Archive for the ‘Gardens’ Category
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
John enjoys a late lunch at Terrain's amazingly chic Garden Cafe, housed within a vintage greenhouse that spills over with flowers and candles. Terrain really "gets" the details. The bread, for instance, arrives in a terracotta pot. Divine.
Gang:
If you follow this blog regularly (and God help you if you don’t!), you know that I am obsessed with the nursery-cum-lifestyle store Terrain located outside of Philadelphia. Last February I did two blog posts on this amazing spot, and I am here today to write yet another installment.
John and I were in Philadelphia last week to do some antiquing, and we made a pilgrimage to the Urban Outfitters-owned Terrain outpost in nearby Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. The first of the two Terrain outposts–the other opened last year in Westport, Connecticut–sits on the busy Baltimore Pike and occupies what was once the Styer family farm. Surrounded by urban sprawl–including several big-box stores–Terrain is a gem-like sanctuary that will wow you and definitely provide heaps of inspiration.
Here are some images from our visit.
It was a cold and damp afternoon when John and I arrived at Terrain, but the whimsical decor quickly transported us to far warmer and more inviting climes. Look what some outdoor curtains and a Moroccan-styled lantern can do to take a space from nice to knockout.
While Terrain boasts incredible plants, it also stocks gorgeous furnishings and lighting. Soak up the wonderful displays, too, such as this wonderful shelving unit that houses firewood. Why not bring this idea home?
Check out this genius espaliered tree that has been trained to grow in the shape of a heart. What a fabulous Valentine's Day gift for the plantsman/woman! And FYI: Espaliering is the horticultural practice of controlling woody plant growth originally for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame so that they grow into a flat plane, frequently in formal patterns, against a structure such as a wall, fence, or trellis.
Tags: Glen Mills, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Landscaping, Madcap Cottage, Morocco, Nursery, Terrain, Urban Outfitters
Posted in Antiques, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Road Trip, Tastemaker, upholstery, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
John and I paid a visit today to Jayson Home, a terrific--and inspiring--shop in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Gang:
Whew! It’s been quite the week… HGTV filmed Madcap Cottage in upstate New York on Saturday then John and I zipped back to NYC and then on to Chicago on Sunday. And then our fifth One Kings Lane Tastemaker Tag Sale kicked-off this morning. Have you scoped our fabulous wares? Honestly, I think this sale has the best selection of merchandise that we have offered yet. Our sale ends on the 16th, so go do some shopping! We have loads of holiday-ready gifts…
But back to Chicagoland!
This morning, John and I visited Chicago’s very chic Jayson Home, a retail outpost that mixes vintage finds with contemporary goods… And we were both quite impressed. Magical retail spaces that inspire seem to be something from the past, but, happily, Jayson Home really gets it and challenges the consumer to craft environments that are unique and bespoke.
Jayson Home is known for its whimsical displays, including vignettes such as these chairs that seemingly spill to the floor.
There's nothing better than some faux bois paired with cement mushrooms! I just love a wondrous woodland vignette!
John peruses the terrific book selection at Jayson Home. We just love a good coffee table book about fabulous interiors.
Tags: Chicago, HGTV, Holiday gifts, Jason Oliver Nixon, Jayson Home, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, One Kings Lane, Tastemaker Tag Sale
Posted in Antiques, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Road Trip | No Comments »
Monday, October 29th, 2012
Here's the former garage at Madcap Cottage in upstate New York when John and I purchased the property. The garage was a mess and was totally shrouded with out-of-control greenery. Our goal was to take this forlorn folly and make it fabulous. Hopefully, you can pluck ideas from our plan of attack to employ in your own home.
Gang:
John and I are hunkered down in Brooklyn as Sandy terrorizes the East Coast… We have wine and I made tacos, and I am cleaning out my closet and am still wearing my pajamas at 1:30pm so it’s not all bad… John is listening to Christmas carols on Pandora for some reason. Curious, n’est-ce pas? Weenie and Jasper are snoozing.
As the day is totally drab and dull, I thought I would offer some color, a Technicolor-hued punch…
Here’s a photo tour of our former garage at Madcap Cottage in upstate New York that John and I transformed from a tumbledown structure into a rainbow-hued screened-in porch.
I hope you enjoy the journey…
Stay dry, and stay safe!
New roofing, screened doors, and a cupola that John and I purchased online take the exterior of the garage and make it gorgeous. The cupola is vinyl-clad, so it will never need painting. I am not a fan of vinyl siding, but here it makes total sense.
John and I had the interior patched and a new cement floor poured. And we carved-out screened windows that look onto our backyard. A pale blue ceiling helps open up the space.
John and I found some beat-up old garden furniture and had it powder coated a bright lemon yellow. The results are perfectly sunny and delicious! Find garden furniture at a yard sale, and have it powder coated to give it new life.
John and I came up with a fun fabric scheme that mixes lots of easy-to-care-for indoor/outdoor fabrics in big, bold hues.
Jasper eyes the work in progress. Almost complete!
And here's the finished product... John and I were lucky enough to have the screened-in porch appear in the magazine DIY. Jasper makes himself right at home in the finished screened-in porch, now renamed The Little House. Floor paint transformed a cement floor into something fabulous. John crafted the window treatments from Ikea using a stamp that he picked up at a flea market with fabric paint.
Note the inexpensive Chinese lanterns that dangle overhead, an inexpensive way to add "punch" and "pizzazz" to any space. The cupola adds further "architecture" to a roofline that was sorely lacking interest.
Tags: Color, DIY, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Little House, Madcap Cottage, renovation, Sandy, whimsy
Posted in Before and After, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, DIY, Fabrics, Flooring, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, Lighting, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Paint the floor, Painted Furniture, Pets, Powder coating, Renovations, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 5th, 2012
John heads into London's verdant Battersea Park to pay a visit to the thrice-annual Decorative Fair. The Fair is truly a treasure trove of delicious finds!
Gang:
This past week John and I made a pilgrimage to the fabulous Decorative Fair that takes place three times each year in London’s stunning Battersea Park on the south side of the Thames.
And, wow!, we were so inspired, and not only by the fabulous goods but also by the very approachable prices. I am not one for “important” antiques unless you inherited them, so it was great to see that there were so many pieces at the fair that John and I could actually afford.
Here’s a little tour…
A pair of floral-patterned armchairs that felt very "Madcap Cottage," n'est-ce pas? There's nothing like multiple fabrics and delicious details to take furniture from ho-hum to super-ho.
A gorgeous Chinoiserie-styled lantern. Swoon!
John and I adored this oversized concrete basket, one of a pair. These baskets would be perfect for sitting atop pilasters at the back of a yard.
A stunning tole metal palm tree! If John and I could have carried this back to NYC with us on the plane, we would have snapped it up!
A very yummy pair of green chairs with terrific nailhead detailing.
There were lots of dogs at the Decorative Fair. We wished that Weenie and Jasper could have been in attendance, too.
Tags: Battersea Park, Decorative Fair, Jason Oliver Nixon, Jasper, John Loecke, London, Madcap Cottage, Tole, Weenie
Posted in Antiques, China, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, Fabrics, Furniture Recovering, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Painted Furniture, Pets, Road Trip | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
Here's a totally non-sequitur image of Weenie, just because. Says Weenie, "The dog days are over." Get it, Weenie!
Gang:
I hope you are having a sin-filled week.
John and I are in London and running around like modern-day Sloane Rangers and scoping out design trends and shopping for a client.
And while I am one half of the Madcap Cottage terrible twosome, I am also the Global Lifestyle Editor at Delta Sky magazine with its six million monthly readers. Wow, six million! Um, yep.
With that said, I thought you might enjoy reading a story I penned in the October issue of Delta Sky about my passion for the Cotswolds region of England. The Cotswolds simply rock. Chic, and picture perfect. And the gardens are simply glorious!
If you have never visited this fairy-tale region of England, book a trip. And pronto.
Here’s the piece!
I love nothing more than the Cotswolds region of England except maybe listening to some Lana del Rey. Read my story on the bucolic region in the October issue of Delta Sky magazine. Click on the image, above.
Tags: Barnsley House, Cotswolds, Hidcote, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Weenie
Posted in Antiques, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, Gardens, Hotel design, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Pets, Road Trip, Tastemaker, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Sunday, September 23rd, 2012
John and I spotted these delicious pistachio-green shutters in the charming Provencal town of Eygalieres. See what some colorful shutters--and a painted front door--can do to the facade of your home...
Gang:
John and I are gamboling about Provence, France… Don’t you just love that word “gamboling?” We certainly do. Provence is so lovely, and the folks are so much nicer than those jaded Parisians with whom I am up to here…
But more on the Parisian poubelle in another blog.
As John and I have skipped from Avignon to Gordes, Menerbes, and Les Baux, we have taken in so many wonderful architectural details that have inspired us.
Take Provencal shutters, for instance.
Does you home boast shutters? And, if so, are they black or white? Why not take them up a few notches with a glorious color like Christian Dior gray, periwinkle, or Fortnum & Mason green like they do in a mountain town like Lacoste?
Your overhauled shutters will take the exterior of your home from so-so to simply stunning…
I am not always a fan of pale blue when used in an exterior scheme, but these pale blue shutters perfectly accentuate the stone facade of this home in the town of Menerbes in the heart of Provence.
A jaunty yellow shutter strikes a dramatic contrast behind lush ivy in the charming, vest pocket-sized village of Venasque.
Here's an extreme version of a colorful facade that John and I spotted in the famous, ochre-hued village of Roussillon. I love the pairing of the burnt-orange facade and the deep red shutters. Wow-ee!
Tags: France, Gordes, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Lacoste, Madcap Cottage, Menerbes, Painted shutters, Provence, Roussillon
Posted in Antiques, Color, Curb appeal, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, Paint, Paint a front door, Renovations, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Thursday, September 13th, 2012
John heads into the glorious landscape that comprises Queen Mary's Gardens in the heart of London's Regent's Park. Queen Mary's Gardens overflow with flowers and gorgeous planting beds, and we always make a stop at this urban sanctuary when we hop across the pond.
Gang:
John and I are in London and doing all sorts of shopping for one of our clients…
Happily, the weather is absolutely delicious, so John and I took some time this afternoon to visit one of our favorite spots in the British capital, Queen Mary’s Gardens in Regent’s Park. Regent’s Park is a stunningly maintained urban oasis in the heart of the city, and Queen Mary’s enclosed gardens–housed within the larger park–feature stunning vistas, fountains, and gobs of roses and begonias. There’s also an open-air theater in the gardens where John and I have seen Shakespeare performances in summers past while picnicking al fresco.
Next time you are in London, be sure to visit this stunning landscape. Here’s a little tour.
An intimate "moment" in the garden with John perched atop a bridge wrapped in wisteria. I love the mix of large public spaces and cozy "moments" in Queen Mary's Gardens.
A glorious garden figure crafted of succulent plants takes a central place in Queen Mary's Gardens. Why not push the boundaries in your own garden, and have some fun!
A stunning fountain in the heart of the Queen Mary's Gardens. I love the tropical plants that surround the fountain beneath a row of towering poplars. John and I used this row of poplars as inspiration for a new garden that we recently created at our Madcap Cottage in upstate New York.
Here's John in the fabulous rose gardens. Note the climbing roses that dangle from the looped ropes that hang from poles in the background. What a genius way to enclose a garden, n'est-ce pas?
Tags: Curb appeal, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Landscaping, London, Madcap Cottage, Queen Mary's Gardens, Regent's Park
Posted in Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Gardens, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
Welcome to Kennebunkport, Maine's wonderful Snug Harbor Farm!
Gang:
A few weeks back, John, Jasper, Weenie, and I made a pilgrimage up to southern Maine to enjoy some R&R beside the rocky coast. And, oh!, what a delicious time we had in Kennebunkport and environs.
One of our must-visit spots is the delightful Snug Harbor Farm, a glorious nursery-cum-garden store just outside of Kennebunkport… If you love plants and all things green-related, Snug Harbor is nirvana. John and I want to move in. Not only do we love all of the topiaries and gorgeous annuals, but there are chickens and peacocks roaming about. It’s like the chic-est of gentleman’s farms.
Here are images from various visits to Snug Harbor Farm, including a tour from a few winters back.
I take in the landscape at charming Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunkport, Maine a few winters back. While the exterior of the Farm is somewhat bleak in the winter, the greenhouses are alive and bursting over with greenery.
John inspects the annuals and perennials at the front entrance to the Farm. Snug Harbor has a terrific selection of unusual plants that you can't find at your local big-box store.
An espaliered apple tree that I photographed a few winters back. Espaliering is the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth originally for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame so that they grow into a flat plane, frequently in formal patterns, against a structure such as a wall, fence, or trellis, and also plants which have been shaped in this way.
Here's that same espaliered apple tree on our recent visit. John and I love a good espaliered tree, n'est-ce pas? So chic! In fact, we are creating a row of espaliered apple trees at Madcap Cottage in upstate New York. Stay tuned for images of that project-in-the-works.
A pair of theatrical tropical plants decamp from the greenhouses during the summer and create some drama in a corner of Snug Harbor Farm.
A tucked-away fountain crafted from a watering trough. Brilliant!
A potting shed at Snug Harbor Farm boasts Chinese lanterns that sway in the breeze. Why not recreate a "moment" like this in our own home. Take a blah-and-boring workspace and give it some "oomph."
Tags: Espalier, garden, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Kennebunkport, Landscaping, Madcap Cottage, Maine, Nursery, Snug Harbor Farm
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Road Trip, Tastemaker | No Comments »
Monday, August 20th, 2012
Here's a showhouse that John and I designed in New Jersey a few years back. Note the tole foxgloves in little tole pots upon the mantel. Tole is fabulous and requires no maintenance.
Gang:
Apologies for not giving you any updates last week… It was a whirlwind of activity! But I am back… So get ready for lots of fun and fabulous installments.
As you know, John and I are crazy-ass gardeners, and we love nothing more than plodding about in our garden. But since we are constantly traveling, it really makes no sense for us to have lots of houseplants at our home in Brooklyn. So how do we bring a taste of the outdoors in?
Tole!
Er, tole? Never heard of tole?
Tole, dear friends, is enameled or lacquered metalware–often from Italy–usually with gilt decoration for trays, lampshades, etc. And tole can often be found crafted in the form of fabulous flowers and plants that adorn chandeliers, table lamps, and follies. Best of all, tole requires no watering, just the occasional dusting.
So if you want some floral flavor at home without the maintenance, try some tole. You can find tole at your local antiques store and often at a delicious price. I was just in California and snapped up some tole-laden goodies at a jumble sale…
Here's a massive tole sconce that John and I are currently selling on 1st Dibs. There's nothing like a bough of steel magnolias to add some oomph to your walls, n'est-ce pas? Click on the image, above, if you'd like to purchase the sconce.
A glorious room at the incredible Sanssouci Palace at Potsdam near Berlin. John and I lapped up this palace like it was free wine at the package liquor store. This room was loaded with motifs culled from nature, including this tole chandelier.
I snapped up this tole lily of the valley at an antiques shop in Pasadena, California. I plan to use this as a centerpiece upon our dining room table. No fuss, no muss, n'est-ce pas?
Tags: 1st Dibs, antiques, Chandeliers, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Tole
Posted in 1st Dibs, Antiques, Color, Demystifying Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Sunday, August 12th, 2012
Here is a "before" shot of one of the red chairs on my parents' front porch that I decided to overhaul. The rattan caning on the seat looked fine, but it was beginning to rot in the Florida humidity and needed to be replaced. Hence, a trip to Hancock Fabrics was a must! John and I had had the chairs powder coated bright red a few months before when they had begun to flake.
Gang:
I am currently down at my parents’ home in Tampa, Florida, but I fly to Los Angeles tomorrow and I can’t wait. Stay tuned for some West Coast design updates.
Meanwhile, whenever I come down to Tampa I always like to get a few projects going. But I am just not sure if I terrorize my Mom and Dad with my myriad putterings-about. For example, Lois and Jary (aka, Mom and Dad) do not seem to be too keen on my idea to transform their guest house into a Chinoiserie Chateau, a Palace of Pagoda Perfection. Stay tuned to see if I win this battle and get to lacquer their furniture and wallpaper their bathroom with a scenic scene from Peking back in the day.
Well, here’s one project that I did tackle today. My parents have terrific vintage French cafe chairs on their front porch, but they were getting a bit downtrodden and the rattan caning on the seats was beginning to rot. A few months back I had my parents powder coat the chairs as the original red paint was peeling off.
And then more recently I tackled the rattan caning. The rattan was not especially comfortable and was crumbling, so John and I decided to create custom seat covers with a very graphic indoor-outdoor fabric that we picked up for a song at Hancock Fabrics. I took one of the original rattan seats up to New York after my last visit to Florida to have our terrific upholstery guru craft five matching seat cushions in a festive Carnival print.
And, voila!, here are the results. The chairs offer a big punch of color and are far more comfortable than before. Success!
Now how do I convince Mom and Dad that a Chinoiserie-styled, painted bar and matching disco ball are must-have accessories for the guest house. To be continued…
Here are the new seat cushions crafted of an indoor-outdoor fabric from Hancock Fabrics awaiting their star turn.
Jary removes the old rattan caning with a saw so that we could re-use the wood frame that sits within a lip in the chairs.
While my Dad and I worked on recovering the front porch chairs, my Mom practiced her hula hooping skills.
After my Dad used the saw to remove the edges of the rattan caning, I peeled off the remaining fibers and nails to create a clean base that could be then attached to the new seat cushions.
Getting ready to screw the new upholstered seat cushions to the original wooden frame that sits within a narrow lip on the chairs. I had the cushions made with a hollow center in their wooden frame to allow them to drain if they get wet in the rain or after a good hose-down.
The big reveal! And here are the five front porch dining chairs in all of their recovered glory. The seat covers can be popped off the chair to be hosed down, and the new fabric adds a "pop" of color that was lacking with the rattan caning, n'est-ce pas?
Tags: DIY, Front porch, Hancock Fabrics, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Porch furniture, Powder coating, Red, Seat cushions
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, DIY, Entertaining, Fabrics, Furniture Recovering, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Painted Furniture, Powder coating, Sustainable, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, upholstery, Weekend warrior | 2 Comments »
