Garden

Chair Options for the Garden

As I mentioned on Friday, I’m starting to turn my attention to the garden now that I can stand going outside again. It looks like we’ll need some new dining chairs (and probably a table too) since the old ones have taken a beating with all the rain and snow the last year. One option I’m considering is the classic Tolix.

I’ve loved them for as long as I can remember and I know they’re sturdy and comfortable too.

Don’t they look great in all of these gardens?

My second option is to just get a couple of benches:

I like that you can squeeze as many people on a bench as you need but it’s not the most convenient when you want to get up from the table if you’re wedged in between people.

The third option is to just get more French cafe chairs (which are what I have now).

You can never go wrong with cafe chairs as far as I’m concerned.

If you’re new to FTRB, you can see my chairs in this old post.

Shall we take a vote?

(Photos: 1.Vogue 2.Campagne Décoration 3-5.Tumblr 6.Martha Stewart)

The State of the Backyard

Can I just tell you how happy I am that fall is here?! Fall has always been my favorite season and now that I live in Atlanta that could not be more true. Being a Northerner, the summers here are brutal. Unbearable even. But the temperatures are dropping (there’s even a chill in the air in the mornings!) and I could not be happier. I want a hammock to lounge on outside just like in this photo!

We’ve had a lot of work done in our backyard over the summer (nothing fun – regrading, adding drainage, installing a patio, etc.) and now that it’s cooled off,  plants are being added. Lots and lots of plants.

So it’s kind of a mess right now but it should look really pretty when it’s all done. I’m also actually starting to think about hanging out outdoors again which can only mean one thing: new garden furniture!  Since the rest of the country is done with all that, I think I should be able to find some deals, don’t you? Let me know if you have any good sources.

Wishing you a lovely autumn weekend! (And a spring one to my friends in the southern hemisphere.)

(Photo: I lost the source. Please let me know if you know.)

Impossibly Cute Swedish Balconies

I’m forever stalking real estate and one of the best places for that if you’re into Swedish homes is Alvhem. The photography on that site is truly among the best when it comes to real estate sites. I didn’t think I’d ever see another balcony that could rival the one I posted last month from Alvhem but I recently saw all of these and I’d say they’re pretty good contenders. You may want to get comfortable because there are a lot of photos to show you.

It’s always so inspiring to see how much people can do with small spaces.

How adorable is this little fruit and vegetable garden:

In all of these homes, with just a few pieces of furniture, plants and carefully selected accessories, they were able to create really beautiful spaces.

What did I tell you? Impossibly cute, right?

I’m going to try to not sleep through the weekend and get back into the swing of things around here. If all goes well, I’ll finally reveal the dining room on Monday. I can’t wait for you to see it! Until then, enjoy your weekend!

(Photos: Alvhem)

A Treehouse for Grown-Ups

When I was a child, I really, really wanted a treehouse and looking back, I know a big part of it was just so I’d have another space to decorate. And you know what? Decades later, nothing’s really changed. I’d still love a treehouse and here is the absolute perfect model!

Completely. Obsessed. I need to talk to someone about getting one built in my backyard …..

P.S. I hope you all had a good week and weekend. The coast was fantastic! I’ll have some photos and other things to share a bit later in the week.

(Photos: Chicago House & Garden)

Al Fresco? I Don’t Think So.

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Each summer, everyone talks about how lovely it is to dine out doors. Pretty tabletops, fresh food, lingering as the sun sets . . .

Yeah, right. This might be your reality but in Atlanta, it’s like 500 degrees everyday so I’m not going outside for anything, much less eating – even if he’s cooking:

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That’s how bad it is here, people . . .

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. . .  because you all know how I feel about him. Have you done a lot of al fresco dining this summer?

And speaking of summer, if you’d like to see some of my favorite summer items, please head over to the Zhush where I was a part of Sue’s “Summer Style Secrets” series earlier this week.

Hope you have a fun and not sweltering weekend!

(Photos: Ditte Isager)

Still Loving Garden Sheds

About a year ago, I wrote about wanting a shed or some other small structure in the garden.

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It must be the time of year because I’ve noticed another round of cute little sheds in my files.

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Aren’t they too adorable? I’d love one just to hang out in, to read, listen to music, draw . . .  perfect on the weekends, wouldn’t you say? How was yours?

(Photos: 1,2,5.Skona Hem 3.via Dress, Design, Decor 4.via Bo med barn)

Smitten With Gypsy Caravans

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When I used to subscribe to all the shelter magazines in France, I would often come across spreads with colorful wooden wagons with fantastic Bohemian interiors. I wasn’t quite sure what they were but I was always drawn to their playfulness.

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When I looked into them, I learned they were old gypsy caravans (or roulottes in French). I think of them as being like winnebagos but with a lot more personality; little homes that are always ready to move to the next destination. Since I consider myself a gypsy of sorts, it’s no wonder I was drawn to them!

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I even saw a few being drawn by horses when we would take roadtrips in the French countryside.

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Upon further investigation, I learned that many of the caravans I was seeing were the work of Jeanne Bayol who, along with her husband, run a business in Provence called Les Verdines which restores and sells old caravans.

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She is also the author of two books on the subject, Les Roulottes and Le temps des Roulottes (both available from Amazon France).

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I would love to have one of these in the garden, as an art studio or just an outdoor room. Wouldn’t it be great for parties?

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I’ve always had a thing for little structures like this. (Remember my shed fixation?) How fun would it be to decorate one of these? There’s something about them that invite you to just let loose and go wild with the decor in a way most of us wouldn’t in our own house.

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Yes, I’m middle-aged and I want a playhouse.

(All photos via Les Verdines)

Hydrangeas In The Garden

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I have the blackest thumb of anyone I know. Seriously, it’s so bad that it would be comical if it weren’t so tragic. I gave up any notion of maintaining a beautiful garden myself a long time ago and will be calling in the professionals. But I have had a really pleasant surprise lately.

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Despite the freaky weather we’ve been having in Atlanta since . . . well, pretty much since we moved here, lots of things are starting to bloom and grow in our garden. I have no idea what most of it is but I did recognize that six of the plants in our backyard are hydrangeas!

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This makes me so happy because I adore hydrangeas and have tried growing them myself in the past, without success of course. I’m not going anywhere near them because I’d like them to live a full life so I can have cut flowers like these in the house when the time comes.

Have any of you turned your attention to your gardens yet? What are you growing?

(Photos via Brabourne Farm)

My Outdoor Tabletop

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Hello, all, how was your weekend? We had gorgeous weather here and it was finally warm enough (it was actually downright hot) for a little dinner party in the garden. Here’s a shot of the table as I was setting it.  But it got so hot at this point, I had to take refuge in the house and then I forgot to take any more photos. Oops.

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Some of you have asked for more details of things I post so for those interested: the table, chairs and little white vases are Ikea, the tablecloth, napkins and napkin rings are from Anthropologie last year and I think I’ve had these dishes from Pottery Barn for close to 10 years. (I can’t remember where the woven place mats are from. Crate & Barrel?)

The brown  pitcher is Orla Kiely for Target which I think is really cute but it has some serious design flaws. It’s quite tall and the handle part is too high so when it’s full, it’s heavy and hard to pour. Also, once the water gets below a certain point, there’s a tendency for it to come out too fast. It’s a good thing we were outside because everyone spilled a lot of water that night. I think I’ll be using it as a vase from now on.

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With summer here, I think a lot of us are thinking about entertaining outside. We’re having our first outdoor dinner party of the season this weekend so I flipped through my files for some inspiration:

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And we can’t forget Domino’s (sniff) greatest hits:

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(Photos: 1. via Kim Vallee 2&3. via This Is Glamorous 4&5.Cote Maison 6.Livingetc. 7-16.Domino)

 

Shopping and Wish List For The Garden

Whenever the sun makes an appearance around here, I start thinking about the garden. And the sun is definitely out today. So here’s what I’m working with. We have a dining area set up outside our living room sort of like this:

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It’s currently paved with concrete pieces and pebbles but we’re both thinking wood would be nicer. (But that would be a long term project – in other words, not anytime soon.)

Out there, we have this dining set – except I didn’t bother getting an umbrella:  picture-30

But I think I may want to get one this year. I don’t talk a lot about budgets here but when it comes to the outdoors, I like to economize as much as possible. Most outdoor pieces seem to wear out pretty quickly no matter how well-made they are and more so if they’re always getting wet as they tend to get around these parts. So I want inexpensive pieces that I won’t feel bad about replacing in a few years. (The dining set is from Ikea and if I remember correctly, the table with 8 cafe chairs came to around $300.)  

I’ve also set up a lounge area on the other side of the garden and strung fairy lights in the trees. Our house is contemporary so I’m trying to keep the garden somewhat in harmony with the style of the house. This is the atmosphere I’m going for:

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or this: gasl_outdoor_rooms_20

I bought two black wicker lounge chairs last year (Ikea again) and I think they could use a boost with some yellow and white cushions like these:

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Then I think an outdoor rug, a couple of small side tables and maybe another seat of some sort is what I need to pull it all together. If you have any good garden furniture sources, please share them as I don’t have a clue! Thank you!

And by the way, some of my peonies have started to sprout! Is that even the correct word? Anyway, I can’t tell you how exciting this is for me! I’m keeping my distance in the hopes that if they don’t think I’m around, they won’t croak so quickly(!)

(Photos: 1.Domino 2.Anthony Todd 3.Ashe + Leandro, 4.Domino)

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Maybe a Shed Is All I Need

writersretreat_pic5(scottsofthrapston.co.uk)

You know that cabin I’m dreaming of? Sometimes I think I could be happy with something like this plunked down in our backyard. I mean look at the possibilities:

shed(via blog.kimvallee.com)

Wouldn’t it be a fun place to have outdoor parties?

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Or sip tea and read a good book?

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To dine al fresco?

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I had actually entertained this idea briefly when we first moved into our house. I talked to a couple of guys who thought they could build one pretty easily. But they got busy with other things and this project sort of lost momentum. But now that it’s spring, I’m starting to think about it again. It would be easier than finding the perfect cabin and definitely a lot cheaper(!)