Interior Decorating for Ornery Client

After his garden he asked for a guest bedroom.  He had parameters, "Use the furniture I own & leftover paint from the garage."  I told him what I would do, he wanted none of it.  

 Mixed Benjamin Moore Philadelphia Creme with York Harbor, resulting in a pale ocher/yellow.  The room has to be simple, its bed already a focal point.  Wow, was he verbal during set-up.  All negative.  He was asked to step away until called for.

Burlap draperies, cane chair, & thrift store lamps were my only additions.  From the hall, he didn't step far, I could hear his continuing demands.  (Whatever.  I knew what was to be done.)
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Finally, he was called into the room.  He stood there, silent.  Looking.  He teared up, and hugged me.  This is his beloved grandmother's furniture.  I got it right.
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Garden & Be Well,      XO Tara
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Pics taken this month on site.  This is the type of 'interior decorating' I do.  When it's using furniture already owned and there is little money.  I know where this room is truly going, very Eleanor-Roosevelt-at-Val-Kill. The entire time Mr. Negative was talking to me I was smiling at him.  So glad I'm over 50!  Younger, I would have tried pleasing his lizard brain.  Instead, my work is done for the grace of the soul.
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By-the-way.  Same scenario in his garden.  He had a collection of hodge podge plants.  Didn't like a thing I said about placement.  Once done he said, "This is exactly what I was going to do."  Pics of that later, when plants are bigger.

Historic Yet Modern

Close to being a 'foundation planting'.  But not in the least.

Seems simple.  It is not.  Historic with modern edge.  Holbrook & Associates  created this garden for the Princess Margaret Show House .
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Of course the house is fabulous too.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Pic via House & Home

Lattice Columns

When money isn't there for impressive columns.  Charming is good.

Lattice at the ends let's you see out clearly yet have a nice amount of privacy.
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Garden & Be Well,     XO Tara
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Never seen lattice used as columns.  And isn't that the hunt, something new & good!  Pic via Old Long Island.

What To Put On Your List

Looking in, framing the view.

2 years ago there were no bushes in the foreground or background.
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At 200 acres every plant must pay their keep.  Once established no watering, no bugs, no fungus  & no susceptibility to late frosts.
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AND plantings must have something coming into bloom every 2 weeks, all year.
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Garden & Be Well,            XO Tara
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Pic taken at a jobsite last week.  Please be this demanding with your plant list.  

1 Hedge 2 Garden Rooms

Soon, as planned, the cabin will be hidden from this garden room.

Love when 2 garden rooms share the same hedge.  Strong bones.  Less money, less maintenance, more mystery, greater interest.
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Garden & Be Well,      XO Tara
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Pic taken at jobsite last week.  Historic cabin is original to the acreage.  Asters in the foreground.

Art & Flowers

Perhaps a year will arrive and there is The-Big-Event, I know

exactly who should plant annuals in the garden.  Simply Flowers, Jenny Hardgrave.  

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Selfishly I would like to see what Jenny would do based upon the art, above.

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In satisfaction I understand these shelves.  The house is still under renovation & there are pockets of sanity, this included.  When painting, floors, carpentry are done in my home, I do the same OCD thing with my shelves.  All is chaos, but a shelf here/there.

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Garden & Be Well,        XO Tara

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I quit designating annual flowers decades ago.  If a garden NEEDS annuals it is a Landscape Design failure.  Love self-seeding annuals.  Simply Flowers is the exception!  Jenny's work is NEEDED.  Like air.  Something about Jenny most people don't know.  She loves jewelry, appreciates its nuances.  Totally explains her talent with flowers.

Choosing Garden Colors

These shelves are a heavy contender

for the stain color on her Adirondack chairs.
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Interiors always tell me what colors to use in the garden.
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Garden & Be Well,    XO Tara
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Pic from same home as yesterday's post.

A Bedroom View

From the chair, left, a view across the new deck into their Wild Wood.

This room, above, is an almost complete addition to their master bedroom.

A portion of the new deck, above, with a door from the master bedroom.
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She hired me for this view.  Should an arbor with swing be placed?  No.  It would stop the view from the bedroom.  Instead, a low round table with 4 adirondack chairs stained the color of her kitchen cabinets.  Views into the Wild Wood are the focal point on axis.
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Of course we've redone the entire garden.  Simply.
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Garden & Be Well,           XO Tara
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Pics taken last week.  Deck will be stained.  She was kind letting me take pics her house is a tornado of renovation.

Shoes: Stupid or Fabulous ?

 Remember when maternity clothes were covered in teddy bears, elephants & other stupidities?  Baby bags too?  I know, showing my age with these observations.  Gardening wear is stuck in that era of having a walnut for a brain.

Why are there no gardening shoes with these, above, as inspiration?
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Rubbers with flowers?  Ladybugs, grasshopers?  Gardening ensembles from hat to shoes are suitable for Aunt Clara.  Why not choose Samantha !!!!
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Garden & Be Well,            XO Tara
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Pic via Habitually Chic.

Simplicity Isn't For Sale

Lawn to the house.

 A simplicity best for many gardens.

Same view, above, opposite axis.
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Why this Landscape Design simplicity isn't seen more, especially in USA?
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 Many times thru the decades I've been hired as the 2nd or 3rd Landscape Designer.    Why?  The previous 'landscape design' work was pure SALES.
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Simplicity isn't for sale.
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Garden & Be Well,    XO Tara
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Pics via Greige Design.  Client last week told me, when I was done, she knew something was wrong with the previous plan she paid for.  When she saw my plan she was able to finally verbalize what was 'wrong'.  Plants were stuffed everywhere.  Every profession has their underbelly of disgust.

Practically Perfect

This would never happen 'new' in Atlanta, GA.  

And isn't that sad.
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Why does everything have to be so perfect?  Mary Poppins knew 'practically perfect' was better.
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This feels like a one sided conversation with Jane Austen.  Of course we know what type of character she would let live here!
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Pic via Pigtown Design.  Can't you smell the Tara Turf?

Stone Wall Needs to be Seen

A well maintained century, below, at this home.

 Stone accent wall near the entry, above, is obscured by a gorgeous Japanese maple, below.

Have asked the pruner to create tiny views thru the Japanese maple  to the stone wall.  Yet keep the Japanese maple gorgeous too.
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Garden & Be Well,          X O Tara
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Same house as previous post.  Pics taken with my phone & you see my little work basket.  It holds pencils, circle templates, erasers, keys, phone.....and shouldn't be in the pic.