Big Love

A Canadian couple distills lessons from reviving old homes and gardens

What is a forgotten home? Why find it? Cynthia Zamaria and her partner and husband Graham Loughton detail their journey of finding, fixing, living in, and then leaving old homes and their gardens. It is their life’s work and passion. They raised their family in these places, each home was different and beautiful.

“You can do it…” she whispered.

Published by BLOOM in 2022, this book of sorts looks more like a gorgeous magazine, and that is one reason it caught my eye in a local bookstore recently. I read it in two nights, savoring the images, and enjoying Zamaria’s voice on the page. It was like she was whispering in my ear “You can do it too.” I went to bed dreaming of lovingly restoring an old house for my family.

“We all need more beautiful in our lives” the book begins.

There are four chapters: Homes Have Souls, You do You, Mother Nature is the Original Stylist, and Trend Less. Each new place is a project of possibilities, where renewal is seductive.

Saving seven homes has given the couple the chance to live in and restore a variety of homes, from farm to city. They also refined their process, learned from trial and error, and have figured a lot of things out, though that is briefly mentioned by the author. This is not an expose of their trials and tribulations.

The simple elegance of the book, the easy narration, and the images all lead you to igniting your own creative mind and to pose the question What If?