Garden Houses

 

I am really on a garden kick now! After touring the lovely gardens, large and small, in Williamsburg, I have a renewed sense of purpose in my own garden!! What an inspiration!

One of the things I dearly love are Garden Houses. In my plan for the Secret Garden, I have included one. At this point, it would be a playhouse for "The Ladies" - later, a potting shed for me. I have been looking for a plan to build and think that one of these might be just the ticket!

A Vacation Back In Time

 

 

 

Last week I went on a brief vacation with my husband to Williamsburg, VA. It had been many years since I had been there, and I had forgotten what a lovely and interesting place it is. I went on garden tours and heard a speech from none other than George Washington, himself. The pictures above are of the Governor's Palace and the surrounding Palace Gardens. I did not know that Colonial Williamsburg was restored by John D. Rockefeller and is the only restored colonial town in America. If you get a chance, visit! You will not be disappointed!

More Initials!!

Pictures from www.shopwiki.com


I must confess, linens, silver and china are my passions. After writing yesterday's article, I found myself thinking about engraved silver. I have a collection of silver napkin rings that I have been adding to over the years. When I go antiquing or to flea markets, I always check to see if I can find another one to bring home. I don't just look for any old silver napkin ring, I try to find ones that are already engraved with our initials or names. For instance,a few years ago, I found one with "Emma" beautifully hand engraved just after our granddaughter, Emma, was born. Finding one with my son's initials, AHP, and one with "Grandpa" was so exciting!! When I can't find the initials or name I need, I buy a plain one and have it hand engraved. (Hand engraving is so beautiful - the depth and slant of the engraving gives such an elegant look.) I use them when we have special dinners or at the holidays. And, I display some on my sideboard in a lovely Victorian asparagus dish that a friend gave me. Not only are they beautiful, but they have become quite a story in themselves!

(I had planned to photograph my collection, but my camera and computer are not cooperating, so I had to pull the above pictures from the internet.)

Initial It!

I just love monogramming. I don't know if it's a Southern "thing" or not, but we do love to monogram everything down here - especially lately - anything that moves, even the cars we drive. That's a little over the top for me, but I do love monogrammed linens. I am a sucker for old linens and simply cannot pass them up in antique stores and shows. Most of the time, the old ones are really quite reasonably priced. Even when I can't find something with my initials, I look for my maiden name initial or my mother's and mother-in-law's initials. That covers a good part of the alphabet, so I almost always find something to buy!!

Often times, if I see beautiful linen napkins, pillow cases or hand towels, I will purchase them and have them monogrammed to my liking. I am always looking for fabulous monnogramming like the samples above from monogrammedlinenshop.com. These personalized "luxuries" make beautiful heirloom gifts for weddings and showers - not likely to be duplicated, but ever so appreciated for many, many years to come. They also make great gifts to me, myself!

Have A Seat!

 

 

 

 

I love chairs - All shapes and sizes, but especially the ones that have a beautiful outline. They can stand alone as a pull up, or sit with others around a dining room table. Next to a sofa or silohouetted against a wall, their beauty and character add such distinction to the surroundings. The collection of chairs above are some that I saw at the High Point Market recently. Simply Gorgeous! And as an added bonus, I found a blogger, Annechovie that has created a collection of "chair" drawings and "chair" stationnery. The blog author is Anne Harwell, and she sells on Etsy!

I am taking off early for a long weekend. Have a wonderful holiday and don't forget to remember those who have fought and died for our country. We owe them our lives and our way of living. Be safe

A Wonderful Blue Sky Day!

 

 

 

 

Last month, four of my dearest friends and I drove down to Charleston, SC for a home and garden tour. It was a beautiful spring day - cool and breezy, not a cloud in the sky! It was a walking tour with eleven homes/gardens on the roster. We walked for five hours at a leisurely pace, soaking up the lovliness and history of that wonderful city! We had lunch at Magnolias, a neat little restaurant that serves great low country, southern cuisine. And, we liked it so much, we returned for dessert - Magnolias' warm cream cheese and pecan brownie - to die for!!! (We figured we deserved it with the walking and all!)

In addition to beautiful architecture and decor, Charleston is a fabulous place to study landscaping. The iron gates and brick walls allow only a sneak peak here and there as you walk along the streets - that's why it is so great to take the tours - you get to enter these little side and backyard sanctuaries. We were not allowed to take pictures, so I have included some photos from Charleston Style by Susan Sully. The last picture is from Magnolias' website.

A Beautiful Day, Fabulous Gardens and Homes, Southern Food and Hospitality, and Great Friends to share it all!! It just doesn't get much better!!!

Michael Smith

I was looking at some back issues of House Beautiful today and ran across pictures of the work of my "newly favorite" designer, Michael S. Smith. As you probably know by now, he is the official White House designer. The pictures I have posted above are of his own kitchen and breakfast area. I truly love his work, and it is always interesting to view a designer's home. Here, Smith has torn down a 1950's ranch and built a classic English house. Waxed floors, limestone countertops, silver plated hardware - Simply Stunning!

Jardinieres

A few weeks ago, I was reading an article in the local paper regarding jardinieres - french for garden stools. In it the author, Mary Carol Garrity, spoke of its origins in 17th century China, and of how it is making a comeback. Actually, this little stool is a classic that has never gone out of style, but is, as Garrity says, "the rage again" and can be seen as you "flip through the pages of any home decorating magazine".

They are truly a versatile accessory, and come in all sorts of colors and styles. I have recently used a couple of these in homes that I have been decorating. The first, I ordered for a client. There was an empty spot in her living room, so I put a beautiful rather large jardiniere next to a french bergere chair. It filled the area nicely, and added a touch of the outdoors to the interior.

This second one, I happened to run across in a discount store. Actually, it was quite inexpensive and achieved exactly what the rather small half bath needed - a place for guest towels! I just tucked it slightly under the tiny sink, and "Voila" problem solved!

Garrity suggests using them any number of wonderful ways:

■ Top it with a cushion and
use it as a footstool or an extra
seat on your porch or in your study.
■ Put it in a bathroom, under a
stack of fluffy white towels or a
pretty container filled with luxury
spa products.
■ Rest it by your bed for your
book and water glass.
■ Enlist it as a focal point in a
garden bed.
■ Station it in your entry,
holding a huge fern or tall vase
filled with seasonal foliage.

Inside or out, jardinieres bring a touch of beauty and service to the area!

Hooray!

It's finally up and running - my new website, that is! (The reason I haven't been blogging!) At any rate, it's been long coming, but worth the wait!! If you get a chance, please stop by www.theplannedroom.com and check it out. The site is an off shoot of my traditional design business and offers clients a different, more hands on approach to creating beautiful and exciting interiors. So, whether you are a young professional just starting to decorate and making those all important first purchases for your home, or you are a seasoned DIY redecorating, I think you will find this site very helpful and fun! Let me know what you think!!

Perhaps now I can concentrate more fully on my blogging! I hope to post two to three times each week! We'll see how that goes for now!

Don't forget your Valentine!

I remember when I was little how very special Valentine's Day was. We worked hard for days cutting out the heart shapes from red and pink construction paper, then glued them to white lace doilies. We would make our mail boxes from discarded shoe boxes, covering them in white paper, decorating with more hearts and cutting a slit in the top large enough to stuff the valentines. Then, on the 14th, we would go around the classroom secretly handing out our valentines to our friends. Oh, the excitement of opening my cards!!

As I grew older, there were boxes of candy, flowers, secret Valentines and boyfriends. My first bottle of perfume came from my #1 Valentine, my dad! I was sixteen, and it was Chanel No. 5!! It is still one of my favorite scents. To this day, Daddy sends me roses every Valentine's Day. How loved it makes me feel!

A friend sent me this poem (a bit sappy, but sweet!) today as a reminder to send a Valentine to brighten someone's day. No problem! I sent out 30 yesterday - the first one was to my dad!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

If I could be the postman,
for just one single day,
I'd choose to carry valentines,
so lovely and so fine.
I would not mind a heavy load,
or mind my tired feet,
if I could scatter happiness,
all up and down the street!

(c) by Kayla N. Damon

A Work in Progress

Yes, it has been quite a while since I last posted. My only excuse is that I haven't taken the time! I guess it's going to take a bit more dedication on my part to keep it going.

One thing I have been working hard on is my plan for The Secret Garden! I told "The Ladies" - rather I promised them - that I would make a plan and start working on it this Spring. They are so excited and look forward to marking the spot with the Secret Garden slate that I bought just for them. I am posting the plan - at least a preliminary one. I actually did this using my interior design software, so I was unable to designate grassy and natural areas. It is not to scale and will have to be adusted, but you can get the gist of it. Many of the plants are existing. But, there will be much to purchase - the largest of which will be the Play/Garden House. Needless to say, this will have to be done in stages!!

It has been lots of fun, and I am anxious to get started - perhaps this weekend! We have had beautiful spring-like weather for the last week that should continue for the next few days, and there is lots of clearing out that must be done. I am sure Old Man Winter will return shortly. Guess we should make hay while the sun shines! (Or something like that!!)

 
 

A Designer's Point of View

As I stated before I am an interior designer and have been in the business for many years. I love looking at the work of other designers, and today I ran across an article on one of my favorites, Dan Carithers. He is a renowned designer from Atlanta, GA. Anyway, the article pictured Dan and his wife, Nancy, in their beautiful home in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. The interiors are stunning as are the gardens surrounding their home. His style is so classic and enduring - the pictures I have included are of his kitchen that he designed 30 years ago!! Look at them - how is that for timeless?!

When I am working with a client, I am often asked about the current trends in home furnishings. And, I usually reply, "I really don't know what they are!" The reason for that is I don't design around trends because I want my clients' homes to look current, not like 1995,1999,2005 or any other place in time. In decorating your home around what is "in" as opposed to what is classic, your home will automatically be out of style in just a few years! The interiors become tiresome and boring - you'll want to change everything - and that's expensive. So, stick with the classics and good design, you won't be disappointed and neither will your pocketbook!

More Thoughts on the Garden

I have another slate that I will put out later, as my "new" gardens evolve. It is much smaller than the Cardinals and will serve as a marker for my "Secret Garden". "The Ladies" were here in October and could not find the entrance!! Just tells you how overgrown and secret my Secret Garden is!! I'll post a picture of that slate when it gets "planted"!

Later this month, I will start cutting back the bushes and shrubs in that area. It will be quite the chore. In the meantime, I am working on a plan for the "Secret Garden" - hopefully to include a playhouse for "The Ladies" and, perhaps, a few other surprises!

I really loved reading The Secret Garden. My daughter and I read it together when she was little. We would climb into my bed in the evening and start reading, then fall asleep before the chapter was finished! It took us forever to get through the book! That doesn't seem like such a stellar recommendation - we really did love it!! We were just tired!! That book is a very special keepsake - a lovely reminder of time spent with my daughter and a promise of a garden to come. I keep it on a table in our living room. When "The Ladies" are older, I will give them each a copy - they will love it, too!

Guess I'd better get back to that plan! Have a wonderful week!!

Thoughts on the Garden

Today has been rather gloomy, so I thought I would cheer myself up and think about my garden. A couple of months ago, I found this slate to put at our side entrance. I love cardinals, they have been my favorite bird forever - our yard is full of them. They look like bright Christmas ornaments against the dark green branches of the Leyland Cypresses that border our property. At any rate, I installed this slate at our side entrance this afternoon. It looks quite cheery! Boosted my mood!

New Year's Anticipation!

With only a few days into the New Year, it seems my resolutions generally fail resoundingly! So, this year, I will not make any! However, there are some things that I anticipate happening this year, and I will do my best to see them through!

First of all, I will start my very own blog. Go figure! I have enjoyed blogging for the last few months. So much so, I thought I would give it a try. Thus, Design Thyme has come into being!
The name came to me because I am an interior designer, and I love gardening. I guess that will be the main theme in this blog, though I do have other interests.

Next, I am in the process of designing a website for my design business. My venture into the web is a spin off of my traditional design business. I have been working on it for several months now, and should have it out there very soon! Stay tuned!

And, finally, (at least for now), I will return to gardening. My poor garden is so overgrown, unplanned and so sad. It has been left unattended and unloved for far too long. I feel sure that this is going to be its year!!