Curated Nature

After several years of running an innovative floral and interior design shop, Hort and Pott, in the charming upstate New York town of Oak Hill, partners Carter Harrington and Todd Carr decided to branch out. “Our shop was a venue to create immersive displays of fresh arrangements and new objects that we made or collected. It was this changing interior that people would make a point to come and see,” says Harrington. “But we got to where we needed more space to grow, so we decided to buy an old dairy farm nearby.”

The couple is working hard to renovate both a shop building and a “great old house” on their property in Freehold, New York, including adding a new Wolf range to their rustic-themed kitchen. Meanwhile, they are hosting open weekends for their fans and followers to attend. “We were inspired to create events that are a combination of art exhibition and experiential commerce,” says Harrington. “Visitors will get to be part of what we are creating in the moment,” he says. “We hope to cultivate something a little more special than our traditional shop.”

Hort and Pott (shortened versions of horticulture and pottery) are what Harrington refers to as a “constantly evolving, botanically driven design practice.” He admits that he and Carr have essentially taken on eponymous nicknames. “Todd has the garden design background, and I’ve recently learned how to craft concrete pots, so yes, I guess we have become Hort and Pott!” he says.

Before they adopted a rural lifestyle in upstate New York, the couple led busy urban lives in New York City, where they initially met. Carr was a master gardener for over a decade and the senior garden editor at Martha Stewart Living magazine. Harrington studied interior design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and worked in both design and fabrication. “I’m quite good at construction, and Todd doesn’t use hammers or measuring tapes,” he says. “So I kind of joke that the way it works is I build the stage, and Todd sets it.”

Harrington also makes many of the pots and containers they use for displays. “I’ve translated my love of cast concrete architecture into a new obsession for domestic-scale exterior garden design objects,” he says. Carr photographs all of the unique interior tableaus and handcrafted wreaths, sprays, and other natural adornments for their Instagram feed and website. This is where many of these items and a curated selection of vintage finds are available for sale in limited seasonal collections.

Harrington’s and Carr’s goal is for Hort and Pott to become a sought-after bespoke garden product company. “We have these wonderful containers that we sell,” says Harrington, “and water fountains, sculptures, and all sorts of intriguing objects that we come across.” Each season brings a different mood to their work. “Spring is all about bulbs and flowers and that moment of bringing greenery back after the winter,” says Harrington. “Summer is really about our love for tropical plants, water features, and outdoor living, and then fall and the holidays are about the home and harvest.”

Between creating seasonal crafts, discovering distinctive objects, running an e-commerce business on their website, hosting immersive weekends, and completing renovations, Harrington and Carr are rarely idle. “It’s a great problem to have,” says Harrington. He says they are both excited to see how the business grows and evolves. And as they continue to offer their singular botanical experiences and objects for in-person and online customers, Harrington already knows what his next task is: “I’m working on an ad for an assistant!” he says with a laugh.