Showing posts with label Light Fixture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Light Fixture. Show all posts

Monday, March 19, 2012

Front Porch: Before & After

 Landscape Design after, above.  A bit of work so obvious no one thinks a Landscape Designer is needed.  Afterall, the builder & previous Landscape Designer missed it, below.

Did you notice a pendant light was added too?  Top pic. 
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Garden & Be Well,    XO Tara
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Pics sent by the client from a jobsite last week.  She wanted to do this for years.  Her husband said, 'why do we need to do this?'

Friday, February 3, 2012

Exterior Lighting

11" didn't provide much space for a pendant light, below.
 This 1940 cottage project demands character.
 Pendant light found at Scott Antique last month, age & patina along with the original mica.
 Prior to Scott's I had sourced, below.  Alas, too long.
Now, I'm glad.  Not quite the patina and it cost double the antique.
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Garden & Be Well,   XO Tara
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Will paint the bricks Alexandria Beige-Benjamin Moore.  Too much orange in the bricks, some mortar issues but once painted the nubbyness of the bricks and mortar issues will be assets.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

How To Open A Front Porch

Gravel to the walls, evergreens (few), no rails on the porch, & a fabulous light, below.
 Exactly how I described The Cottage project, below, to my contractor.  Before I ever saw the pic, above, via Greige Design.
 Porch rails will be removed, below, and stone steps added to all sides.  Foundation meatballs removed,
gravel spread, light fixture installed.  Bricks painted, shutters added to all sides (new color chosen) storm door removed and a potager nearby, it was requested and there is very little good light elsewhere.
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Love this type of work.  Tight budget, big impact, little input.  Ironically, the biggest improvement will be removing the foundation meatballs.  The gravel?  Huge impact, and laughably one of the cheapest ingredients.
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Garden & Be Well,   XO Tara
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No use at present for the iron rail.  Cannot wait to discover which project NEEDS it !

Friday, November 4, 2011

Getting The Scale Right

Once or twice a year I work with a home that looks normal but the closer you get you realize its scale is much larger than 1st impression.
 This tiny area, above, is truly larger than it appears.
The lanterns are almost  3' tall.
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Anything smaller & it's Dinky Is Stinky territory.
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Garden & Be Well,    XO Tara
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Pic taken last week, lanterns sourced by Suzanne Hudson, Le Jardin Blanc.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

1913 Exterior Sconce

Passing an old building in Augusta, GA my father said he proposed to my mother there.  I didn't care about the romance, I was in junior high.  It was the old building and its accouterments fascinating me.  
Decades pass & I found a light fixture, above, exactly like the Augusta building had.  With attitude I payed almost $20 for it, thinking it should have been much less.  Enjoyed it in my garden ever since.
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Yesterday I was looking for sconces online and found MY light fixture.  They have several for sale, notated a date of 1913, and are a cool $1,600.00.
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Girl has a new attitude!
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Garden & Be Well,   XO Tara
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Pic and sales information, here.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Choosing A Front Door Color

Look inside your home for a front door color.  Wallpaper, artwork, textiles, dishes, clothes in your closet.

Typically it's artwork showing which direction.  A tiny bit of color, teeny tiny, flowing amongst most artwork on the wall.  Choose a variation of it, taking into consideration exterior brick/siding color & trim color.
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Front door does not need to be the color of your shutters.
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Your front door is a focal point, painting it the right color begins the story of YOU.
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Garden & Be Well,    XO Tara

It's easy to see my client's favorite color, above.
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The planet doesn't need another 'safe' black front door.  The world is ready for your voice.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Lamps Beside The Daybed




Garden & Be Well,   XO Tara
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Susanne Hudson redecorated her Conservatory this year.  Sconces are laid on the table in my Conservatory, primer/paint/brush nearby, new packages of screws/hooks, brown/white ironstone transferware.  Soon, a bit of my own redecorating in the Conservatory.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Faux Bois Bench: Well Sited

A lovely incident along the gravel path, below.
(Notice stone edged gravel, decrepit terra cotta, leaf litter mulch? Melts my heart.)
Same bench, same path, from opposite direction.
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Thus, a good garden. It could be 2 different paths, 2 different benches or 2 different gardens.
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How to create Double Axis. A class by itself.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Pics taken last week in Susanne Hudson's garden.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival + Before/After

The Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival, Douglasville, GA, is this weekend, June 4-5, 2011.
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Free display gardens, Free standard Flower Show, Free Festival Market
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Garden Tour with Tram, $25, residential gardens including nationally recognized gardens.
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This year's table, below, incomplete, already looks FABULOUS.
Big impact, little input. Love this type of Landscape Design: old table, old wheelbarrow, old light & negligible maintenance.
Same table, below, last year.
From lamps to chandelier, from potting table to dining table.
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Come see our garden, it's in the free zone. Ha, no excuses!
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Been working like a young man creating this garden. My body is not amused. Susanne Hudson & I are creating this garden.
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Top pics taken yesterday, 94f & 200% humidity (please appreciate the effort). Bottom pic, I snapped last year.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Enlarging A Front Porch

Ubiquitous rectangular home with a jailed-in front porch. American Builder's Special. Ugh.Remove chunks of railing and disgusting foundation plantings, widen steps, add flagstone landing.
Now, a front porch to enjoy.


I've removed so many porch rails for clients I've lost count.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Same garden as previous posts.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

How To Use An Ugly Lamp

In my Conservatory yesterday, during an open garden, a delightful woman said,
"That is the best use of an ugly lamp." We all looked at the direction of her gaze/comment.
After the laughter subsided we agreed, yes the peacock blue lamp with original shade is ugly. But it's perfect.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Cobalt blue, peacock blue, don't know what to call it but I LOVE this color. And that is EXACTLY why this ugly lamp is perfect; personal passion. The lamp shade is more horrendous than the lamp. It, too, 'works'. Naturally, it came from my favorite thrift store years ago.
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What's not to love about a woman who will say such things to someone she just met? Another facet I adore about gardeners; blunt talk.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Chandelier: Before & After

From Lowe's, below, chandelier in my new Conservatory.SHIPMAN called from Buenos Aires last month, "Found you the perfect chandelier, want it?"
SHIPMAN dismantled the chandelier & packed it in a fruit crate for its trip home.
SHIPMAN brought a bottle of wine & 2 crystal glasses for the hanging & gossip fest.
SHIPMAN & I decided it must have summer shades & winter shades.
I'm on the prowl for those shades.
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SHIPMAN & I decided the chandelier is only about 80 years old, we pouted a moment about its youth but decided its great backstory, into my Conservatory, adds patina. At least to us.
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Life is good.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Voicemail from SHIPMAN this morning, "You must come for lunch in my conservatory this week." Yes, life is good. Now, how to get the time...........

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Chandeliers In The Kitchen

Diminutive, my pair of chandeliers hang, as inspired by a blog years ago, over a harvest table. Many mornings I'm here, in my wicker chair,
reading & looking out 3 walls of windows, starting my day.A view out 1 of those walls, from my wicker chair this morning.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Did you notice my ceiling is not white? It's a faded blue/green, depending upon the lighting. Below the chair rail is a terra cotta type color. Both colors are within the wall paper. Susanne Hudson was hired to choose the colors. 25 years in this house & I still love the wallpaper.
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Pics taken this morning.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Enfilades Increase Drama

Enfilade, a view thru to a view. In gardens or homes, I adore an Enfilade.
Standing outside the conservatory this week (in gown/robe/bedroom slippers) in the snow
I discovered a new Enfilade.
Oh yes, sublime.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Good accidents, without waiting 3-7 years for discovery, in the garden are verification you've done it RIGHT. Mostly, gardens take time.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Something To Make You Smile


Last year when I designed her landscape her kitchen was sheet rock. Last week, below, still unfinished it's already fabulous. Sheepishly, she said, "I know it's ridiculous but it makes me happy to look at my new chandeliers."


A wise observation. Over a decade ago, in Penny McHenry's garden, I realized the same thing about things that made me smile. Her garden, tastefully, had many.

Near my front door, above, the cat. I bought the cat for no other reason than it made me smile.



Go ahead, give yourself permission. Choose things that make you smile.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Hiding Necessities: Before & After

1st cup of tea in my Conservatory, below. Already hiding, via camera angle, an important necessity.Switch plate to the chandelier, below. A necessity, but look at it? Not.
Old ironstone, below, with a lovely pattern named, Summertime.
Oh my, another book idea. Before/after pics of hiding necessities around home/garden.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Did you notice the gravel floor, top pic, under the table? I know, the lamps need shades. Found the lamps, $20 for the pair at my local thrift store. Love the giant Spode tea cups/saucers: tea, broth, soups, cereal....

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Good Surprises In Your Landscape

At year 6 in the garden my eyes were overwhelmed, finally, by something tried from inception. A VISION OF BEAUTY. ( Laskett, below, in the Conservatory with me last nite.) College for horticulture was a joke for my Landscape Design skills. Creating Landscapes (making mistakes) & myriad trips across Europe studying historic Landscapes were my teachers.
Hewing to historical Landscape Design principles began my journey to success. Ridiculously stupid to wait 6 years for beauty or lower the bar and aim for: organic, rainwater, native, low-maintenance, green & etc...
Those facets are in Historical Landscape Design Principles. Of course I want all of that, more, I want life changing beauty. And I want it daily, it's important to know when to be selfish. To walk amongst, and, see from every window. Vanishing Threshold. A Landscape filling me with energy, joy & grace.
A dream for years my conservatory, 1 week old today, gave me the surprise of Laskett. He adores being carried to the conservatory in the evenings, a nice fire & cuddling at my side. A simple life pleasure; not anticipated. A good surprise indeed.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Want good surprises in your Landscape? Hew to historic landscapes. In addition to all of the above historic landscapes raise property value & reduce HVAC costs. As byproducts not effort.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Landscape Components

Susanne Hudson recently styled this porch. Recognize the magical component?The lamp. Poppets, that jewel stays ON.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Susanne Hudson sent me this pic 2-3 weeks ago.

Friday, October 22, 2010

One Room Deep

You must see this parlor, one room deep. Below, a view from the frontyard. The warmth of draperies, and lamps glowing. (Poppets, from your frontyard, looking into your home, ask, "Are the views into my home so fabulously interesting intellectual-well-read-successful-talented-mentoring-civic minded-active-athletic-art-loving-appreciators-of-good-cooking-charity-giving-people curious? Face it we are voyeur's. And, don't you adore Tara Questions?)


Inside, below, the window from above.
Alas, the weather was nice, we never sat here, below, we used the patio for wine-canapes-conversation-dinner-breakfast-lunch.
Same room, below, views the back garden too.
I adore rooms scaled for comfort, beauty, conversation, reading, napping,
and viewing the garden.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Hope you enjoyed my client's home in Macon, GA. None of the pics were styled, they didn't know I would be taking pics. Remember, pics were taken quickly, early morning while still in my gown/robe. He was starting the coffee when I began & it finished brewing as my pics were done. Then, the 3 of us sat on the patio, with our coffee, and began talking gardening. Then, she served breakfast at the patio table. Loved the breakfast quiche and the little sourdough rolls with homemade fig preserves and peak of season fresh fruit salad & etc...