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!!