Garden Design No. 28 - Modern Container Garden

The phrase "bring the outdoors in" has been used in the interior design world almost to overexposure. I'm inspired to bring the inside out from a modern interior. The organic geometry of a modern interior can bring a breath of fresh air into our gardens. So let's take a look at modern container gardening.

Even if your interior is not modern why not give it a try for something different in this year's garden design? 

Modern container gardening is form over flower. This doesn't mean you won't be enjoying color in your planters. The coloration of modern outdoor plants, and even those houseplants you only bring out in warmer temperatures offer an array of light and dark. Some almost an iridescence and shimmer, compliments of the warm sun's rays.

Grasses are perfect for the modern container gardens. Taller grasses can provide an living hedge and add movement to your gardens. Another advantage of the movement of ornamental grasses in the modern container garden is the sound they bring. Close your eyes, relax and listen, there's nothing like it.

Many recommended plants for the modern container garden are low upkeep. Plants such as horsetail grass, agave, any variety of succulents, mondo grass, evergold sedge green, inkberry and mosses to name a few.

The clarity of the color palette will raise your awareness of the form of each plant. Something often missing when using a multitude of flowering plants in containers. Don't get me wrong I love the traditional flowering garden containers, however rethinking your garden from one year to another can be a delightful surprise.

Sculpture is a must with modern container gardening. I'm partial to forms like round stone orbs in varying sizes clustered with the modern container garden. Or an artful planter and rustic,simplistic pottery.

Repetitive plantings in matching containers keeps the modern container garden polished. Think sculptural, cubism, surrealism. Whether your interior is modern or not, give modern container gardening a try this year in your garden. Even if you decide just a little modern is enough, consider doing it only in the front or back gardens. Transitional design isn't reserved for the interior of our home.

The container selection is an integral part of the modern container gardening. It should be a contrast or compliment to your home's exterior color palette. The plants inside those containers will be striking in matte black containers or warm and inviting in a earthen container.

 

You'll find that some of your favorite outdoor plants can easily be incorporated into modern container gardening. Just keep in mind form and sculpture. Whether single plantings or cluster plantings in one pot remember less is more in modern design. 

A modern garden focuses on sophistication and leans on the simplicity of Asian garden design. It is uncluttered and uses organic, matted, stone and wood to compliment the plantings. Minimalist themes are the secret to modern container gardening.

May your journey with modern container gardening be your new zen!

Sources: Garden Design, Restoration Hardware, The Spruce, Pinterest, Growing Light, Better Homes & Gardens, HGTV, Gardener's Path, Terrazo

Be Inspired No. 91 - The Eyes Have It

My intrigue for eyes... it started on a lazy Summer afternoon and a family weekend at the cabin. My much younger kids, at the time and their Dad went off to do their thing and I decided to explore a small local antique shop not too far away. 

I came across a bin full of old paper, lithographs, and catalogs and hit the jackpot when I came across a small French menu in the shape of a egg cup. I knew I had to keep digging! When I took my finds to the shop owner to pay he mentioned he had a whole back room filled with old paper and I was invited to go back and look through.

Two hours later I came out of that back room with a flat cart stacked with paper treasures. One of which was an old ophthalmology textbook. Why? Because when I flipped through the book I was drawn to an eye sketch that I couldn't look away from. I took this treasure, along with a few others found that day, to my framer's to select the perfect frames. When I visit, I always go to the frames that are made from leftover mouldings and found a round frame that was perfect for my eyeball sketch. 

After I hung the round art-framed eyeball I remembered a clay eye of David that my son made during a summer art camp and my love of the eye detail deepened. I added that clay piece to a wall shelf that was part of my artscape.

Like a lot of my loves, I dedicated a Pinterest board to it. The Eyes Have It is a collection of some of the eye details featured in this blog post. I don't pin every eye I find - they have to make me stare before they gain a spot on my board. 

Detail isn't a new fling for me. So much of life's enjoyment is in the details that we can easily miss when we look at the big picture. Concentrating on the detail of the eye has given me a richer experience in artwork I've seen before. I'll admit there's a little bit of funkiness in this love and that's okay. The quirkiness in us sings out our personality and individuality. 

The beauty of the eye can hold a story that almost seems mysterious. One we can interrupt and own. There may be different versions of the story from one person to another and that is perfection!

The eyes are the mirror to our souls. Be inspired with this as a reminder that it's all in the details, every little detail - even the zooming in on a single eye. 

Sources: Tumblr, The Fuller View, Pinterest

Gotta Love No. 59 - The Art of the Bust

My new obsession are portrait busts. This obsession started like most of mine do - catching my eye and then turning into a Pinterest board that explodes in a matter of days. I know when its become an obsession when I get the notification "Psst you've already saved this pin to The Art of the Bust.

The portrait bust was a Hellenistic Greek invention ultimately copied by the Romans. The Greek created the bust to represent idealized human forms of heros and gods. Romans represented real people to show respect for their ancestors, to immortalize them.

Obsessions are personal, our little secret, temporarily. I say temporarily because at some point we can't keep them to ourselves. We blubber about them. Then the thing we are obsessing about in the moment starts showing up everywhere we turn. 

With this recent obsession of mine I told not a soul. Then a most handsome bust of Guiliano de' Medici shows up in a post of a purveyor I follow. He was in a group of four but stood out calling my name. The resistance was nill and he now sits on my desk. The desk I am sitting at writing this blog post. I cannot lie - I am pausing now and again to pet it. I'm in love.

Now I know there are people reading this all over the world who are clapping with glee because they can rest in the assurance that my reaction to an obsession is the same as theirs. They realize they are not alone. Some may be in denial, no worries you'll soon recognize these symptoms at some point. 

You might find yourself carrying your bust around your home until you find the perfect spot. I've moved mine from one side of my desk to the other. Perhaps I'm satisfied with where he is, perhaps not. I'm still looking at the credenza in my dining area as a possible resting place. Time will tell. I am confident I'll know when the exact spot is found. It will just feel right.

I'm not even sure I'm done with this obsession. Guiliano may have some companions in the near future because there's something about a cluster of white busts that put a flutter in my heart. Or I might just stay infatuated with him alone.

Where you place your bust obsession in your domus will be an adventure for certain. Enjoy the journey! My handsome guy is a two foot tall beauty with a calming and restful face and he's a welcome addition to my home.

Gotta love healthy obsessions. And my Pinterest Board - sixty-six pins and counting. 

Sources: Tumblr, Hawker Antiques, Pufin Homes, The Ancient Home, Domino, Veranda, Pinterest, Hunters & Gatherers, Coco & Kelley

Rethinking the Look of Things No. 63 - Styling the Linen Cabinet

We've all done it, fallen in love with a furniture piece. A chair, a table, a cabinet. If only we could find a space in our home for it, we would take it home with us. If we rethink the traditional use of any one of these pieces we swoon over, they can become our very own. I find this to be true of a cabinet that becomes a beautifully styled home for linens either in the bath or guest room.

Sometimes it isn't the cabinet we find first - it's the empty space we seek the piece for. And perhaps we already have the piece that we give new purpose. Any always remember it isn't always what our trip was about when we find a special addition to our home. 

Be the rebel you know I find great joy being in the company of and dodge the typical vanity or built in closet. Each and every place in our homes needs to hold something more than utility. Sure it's important that this piece have some concealed space because, afterall life can get hectic and we need those spaces that hide our hurried time.

Ditch the cardboard and plastic that our toiletries are packaged in for beautiful baskets and glassware. Be selective - making sure your selections add ease to your daily routine or the coveted quiet retreat of a bubble bath.

Styling a cabinet as linen storage isn't a new idea. It reminds me of an apothecary. The 14th century English word that is derived from the Latin apothica that means "storehouse". What better place to use modern apothecary jars than here. What we "store" here is our "medicine" to renew and rejuvenate. Presented in a spa-like way - a treat for ourselves.

Rethink that hutch or highboy you used in a different way - style it as a linen cabinet in the master ensuite or the guest room. Don't make it look like an afterthought though. Choose wisely because this piece becomes a focal point. It needs to allow for the function of a linen closet. You'll know what's best. Is it a painted piece? Does the design call for a wallpapered back? Will the addition of lighting inside elevate its use? 

That empty wall in a niche or hallway may be beckoning the cabinet that is your styled linen cabinet. Rethink the look of things - be inspired!


Sources: Instagram, Architectural Digest, My Domaine, Pinterest, 

Well Dressed Home No. 65 - Tete a Tete

Bonjour! Regardless of the language we speak human nature thrives on communication. The craving for face to face conversation is sometimes not recognized in our world of technical means of communication, but it is there. A cozy chat with a friend just isn't the same via a screen. Welcome back to the art of conversation! Let's carve this art into our homes. 

Say hello to the tete a tete. A delightful furniture piece dating back to the 19th century. Designed specifically for heart to heart conversation. A gift to those who hold the love language of "quality time". 

The word tete a tete also holds the meaning of "a variety of early flowering fragrant daffodil". I love this piece even more! As communication and the act of giving bridge the gap between two people, so can the tete a tete in a room setting. It's a great way to keep two seating groups all inclusive to everyone in the room. Where a sofa can create a barrier between two seating groups the tete a tete offers openness and welcome to all sharing the space.

A great solution between an open floor plan between our great room and kitchen, the tete a tete with a artful drink table keeps the conversation flowing. The visit becomes more intimate and the memories created abundant. 

The tete a tete will be that piece you sneak time alone on too and that's okay - t's a way to rekindle the sweet memories created from the conversations held there. 

Keep in mind this piece should be kept simplistic by choosing understated fabrics. It is to blend into your living space, so solid textures with a smooth hand for comfort will be best. The lines of the tete a tete are graceful - whether a modern or traditional design - they need to be respected. The attention is on the conversation while the tete a tete provides the quiet setting.

There are no restrictions on which room the tete a tete is best. Once you've fallen in love with this glorious piece you will feel the need to find a place in your home for its spot.

No rules to the room your tete a tete sits in and the time of day a cozy chat occurs! Whether it be at the start of the new day with a cup of coffee in the breakfast nook or at end of day enjoying a glass of wine with a grateful heart.

 The well dressed home deserves a tete a tete and all it brings to our lives.



Sources: Dwell, Decor Pad, Houzz, Anthropology, One Kings Lane, Pinterest

Garden Design No. 27 - The Language of Flowers

My sister is an extremely talented florist and owns a charming shop. Her love of flowers and plants is an innate talent she has had for as long as can remember. In her hands these flowers are loved. Over these last few days she has been posting, on social media the most inspiring messages of the meaning of flowers and how they relate to precious life itself. She stopped by my home last week to bring by a beautiful floral arrangement to help celebrate my birthday.

Her social media posts inspired me to look deeper into the floral arrangement - take in every detail and the meaning, rather than just the gesture.

This is what I have come to know - the message of my birthday arrangement. Freedom, joy, success and overcoming obstacles, courage, strength, understanding, appreciation, and love. Oh, and the leopard hat box the flowers are in? It's meaning? She knows me well!

The bird of paradise symbolizes paradise and freedom, as well as joy. It is also said to be a symbol of success and overcoming obstacles both in workplace and in life in general. The bird of paradise originates from South Africa and the cultivation of this flower was first carried out in 1773 at the Royal Botanical Garden in Kew, South Africa. I love the exotic structure of this flower - there's a humble pride about it.

Paired brilliantly in my floral arrangement is the pin cushion protea. Among the oldest families of flowers on earth dating back 300 million years, the protea is named after Greek god Proteus, a deity that was able to change forms. The protea symbolizes change and transformation. Diversity, courage and strength are also attributed to its meaning. This flower is fascinating in its form closed and especially when it's open. It's a free spirit - a rebel.

Tulip, a wildflower said to originate from Persia. In the 1500s, tulips were extensively cultivated in Turkey, and because of their resemblance to the “tulbend” — a turban worn by Turkish men — were called tulipan. Tulips come in a variety of colors and for the most part, they’re a symbol of a declaration of love. The orange tulip means a sense of understanding and appreciation. 

I may be late in the game of this discovery and appreciation of the meaning of flowers, however the timeliness of this new enlightenment is both precious and perfect. Just like a flower. My selection of the planting of flowers in the past was more from a designer's eye, choosing because of color and shape. What a delight to evolve into creating this additional meaningfulness to plantings that will be forever present in my life. 

My next phone call to my florist will not be to just ask that an arrangement be sent on my behalf in a dollar range - but will be more specific to what is in that arrangement because the flowers in the vase will be part of my message of love, hope, encouragement, and well wishes to those receiving them.

Be inspired by the language of flowers!

Sources: FTD, Tree Symbolism, Teleflora, Pinterest