If newlyweds Kristy and Rob Koch want to enjoy a winter wonderland this Christmas season, they have no need to travel. Their lovely South Heidelberg Township property is all anyone could possibly desire in a holiday haven.
Nestled in the rolling woods of the South Mountain, the Kochs’ 3-acre compound includes an expansive 9-room home constructed around an original circa-1791 structure. There are several outbuildings, including a large combination garage/bar, a gazebo with built-in seating and a fire pit connected to the house by a boardwalk, a small heated studio, a spring house with an adjacent free-standing deck, a garden shed, and a lower-level fire pit which is the remnant of a sweat lodge (yes, a sweat lodge). In addition, there are several outdoor seating areas on the terraced land that inclines down to a stream. The main house boasts two deck areas.
All that, of course, makes it a property to appreciate. But the talents of the couple in transforming this into a holiday spot that Mr. and Mrs. Claus would be proud to call home makes it truly outstanding.
The First Time
Their first collective stab at holiday decorating came in their first year as owners of the Vinemont Road property. They both utilized objects they’d had at their prior homes – Rob’s wooden canine cutout aptly named Woody the German Shepherd bedecked with Mardi Gras beads and some seasonal touches (the first item pulled off the truck “and planted” on moving day) greets visitors, along with Kristy’s vintage Schwinn bike with evergreens and pine cones in its basket and a “Merry Christmas” banner strung between long-flattened tires.
The warm welcome reflects the affection shared by the owners.
Rob and Kristy (nee Hoffa) had been dating for a few years. Each had their own home. Rob’s was a circa-1970s bi-level in Mohnton, while Kristy owned a Cape Cod-style bungalow in Shillington.
As romance would have it, the couple realized there was no need for two homes when they were spending most of their free time in one of the dwellings. By early 2016, they were serious enough about each other to purchase a property together.
Because both are career-driven – Rob, 43, is a sales veteran at BMW of Reading and Kristy, 39, is the owner of Big Bertha’s Grill in Sinking Spring – they wanted a property a bit out in the country to offer some respite yet also a convenient commute.
They also wanted something more historical than their houses.
Rob and Kristy did a lot of online searching during the cold winter months. They spotted the Vinemont Road property on Zillow and called Lauren Clemens, their go-to real estate agent at RE/MAX of Reading, to set up a showing.
“If you want to talk about love at first sight, this was it,” says Rob.
Kristy agrees.
“It felt like home right away,” she says of the visit that cold March day. “I still get choked up when I think back.”
A Cultural Thing
The couple was not just caught up in the property’s early American roots. They also were fascinated by one of the late prior owner’s devotion to local Native American culture.
The garage bore the sign “Earth Lodge,” the floor was a huge painting of a sea turtle and the space was filled with feathers, as Kristy recalls. Throughout the property, indoors and out, there were other cultural symbols, collectibles, and large amethyst geodes, as well as other crystals.
“Ravenheart” was the Native American name the late prior owner had adopted. Her many collectibles and figures of crows and ravens paid tribute to that name, as did a sign in the Earth Lodge.
The showing sealed the deal, despite a bit of concern from Rob, who noted the “slanted” or uneven wooden floors to a buddy.
“My friend said: ‘This home has stood for 225 years and has seen all sorts of wind storms and weather and people, and it will be standing there long after you’re dead,’” says Rob. “That made sense.”
By late June, the papers were signed and the property was theirs. The family of the previous owners had, as is the usual case, cleared away the personal belongings. But every now and then, a special crystal will surface in the garden, and two “crows” stand guard near the house.
A Place of Their Own
In a short year and a half, the Kochs have made the property their own not just legally, but also style-wise. And, they will tell you, there remain many projects to tackle, many restorations and improvements yet to be made.
But they’ve made headway – the cozy living room in the 1791 section of the house (following research of the period) was painted a very light gray with slightly darker gray on the original woodwork, including the deep windowsills. The original wood ceiling beams remain untouched. A $60 hutch from B&K Trading Post was transformed by Rob, painted the same color as the woodwork, and houses a large flat screen television as well as other much-needed storage.
Rob also created some additional furnishings for the house and garage. In many cases, Kristy’s imagination and suggested designs were the inspiration.
“I build it and she makes it pretty,” says Rob.
And all those changes, many of which were done in the first six months, provided unique backdrops, both indoors and out, for holiday decorating.
Going All-Out for the Holidays
About a dozen Christmas trees of all shapes and sizes call the property home.
Greeting guests at the front entrance is a clever pallet tree Rob constructed. Lights were strung on its diagonally positioned planks, and it’s surrounded by a bounty of evergreens and vintage sleds.
An antique wooden card catalog flanking the front door is filled with holiday-related collectibles and greens, and a well-worn bench is topped by artfully arranged greens.
Indoors, a large, beautifully adorned tree dominates a corner of the living room. Tiny, Charlie Brown trees stand sentinel on the wide window- sills, offering guests a view to the natural beauty of the landscape on the other side of the glass.
In the middle of the runner on the long kitchen table sits a small evergreen awaiting planting that makes its own statement in the rustic surrounds, which include an exposed stone wall from the original structure. Fronting that wall is a two-level sideboard, built by Rob, which enjoys plenty of use – as a coffee bar, a more traditional bar, or a buffet which can handle the many dishes of a big holiday family meal. It’s also an ideal spot for seasonal décor. At the holidays, Kristy makes sure that décor includes plenty of Christmas mugs and the fixings for their favorite hot chocolate.
In the master bedroom – a full restoration project yet to be tackled – Kristy and Rob pay a lovely tribute to the holidays in a space blessed with a vaulted ceiling and lots of great light thanks to expansive windows.
Three sizeable, amply ornamented and lighted trees fill the front-facing windows. A sign Kristy painted and posted over the bed notes “Christmas Tree Farm” with an arrow punctuated by three tree images cunningly pointing to the trio on the window.
Even the bed is decorated: a wreath is positioned in the middle of the iron headboard and seasonal bedding completes the cozy tableau.
Inside out
Cozy isn’t just a word to describe interior holiday décor at the Kochs.
Taking the short boardwalk to the gazebo is enchanting. Lights circle the roofline of the gazebo, sparkling amid the trees surrounding it. An artful greens arrangement is by the entrance. Once “inside,” seating runs along the sides and seasonal pillows and throws to ward off the chill are at hand. Also at hand is the fire pit. Ample supplies of Hershey bars, graham crackers and marshmallows are ready for s’mores making once the fire is lit. The Kochs say this is one of the most popular sites on the property.
Also popular is the garage which Rob has fashioned into his man cave. Rob built the massive bar from reclaimed wood; the bar top is ceramic tile, which has the appearance of distressed wood. The one-of-a-kind lighting fixture above the bar is the chandelier Rob had made for the dining room in Kristy’s old house. Rob’s man cave is furnished with the chairs and tables from his former home, and a big screen TV makes it the perfect hang-out for football Sundays. Kristy smiles when she looks around.
“This really is Rob’s old house,” she says.
Here and there, around the property, everyday items are dressed for the holidays. From old wooden ladders to toolboxes, they are decked out in ways their original owners might not have imagined – with simple birdhouses Rob built and with branches and greens.
The Kochs get started decorating the Sunday after Black Friday. Kristy favors “farmstand fresh” materials – fresh or dried flowers, greens, holly, pine cones, branches with other kinds of colorful berries. Some she purchases, while others are gathered on the grounds.
“I use a lot of natural elements,” she says. One of her favorites – dried hydrangea from a relative’s garden. “Friends say the house feels like a home; it’s not stuffy or overdone,” Kristy says.
Among those complimenting the couple were the 26 family members at the Christmas table and some 87 others on hand for the housewarming.
A Mixed “Family”
While the couple does not have children of their own, there is clearly a family occupying this Vinemont Road property. Their two godchildren, Madison, 13, and Mason, 12, are frequent weekend visitors and have made the studio their headquarters.
Permanent residents include Paisley, an 8-year-old Weimaraner, Savannah, a 3-year-old mini Labradoodle, and felines Puddin’, 1, and Karma, about 14.
Relegated to the outdoors are Duck Norris and Quack Johnson, purchased as ducklings for Madison and Mason. Duck and Quack serve as guard ducks, with loud signals of visitors. They intimidate Paisley, who runs to Rob and Kristy for cover while Savannah holds her own. Duck and Quack also seem to have a bit of a narcissistic trait – the pair will stand for hours admiring their reflections in a basement window, quacking with approval of their images.
The happy surrounds and the warmth of the 2016 holidays brought about another change for the couple. On Christmas Eve, Rob proposed. They married on Oct. 29 in Savannah, on Kristy’s parents’ 40th anniversary. A honeymoon in Barbados, which mercifully avoided September’s terrible hurricanes, followed.
After all the nuptial excitement, it was soon time to think holiday decorating.
“When you find something that catches your eye, then go for it” is Kristy’s simple philosophy about decorating. That philosophy might just also apply to how the couple connected with each other and this home of their holiday dreams.
