Trending: Succulents

Succulents seem to be all the rage lately, as I'm noticing them pop up on tabletops, nightstands, and coffee tables as the latest accessory du jour.  I love their color, symmetry, and how easy they are to keep alive!

Emily Clark

How cute are they as an accessory to your table setting, or as wedding favors?

How creative can you get with your succulent planters?

Apparently, the tiny ones can survive planted in wine corks!

And I just adore the initial succulent planters available at Rooted In Succulents...

Have a great day,
Deb

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Rethinking the Carnation

The carnation is, and has always been, my least favorite flower....  I just despise it.

When we were recently featured in the Boston Globe Magazine, we asked the fact checker to remove the sentence saying the dining room wallpaper was inspired by a carnation motif, because I was so upset about the association.  And, before the piece went to press, I had a nightmare that the entire article was about carnations and how they had inspired our entire design business.

The fact of the matter is, in the late 16th and 17th century, the design of rows of carnation palmettes in Ottoman textiles made for some pretty beautiful motifs...

via Sothebys

And I do love how the motif has been revived or reinterpreted for modern interiors...

David Hicks

How awesome is this version, from Osborne and Little?  

You won't see "real" carnations in my home anytime soon, but I'd certainly consider one of these interpretations!

Deb

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Monet's Gardens on Display at the NYBG

Local New Yorkers and visitors are in for a real treat this summer.  The New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx (where I spent several years studying landscape design) has an exhibition running through October 21 that features recreations of Claude Monet's Giverny Gardens.  The gardens Monet so impressively painted, he created from scratch and the team at the NYBG has locally recreated!! Monet was an avid gardener who experimented with color palettes in his gardens long before committing them to canvas.  I always knew he was ahead of his time, but damn that is impressive.

You can read more about the exhibition in the New York Times article.

 

Talk about "Art in Bloom"?!?  WOW. I may just have to plan a little jaunt to NYC to see this incredible display!

Cheers!
Becky

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Charlotte Moss and the NYCB

Having the good fortune to work at New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center for a couple of years, I was particularly curious to open an email from the hugely talented Charlotte Moss showcasing her designs for their Spring Gala last month.

A major perk of spending each day working among the most talented performing artists in the world (like that wasn't perks enough!) was the opportunity to attend and be involved in the various galas and fundraisers that help keep the company funded.

For the party following the performances, a challenge is how to transform an enormous, several stories high "blank slate" lobby (built to resemble the inside of a jewelry box) into a seemingly intimate and festive space.

See below, with images from her website, how Charlotte Moss transformed the theater into a Spring  garden party.  I just love everything about the lush floral designs - especially how the enormous hydrangea centerpieces collectively serve to create, a second lower ceiling in the overwhelming space.  Amazing...

Of course, one can't help but wonder if the some of the cash spent on these stunning designs might be better served funding the arts directly... but I guess the big donors don't come out for chicken nuggets and carnations!

Deb

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Bloomin' Art!

It was so nice to see a large crowd out to support Art in Bloom at the Next Door Theater on Friday!  Becky did a beautiful job reflecting and interpreting her artist's scarf through a beautiful arrangement featuring delphiniums, mondo grass and curly twigs.  The small accent candle was there to cast shadows of the grass onto the flowers as seen in the handmade silk scarf.

She wasn't the only designer given the challenging task of interpreting a piece of wearable art with floral design...

This designer used flowers exclusively pulled from her garden, and the results were beautiful and graceful, just like the dancer they reflected...

Another personal favorite...

Other bold and abstract pieces from the evening... there really was something for everyone!

Congratulations to all the artists and designers on this unique collaboration!
Deb

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Flower to Chandelier: The Sputnik

Saturday marked a local spring/summer rite of passage I was so looking forward to - the first local Farmer's Market of the season!  Nevermind it was freezing and raining and generally miserable (for the three hours I manned a table for a special cause close to my heart).

I wondered a few tables over for a pick-me-up in the way of peonies - my absolute favorite flower ever.  For sale next to the peonies, a few striking green and purple flowers (Stars of Persia) caught my eye, and immediately reminded me of the Sputnik chandelier, and specifically the IKEA Maskros version.  (Is this a normal impression to have upon glancing at a flower?  Probably not!)  Reminded me that Mother Nature is the best designer of all....

The lights...

Ikea Maskros

Preceeding four images, 1st Dibs

Little Green Notebook's DIY version

 using IKEA's Maskros chandelier ($89.99!)

And look at how stunning when put to good use...

Hope you had a great weekend!

Deb