Just a little something
June 22, 2014
You can’t put your finger on it, but your environs this summer need just a little something. Does your weekend cottage need a little lift? It could be a place to perch, a place to put your feet up… a place to set your drink. Or, maybe you’re thinking you’d just like a little something new without making a major commitment. Here are just a few sun bleached possibilities.
Top to bottom:
Ample accommodations with the 24″ square crocheted Lexie pouf from Crate & Barrel. Great neutral color and texture…you couldn’t crochet one yourself for the price. http://www.crateandbarrel.com/lexie-pouf/s214515?
A modern take on faux bois from Terrain. A simple concrete-like fibreclay garden stool with great wood grain texture. http://www.shopterrain.com/outdoor-chairs/woodgrain-garden-stool/
Nothing says summer like a little weathered teak and this trestle bench, also from Terrain, is sure to earn its keep this season…and the next. http://www.shopterrain.com/outdoor-chairs/preserved-teak-trestle-bench/
A little inspiration,
June 13, 2014
a little yarn and a little time. The Inspiration?… this modern 1926 textile design by Anni Albers. The yarn?… Berroco’s Modern Cotton. The time?…unbelievably, about 10 days…cast on to bind off. And the result? Exactly as planned…a modern baby blanket that was intentionally “un-pink”.
Finally…
June 1, 2014
it’s seeming like we might have a Summer…maybe a little different than usual, but Summer just the same. So, what’s inspiring me now?
From the top:
Simple well-edited landscaping and a quiet well integrated water feature. via http://cabbagerose.tumblr.com/
The openwork and texture of my test knit of paper yarn. photo: gp
A great place to fall out and relax on a hot summer day. Does it get any better than affordable teak? Simple seat and back cushions in natural or charcoal duck and you are good to go. via: http://www.shopterrain.com/outdoor-furniture-preserved-teak/slatted-teak-sofa/productOptionIDs/bd0459cc-8958-45c4-b120-330bd8a8856a
It’ll still take me a while to shake the chill from the last two seasons, so, a little Summer cashmere from James Perse is on my “gotta have some” list. http://www.jamesperse.com/men/collections/summer-cashmere/lightweight-cashmere-v-neck/viewProduct.do?productId=prod1790117&categoryId=cat1230006
Tending to my Blue Dune grass…pretending I’m at the shore even in the middle of the week. photo:gp
And, if I’m lucky, taking off with Jaxon to the shore for a bit of sunny R & R. via: http://remash.tumblr.com/
Should it stay or should it go? Butterbur “volunteers” showing up in the aftermath of Winter’s brutal attack. I’ve promised some to friends, but I may leave a few to buffer the bare spots after the dead have been yanked and buried. photo: gp
The breezy organic shapes of Ruth Asawa’s crocheted wire sculptures. via: https://www.lamodern.com/tag/ruth-asawa/
Reason to Celebrate
May 24, 2014
I thought they were going to be a “no-show”, but, after a couple of 70 degree days in a row this week I noticed a bit of activity on my Dogwoods. Excitedly I clipped a branch to bring inside and by the morning…well… we had bloom. To celebrate I decided a Mint Julep would play well into my Dogwood celebration. It all just seemed simple and modern and southern some how. Perfect.
The Garden & Gun video for this perfect modern take on the classic Mint Julep will have you making one for yourself and wondering why people don’t make these more often. http://gardenandgun.com/media/mint-julep
Better Late…
May 18, 2014
than never. While I usually schedule my Spring clean-up for somewhere nearer the middle of March, this past Winter and Winter-like Spring has only now allowed me the luxury taking stock and pulling on my gloves. Clearly Mother Nature has taken her revenge and has left my property to resemble Chernobyl after the blast rather than a rural retreat in the Midwest. Boxwood hedges…gone. Yew hedges…stripped to skeletal by hungry deer. Japanese Skyrocket Hollies…a moment of silence please. And, what is left in the way of birches, pines and spruce had taken one last good beating during a severe hailstorm on Palm Sunday. Devastating. At least the grass is finally green. And, on that one positive note I will look to the light at the end of this tunnel, entertaining the thought of rewarding myself in a setting like this…pea gravel soft underfoot, a gentle afternoon breeze weaving its way through the masses of miscanthus, and a cocktail. Oh yeah…after this mess there will be cocktails.
photo via: http://cabbagerose.tumblr.com/post/85363575103/outdoor-room-via-lorrainepennington
April Showers…
May 15, 2014
bring May…OK, more showers. While we’re waiting for the May flowers to grace us, there is the Chiara Chair to consider. Designed in 2013 by French designer Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance it has a decidedly 60’s appeal…ready to complement your growing collection of modern classics or infuse a more traditional space with a little punch. The generous flower petal inspired shape and self-returning swivel base provide the perfect perch to lounge, relax and wait.
Photos via :http://hivemodern.com/pages/product6578/bernhardt-design-noe-duchaufour-lawrance-chiara-lounge-chair
Bridging The Gap
May 11, 2014
Gabions. Wire cages filled with rock, bridging the gap between rustic and modern, old and new, hard and soft. A landscape application that I’m surprised I don’t see more of. Retaining walls, fences or even enclosures can be achieved cost effectively using steel wire gabion baskets with rock or stone…even recycled concrete. While it might look like a DIY project, seeking out a landscape professional could save some time and expense.
photo via Pinterest
photo:gp
photo via http://remash.tumblr.com/
Now, That’s A Shed
May 1, 2014
OK…I don’t need a shed, but I’d like a shed. More specifically, this shed. It falls right into my simplequietmodern sensibilities. Maximum awe accomplished with three humble materials… wood, galvanized steel and polycarbonate sheet. And, it was pre-fabricated and assembled on site. Thanks to the minds at Hufft Projects design collective mine is running wild with the possibilities. While I might not use it to store riding machinery or heavy equipment, I could certainly put it to great use as a studio, gallery, gym, or chapel…a place to create, host, retreat, rock, nap, meditate, hide out or… simply hang out.
photos via:http://hufft.com/residential/the-shed/
Test Drive
April 27, 2014
So I’ve created yards upon yards of my newsprint yarn. Next? An appropriate needle for its super bulky size. A quick trip to Amazon, a few bucks and a couple of days later, and I have this great birch circular… in a chubby size 36. They seem to be made for each other this yarn and these sticks. One skein in and the resulting fabric is showing great promise with both its color and texture. I’m not sure where this is going , but I think it’s going to be an interesting ride.
It’s no wonder…
April 20, 2014
that they were once more valuable than property or gold. What man could even come close to producing anything near the tulip? Some simple…some exquisitely complex, each holds a special delicate beauty that is unrivaled. While white is typically my first choice, after months of gray all Winter long I am opting for a bit of color this Easter. And, lucky me…this bunch of parrots just seemed to evoke the very feeling I was looking for. The eggs? How about let’s leave ’em white?
simplequietmodern 