Resourceful Creative Festive Fun

When it’s time sensitive and just can’t wait – what do you get? A BONUS BLOG!!!  Yes! A mid-week blog for the holidays! It began beneath a brilliant blue sky yesterday as the air, with a teeny bit of a  chill, was contrasted by the then warm sunshine glistening through a deciduous denuded Honey Locust making it’s lonely leftover pods look like birds silhouetted against the sky.

Scattered all over the ground were the same fallen wonderfully twisted mahogany-colored pods writhing amidst the dried leaves.

The color was so rich and warm it was irresistible. As I bent over to inspect one, I was captured by the unique quality of each pod and the amazing contours of their graceful, elongated shapes.

Almost as though they were varnished, they had a semi-gloss that was naturally beautiful. This is art in nature. This is inspiration. I can see this as a magnificent drapery fabric – a grand wall of these intertwined ribbons of organic seed pods.

However, on a more current and immediate note – I saw a centerpiece or multiple centerpieces as it turned out. I gathered the pods in my fist as though a wonderfully wild bouquet. I then needed a bag (thank you Becky) as I kept dropping them, in an effort to force the ever growing collection.

Here is the quickie result of the awesome autumnal centerpiece. I had a faux wreath of berries and leaves, tossed in a few recently harvested local apples, (thank you Vigils), some leaves gathered from the driveway as the Bradford Pear – which, a little late this year due to our unseasonably warm Indian Summer this fall, has only started to drop its gloriously radiant leaves. And Voila!

I stood back and looked over my shoulder and saw the collapsed plastic bag still spilling pods out over the counter-top.

I was about to call all my friends and ask “Do you want a piece of this fabulous, festive, fall, focus of attention? And I quickly realized I could expand the joy for those of you with grand tables  needing a longer statement down the center.

So flanking glass vases provided the extension I needed. Now this was quick – adding gravel, sand or moss in the vases would add interest and depth, maybe pheasant feathers, other dried flower pods and grasses – this was just a start based upon an irresistible inspiration scattered before me.

So keep your eyes peeled for opportunities when you least expect them and make something out of nothing. Save unnecessary expense when you find your design accessories for free!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Effective Staging & Improvments Clinch the Deal

We staged a house this week.  We TRANSFORMED IT! Wonderful clients for several years, who I regard as friends too, called to say they were moving out-of-state and they needed to quickly  get their house ready for sale. So many things that we had planned to do and more, deferred due to life getting in the way, all of a sudden got put on the fast-track to get finished in less than a month!

When you think of staging a house for sale, you might think of a fall scene scented with stove-top cinnamon sticks warming in a pan. In the spring, as it is now, fresh flowers with floral fragrances wafting on breezes through open windows and doorways.  We had the floral bouquets – just a couple – as centerpieces in the dining room and another game table in the family room.

But in order to really make this house attractive to the prospective buyers – millennials and their families – experience tells me that we needed to install profound punctuations of exciting  new trendy finishes and colors.

I critiqued the kitchen for its old but good-as-new solid surface countertops with a dated, tell-tale sandwich of speckled forest green in between the bull-nosed edge of solid white. The cabinets were plain slab birch yellowed by time, with hand-crafted wooden handles. To place the emphasis where we would get the most “bang for the buck,” we kept the countertops, refinished the cabinets and added new mosaic tile and paint accents. 

A few years earlier, we had stripped adjacent identical cabinets in the dining area and re-finished them with multiple clear-coats of conversion varnish. In place of the two-screwed wooden handles, we installed three small conical-shaped  brushed stainless pulls. By adding the third holes at each, between the existing two of the wooden pulls, the detail looked intentional and contributed to a modernized interpretation of the cabinet design.  We now finished the kitchen cabinets to match which had been  slated for the same improvements, but put on the back-burned until now. 

The end wall of the kitchen, with a large pass-through opening into the dining room, leaving no significant wall space for art or other accessorizing, was the perfect element for a dramatic, eye-catching full-wall treatment. A mosaic of horizontal glass tiles in earthen blacks and beiges balanced the warm cabinets and maple flooring with a strength, pattern, interest and glossy bling.  The same mosaic tile wrapped the room filling the back-splash  between countertops and upper cabinets. 

Outside we painted the garage doors, wall sconce and patio trim with a new organic neutral mushroom green shade. The landscaping was enhanced with new river rock and a couple of large ceramic planters were placed by the front entry with mature plants creating a sense of establishment. The plain concrete entry porch was tiled with a dark earthy porcelain continuing up the step and into the entry foyer replacing the burnt  orange tile that had been  neglected from the decades old original finishes. 

Additional planters were purchased to scatter about – but a more effective idea to have a strong showing of them at the end of the pool anchored that setting with a stunning blue ceramic colonnade bursting forth with brilliant contrasting yellow Celtic Broom. Massing things can often create more powerful statements rather than sparse, weak distributions of the same.

The master bedroom suite had been remodeled a couple of years prior. Pre-fabricated white melamine closet components were replaced with custom fabricated birch closets and cabinetry to continue the theme of the original cabinets in the main level of the home. Updated granite countertops, new lighting and mosaic tiles jazzed the dressing scene and brought order for the young parents running this busy family.

Staging a home requires thinking about clearing the clutter and dressing the scene. But beyond that, looking at more powerful elements to repair and update can make an enormous difference in the appeal to potential buyers. This was evidenced by the comments that we overheard specifically about the more dramatic installations like the new mosaic wall, welcoming entry tile and effective row of blue patio planters that we decided to employ really clinched the deal.

 

Revitalizing Urban Living, New Town Concepts & Suburban Planning.

With this buzz about millennial populations driving the planning of housing design,  last week’s  blog introduced the concept of common denominators between the young and the aging. Much focus continues to be on valuable revitalization of urban centers – utilizing the density and existing structures to re-purpose for cost-effective housing in a convenient environment. New construction then inserts itself for in-fill and stimulating design opportunities and contrasts.

Other life-style communities include the experimental and often very successful “new towns” beginning with Reston, in Fairfax, Virginia. It was, writes Tom Grubisich, “conceived as an alternative to ailing cities and sprawling suburbs.”  It was not intended to revitalize urban centers but to create idealized versions of the complete township out in the suburbs.

To breathe life back into our cities we strive to resurrect the bones of the old buildings salvaging the character, texture and history – while adding new construction to mix contemporary architectural style and bringing modern features and efficiencies.  The results are exciting and stimulating. 

Pairing the concepts of both “new town” planning with revitalization of our urban centers speaks to the next phase in revitalizing our urban centers. Clustering people for convenience and cost-savings, might now focus on how to best bring families into this equation. How to provide more green spaces, multi-generational activities, schools, grocery markets and other shopping boutiques to the inner-cities. This is not new – but increasingly attractive to planners and designers.   Portland

This swing to the city-centers will not devalue the suburban experience but is certainly causing a re-direction of planning for more clustered conveniences in those outer environs. Sharing the more attractive features of both will better meld and improve the lifestyle preferences for all locations.

 

Suburban planning where people find larger yards and detached living quarters, then mixed with condos and apartments results in the added attractions of township design becoming increasingly appealing.  Here is Mosaic in Fairfax, Virginia – like other blooming pockets encircling our larger cities, this offers convenience with a new planned density located within the suburban surrounds.  

Looking at all angles of lifestyle, quality of life and location, location, location…it is a fascinating study and the fast pace and accessibility of the internet is bringing the information to the investors at a blindingly rapid pace. Whether you are an investor in your own lifestyle desires and needs, a planner investing your career recognition and intending to design the right things, or a developer investing to make a smart, successful mark and  personal gain – the answers are in the dialogue – if everyone is listening.

Happy Easter Weekend 

 

 

A True Beach House…

The soft diaphanous salt air wafts through the open concept of this simple yet effective architectural design – would that it had gauze draping the sides to illustrate the motion of the ever so soft breeze. Thatch top still green from the recent construction, sturdy crooked legs like that of the broken men who braved the seas and might have found themselves beached here to build this primitive, yet artistic structure. It was picture perfectly inspired dwelling on this glorious tropical day.

Here we are lolly-gagging along…shelling, exercising, making our way across this pristine stretch of fine sand exaggerated in girth by the low tide that allows the seemingly unrestrained beach to read with expanded proportions when we come upon this precious little structure.

What a find! When you least expect it, you often encounter the best opportunities – like this one – strolling down the beach and encountering this creative little casita – beachfront for sure – organic, open and airy!!! Surfers? Nomads? The possible stories of our imagination are limitless within the physical parameters of this delightful discovery.

The roof allows filtered light in and open sides allow the sea breeze to flow through…organic material used to create these authentic and so very contextual furnishings speak volumes about the focus of the fabricators. Nestled against the out-cropping of jungle trees and wild flowers spilling onto the sand, the scene is more magical than Gilligan’s – maybe even more so that Robinson Crusoe!!  Tom Hanks would have thought he had stumbled into the Ritz! Yet, the simplicity of it all was the emphasis of less is more – spare and understated – it pared down the essential elements to create this special little one room accommodation.

The furnishings are minimalist – yet so very functional. The sofa is crafted from a log supported, and suspended above the beach sand – quite comfortable and ergonomic as a seat structure. A triad coffee table is comprised from three logs topped with three handsome flat stones. Perfect!  And a sculptural,  beautiful branch of driftwood sits off to the side reminding us that beauty without function is essential.

Take a walk in the woods…of into the fields…onto a wild untamed beach and discover the natural elements that were the primitive beginnings of our interior design – the modified native habitats that we reside in today. And see that stretch!!!!! Evolution can reverse its course as we investigate and appreciate the value and beauty in simple things…

Planning an Intelligent Home.

Baby Boomers – 1946-1964 Do YOU have an Intelligent Home? Do you want to be there for a while? Do you want to age in place without having to move as your needs change?

Life’s fast pace. So much to do, so little time…we are working hard and playing hard – harder than ever before in the history of our world. Fifty is the new forty and so on…With that lifestyle and attitude come new scenarios for living.

And if you are retired or even semi-retired, you want to get away, lock up the house with the peace of mind that your home is secure and maintenance free. How do you achieve this place?

This new age is one of redefining lifestyles, living arrangements and home design. People are renting rooms to strangers – how can you do that and maintain security for them and your personal living space? The same can be true of children returning home – how can you maintain your privacy and offer them theirs as well?

Families are being redefined as the “boomerangs” are not out of the house after college – not setting forth into the world, but rather, returning home to find their jobs and save some money before they take that next leap.

On the other end of life’s spectrum, their grandparents – YOUR parents are not necessarily going to “the home” but rather YOUR home as your house becomes a dormitory for three generations or more! These many life changing circumstances result in challenging scenarios for you and your family.

Kids, pets, grandparents, grandchildren…multiple interests, multiple activities – all taken into consideration as you make your plans and modify your life to accommodate these changes. Whether your home is larger than you need and you wish to downsize or your home is experiencing the addition of more people and their various needs and activities, intelligent design will insure making the best of what you have.

Your desire to downsize brings issues of what to take and what to discard, how to plan the new space and utilize it to the best purposes, designing it to be free of maintenance so that life is easier.

Intelligent Design is just that – good ideas to bring value, safety and enjoyment to your home. We can assist you in solving these issues and making everyone’s life better.

My own mother is experiencing these very real situations that come with aging in place. Twenty years ago we began planning the design of her retirement home. Two years later she was comfortably settled with all of her possessions perfectly situated. Having plotted each piece of furniture on the plan prior to construction, there was truly a place for everything and everything in its place. We discussed as many “what ifs” that we could imagine and designed accordingly. This one story floorplan wraps inside like a circle and at the time we tried to anticipate her every need as her requirements, desires and abilities would change. Now at 91 we continue to see the benefit of the foresight that we planned.

You want to feel great about coming home. It is your private space, it is your retreat. It is where you relax and restore and it is where you entertain and recreate. Indoor exercise space, home offices, functional kitchens, efficient space utilization, creative storage solutions, provisions for privacy, safety and security are all paramount to good intelligent design.

Aging in place…thinking about limited mobility seems an unrealistic concern…until a minor accident puts you in a temporary leg brace, crutches or wheel chair – is you home equipped to assist you to deal with this change in plans? If you never intend to move, can you really envision how you might need certain modifications to enjoy your home throughout the years?

We can come into your home and assist you in evaluating safety and accessibility issues for present and future consideration. There are helpful guidelines to make modifications to achieve maximum utilization and enjoyment of your home for many years to come.

Exterior design is equally as important – ease of maintenance, enjoyment , expansion of your living spaces, pet habitats, hobbies, etc…we can plan your landscape design, outdoor kitchens, sunrooms, covered patios, gardens, and anything that you can imagine to maximize the utilization and pleasure of your exterior spaces

Let us sit down with you to discuss your needs…your dreams. We will help you plan and achieve the maximum value for your budget. We can provide recommendations for an existing floor plan as well as assist in the evaluation of a prospective home purchase – all the way to helping you plan and design a new home with the experience and foresight of life’s changing needs.

We bring experience with a professional eye to critique, recommend, design and bring to reality your goals and dreams for a comfortable and secure life in your intelligent home.

.

The True Art of Farm to Table

 

Now so over-used as if this culinary trend which actually started 30 plus years ago just landed at our dinner tables, farm to table descriptions of valid attempts by independent restaurants to bring fresh local produce and food systems to their clientele are still growing in number. Yet while creative chefs enjoy utilizing the freshest ingredients, often grow their herbs at their cafes and support local growers as they can, it must be the next best thing but can’t beat the sensible tenets of back-on-the-farm’s honest approach to planting and harvesting for your own table .

I read Meredith Ford making the point “that we must vigilantly support eating locally and seasonally whenever possible. We must support food systems that do not deplete the environment, as Big Ag currently does. We must support the fair treatment of small farms and farmers, and we must support the humane treatment of animals in farming environments. When something as sensible as these tenets – embraced by our grandparents as a way of life – have to be outlined as a cause, something has gone astray in our food system.

 

To that end, the catch phrases are tossed about like the tender field greens that were just picked minutes ago for your salad. Exaggerations of the truth regarding how “local” locally grown really is and over-used fashionable references to slow food models sell well in today’s market. The nostalgic, guilt-ridden and health-conscious will bite. The consumer must sift through the fine flour of it all, make smart decisions and support and enjoy local whenever possible.

 

But last night was the real deal. With the warm glow of the farmhouse kitchen in western New York state illuminated from the within where happy conversation was exchanged as our hosts prepared the final stages of our dinner, I couldn’t help but whip out my phone and photo the ingredients I discovered in the kitchen and immediately go out to explore the land where most of those oh so fresh ingredients were harvested just minutes before.

 

Talk about farm to table – we were living it as our dear friends do every day in their picturesque rural setting surrounded this year by large green walls of corn, their bountiful victory garden and abundant orchards. Hard work, diligence, study, practice, attention to detail, appreciation for the good and bad in nature, all contribute to the successful harvest of each lovingly planted seasonal seedling or many years’ nurtured tree.

 

The light of the setting sun washed a warm bath of a golden aura over the brilliant green of the corn stalks and other garden delights. I caught still scenes of farm equipment in primary colors – so perfectly yet unconsciously placed ready to do the work of the day. I shot clusters of flowers that banked the side of the house. I walked through the tall grass and stepped on fallen sunflowers, tip-toes through the ruts and rows to capture shots of magnificent golden cauliflower nestled in the center of enormous smoky green leaves, green cabbage with heads the size of basket balls, plump aubergine eggplants peeking from their bushy foliage and pale purple flowers, dark green clusters of broccoli florets and left-over picked sprouts going to yellow flower, beets bulging from the earth with their stands of gorgeous green and red leaves, tomatoes of all shapes and sizes punctuating the greenery with blasts of red  and then there was the orchard…

 

Picture-perfect Americana agriculture on the charming scale that paintings romance – the ladder standing ready for access into the taller reaches of the trees – the perfect picker’s perch. I had to climb up and pick a perfect apple and bite into its crispness with wet juice running down my chin. Now THAT’S an apple! Several varieties of both apples and pears were heavy on the limbs. Bushels of fruit ready to be harvested. Grape clusters that begged to be picked. The freshest of fresh!

 

Farm to table within feet, it was wonderful. Back inside it was all coming together, we enjoyed home-made wine that was crisp, cool and dry, plump baked chicken and savory sausage by local butchers, fresh mashed potatoes, roasted orange cauliflower and broccoli, freshly sliced tomatoes with basil and arugula and finished with a freshly baked peach pie.

 

It was an astonishingly intimate experience with good friends and good food. Which makes me realize that if only a pot of basil on your doorstep to make a pesto or garnish a tomato, or plant a row of lettuce in your flower garden we can all benefit from the satisfaction of growing your own on any scale. Do it yourself (DIY) farm to table one step at a time.

 

 

Small Water Features for DIY Projects

Vintage celadon vessel makes perfect table-top water feature!

Large vessels make focal points for fountain features. Large containers or bored stone boulders are perfect sculptural elements for the glistening appearance of running water, the gentle sounds and refreshing effects. While we have had great fun creating dramatic site installations for outdoor living scenes, we realize that there is great merit in the smaller versions that DIY buffs can create for their interiors or patios.
First, find an interesting container. I found a pair that are footed and are dolphin figures to boot – what luck!! This celadon glazed ceramic has a nice diameter of about 12” and is raised up by its three dolphin figurine feet. It’s a perfect aquamarine theme for this table-top water feature.
Select your container and then gather things that you enjoy. You might already have pieces of glass, tokens, stones, shells, coral, miniature figurines…use what you have or collect more for this specific use.
Get a small pump at the local home-improvement store or hardware store. This should be relative to the size of your container. This one is a little smaller than my fist. The cord will drape out of the container, up over the rim and behind the fountain to plug into your electrical source. This will conceal adequately if you place your fountain on a surface that backs up to a wall where the electrical outlet is located.
Arrange your collectibles on and around the pump to conceal it from view placing the more interesting pieces at the surface.
I use distilled water to insure no residue from harsh mineral that might be present in your tap water. Fill the container to the appropriate level. It will cover much of your collectibles in the bowl. Here I have used a couple of vertical slices of local travertine to add height, texture, color and interest. Once your first turn on the pump – or plug it in as this one does (no switch), you will be pleased at the calming, refreshing results.
Send photos of your finished products!!!!!

Shown here…Nestled into the landscape, this brilliant blue glazed fountain with interesting textured exterior is tall and splendid amidst the greenery as its water recirculates and flows into a bed of stones.

Tangerine Dreams – a Fresh Design Scheme for Inside and Out!

Inspiration is often a pleasant surprise. It happens with a spark that ignites a theme and the project evolves. In a very dramatic transformation of a simple yet dated living room, we skinned two walls with stacked white stone. The slivers of horizontal texture brought a clean-lined organic feel to the space. Existing sage green carpeting was a cool contrast against the clean bleached stone – we also painted the walls white to mimic the tones in the stone. The perfect punctuation in this sage and white scheme became the fresh pop of orange. Call it melon or coral our color is that somewhat rosy version to slightly soften the contrast. See more of this project at PATRICIAN DESIGN http://bit.ly/YQCyrE

Roll the footage along over the course of this last year and the finished product receives rave reviews. We are encouraged to take the scheme outdoors and continue this project now called Tangerine Dreams. Once outside the orange can be released to express brighter versions melding the coral tones with other shades more bold and brilliant.

Existing white patio furniture provided an open invitation to continue the thread of white that was introduced inside with the white stone wall. Making things look intentional and incorporating existing elements is a cost-effective approach. But the trick is not to let it appear as though the scheme was sacrificed for savings.

So with the lush green foliage of the desert’s semi-tropic offerings that were already mature in this landscaped yard – all we needed was to introduce floribunda of orange to carry through with the tangerine themed color scheme. We planned and prepared, planted and potted for the perfect patio party! Pillows, placements and pottery also brought orange tones sprinkled throughout the design.

A new water feature will replace a lemon tree lost in the last freeze. A brilliant orange trumpet bush will nestle against the towering ceramic urn of luminous green tones where cascading water will re-circulate from beneath the stone bed.

See more photos of this project in our facebook album at http://on.fb.me/13TVGUm and watch for future posts as the plantings mature and the work continues.

NYT article on Outdoor Living

Here’s a great article on outdoor furniture and the expansion of actually living outdoors. The practical thoughts on the subject, historical references to designers and their style influencing the scene as well as consumers influencing the designers and the marketplace provide a fascinating commentary on seasonal living parameters. It’s not just a trend – its a true morph of people’s habits and lifestyles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/garden/outdoor-furniture-with-an-indoor-sensibility.html?_r=2&ref=gar

Thank you Julie Lasky for compiling this interesting information about an important subject in exterior/interior design. You have given it some “tooth.”

The Beauty of Blood, Watermelons and Apples – Enchanting!

Magestic Sandia Mountain

The freezing cold temperatures this past winter have left a lot of destruction in the landscape. The advice has been “give it a while” to see if there is any sign of life. And as suckers sprout from the base of some of the rose bushes – the actual grafted heirloom plant might not be saved. But as the days pass, it is painfully apparent that many are not coming back.
To think that New Mexico had the coldest days in the entire country including Alaska at some points in January is arresting. No wonder our plantings took a beating! I drove through the valley today and saw multiple large, healthy, rose bushes in full bloom – they must have been insulated from the worst of the freezes…and sometimes a good freeze – if not too much for too long can be beneficial.
The question is – at this juncture – do you want to replant the same or make a change in your landscape design? Framework like a boxwood hedge or manicured rosemary versus wild flowers of a drought-resistant variety – the choices are many.
The new medians along Academy are solidly grounded with gravel, stone and boulders punctuated with brilliant red sage, sparkling yellow poppies and good-sized trees. This xeric landscape is an example of a well-done project. It is thoughtful, thorough and strong. Cars will not want to venture into the median for late night vandalism with all the boulders placed throughout the design. Yet the bountiful balance of flowering and leafy shrubbery is attractive.
We are in the desert southwest – central New Mexico version. We enjoy the cool mountain air paired with the arid warmth of the high desert. Yes, we get snow. This year we froze our foliage off! We have bright sunshine nearly every day and a vista that rivals the vast ocean scenes found worldwide. Sunsets blaze across the sky and our mountains reflect those colors with “sangre” blood red, “sandia” watermelon vermillion, and “manzano” apple rose. We call it the Land of Enchantment.
So be thoughtful about your plantings. Make good decisions that will tolerate our climate, use little water, and enhance your enjoyment of living outdoors in the warmer months to come! EXTERIOR DESiGN!!!