Right Now I'm Loving...Black Windows

Last month we headed out to Santa Barbara for my youngest sister's wedding.  The outdoor wedding was held in beautiful gardens at a private residence, a casual California bungalow. The home's interior walls were all painted white, while the windows were framed with black trim.  What a graphic statement...I love it!  Here's the dining area, which flows into the living room.  I love how the black was repeated on the mantle and fireplace surround.

Here's a peek of the garden set up for the ceremony.

The black windows (and door) frame the view outside and draws your eye outdoors.
In light and airy rooms it also helps anchor the room and adds a dramatic focal point. Here are some exterior shots of black windows done right!

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And here are some interior views...

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Here are a few more I've seen while out and about in Gloucester and Concord, Ma.

What do you think? Do you like black windows and trim?

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

Newport Flower Show

The last weekend in June we headed down to Newport, Rhode Island for the 19th Annual Flower Show.  It was a beautiful summer day, a perfect backdrop for the gorgeous flower displays at the Rosecliff Mansion.

The theme for this year's show was "Journey- Grand Vistas", and focused on luxury travel at the turn of the century. It included divisions in botanical arts, floral design, horticulture and photography.  Ribbons and prizes were awarded in each division. On the front lawn, six gardens represented the range of European garden design.

They also had mailboxes featuring different places around the world (Cape Town shown here), with flower displays representing that particular location.

 Unique urns with amazing flower arrangements were seen throughout the property. 

Pergola + climbing roses + boxwood = heaven!

In the container garden category, many of the contestants planted their

arrangements in vintage suitcases to go along with this year's theme.

Spectacular shades of pink...

Inside the mansion, the ballroom was full of more arrangements...it was eye-candy overload!

The flower show also includes the Opening Night Party, lectures and demonstrations (P. Allen Smith was the special guest lecturer this year), special luncheons and workshops.  You can make a whole weekend of it!  Out on the back lawn were specialty vendors selling art, antiques, coastal décor, clothing and accessories. 

One of the vendors was Three Islands, "a casual American clothing company that combines the clean tailoring of New England's classic good looks with vibrant and whimsical hand-screened batiks from Bali, Indonesia."  Their women's dresses, cover ups and tunics are perfect for summer days. I came home with these two...

 

(My seahorse top has orange trim around the neckline, cuffs and bottom...love it!)

They also carry men's and children's clothing...how cute is this summer top?

Another vendor was Liza Byrd , and I had to get this fun embroidered top...

Needham Lane is a Massachusetts based company and their colorful collection of prints are used for dresses, sleepwear, slippers and tote bags.

I met the owners of each of these companies and chatted with them for quite a while.  I love hearing their stories of how and why they started their family based business.

The Newport Flower Show is held annually in June, so mark your calendar for next year's show...I highly recommend it! 

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

In the garden...potting sheds

Hello my friends...I'm back!!

It certainly has been a while since my last blog post (two and a half months I'm sad to say), but my life has finally slowed down A LITTLE, and I am going to make an effort to post at least once a week over the summer.  Our Spring was CRA.Z.Y- so many garden designs for Summerland Homes & Gardens...and with the wet spring we had I lost count of how many days we were planting in the rain!

I was also working with several clients on interior designs, finalizing college plans with my oldest and all the "senior year" activities and "must-do's" that go along with that, freshman orientation, two visits from my parents (a big "Thank You" to them for all their help when they're here!) and a trip to California for my sister's wedding...photos coming soon.

So with all the juggling I was doing, a few balls got dropped, blogging being one of them.  I am the first to admit I can't do it all, and when my to-do lists are made and items prioritized, unfortunately blogging falls towards the bottom of the list.  If you'd like to see what I'm up to on a more frequent basis, follow me on Instagram (ElleSummerland).

Since returning from beautiful Santa Barbara, I've been tending to my own garden...tying up tomato plants, filling my last containers with annuals, and ripping out some Sweet William, which has gotten out of control!

Up until this point I stored my gardening tool, pots, etc. in the shed under our side porch.  But I have lost patience with having to climb over bikes, scooters, skate boards, basketballs and lacrosse sticks to get to my things.  So I've been dreaming of potting sheds...a place all my own to house my gardening tools and supplies...

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A place for everything and everything in its place...

 

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A farmhouse sink for washing up and filling the watering can...

 

 



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Plenty of room for storing cut flowers...

A salvaged brick floor is a must...

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Here are some lovely sheds I've rounded up-

An English style potting shed with a fabulous roof...

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This blue door is beckoning us to enter...

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Starting seeds and growing tender plants is a snap in this backyard greenhouse. The cozy brick-paved interior is large enough for potting chores as well as a table and chairs...

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This shed is covered in climbing clematis and roses, while the shingle roof is topped with a whale weathervane...

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Bold red with black shutters makes this one a knockout...

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I love the moss growing on the roof of this rustic structure...

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 So until I get my own potting shed, I've converted our empty chicken coop into a spot for my belongings!

But I'll keep keep these inspiration photos for the day that I have room for a potting shed...and some more chickens!

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Hope your summer is off to a good start!  Have you been busy in your garden?

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.