Hang it up
June 13, 2012
While vertical gardening is making a statement in municipalities on both sides of the pond, you might like to try your hand at it at home. Hung on a back fence or interior courtyard or porch wall these succulent filled panels present themselves like a living, breathing work of art. Seurat had his pointillist dots of paint…you’ll have the small green leaves in their various shades of greens, grays and reds to color your creation. Panels can be hung alone or combined for a truly impressive piece as shown. If you get started now you have the entire summer to experience its developement. Who knows…you may take a liking to gardening “up” and decide to tackle an even more ambitious project.
http://shop.floragrubb.com/vertical-succulent-garden-d-i-y-panel/
Would I…
June 9, 2012
like this book as a Father’s Day gift? You bet! It’s no secret that I love trees, logs, branches, stumps, bark. If it’s part of a tree…give it to me. Even my cocktail table is a giant slice of raw, fallen tree. And, I’ve been known to use sections of logs as side tables or stools. If I framed some unfinished birch plywood whorls to hang instead of art no one would be surprised. That said, this hardcover volume of woodcut relief prints by Bryan Nash Gill, simply titled Woodcut, is right up my aesthetic. For the modern naturalist or natural modernist on your list, this could be just to ticket.
Coal Dust
June 7, 2012
An appropriate name for this large triangular scarf made of black flax lace yarn knit together with Habu black silk wrapped stainless steel. This combination gives this finished garment a light dry hand with a shimmer from the stainless, not unlike coal itself. And, what is more chic than black linen on a hot summer day? Pair this up with a simple white shirt, black pencil skirt and some nude patent slingbacks and you’re ready for….well…how ’bout lunch?
In case you missed it…
June 5, 2012
my friend Marshall has captured yesterday’s full Strawberry Moon. I love some moonlight, but it is so bright in my yard it seemed nearer to daylight. Just simple. Just quiet. 
Just…beautiful.
5 Easy Pieces, again
June 4, 2012
This space is a bit over accessorized for my taste these days, but it still started with my 5 Easy Pieces.In this project the 5 pieces needed to satisfy the needs of the client and the space were simple: 1) sofa 2) cocktail table 3) folding screen 4) ottoman and 5) lounge chair. They provided plenty of seating with a place to set your drink as well as some dramatic camouflage for an ill placed doorway. Slowly the client’s possessions were edited and added to this bold yet neutral grouping and the result was right where they wanted to be.By switching out some of the art or collections of vintage Murano glass from the 50’s-60’s seasonally keeps things personal and fresh throughout the year.
Buying well and careful planning will ensure your completed project will provide years of enjoyment without that tell-tale ” time stamp”. 
It could happen
June 2, 2012
But, it hasn’t…yet. I’ve had one of these simple fixtures on my wish list for at least 2 decades ( yikes ), when you might be lucky enough to find a vintage piece in an auction catalog to drool over. The works of Serge Mouille~French Mid Century Modern master of lighting design ~ seem to be holding their own in their new state of reissue. I have the perfect spot for either a 3 arm pendant, a pair of double arm sconces or a single arm floor lamp…black or white , either would be stunning. Good things come to those who wait, don’t they?
http://www.sergemouilleusa.com/Serge-Mouille-Two-Straight-Arm-Rotating-Sconce.php
2 steps back…
May 29, 2012
to get you to where you have already been. As I look at this table I can’t help wondering why I am drawn to it’s simple planked design. I then realize that I have used this solution before, in the juxtaposition of three raw pine boards fabricated into a tabletop for a classic Corbusier dining table base. The spaces between the boards were as an important a statement as the unfinished quality of the boards themselves. As seen here, they create an illusion of greater length. There is nothing like a great big table surface…to gather with family and friends or sit down alone to pay a few bills. 
How great would this be here with the C 24’s? https://simplequietmodern.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/c-24/
Black and white and…
May 19, 2012
summer all over, horizontally speaking. Nothing amplifies the crisp clear sunny days of summer like black and white stripes. Indoors or out, priced high or low, there is something striped for everyone and every budget. From a Pottery Barn umbrella, custom upholstery in F. Schumacher linen. a rug from Crate & Barrel or a flotilla of paper lanterns from Z Gallerie, these bold bands of black and white will make quite the statement. If black and white is just too bold, try winding it down a bit with Black and Linen or Black and Charcoal for an equally dramatic effect.
All you need now is a tall glass of sweet tea.
http://www.shopterrain.com/house-home-outdoor-furniture/
Planting it modern
May 16, 2012
Spring clean up is done and now it’s time for the finishing touch. But, if your gardening aesthetic leans toward the modern you might find fewer choices. Whether you are lucky enough to possess some vintage cement garden bowls or if you make some inspired new selections like these from Terrain, the next step is determining what to fill them with. My best advice is simplicity. The blue Dune grasses are perennial and add just enough color and interest for my taste all year round without having to resort to the “Coney Island” assault of those annual flats each spring( really, mixed groupings of Impatiens, Geraniums and Marigolds…ugh). Massing one type of product in each container magnifies their effect. The more subtle grasses, the bright chartreuse of Sweet Potato vine or Lysimachia or, if you are ” annual inclined” , masses of the same flowering plant in a single color (even masses of white Wave petunias) can work a modern theme. Memorial Day is approaching, better get on this.
http://www.shopterrain.com/garden-containers/
A rough start…
May 8, 2012
for this stone colored cotton cap. I like the Graham pattern by Jennifer Adams so much I decided to cast one on for spring and summer. Using this limestone colored Berocco Weekend, for its nuetrality and ease of care, I was hoping to have it completed in a couple of days. This being the 3rd cast on( can’t I count stitches or what?)…things seem to be back on track. Stay tuned for the finish. https://simplequietmodern.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/smokey/
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