Mosaic tile magic: a little peek

Way back in September (I'm sure you have forgotten by now) I shared a quick little blurb about this custom mosaic tile floor...

My client was updating her first floor powder room and this was her inspiration photo....

Marsh & Clark Design

Suffice it to say, this was a total gut job.... a tiny and difficult space to work with because square footage was given up for the adjacent dining room.  The home is an American Four Square with 1920's charm and features, which we wanted to work with not cover up. Gone is the shower, grey tile and black fixtures...

And this is a peek at how it looks now, with the floor and cabinetry installed!

There were many challenges in this space: the narrow width, the location of the toilet (not changing) and an off center, glass block window to name a few. I could not be more pleased with the results shown here. The pattern in the mosaic is perfectly placed and the cabinet is elegant and furniture-like, fitting to the home. 

This was a long distance project with a repeat Chicago client. I developed the floor plan and cabinet layout and helped in person on the tile selection, but most of the rest of the materials were selected by her with my guidance over the phone or Internet. She did a magnificent job, wait until you see the rest of the space....! 

We are in the midst of finals week here in Madison, my kids have been hunkered down, studying like maniacs. I am trying to be the balance between encouraging ("You are working so hard, how about some freshly baked cookies and a back rub?") and pushy ("Do you really think you should go study with your friends? Sounds more like a party than work." "Maybe you should get up at 5 AM and review your chemistry one last time before the  exam!")

I can pretty much tell you which one they will say I was when it's over.

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Room Rx.

Grass-scapes

Over the past few years, I have been dreaming of ways to eliminate some of the grass (read: dandelions, thistle, clover and other assorted weeds) in my back yard by replacing it with planting beds.  When our kids were younger this made no sense as they would have trampled whatever we put there with their games of "pickle," tag, baseball and other made up fun.  Well, teenagers just don't play like that and when they do, we have a huge park nearby, so I am back to dreaming/planning.  I think I finally have the hubby on board since part of the process will involve replacing a couple of small trees that have seen better days, and he loves to get out "Wild Thing," his chainsaw. Yes, the chainsaw has a name, was bought because of it's name and is generally referred to by all here at the Wall House by said name.  ("Wild Thing" I think I love you....!)

As with any good design project, the initial phase involves lots of research, so I am digging in.  While I know a little bit about gardening and plants, I need to really up the ante here, especially since we are trying to use mostly native species.  So don't mind me as I share bits and pieces here on "Room Rx," with you, my "bloggy friends." 

Today's installment, "Grass-scapes."  I love the look of native grasses and want to incorporate as many as possible, so I pulled together a Design Concept Board (because I can do one for just about anything, rooms, weddings, gardens, maybe even  the college selection process when we get to that in the near future) to see how they look with a few other favorite perennials.

The grasses are identified in purple above and perennials in orange. I was a little reckless about using their scientific names versus their common names, but you get the picture.  Since I have shared in the past that I have "Project/DIY ADD," I'm glad Mr. Rx will be working with me on this one, he'll keep things moving.  For now, I am simply dreaming and planning, I'm not sure exactly when all of this landscaping will commence and there are a few things that may require bringing in the "big guns" to accomplish.  You can be sure, I'll keep y'all posted!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Room Rx

Upstaged!

And here I was, all pleased with how my patio pots turned out when, what should I get in my in box, but these amazing photos of my CSIL's containers.....

Didn't she do a wonderful job?  Everything about them is perfect, the containers themselves (jealous) as well as the gorgeous plants. I'd say she really nailed the "filler, thriller and spiller" concept, what do you think?

 

Without much direct sun in her yard, my CSIL got creative in terms of how and where to make an herb garden by using a sunny, but  un-loved corner and some "seen better days" containers....

CSIL and BIL are fabulous cooks so I'm sure the fresh herbs will be well used in their kitchen.  The two vignettes make for a welcoming entry (the one almost everyone uses) through their patio and back door.

Forgive me for not posting a "Fresh Fabrics Friday" post today, life has me "busier than a one armed paper hanger" (one of my Dad, Chip's favorite comments) and I couldn't resist showing off my CSIL's talents and keeping the garden theme going this week!!!  Have a great week-end and come back next week when I hope to have a Room Rx reveal for you!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better!

Goodies for the Garden

All of this talk this week of gardening got me over to Etsy to scope out what handmade treasures might be lurking out there for use in the garden. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.... I found

1. A trellis planter made from cedar and recycled metal

2. "Yard Art" made from found objects

3. Another beautiful, tall trellis, perfect for climbing plants

4. Colorful, ceramic plant stakes with a message

5. Plant stakes engraved and made from silver spoons

6. A bench constructed from branches

7. A table with a different take on the same materials

8. An iron grasshopper for your garden

9. An artisan made potting bench (almost too beautiful to put outdoors...)

Images 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

I enjoy having a little "bling" in my yard and have collected various stakes, metal topiaries and other accents which I use to add a little interest. Have you tried it? Do you have a favorite yard/garden shopping resource?  

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better!

Container Garden Update: Patio Pots

Good weather and a little bit of free time in the afternoon yesterday and I was able to wrap up my patio pots!  As I said yesterday, I am no expert, I like to "noodle around" in the garden and I try something different every year in these pots, but I like how they turned out.  Careful watering and a little bit of fertilizer and they should be healthy, full and beautiful for the whole season.

My paver patio is large enough to be home to both a seating and dining area, so the pots are arranged in three groupings of three, around the perimeter.  Years ago the idea of using evergreen shrubs came to me as both a cost saving and winter interest measure, so this arrangement includes a Globe Arborvitae and another low growing variety (sorry, I planted it a few years ago and cannot remember the name).  I use different sized fiberglass pots (anything else does not hold up well in Winter's freeze/thaw cycle) and tend more toward plants with interesting foliage and color than flowers.

My patio gets full sun exposure, so when selecting the plants, I chose several in a chartreuse and purple pallet that could handle the sun.

Love the purple and chartreuse Petunia!

These are a couple of  "tried and true" standbys which I use every year on the patio....

Sweet Potato Vine

I love how it fills out with it's large, heart shaped leaves, making it the perfect "spiller" plant, falling over the side of the planter and tying the grouping together.

 

Purple Fountain Grass

Grasses are a favorite of mine in any size, shape or variety.  This one grows pretty large, has a great "flower" at it's tip and makes an impressive "thriller" in a container.

This plant is new to me this year, I chose it for its color, texture and "spiller" qualities...

Angelina Sedum

I may add a plant or two to fill things in, but overall I am pleased with the results and look forward to relaxing on the patio and enjoying how everything looks.  My front stoop containers need a bit more work before they are photo worthy, not sure when that will happen, but I'll be sure to share when they are ready. 

What do you plant in your containers?  Do you have any "tried and true" plants that you go to each year?  I would love to hear!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better!

Container Gardening

Every year I plant about a dozen containers around the exterior of my house, 4-5 on my front stoop and the rest around my patio.  I love to experiment with the various plants, combinations and arrangements.  Typically, I group several containers together to maximize the impact and often I will use not just annuals, but perennials and shrubs.  We have had an uncommonly cold and wet spring this year so my pots are not yet done.  Yesterday, the pendulum swung and we had an almost 90 degree day, making me anxious to get my planting finished.  While I am no garden expert, I do enjoy this springtime ritual and will snap some photos of my completed pots, until then, here are a few containers that I find inspiring.

This is my color combo, the lime green, coral and purple. Fuchsia works well on my stoop due to the lack of sun until the afternoon.

 

Love the topiary tree with underplanting in this pot....

Martha Stewart

A variety of plant sizes, colors and shapes or as they say at the garden store, a filler, a thriller and a spiller make a container!

Savvy Cafe

I love the look of a single plant type in a single container, high impact.

via

Groupings of containers should have a similar theme and color story.

 

3 images Sunset Magazine

There are lots of things to consider when deciding which plants to use.  Over the years I have found a few favorites that work well in my light and planting conditions, but I like to change things up and find that utilizing the expertise of the folks at my local garden center is quite helpful.  I typically will purchase a few of the more unusual plants at the garden center and then head to Home Depot or even the grocery store for the more common varieties as they are often cheaper there.  

I have done my planning and purchasing and now need to execute. It is going to rain again today, so I'd best get after it.... have a great Tuesday folks!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better!