Backyard Celebration of Spring Flowers and New Growth

Purple is the color exploding in my garden today – well, this week…I blew around the yard this afternoon to discover all that was happening. In the blustery wind as the aqua tips of the new growth on the branches of our mammoth blue spruce trembled and the young leaves of the peach tree (we sadly missed the cheerful pink blooms that came and went over the last two weeks while we raced around NYC and flew over the pond to Greece) shook with the gusts, I marveled at Spring’s exhilarating progress.
The redbud tree’s branches are bursting with those red-purple blossoms while the lilac is choked with new green leaves and spires of blue-purple clusters. What an incredible contrast against all that new green growth!
Albuquerque actually looked green from the plane as we landed yesterday – compared with New York and Chicago that are just beginning their long-awaited spring transformation – their vast wooded areas are still brown/gray from the plane window. Yet Albuquerque is quite green from the sky! What usually looks like another planet devoid of foliage by comparison to other more lush and densely forested areas this time of year it sings its song of spring’s seasonal change with bold pride.
I was content to leave the flowers on their bushes today but tomorrow I will clip several bouquets of lilacs and trim some branches off the red bud to bring inside and cheer up the interior in celebration of this wonderful time of year! The fragrance of the lilac is enchanting and promises to waft through the house with the soft breeze that I’ll invite inside on what is forecast to be a wonderfully warm spring day.

Spring Purples

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Posted On April 10, 2011 By pattisays In color and temperature re: interior design, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, landscape design /  

The Color Purple is Outrageous and Elegant, Whimsical and Fun!

The Color Purple is rich, garish, and outrageous when worn by ladies sporting red hats. Purple is royalty, has liturgical significance and makes tongues brand the color after sucking down a cold glass of grape juice or room temperature bouquet of good – or not-so-good red wine (what a waste).
Alice Walker expressed great symbolism of pain and beauty when writing her novel. It is certainly a complex color which for our purposes of interior design would want to focus on the positive attributes and not the less attractive. Purple continually surfaces in interior design and it’s probably due to be an upcoming trend. Whether eggplant or lavender, it is a wonderful, classic, good color (aren’t they all in some context?), – yes, purple can be quite fun!
In nature, our Sandias at sunset – although said to be “watermelon” red, by their very Spanish name, transition from many shades of pastel colors including pinks, blues, lavenders and rosy reds. Lavender fields, lavender bouquets, periwinkle blossoms, red bud trees…the list goes on… Currently, I am designing a purple scheme in a home that will be all of fun and stunning, whimsical and elegant. It seems that the brighter colors of purple often bring a smile. Extracted from a charming oil painting, of a northern New Mexico calle with brilliant white and purple lilac bushes blooming along a  dirt road accented by a royal blue picket fence, that we have selected as a focal point – the colors are enchanting. These will be more robust than pastels but softer than the royals – delineated with crisp white against a neutral backdrop of sage/stone.
I often reference colors in nature influencing interiors – and here captured in the artist’s painting is a scene from nature setting the stage as the focal element of the space.
Meanwhile, take a look around. See the earth and sky, new blossoms and colors in the built environment – and consider the possibilities for building a color scheme or punctuating with accents in your interiors.

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Posted On March 20, 2011 By pattisays In color and temperature re: interior design, context of interior design, design, environment, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, interior design, travel and design /  

Refresh Your Interiors – Eco-style

The Color, GREEN – we associate it with nature’s renewal, growth, promise…it’s fresh, clean and a signature of the environmentally conscientious. In the design world the Eco-style is connecting the inside with the out-of-doors…bringing the green inside with fabulous decorative accessories to refresh your interiors. As we leave January and move through February looking toward March and the promise of springtime’s rejuvenation we long for the sight of green. So to incorporate it into your interior environment here are some ideas.
These delicate hand-blown glass vessels come in a variety of shapes and sizes and make wonderful clusters of color empty or with the added boost using flower stems – only one per each for the lighter, simpler look or bunches of baby’s breath perhaps – delicately drooping tulips or little sticks of near-budding branches from your yard. You decide – they are pocked with bubbles that signify the blown glass method and are translucent with shades of dark to chartreuse green shades – simply wonderful!
As bulbs begin to sprout and trees hint of buds…inside our homes we have the opportunity to push it along a bit. Bring home a pot of tulips or daffodils. Fresh is best – like bowls of artichokes as a centerpiece or feature on your countertop, maybe green apples or pears in a bowl made from renewable bamboo, but if that is not practical we have remarkably real-looking faux fruit to use for the suggested effect – that have an indefinite shelf life! Our faux branches are a hit too as a bouquet for your entryway or table dressing.

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Posted On February 22, 2011 By pattisays In color and temperature re: interior design, context of interior design, design, design trends, DIY design, environmental, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, green design, interior design, seasonal interior design /  

Artists Gather Along the Malacon Fronting the Estudio Café

Like a groupie at rock concert I stood in front of this towering man of a man as I was being introduced to the artist who made the whales!!! Trying to be cool, I shook his hand and marveled at the reality of this moment. As I previously wrote, this magical scene of a waterfront art exhibit every Saturday at the marina in Nuevo Vallarta in front of the Estudio Café, the setting was already not to be believed. Then, to realize that the very first person to whom we were being introduced was that of Octavio Gonzales the sculptor of magnificent mega-scaled masterpieces, I was star struck. Yes, I’m one of those who have ogled and continue to marvel at the stupendous scale of the elegant hump-backed whales that gracefully swim through the sky at the entrance of the marina in Puerto Vallarta. This encounter was a pleasant surprise!
Anyone visiting Vallarta has seen Octavio’s whales, dolphin, musical mermaids, orcas and other incredible renditions magnificently presented in bronze many of which are located on the main malacon downtown. Highland Park outside Chicago even has one of his incredible whale sculptures -shown unlikely but proudly in Octavio’s portfolio in a snowy scene as winter descends on the humpbacks. Arnold Schwarzenegger owns a desk-top miniature of the whales that he references with fond memories of time spent in Vallarta as evidenced in a personal letter in the artist’s portfolio.
And this was just the beginning…several other fine talents were present exhibiting their work and meeting the people who had come to see the art, have breakfast or just were fortunate enough to happen upon this wonderful waterfront scene. Estella Herrera’s work, with her lively glass mobiles, fanciful hearts, jewelry and architectural panels, was elegant, translucent, colorful and creative.
Gonzalo Espinosa crafts whimsical hearts, fish, clouds and other images from found wood that he shapes, colors with dyes and colored wax pencils posting them on iron stands that suspend them in the air above their surface. We enjoyed an interesting conversation as he told me about his techniques and also about exhibiting his work in Tucson – where I hope to discover his work on our next trip.
Meg Munro paints incredible watercolors with the eye of a camera and the soul of an artist. She captures the details but dilutes with shapes and differing levels of clarity for both perspective and emphasis of composition. Her colors are crisp and bold, real and softened to a pleasing interpretation of the reality that she sees.
I didn’t meet all of them – that is left for another visit. But I encourage anyone interested in beautiful Saturday mornings, magical marina settings, quiet music and delightful fresh food to visit this enchanting art exhibit along the malacon in Nuevo Vallarta. www.estudiocafe.net

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Posted On January 29, 2011 By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, interior design, landscape design, travel and design /  

Dormant Months Provide Planning Time For Garden Designs

They’re not dead, they’re just sleeping!! Dormant yet quite alive, gardens are begging for attention with plans for the next season’s excitement!! We know all the recommendations about planting bulbs in the fall and pruning roses in late February, but now is the time to begin your master plan for the outdoor living spaces that will be so important and exciting in the warmer months! Plan NOW!
I have just completed three studies for a “Fantasy Garden.” The distillation of these plans into one more consolidated design will be a master plan for many years to come…it is the story of a garden comprised of an intimate series of zones and spaces ever growing, changing with the seasons and coming years. It is not static. It is a living, breathing work in progress.
This particular garden was requested by the owner to include many features such as a soaking tub, pomegranate tree, storage for bikes, cactus garden, vegetable garden, breakfast patio, party patio, meditation garden…and more…their love of art invites plans for placement of various pieces currently owned and to be acquired. Does this conjure up a picture of an enchanted maze of discovery and wonderment? It should.
Creating outdoor spaces for expanded living enjoyment can be done on a postage stamp sized piece of property (a rooftop maybe) or sections of a larger whole. Don’t hesitate to explore the possibilities for creating the pleasurable environments of an intensely manicured Japanese garden, wild xeric scene or a multi-faceted collective like the one described here. In any case, it is YOUR space and should be so very inviting that you are drawn to be out there – irresistibly drawn to the magic that is provides.
Use your imagination and envision breakfasts outside, water features providing subtly refreshing sounds, nature in the air of bird songs and soft fragrances, evenings under the stars, parties with festive lighting, outdoor kitchens, fresh air and the ever changing blooms and growth of seasonal plantings. And there’s more! Just imagine!
So, start thinking now! Gather you ideas, make a wish list and begin planning your landscape design in these quiet months, preparing aspects that are not dependent upon warmer days, so that when the time arrives, you are ready to plant, critique, sit back and enjoy!

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Posted On January 5, 2011 By pattisays In design, design trends, DIY design, environmental, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, landscape design, seasonal interior design /