Peek Inside This Colorful New Hampshire Farmhouse Filled with Country Charm

You might have to look hard to find Tarrnation Farm in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. There's no website to lead you here, no advertising to point the way—just a hand-lettered sign on the side of the road. "Most people hear of the place through word of mouth," explains owner Reggie Tarr. "Business is a little bit slower that way, but I like it better." Twenty-five years ago, Tarr was operating a nursery and landscaping business in a neighboring town. But what he really wanted to do—live off the land—required room to grow. He started renting this parcel in the early 1990s, and by '97, he owned it outright, rechristening the place Tarrnation Farm. "I thought I'd have some fun with the name," Tarr jokes. "But it really is my own little nation!" In this photo: Tarr designed the 1,000-square-foot house himself. A pathway, studded with Portulaca and Iceland poppies, leads to the front door, which is flanked by more blooms.

All told, it took 10 years to get the farm in working order. "For me, longer and slower is always better," he says. "Honestly, 10 years is nothing." Rather than go into debt, Tarr made improvements as he could afford them, like rehabbing the 150-year-old barn. Then he collaborated with an architect friend and a local carpenter to build a modest, two-bedroom home on the foundation of a former shed. In this photo: The house boasts nine brilliant shades of paint. The dining table and chairs are from L.L. Bean.

An open-plan ground floor—a mere 22 by 23 feet—contains a kitchen and dining area. A local carpenter built the pine island, and Tarr fashioned the pot rack by mounting a two-by-two—painted the same color as the beam—overhead. The walls are painted Golden Straw and the cabinets are painted Sherwood Green, both by Benjamin Moore. Bright idea: Tarr covered the back of his stove with a handsome copper panel, which has since taken on a deep patina.

Stoneware bowls, collected at flea markets and yard sales, corral a harvest of Greek oregano, tomatoes, and marjoram. Garlic and spring onions round out the day's loot. The window frame is painted Tangelo by Benjamain Moore.

Rainy afternoons and early mornings (before sunrise!) are devoted to indoor tasks, like canning Northern Pickling cukes.

Tarr keeps handwritten records at his desk and doesn't own a computer or cell phone. "I'd rather talk to people in person," he says.

A hammock, a hat, and market bags—all souvenirs from Panama—line the curved stairwell. Freshly preserved cucumbers and beets wait to be stored away. The door frame is painted Fireball Orange by Benjamin Moore. Bright idea: To keep his go-to cookbooks within easy reach, Tarr built a simple bracketed shelf.

In keeping with his spartan aesthetic, Tarr's bedroom consists of little more than a futon, photos, and books. A reed mask from Panama hangs from the skylight; the walls are painted Greenmount Silk by Benjamin Moore.

Photos from Tarr's off-season travels hang in the bedroom.

The bathroom boasts a claw-foot tub for well-earned soaks. "I typically work 12 hours a day, seven days a week," Tarr explains. "I only know it's the weekend because I have more customers." In this photo: Extra-tall beadboard—painted in Benjamin Moore's Mill Springs Blue—covers the walls. Tarr acquired the sink from a local gas station when they threw the fixture away; the claw-foot tub is a cast-off from a former landscaping client.

Tarr plans, plants, and harvests his six-acre property each year, and from early May to mid-October, he opens up his barn and sells the produce to anyone who stops by. It's a simple operation: All vegetables are packed in paper bags and priced at $5.95 a pop. Artful bouquets of flowers start at $9.95. Take what you want and leave your cash in the coffee tin. Have a question, or need some change? You'll probably find the proprietor—barefoot—working in the fields nearby, and he'll be happy to help. In this photo: These cut-flower bouquets—arranged on a worktable just inside the barn—account for nearly 75 percent of Tarr's business.