Contrasting rounded interiors and square silhouettes make displaying floral arrangements easy and elegant.
Heavy bases and handblown sides support delicate dahlias as well as flowering boughs.
Glass Vases
Contrasting rounded interiors and square silhouettes make displaying floral arrangements easy and elegant.
Heavy bases and handblown sides support delicate dahlias as well as flowering boughs.
Garden Scene Color Splash Part 2 of 2
White flowers cluster like butterflies atop tall spikes on these airy 2½- to 4-foot-tall plants. Selected forms include 'Siskiyou Pink' (to 2 feet tall), with rose-pink flowers and 'Whirling Butterflies' (to 3 feet tall), with white flowers.
This continues part 2 of 2 about ideas for fall plantings.
Geum chiloense
Tall flower spikes grow from mounds of velvety foliage to 15 inches high, 2 feet wide.
‘Lady Stratheden’ has clear yellow blooms; ‘Mrs Bradshaw’ has double scarlet blooms. Both have a delicate wildflower look.
Gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)
Deep golden petals radiate from chocolate centers on 2- to 4-inch-wide flowers.
Plants reach 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 ½ feet wide. Shorter varieties such as ‘Goldilocks’ and ‘Toto’ top out at 10 inches tall.
Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa)
Tall stems of these Mediterranean natives are set with widely-spaced, hooded yellow flowers.
Moisture-conserving thick, typically furry or hairy leaves are lance-shaped. Pretty planted with lavender and red hot poker (Kniphofia ‘Bressingham Comet’).
Lavender
Every garden should have one of these beauties.
English lavender is the most fragrant, but Spanish lavender’s deep purple “rabbit ears” stand out in garden beds.
Where space is tight, grow a compact form; one we can’t wait to try is Lavandula angustifolia ‘Thumbelina Leigh’, coming late this year from High Country Gardens. It stays 12 to 15 inches tall.
Pineapple sage (salvia elegans)
At its best in fall when it sends up spikes of vivid red flowers, this salvia’s foliage smells like ripe pineapples.
The plant grows 4 feet tall. S.e. ‘Golden Delicious’ grows 1- to 3 feet tall with fire-engine red blooms and chartreuse leaves.
Have fun planting and don't forget to add cuttings from your garden into your home for a fresh festive feel of fall. Find lovely clear vases at my store to display indoor cuttings.
via
Garden Scene Color Splash Part 1 of 2
Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily)
Flowers of the evergreen hybrids come in shades of purple with dark flecks and last well in bouquets. Alstroemeria aurea blooms come in shades of yellow and orange.
The 2-to 3-foot tall plants produce flowering shoots as long as the soil doesn’t get too hot. (Twist the shoot off at the base to keep them coming).
Set out these flowers (and one gorgeous foliage plant) in fall or spring for beautiful garden color year after year.
Aster x frikartii
Delicate-looking flowers on ultra-tough plants tolerate just about any soil type. ‘Mönch’ grows to 2 feet-tall and pumps out 2 1/2-inch lavender-blue flowers almost all year if spent ones are removed.
‘Wonder of Staffa’ is another favorite with lavender blue blossoms.
Coneflower (Echinacea)
Colorful and super tough, ‘Ruby Star’ from Monrovia nurseries has large pinkish-purple blooms with pronounced coppery centers.
The plant grows 2-feet tall; the flowers are 4 inches across. Among the many showy hybrids are ‘Orange Meadowbrite’, butter-yellow ‘Sunrise’, and reddish-orange ‘Sundown’.
Coreopsis 'Mango Punch'
The low, mounding perennial covers itself in summer with mango-orange flowers that have a red blush.
We love the fresh, fruity hue of this new variety. Clip the faded blooms so the flowers will keep coming.
Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)
Must-haves for lightly shaded woodland gardens, these much-loved plants bear tiny but exquisite blue flowers in spring in mild climates.
‘Baby Blue’, a hybrid from Proven Winners, has true blue flowers and grows 6 to 8 inches tall.
Gaillardia x grandiflora
Cheerful daisylike blooms in various warm shades of yellow, bronze, and red. Many varieties are available, with single or double flowers.
Ones we love: foot-tall ‘Goblin’ with deep red flowers bordered in yellow; ‘Yellow Queen’, pure yellow flowers (2 1/2 feet tall), and orange ‘Tokajer’ (3 feet tall).
I don't know about you, but my garden is fadding of color, I started by planting mini yellow mums and found these other great plants to add color to the garden for the fall, trying to keep that spring feel a little longer. via
Window Box Designs
Tricked out for the season in combustible colors and riffed with references of a late-autumn harvest, this exuberant full-sun window box celebrates all that we love about fall-like the vivid colors and leafy textures. While it may require some boldness and a passion for abundance to pull off a planting like this, it was actually very easy-we found all the plants and supplies at our local home-improvement store's garden center.
Gleaming white 'Lumina' (large) and 'Snowball' (small) pumpkins spiked with shiny tufts of black-as-night mondo grass is a simple full shade combination that's all-hallows spooky but oh-so chic. In and around, we tucked fat clusters of blood-orange berries, which drip from branches of bittersweet vine (sold in bunches at florists). You can up the spook factor by hiding strands of mini lights between pumpkins.
Simple window box
They're beautiful, they're affordable, and they're low-maintenance; nothing says fast and easy fall gardening like a fully fitted window box. These easy-to-assemble mini gardens also have the advantage of short-term commitment. Planting this fabulous full-sun arrangement is as easy as putting together simple flowers for a dinner party.
Elegant Window Box
We love the luxe, posh look of this full-sun box with its classic pairing of mums and ornamental cabbages. Keeping it from veering into cliche territory are the unusual cascading mums. To get the look, pack a window box with deep smoky purple ornamental cabbages and sparkling white ornamental kales, then intersperse them with rich magenta pompom chrysanthemums trained into a graceful cascade. Ice-tipped trailing ivy adds shimmer in the late afternoon light.
Tropical Window Box
Who says fall has to be all about brown, orange, and yellow? Adorn your cottage with deep purple, warm red, and bright pink for a hot, vibrant look from the last of summer's tropical plants as temperatures cool. These tropical foliage plants (grown as annuals) take bright, indirect light to filtered shade and look smashing right up until frost.
Cheerful Window Box
Bright and lively colors combine to add a hint of happiness to any home in this cheery window box. Forget serious planning and strict styling, and opt for whatever plants bring a smile to your face when you go shopping. These plants prefer strong indirect light or light shade. via
Dining Room Styles
Designer Troy Beasley adds vibrant pops of red, orange and blue to this streamlined, contemporary dining room. Neutral gray walls allow the colorful accents to shine. LOVE the color pop!!! Works well with any neutral basics.
Designer Genevieve Gorder creates a bright backdrop with a creamy tone-on-tone paint treatment. A modern, oversized drum pendant and traditional table and chairs painted charcoal gray give this dining room a modern twist.
Designer Angelo Surmelis creates a warm and inviting space for entertaining with a soft yellow paint color on both the walls and ceiling. Enlarged black-and-white family photos add graphic punch while a dark-stained table and upholstered chairs create an elegant and comfortable place to linger over a home-cooked meal.
Designer Troy Beasley opts for a pair of oversized, modern pendants to illuminate this lofty dining room filled with soft grays, warm tans and a fresh pop of pear green.
Designer Angelo Surmelis brings Indian flair to this space with the addition of intricately carved and painted wood panels. He adds interest to the tabletop by layering plates, napkins and chargers in varying colors and patterns.
I love the idea of mixing patterns in the dinnerware.
Entertaining/Layered Mocha
Sip hot chocolate through layers of hot espresso and thick, cold cream in this deconstructed mocha.It's based on the classic bicerin (beech-e-reen), from Caffè al Bicerin in Turin, Italy, and it fits right into our coffee-loving culture here in the western United States. Prep and Cook Time: about 30 minutes. Notes: Serve in heatproof glasses to see the layers. Stir in more sugar to taste.
Delicious, this works for gathering around the fireplace or as an after dinner drink instead of desert!
Ingredients
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus more to taste
1 cup hot brewed espresso
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
Preparation
1. Place cream in a bowl and chill until very cold, about 15 minutes. Fill 4 heatproof glasses (6 to 8 oz. each) with boiling water.
2. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in chopped chocolate until smoothly blended. Add 1 tbsp. sugar. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens slightly and coats spoon in a thin layer, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover and keep hot.
3. Whip cream with 1 tbsp. sugar until thick, but before peaks form (cream should still be pourable). Mix remaining 1/2 tbsp. sugar with hot espresso.
4. Drain water from glasses. Pour one-quarter of hot chocolate into a glass. Hold a spoon, concave side down, at about a 45° angle so tip of spoon touches inside of glass, slightly above chocolate. Very slowly, pour one-quarter of espresso over back of spoon. Repeat for each glass. Spoon thick cream onto espresso, dividing evenly between glasses. Sift a bit of cocoa over cream if you like. Serve immediately.
Renew What You Already Own
For Kelly LaPlante, a leading Los Angeles-based interior designer, author, television host, and new mother, green design isn't just about choosing fabrics and furniture made from sustainable materials.
She prefers to help her clients find new use―and often unexpected new love―for things they already own. "There's nothing more green than keeping what you have," she says.
Her own Venice loft is proof that hand-me-downs and thrift-store finds can rise to stylish new purpose.
The dining table was brown and had belonged to a client. “They were going to throw it away,” says LaPlante, who saw potential in its curves.
After being revived with a punch of bold red low-VOC paint (try shiny-finish Sophia by Bungaloo, mybungaloo.com), it’s the star of her dining area.
Reveal
Rather than adding new floor covering, LaPlante stripped decades of paint from her loft's concrete floor. "The patina that had developed from all those years is beautiful," she says. "We just had the floor buffed and called it a day."
Strategically placed area rugs keep rooms cozy.
Refresh
LaPlante's partner Mike Rader relaxes on a used sofa in the living area. She paid just $200 for it, had the cushions steam-cleaned (about $30), and repainted the trim a glossy white.
Rethink
LaPlante often rethinks definition to find the perfect fit for objects. Here, she uses an outdoor garden stool as an indoor side table.
Remix
Kelly encourages making your own eclectic dish set with mismatched cups and plates―with styles from all different time periods―from secondhand stores.
"They don't have to go together, they just have to look interesting together," she says.
Potted plants serve double-duty here as a privacy screen from neighbors (while still allowing a city view) and as natural air-filters.
Hope this gave you ideas on renewing your own design by looking around your home for what you already own.
Entertaining/Easy Appetisers
Heat oven to 500°. Put a 1/2-lb. piece of slightly oozy brie cheese in a 2- to 3-cup shallow baking dish and bake until melted, 4 to 5 minutes.
Grind black pepper on top. Set dish on a heatproof surface and serve with toasted baguette slices, walnut bread, or sliced apples and pears.
Sausage Mushroom Caps
Rinse 24 medium-size button or cremini mushrooms (about 1 lb. total). Trim stems; save for another use.
Mix 1/3 lb. seasoned bulk pork sausage with 3 tbsp. seasoned dried bread crumbs. Mound sausage mixture in mushrooms, then set, filled side up, in a rimmed 10- by 15-in. baking pan.
Broil 6 to 7 in. from heat until sausage is well browned, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms onto a platter, brush with extra-virgin olive oil, and top each with a leaf of flat-leaf parsley.
Cracked Green Olives with Fennel
Drain 10 oz. green olives with pits and discard brine. Using the back of a spoon, press each olive just hard enough to crack it open (leave pits in).
In a small bowl, combine olives, 1 tsp. fennel seeds, 1 piece orange peel (about 1/8 in. wide and 3 in. long), 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
Turn olives to coat. Serve right away or let marinate, chilled, up to 1 month.
Hasty Hots
Cut 1 slender baguette (1/2 lb.) in half, slice each half lengthwise, and place, cut side up, on a 12- by 15-in. baking sheet. Broil about 3 in. from heat until toasted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix 1/2 cup diagonally sliced green onions, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, and 1/2 cup grated or finely shredded parmesan cheese.
Spread mixture on bread. Return to broiler and broil until lightly browned, about 1½ minutes. Let cool about 2 minutes to crisp. Cut each piece in thirds.
Creamy Artichoke Dip
In a food processor, whirl together until blended and artichokes break into small pieces:
1/2 lb. cream cheese 2 oz. thawed frozen artichoke hearts 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. each salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. finely shredded fresh lemon zest 1 small finely chopped garlic clove Makes: 1½ cups
Time: 15 minutes
I LOVE TO COOK, and I am always looking for new recipes. Especially appetisers. So what does this have to do with interior design? Entertaining!!!! Everyone loves to show off their homes and entertaining is a great way to do it. Serving delicious foods allows your guests to enjoy your cooking talents and the ambiance of the setting you provide. Football season will soon arrive these great appetisers are easy and are finger foods for snacking.
If I get enough positive comments on this article, I will continue to do a few more receipes from time to time. via
Glass Walls
Perceiving an unmet need for flexible solutions to large architectural openings, the founders of Nana Wall Systems delivered their first wood-framed, opening glass wall in 1986. Three years later, Nana Wall Systems, Inc. was incorporated, with the mission of finding, creating, and delivering an ever-broadening array of flexible design solutions. In 1996, Nana Wall Systems entered into partnership with Solarlux of Germany, the world leader in operable glass wall technology. Today, with manufacturer's representatives throughout the continent, Nana Wall Systems is the dominant provider of opening glass walls in North America.
A Diverse and Distinguished Clientele.
For nearly twenty years, the NanaWall® — vanishing glass wall system has re-defined interior and exterior space — and the boundary between them—in thousands of commercial and residential buildings throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Nana Wall Systems' architectural customer base includes such esteemed names as HOK, Gensler, WATG, and SOM; projects have ranged from press-boxes and suites at the new Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Mariners stadiums to luxury pool houses in private residences. NanaWall® vanishing glass walls can be found providing innovative and versatile design solutions for offices such as Starbucks' headquarters; restaurant and resort patio areas (including the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Spa); community hubs such as the Skirball Cultural Center; as well as a multitude of libraries, car dealerships, and churches.
If you can imagine it, you can create it... with NanaWall®.
At first glance, the NanaWall® looks like a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass windows, but that's where the similarity ends. Each panel is articulated on a hidden overhead track, and the panels themselves can quickly and easily open and stow away out of sight, creating breathtaking open-air vistas. With straight or curved layouts, along with hundreds of colors, finishes, and configurations at your disposal, there are virtually no limits when it comes to designing with the NanaWall®. Folding and individual panel sliding systems are available: among other virtues, folding systems create opening widths of up to 36 feet, while individual panel sliding systems offer a virtually unlimited opening-size.
Architectural Design
If you love water and nature in general then you'll love the Fish House in the pictures below. Designed by Guz Architects in Singapore, this spacious house seems to be built on water and it's definitely fun to live in.
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