At work and at home, they've done it themselves

LEXINGTON -- Few people have combined home and work interests was well as Russell and Marian Morash.

Russell Morash, who in the late '50s would sometimes wear the plaster dust of his own home-improvement projects when he came to work at WGBH (Ch. 2), was the creative force behind PBS's stable of how-to shows, including "This Old House," which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and several Julia Child cooking series. He could fairly be called the granddaddy of do-it-yourself TV.

Marian Morash has been influential as well, not only as Chef Marian on "The Victory Garden," another Russell Morash creation, but as executive chef for the Child shows. A self-taught cook, she is an incorporator of the Women's Culinary Guild and a cofounder and former executive chef of the Straight Wharf Restaurant in Nantucket, where she had an all-women kitchen in the mid-'70s, before women had a real presence in the culinary scene.

The Morashes, married 46 years ago, each followed in their father's footsteps, even while making the path their own: Russell's was a carpenter; Marian's trained as a chef in Europe. Together they have two daughters and five grandchildren, who rate a fair amount of attention from the couple, both 68, even as they continue to follow their interests.

"When Russell is not doing his work, he's gardening, woodworking, or repairing. . . or consulting with his daughters who are renovating, or doing grandfatherly things," Marian says.

As you might expect, they've molded their home, an old farmhouse they have expanded, to their interests. It sits on a 2-acre lot next to conservation land, giving the impression that it extends forever. For many years, the property was the setting for "The Victory Garden," and yet again this spring its rows are fully planted. Large orange Oriental poppies add color to their shade garden and are the only plants, not counting poison ivy, that have been on the property since 1975.

"I keep moving the poppies, but they can only be moved in August," Russell Morash says.

Inside, the living room contains many cherished possessions. One of Russell's favorite things is a small, rectangular box made by his great-grandfather Anthony Morash around the turn of the century. Though at one time it was buried in his workshop holding screws and bolts, it's now displayed here. Russell's grandfather's coronet also is on view, on a shelf with a display of Russell's Emmy Awards -- seven on each side of the generous fireplace, alongside Marian's James Beard Award. Over the fireplace is a mantle adorned by an oil painting of the view from their house in Nantucket. Each has a home office. Russell's overlooks his garden; Marian's is off the dining room, with another desk in the kitchen.

Among the home's accents are a prized color photograph from a French village by Paul Child, Julia's husband. A large lamp is a wired antique fire extinguisher that bears a bullet hole, probably the result of emptying the old item of its original contents. There are antiques among the furniture, too, albeit mixed in with 8-10 pieces crafted by carpenter Norm Abram on "The New Yankee Workshop," another Morash creation. When the couple renovates their dining room, its centerpiece will be a mahogany table made by Abram, who's also a key player on "This Old House."

But before that job, the couple intends to tackle the kitchen, a large space with an island and an unusual, intricate parquet floor. Scheduled for demise are its bright blue, '70s Formica cabinets, to be replaced with custom-made cabinetry. Marian still uses the kitchen daily; they are currently eating according to the South Beach diet, and Marian says she's always "shopping and chopping."

A small greenhouse abuts the kitchen and Russell plants seedlings and putters there. "It's a great source of recreation for me," he says, as he brings out a simple arrangement made with fresh-cut flowers. "I don't play golf. This is one of my passions."