Summer arrangements ...

Driftwood with succulents and summer accessories by Laura Thomson

Even with the wealth of flowers outside our windows in the summer months there is still much to be appreciated in the gathered variety. For the “Designers Shine with Designer Bath” award event that I planned for the showroom in July, we hired Laura Thomson to create arrangements to add a bit of nature-inspired beauty to our designer celebration. She really came through with her thoughtful designs. See them posted on our facebook page and read about Laura’s design process here.

Yard snipped hydrangeas in a low glass vase with pebbles 

This past week, the winning space of the Shine contest was photographed by Michael J. Lee. Ian Mentasti of Stephen Terhune Woodworking, a division of Carpenter and MacNeille, was our award-winning designer and his master bath project was amazingly beautiful. I brought lots of luxurious bath items to style the space for our professional photo shoot including hydrangeas from a friend’s front yard. The leftover blooms came home with me and I put them in a low vase to enjoy for awhile. Look for the winning space in next issue of Design New England Magazine as it will be featured in a full page ad for Designer Bath. The entire house was stunning! I really wish we could have stayed to photograph more of it.     

Ferns, ivy and peace lily in a large black urn by Churchills Garden Center

I took a trip to visit the York Decorator Show House today. Designer Gerald Pomeroy was a shining star at this year’s show. His living room, dining room, kitchen and sun porch were elegantly designed with lots of rich textures and subtle patterns. I wasn’t there to photograph the show, but I was able to capture the above urn on the grounds surrounding Harmon House. There is only one day left to view the 19 decorated spaces ... if you can’t make it in person, there are a few photos of Pomeroy’s work on the Design New England blog. If you do plan to visit, you’ll see lots more designer flower arrangements inside (along with some fabulous decorated living spaces), plus gorgeous gardens and plantings outside. Charles C. Hugo Landscape Design created an outside kitchen set against the backdrop of the York Harbor that looks like the perfect place to spend a summer afternoon.

Porch decorating

In honor of Memorial Day, I am posting some images from a recent porch “mini-makeover.” Using my client’s hanging folk art flag as inspiration (what a great piece!) we pulled out a pair of friendly white rockers from her shed and then had thick seat cushions made in a vibrant indoor/outdoor fabric for this shady porch. Now all we need is a large pitcher of ice-cold lemonade and some passing neighbors to stop by and chat for a spell ...


And when a little privacy is desired, this miniature screen of evergreens politely does the trick. Hardy pansies in cranberry red add color and charm.

An early spring vignette designed with my client’s antique tricycle, an old-fashioned container overflowing with blue star-shaped perennials (to be planted later) and some organic vertical interest.

With the warm weather, we have added a lush, Boston Fern (actually an indoor plant) in a terra-cotta urn on top of this traditional wicker console. The large scale of the plant is a dramatic welcome at the front door.

And by adding a few “non-growing” decorative objects – like this basket of rope spheres along with a moss-covered carrot in honor of her stone bunnies – we are ensured that even without direct sun or watering, the look will remain true to our design.