J'adore...

...British stylist and interior designer Lucyina Moodie.  I first came across her work in connection with the Chelsea Garden Show, for which she styled several outdoor "rooms" and won awards. 

First place at Chelsea - a greenhouse becomes much more than a place to pot plants.

She also does wonderful interiors. Lucyina started her career as a stylist with the BBC, and went freelance in 2000, adding interior designer to her list of accomplishments. Her work is very unfussy and makes the most of color. I love the deep color of these walls and how the curtains pick up the shade without being too uniform.

A serene vanity space. Notice the variety of textures - intricate wallpaper, patterned floor, rough wood trim. Despite the less finished elements, the entire look is highly polished and feminine.

I would do this entire room in my home. It's a little bit French, a little bit Hollywood, and a lot of white.  A variety of cream shades and some wisps of blue add visual variety and prevent a white-out. 

Another great eclectic dining room.

A "butler's pantry" of china, linen, and silver... suitcases, that is.  

All images, lucyina.com. 

Henry Moore at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Two of my favorite things are going to be together at the Atlanta Botanical Garden this summer:  art and flowers.  The touring exhibit, Moore in America, features some of the English artist's best pieces amid the lovely settings of the ABG.  An even better plan? Visit the exhibit during the regular Thursday evening Cocktails in the Garden to see the massive sculptures lit dramatically. Time Magazine rated this one of the top 10 museum exhibits in the country, so if you're in the Atlanta area (or end up with a long layover in the world's busiest airport) it's well worth a visit!

Moore's aptly named Oval with Points.

Moore's sculptures can be quite large, and it took some real effort to get them installed.  Hard to believe this is a traveling exhibit.  











An example of incorporating the plants with the sculptures - nicely done.

Images, Atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

2009 Chelsea Garden Show

Every year in Chelsea, London, the Royal Horticultural Society sponsers a spectacular flower show - you know how those Brits like their flowers! The first day of "viewing" is reserved for the royal family, and for the next three days the show is open to the public, every glorious garden. Famous gardeners from around the world create miniature masterpieces complete with fencing, fountains, topiary - all sprung up overnight. I had the delight of visiting the show a few years ago, and it was an incredible vision. Jamaican gardeners had created 10 foot people from foliage (think Rose Parade), thousands of orchids scented silk tents, and every inventive gardening gadget under the sun was on display (and for sale. Bad for the old credit card). This year the show is taking place May 19 - 23; if you're going to be in town, make sure you get a ticket. You'll be glad you did.

Here's a sneak preview of plans for some of the gardens coming out this year.

A few favorites from the 2008 show.

And if you're really into gardening, check out this blog by some of the gardeners working on the event - you'll get a view into how they manage to pull off a "termporary" garden once a year, as well as some of the hazards they face - from cows eating the flowers to thunderstorms.
All images: www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea.

Pull Up A Bench

I was ambling through a rainy and cold outdoor garden section in Lowe's early this week and came upon this bench.  My heart lurched, my fingers tingled - it was love at first sight.  The bench just seats two people, or one person and a lot of books, comfortably. Obviously it's for the outdoors, but with a different fabric on the cushion (and removal of that ghastly and inexplicably included throw pillow) it could be a stunning addition in a living room or hall.  How wonderful is the branch work along the back, and the graceful turn of the legs?  It's worth reconsidering the bench - we tend to relegate them to the patio, but really, a bench is a nice fit anywhere you need compact seating for several and a couch is too large (or formal).   Below, a few more "ambi-use" benches.  

Be still, my heart.  From Lowe's.  $277.00.

A beautiful trellis bench (outdoors design used indoors) in the White House Palm Room - a lovely passage between the formality of the residence and the ease of the South Lawn. The graceful portrait hanging above is by Constantini Brumidi, originally hung in the East Room.  Not available at any price, but there are similar designs on the market (or get your DIY in gear and build your own).

This aluminum botanist bench could go in a kid's room or around the pool. Or anywhere. Eco-friendly, durable material, and it comes in five colors and several sizes.  Available at gibraltarfurniture.com.  $1,200.00.

Images: branch bench by Lowe's; bamboo bench by Pearlriver.com, photo by Domino; Palm Room bench, Architectural Digest through the White House Historical Association; botanist bench, inhabitat.com.

How To Make An Entrance

I've been on this cleaning/organizing kick lately, and that has included, much to my horror, HUNDREDS of photos. Boxes of them. Oh, the days before you could just download them and stuff the overload into an external hard drive. Anyway, I noticed that I have so many pictures of garden gates and doors. Kind of a weird obsession, but when you think about it, an entrance (gate to the garden, door to a house, eyes to the soul, whatever) defines the experience. Just as an excellent appetizer increases appetite for the entree, a proper entrance increases excitement for what lies ahead. Below, some spectacular views from around the world.







Atop the picturesque Aventine hill in Rome, the keyhole in the door to the garden of the Knights of Malta affords a spectacular view of St. Peter's Basilica (Photo: Todd Gaynor.)









A magical "through-the-rabbit-hole" garden entrance in Chongqing, China (Photo: Peachum.com).












Austere gate into the Bishop's Garden, The National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. (Photo: Rachel Cooper).












Snowy carriage entrance to the serpentine drive at George Washington's Mt. Vernon.

Site of the Week: Great British Gardens

I know it FEELS too early to start thinking about summer gardens, but if you're considering a trip overseas, it's time to book those tickets! This week's Site of the Week is Great British Gardens. GBG has mapped all the gardens in the UK by region - just select your destination and find one nearby. Guides include best times of the year to view each garden, admissions costs/schedules, photos, and recommended places to stay in the area. It's an all-in-one stop for finding your favorite patch of earth.












Great finds include Gertrude Jekyll's garden at The Manor House, Upton Gray (above), and Brodie Castle, Scotland (below). Can you imagine tip-toeing through those daffodils?












And if you're NOT traveling to the jewel of the North Atlantic anytime soon, grab a little inspiration for your own garden. The site also includes numerous photos and a garden lover's bookshop. Below, a marvelous little book on Jekyll's Manor House garden. Dare to dream!

Put It On Your Shelf, Part 1

I was in a bookstore a few days ago, browsing the Home and Garden section. There are so many books out there, but not all of them are worth the cash you'll have to drop for a full color glossy (or images you could easily view online). Here are a few garden recommendations from my own library. I'll add more books for design and home in future posts!

Garden
It's never too early to start thinking about your summer garden! Good gardeners know that a successful patch of flowers and veg takes year-round planning. As a rose-fanatic, one of my favorites is David Austin's English Roses. Austin, a British gardener, cross-pollinates old varieties of roses with both old and new breeds. The result is a gorgeous family of vibrant, hearty flowers with gorgeous perfumes. Best of all, the resilience of the old roses makes these low maintenance; pesticides and harsh chemicals need not apply.



In the same vein, I'd recommend The Complete Book of Herbs. This is a marvelous encyclopedia of herb lore, with details on how to raise specific plants, and loads of recipes and crafts that you can make from herbs. Everything from facial cream to mint lemonade is detailed in this copious book.

Finally, the ultimate classic: Thomas Jefferson's Garden and Farm Books. Scientist that he was, Jefferson detailed every success and failure of his carefully calculated gardens. A trove of marvelous advice - from how to mix special fertilizers, to coaxing warm-weather plants to health in colder climes - this is a great book for casual gardeners, historians, and organic enthusiasts alike.

Little Dutch Boy

A dear friend is having a baby in a few months, and I helped throw her a little shower this week. The expected is a boy, but the setting was decidedly feminine - the lovely Cafe Promenade at the Mayflower Hotel. I put together a table centerpiece with the dual goal of being appropriate to the surroundings (no little trucks or dinosaurs) without making baby boy feel, well, girly.

The Cafe Promenade has scenic wall murals, a large central chandelier, and a nested arrangement of booths and tables. I chose yellow and white tulips (gender neutral), and loosely arranged them in a group of vases. The vases were accented with blue and white toile pattern ribbon - the effect was dressy, but not prissy:

Flower (Staying) Power

The doorbell rings, you drop whatever you're doing and think: "it's probably the neighbor, the mailman, a salesman." Instead, there's a bouquet of flowers and your day is suddenly that much brighter. I was lucky enough to get a lovely bouquet this week, and almost as soon as I sat it out I thought how nice it would be to have flowers in every room. Why not? I pulled out several color groups from the larger bouquet, and distributed them around. Now my entire apartment looks and smells lovely. Try this yourself if you get a large arrangement and want it to go the extra mile.

The original bouquet:

A smaller floral grouping to brighten up the bathroom (in a drinking glass, no less. I ran out of vases, but a glass will do in a pinch):

Lilies can perfume any room - a bedroom side table is an especially lovely place for an arrangement:

Cheap and Chic Decor? Try Groceries.

Decorating with nature - or in this case the produce aisle. A lovely (and inexpensive) arrangement of lime on an Abigail Adams table in the White House's green room, Christmas 2005.