. He loved this house and it was difficult for him to sell it but said he felt he made the right choice in selling it to us. We found out the following year that he had passed but we hope he would be proud of the changes we’ve made.

What is one of your favourite things about your home in the summer? 

The birdsong has to be one of the best things about our little countryside cottage. The return of the birds after a long winter marks the start of more daylight, warmth, and abundance. It is truly a momentous occasion. Our land is mostly tree cover so it’s a little haven for birds! I am also looking for ways to attract more birds in the garden. We have a catbird that loves to sit in one of our apple trees and sing. Its song is so enchanting and sweet, definitely my favorite bird in our garden.

Your garden is so inspiring! Did it come with the cottage? What kinds of things might we find growing this year? 

Thank you so much! It’s very much a work in progress because when we bought the house it was shrouded in invasive species. It takes a lot of persistence and patience to remove invasives but I am feeling hopeful that we will turn a corner on it this year. Irises are one of my favorite flowers so I am growing my collection this year! I recently got Iris Pallida ‘Variegated Gold’. Not only does it have variegated leaves which add interest in a sea of green but it is also fragrant. The sweet smell when paired with lavender ‘Munstead’ is hands down my favorite combination - I wish I could bottle it up and make a perfume! I also am expanding my rose collection and I recently got a David Austin rose called ‘The Alnwick Rose’. It smells of raspberries, the best rose I have ever smelled! I haven’t really explored scent in the garden but I am now inspired to create a garden that speaks to the olfactory system as well. 

In addition to gardening, we gather that you are quite an accomplished seamstress. Is this a skill you’ve honed recently or are you a longtime sewing enthusiast? 

Thank you! My grandmas and my mom taught me how to sew at a young age. My grandmas were always crafting; sewing, knitting, embroidery, you name it! My great-grandmother Palma was also a sewist so it runs deep in the family. When I was a kid I didn’t care much about tradition but as I’ve aged I really have developed a deep sense of responsibility to it. I think it’s important to know and honor my heritage and sewing has become a way to connect with that. 

What is one of your favourite creations as of late? 

I definitely have to say my embroidered lampshade. It was truly a labor of love. I cross stitched spring flowers from the garden onto some linen and then sewed a gathered lampshade from the linen. The effect feels so personal and special, a piece that I will cherish forever!

What does your perfect summer day at home look like? 

My ideal summer day is always coffee first thing. Coffee is so ritualistic for me, it's a way to anchor my day. I have been loving having one cup in bed and then another as I stroll through the garden and check on my plants. I feel really creatively inspired in the morning so I find it’s the perfect time to draw or paint, sometimes in the garden! I love having time to just putter; make the bed, clean up any dishes, do some laundry, make a bouquet from the garden for the house, deadhead spent blooms in the garden, pull some weeds, etc. I am big on slow living and for me it’s really all about small rituals that help keep pace of the day. 

Launching a home furnishings brand has given me the freedom to create in a playful and imaginative way, I love spending time each day working on my embroidery for my line of throw pillows. 

I love harvesting from the garden to make something for dinner. A summer staple for us is homemade pizza, usually with broccoli or kale from the garden. I love cooking and find it’s the perfect time to quiet my mind and focus on one task at a time. In the summer we have the added benefit of leaving the windows open and listening to the birds and the crickets as we cook dinner. 

There are precisely two things that I must do everyday to clear my mind and feel grounded and those are a daily evening walk with Ruby and reading a little before bed. I am really great with the former but the latter can sometimes fall by the wayside. I really feel the impact of that so I always try to get back on the train. 

What is something that people might be surprised to see in your house? 

I have a collection of 17th century French literature. I did my Master’s in French literature and focused on representations of gardens. This time period saw the onset of the French Garden - lots of formal structure and symmetry. Think Versailles, which was created during this century! You can really see the presence of the human hand, wielding its power over the landscape. One example is the engineering feats that brought about fountains and moving water in gardens. I think this study really influenced how I approach gardening now. I am definitely one for symmetry in the garden but I also love romantic touches when things feel a bit wild and natural. It’s actually pretty difficult to achieve this look so it’s constantly a work in progress. I’ve always been a very curious person, I love learning and studying a wide array of topics. Education has always been a huge part of my life and I guess you might not know that just by looking at my home on a surface level! 

Where in your home do you feel most creative? 

I find that it ebbs and flows, especially from season to season. I also find that the time of day really affects my creativity. The morning is ripe for physical creation - drawing, painting, gardening. In the evening I feel my most inclined to read and write. It is such a gift to be a creative person but also so fulfilling to find a rhythm that suits my creative needs. We are in the midst of a kitchen renovation and as I love cooking and being creative in the kitchen I am really looking forward to seeing how that space transforms and fosters more creativity in me!

Who or what are your biggest design inspirations? 

I am definitely most inspired when a room makes me feel something, not just when I like the things that are in the room. I always try to capture a feeling and I think to do this you have to look for inspiration everywhere. 

I’ve been a huge fan of some of the big English interior designers for quite a while like Emma Sims Hilditch, Lucy Cunningham, Salvesen Graham, and Emma Sherlock. Their work is such a great example of how rooms can make you feel something. 

I also love looking for inspiration from the garden. I love when homes and their gardens are interwoven and speak to one another. I don’t think there is a single room in our home without a floral motif fabric or floral art. 

Heritage and travel are also great ways to pull inspiration for a space. I love incorporating moments that reflect our family or a memory of a special trip. Our favorite trip ever was to the Lake District in England and we got a piece of art there that we have in our mudroom. Everytime we look at it, we are reminded of that trip. I have a little clay trinket box that my mom made in high school and everytime I see it, I think of her. I think it’s things like these that make a house a home and are a reflection of the people who inhabit them. 

If you'd like to see more of Hannah's enchanting garden, cottage, and daily life, we'd highly recommend you find her on Instagram. You can also take a peek at Palma Studio to learn more about her collection of heirloom home furnishings.