Geoffrey Bradfield For me, there is obviously no hard and fast rule in this regard. It is the clean slate that is so stimulating for a creative mind. An entrance hall, as a starting point dictates, to some degree, what will follow. I always enjoy capturing the spirit of an interior by exploiting, and sometimes exaggerating, the first venture into the space. But each room, for me, has its unique appeal when it comes to design.
Master bedrooms and libraries. An eleborate English country-style house in the Midwest, designed by Mario Buatta and featured in our April 2003 issue.
Sandra Nunnerley I don’t have a favorite as I look at a project as one-I do not believe in a different look for each room. I do not like interiors that look like decorator show houses. I like a thread—a conversation—to continue through the entire project. Recently we have been designing a lot of multi-function rooms which I love doing, as we are all living in a less formal manner today. For example, I finished a project where I took down the walls of a dining room, living room and study and made one big room—the project appeared in AD as a “before and after.” Also, the September 2007 issue highlights my philosophy through my “square living room.” I love square rooms! The aforementioned “before & after” Park Avenue renewal project by Nunnerley, from our February 2007 issue.
Shelton, Mindel A room is a piece of a larger puzzle... it is the intentional interconnectedness, or not, of spaces that is the most rewarding to create. A progressive country house in the Hamptons, designed by Shelton, Mindel & Associates with Reed A. Morrison Architect and featured in our June 2007 issue.
Mariette Himes Gomez I’ve always loved designing bedrooms. Finding and planning the bed, which by definition, takes center stage. Is it four posted, old, new, upholstered or canopied? More than anything, bedrooms can be pure luxury. A Park Avenue apartment designed, by Mariette Himes Gomez, from our September 2005 issue.
Alexa Hampton The living room. Alexa Hampton designed this shingle-style house on Long Island that was featured in our July 2007 issue.
Elissa Cullman One of my favorite rooms to decorate is the powder room. Because it’s often relatively small, it can be treated like a little jewel box and finished with a completely extravagant technique or material, such as hand stenciled walls or a floor of inlaid onyx. I also enjoy designing libraries because I am passionate about books and reading. At Cullman & Kravis we like to design each and every shelf to create what we call the “bookscape” of a library. A Georgian Revival in Boston was designed by Elissa Cullman and featured in our February 2006 issue.
Laura Hunt I do not have a favorite room to design...I actually enjoy working on all rooms, except for laundry rooms! The formal dining room in Laura Hunt’s own New York residence, featured in our September 2005 issue.
Add an explosion of fiery hues to your yard this fall with these trees and shrubs.
1.Sweet Birch
A beautiful tree, we love sweet birch for its cinnamon-colored peeling bark and triangular dark green leaves that turn beautiful golden-yellow in fall.
Name: Betula lenta
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 50 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Native to North America: Yes
2.Sugar Maple
A great, extra-reliable tree that makes a big statement in fall, sugar maple offers gorgeous red, orange, or yellow end-of-the-season leaves.
Name: Acer saccharum
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 70 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Native to North America: Yes
3.Burning Bush
This tough shrub earned its common name because of its autumn hues: In fall, the foliage turns glowing shades of red and pink. It's a knock-your-socks-off plant!
Name: Euonymus alatus
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 20 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Native to North America: No
4.Japanese Maple
One of the best-known plants for an autumn show, Japanese maple turns on their glowing shades of red, orange, or yellow at season's end.
Name: Acer palmatum
Growing Conditions: Shade to part shade and moist, but well-drained soil
Size: To 25 feet tall
Zones: 6-9
Native to North America: No
5.Stewartia
This top-notch tree looks beautiful throughout the year. Its dark green leaves make a nice foil for the late-summer, white camellia-shape flowers. In fall, the leaves turn festive shades of orange, yellow, and red.
Name: Stewartia pseudocamellia
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 70 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
Native to North America: No
6.Ginkgo
Slow-growing ginkgo adds grace to the landscape; its fan-shaped leaves are among the most elegant of any tree. In autumn, they show breathtaking shades of luminous, golden-yellow. After the leaves drop, you'll be waiting for next fall.
Name: Ginkgo biloba
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 100 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Native to North America: No
7.Amur Maple
Another top-notch maple for fall color, Amur maple is a small tree or large shrub (depending how you prune it) that bears bright red leaves in fall.
Name: Acer ginnala
Growing Conditions: Sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 25 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Native to North America: No
8.Sumac
An incredibly tough shrub, sumac provides some of the brightest red color you'll see in autumn. One note, though: While extra-tough and beautiful, sumac is a fast spreader and is not a great choice for small-space landscapes.
Name: Rhus typhina
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 15 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
Native to North America: Yes
9.Serviceberry
A plant for season-long beauty, we adore serviceberry for its display of white springtime flowers, delicious summer fruits, and amazing orange and red fall foliage.
Name: Amelanchier canadensis
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 20 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Native to North America: Yes
10.Dogwood
Dogwoods look great just about any time of year. They're most loved for their white or pink springtime flowers, but don't overlook the gorgeous purple-red tones they'll bring to your fall landscape.
Name: Cornus kousa
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 25 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
Native to North America: No
11.Viburnum
This rounded shrub offers beautiful clusters of white flowers in spring, then bright foliage in warm shades of red come autumn. Those eye-catching leaves are accented by ruby-red fruits.
Name: Viburnum trilobum
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 15 feet tall
Zones: 2-7
Native to North America: Yes
12.Sweet Gum
Sweet gum's star-shape leaves turn a kaleidoscope of colors -- including red, orange, and burgundy -- giving the landscape a carnival feel at season's end.
Name: Liquidambar styraciflua
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 80 feet tall
Zones: 6-9
Native to North America: Yes
13.Bald Cypress
A "fooled-you" plant come autumn, bald cypress looks like an evergreen conifer. But in fall, the needles turn russet-red before dropping from the tree, revealing the tree's dramatic architectural shape that you can enjoy all winter.
Name: Taxodium distichum
Growing Conditions: Sun and moist or wet soil
Size: To 120 feet tall
Zones: 5-10
Native to North America: Yes
14.Fothergilla
A wonderful but underused shade-loving shrub, fothergilla offers blue-green foliage in spring and summer. Its leaves reveal warm shades of gold and orange in fall. And fothergilla has honey-scented springtime flowers to boot.
Name: Fothergilla major
Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 6 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
Native to North America: Yes
15.Virginia Sweetspire
Enjoy this great shrub for months. In summer, it offers fragrant white flowers. Then in autumn, it develops rich purple-red leaf color. Plus, it's very easy to grow.
Name: Itea virginica
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 10 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Native to North America: Yes
16.Oakleaf Hydrangea
One of our favorite shrubs for shade, oakleaf hydrangea offers beautiful clusters of white blooms in summer, then wonderful burgundy fall foliage.
Name: Hydrangea quericifolia
Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 6 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Native to North America: Yes
17.Witch Hazel
A true plant for autumn, witch hazel leaves turn golden-yellow in fall. As they drop, they're joined by delightful spidery yellow flowers.
Name: Hamamelis virginiana
Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
From Architectural Digest and Abrams comes Private Views: Inside the World’s Greatest Homes—a natural expression of AD’s role as the international magazine of design. Our field of focus in putting this volume together was nothing less than the entire world.
But how to choose from the best?
For Private Views, as with our magazine, it is a matter of a variety of tastes and locations, the element of discovery, the subtle and sometimes indefinable relationship a home has with its surroundings and, as always, style. The following pages offer you a brief glimpse of those qualities, exemplified by violinist Ole Bull’s Moorish summer villa in Norway, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Catherine the Great’s Chinese Palace in St. Petersburg, a couple’s eight-story tower set amid Kenya’s wildlife and even a yurt, a traditional house for the nomadic people of Inner Mongolia.
Each of the 30 homes in the book illustrates the creative spark of expert design—seeing how things fit together and grasping the vital connections that others miss. The means of expression may differ, but the results always reflect imagination, self-knowledge and authority. They confirm our belief that great style—with its many forms, inspirations and influences—is universal.
Ole Bull’s Little Alhambra After performing around the world for 45 years, violin virtuoso Ole Bull—the “Paganini of the North”—returned to his native Norway, where he had a summer villa built for his family on the island of Lysøen in 1872. Architect Conrad Fredrik van der Lippe incorporated Moorish tracery, arches and spires with 19th-century Carpenter Gothic motifs. The villa was dubbed Little Alhambra, a reference to its Spanish influence. Pierced-wood arches and twisted columns dominate the central music room , which includes traditional Norwegian furnishings and Bohemian glass chandeliers.
New York Primaries A series of red and yellow fiberglass panels connect a red cube and a yellow box—two elements of the boldly geometric home of architect Preston T. Phillips. A brilliant blue pyramid, which serves as Phillips’s studio, completes the compound, located in Bridgehampton, New York. “I chose the colors and forms for their purity and timelessness,” says Phillips. “The pieces had to respond to the site’s primal character.”
President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan’s White House Working with Los Angeles-based interior designer Ted Graber, President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan refurbished the private apartments of the White House, as well as certain other rooms on the second and third floors, using much of the White House collection. Mrs. Reagan and Graber reconfigured the Yellow Oval Room to make it more comfortable for heads of state who gathered there to converse and exchange official gifts before state dinners. They added the sofas and the marble-topped gilt tables to the formal setting.
Glass Geometries Marble steps and a Charles Rennie Macintosh chair distinguish the entrance of the retreat architect Shoei Yoh built for his family near Fukuoka, Japan. “Though I employed modernist materials, the house possesses a very Japanese feel for me,” Yoh says. Located on a bluff overlooking the Sea of Japan, the home is secured to the site by two large concrete slabs and walled by glass, a material, Yoh notes, that “most serves the traditional Japanese idea of minimizing the separation between architecture and nature.”
Pacific Overture A wall cantilevers over the pool, “making you feel like you’re swimming inside a wave,” says one of the owners of a house in Malibu. In keeping with the owners’ wish to live in harmony with nature, designer Michael Taylor and architect John Lautner used rock and slate extensively throughout the residence, which is situated on a rugged promontory. Expansive ocean vistas characterize the place. “When you have a fabulous view,” Taylor said, “you want every inch of it. That means no carpets, no draperies, no upholstered furniture.”
New Life for the Château du Marais Located 30 miles south of Paris and widely considered the most beautiful example of 18th-century palace architecture in private hands, the Château du Marais is home to the apartment of designer Juan Pablo Molyneux and his wife, Pilar. The armchairs, bed and commode in the master bedroom reflect Molyneux’s affinity for Louis XVI furnishings. “There is a masculine purity of line—straight legs, square angles—that hints at the Empire to come,” he says.
Catherine the Great’s Chinese Jewel Box “Her Majesty’s Own Dacha” was how the very first building project of Catherine the Great’s long reign came to be known. Built by the Italian-born architect Antonio Rinaldi, the royal dacha evolved into a compound of small structures on an estate some 25 miles southwest of St. Petersburg. The centerpiece was the Chinese Palace, which was begun in 1762 and finished six years later. Its lavish ornamentation features a dizzying array of costumed figures and Oriental landscapes, blue-and-white Chinese vases, black-japanned chests and European chinoiserie chairs.
Ohio Organic “We wanted everything to be transparent, not translucent,” New Mexico-based architect Bart Prince says about the house that he designed for Steve Skilken in Columbus, Ohio. “There are almost no blinds, draperies or brise-soleils.” Along the lower level of the house winds a 75-foot-long pool lined with mirror-and-glass mosaic and surrounded by sandstone pavers and a variety of vegetation. “The owner wanted a lap pool running through a tropical garden, with palm trees and bananas and views of the sky,” Prince says. “The living spaces are arranged around that.”
Sculptural Fantasy “I do not think in terms of architectural style,” artist Carlos P ez Vilar says of the residence he built for his family on the cliffs of Punta Ballena, in Uruguay. Casapueblo, the name he has given his home, “has evolved from feelings, moods and influences—Moroccan, Turkish, Indian, Polynesian, Mexican, Egyptian and native cultures everywhere. Architecture should be felt. That’s why the human element is always the heart of it.”
Appliances form the functional heart of the kitchen. Browse through these tempting options from the 2006 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show.
1.French-Door Ovens
Conventional drop-down oven doors can be awkward to reach over and walk around. Jade Appliances provides an alternative adapted from restaurant equipment: French-door styling that requires minimal aisle space to open fully, an innovation awarded "best new product" honors at the K/BIS New Product Pavilion. The self-cleaning ovens also feature professional-grade stainless steel, convection bake and broil capabilities, electronic controls, and premium roller racks.
2.French-Door Fridge
Elmira Stove Works brings today's appliance trends to vintage -- or vintage-style -- kitchens. The 1898 French-door refrigerator combines twin doors like a side-by-side model with a bottom freezer drawer. The favorite of eight colors, nickel-trimmed black evokes antique cook stoves. For modern convenience, this old/new fridge boasts a filtered water dispenser, oversize door bins, slide-out shelves, and a 25-cubic-foot capacity.
3.Tall-Tub Dishwasher
Big families and frequent entertainers need large-capacity dishwashers such as new built-ins from GE Monogram, whose extra-tall tub and towerless rack hold 16 place settings. High-intensity xenon lights illuminate the stainless-steel interior. Other features include a hard-food disposer, six wash levels, and three wash arms. To disguise the appliance, electronic controls go inside the door's top edge and its front accepts cabinet-matching panels. Energy Star-rated models cost $1,200-$1,350.
4.Double Wall Ovens
Stainless steel has become so popular, fashion-forward Jenn-Air saw a need for something new. Their Oiled Bronze appliance suite addresses growing interest in earth tones and warm neutrals yet complements existing stainless-steel or black appliances. Look for the new finish on refrigerators, dishwashers, wall ovens, cooktops, and range hoods starting in mid to late 2006.
5.Convertible Refrigerator
Samsung Electronics introduces the 25-cubic-foot Four-Door Convertible Refrigerator (about $3,000), a boon for changing storage needs. In addition to standard refrigerator and freezer temperatures, you can adjust drawer sections up to chill wine or down to quick-freeze vegetables. Allocate refrigerator and freezer space to prepare for a party or store leftovers after it. Separate evaporators maintain the ideal humidity in each section.
6.Food Processor Plus
Instead of cluttering countertops with a separate blender, stand mixer, food mixer, and slicer, enlist a Bosch Kitchen Machine as your ultimate kitchen helper. German engineering and a gutsy 700-watt motor make quick work of any food prep. The brushed stainless steel 7 Series ($900) is sold built-in or freestanding, where its base easily stores in a drawer just 5 inches deep.
7.Drawer Dishwasher
KitchenAid has been making dishwashers since 1949, and its first single drawer dishwasher ($780-$880) lives up to the brand. With a drawer model, you can use one alone for small loads or install a pair flanking the sink but just under the counter to save bending. Each drawer's adjustable racks and baskets accommodate five place settings. Five wash cycles tackle any load.
8.Traditional Range
Handcrafted in France for decades, La Cornue ranges are now available smaller and mass-produced. Equipped with a high-performance five-burner (6,000 to 17,000 Btus) gas cooktop and double convection ovens, the CornuF retains its ancestors' gleaming enamel finish and solid-metal knobs. The 43-inch-wide range comes in stainless steel and four colors, including Provence Blue (shown).
9.Modular Refrigeration
Can't find the right size and configuration you want? Gaggenau's mix-and-match concept may be the answer. Modular refrigerator and freezer columns go where each chef or room layout requires. Full-length halogen light pillars brighten the stainless-steel, aluminum, and glass interiors. Each column has its own evaporator and compressor, which prevents odor transfer as it allows custom temperature and humidity control.
10.Countertop Steam Oven
Sharp Electronics makes it easier to cook food that's better for you -- and tastes better, too. In stainless steel or jazzy red (shown, about $1,400), the Superheated Steam Oven combines conventional heat with steam at 550 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce fat and seal in natural juices, flavor, and nutrients. The oven needs no plumbing; just fill its reservoir with tap water.
11.Refrigerator Drawers
Italian manufacturer Ariston offers its take on the popular drawer-style refrigerator category with this 36-inch-wide double-drawer model (about $3,000). Each fully extending drawer has 6.7 cubic feet of storage with compartments you can customize as needed. See-through plastic bins and covered stainless-steel bins go from drawer to counter to dishwasher. The top drawer also contains a three-bottle wine holder.
12.Built-In Coffee Station
Why go out for a custom brew when Thermador's Savor coffee machine (available this summer) makes all your favorites? The 24-inch-wide machine features six levels of grind quality, then automatically makes coffee and espresso in 12 sizes. Its height-adjustable dispenser has two spouts, and its brushed stainless-steel finish coordinates with pro style appliances.
13.Outdoor Kitchen Grill
If you're planning an outdoor kitchen, you'll probably start with the grill. New from Viking Range, the 24-inch-wide TruSear grill generates up to 21,500 Btus like larger models, but you can install it independently to save space or add another grilling station. The gas infrared unit cooks everything from thick steaks and chops to seafood and vegetables
Whether you want to save money, personalize your home, or just satisfy your crafting itch, these do-it-yourself projects are a great way to put your mark on your home.
1.Stylish Shelves
Learn how to make this and two other shelves for your entryway, bathroom, or bedroom. All you need are a few supplies and basic woodworking skills.
2.6-in-1 Photo Cube
These custom photo cubes have six images to share. It's easy to rearrange the cubes to show a new image, or rotate the cubes for a fun collage.
3.Easy No-Sew Bed Skirt
Bring the plushness of terry from bath to bed with an easy layered bed skirt.
4.Country-Style Coffee Table
This country-style table is both pretty and practical thanks to a clutter-concealing skirt attached with hook-and-loop tape. To get this weathered look, follow our step-by-step instructions.
5.Restyled Store-Bought Lampshade
Turn discount-store lampshades into style markers in your home. Try this no-sew lampshade slipcover to add elegance and class.
6.Dressed-Up Curtain Panels
Cottage-style rooms would look amazing with windows dressed with these flirty curtain panels. Start with purchased panels and add the ruffle yourself.
7.Easy Upholstered Headboard
We made a gorgeous tailored headboard from plywood, foam, and a tight-fitting slipcover. Try it yourself with our how-to instructions below.
8.Fabric-Covered Ottoman
This ottoman doubles as a coffee table and the pillows can be pulled off the base and used as floor cushions. Make it yourself out of high-density foam and durable fabrics.
9.Custom Curtain Rods
Pruners, a relatively straight tree branch, white spray paint -- voila! A nature-inspired, functional work of art. Use tie-top curtains to adjust for the curves of the branch -- no rings or clips needed.
10.DIY Twig Lamp
A lamp kit and a sweep through the backyard to collect twigs are all you need for this natural lamp.
11.DIY Bracket Beauties
Add an easy embellishment to your kitchen island with these brackets.
12.DIY Urn Table
Create a stately side table out of a metal or resin urn in minutes.
13.Bookcase Turned Modern
You won't believe the "before" of this project!
14.Baby Furniture Gets a Redo
See how we turned a baby-changing table into a handy (and stylish!) bar cart.
15.DIY Underbed Drawer Project
You'll want to measure your own bed for custom dimensions, but we have tips and instructions for this DIY project.
16.Grid Wall Project
Here's a great way to add storage when you have no space to spare. We used 1x2s for the horizontal bars and 1x3s for the vertical bars and hung artwork, bins, and peg racks to hold toys galore.
17.Kids' Room Adjustable Desk
Here's how to make a desk designed on a modular cube system for easy construction and adjustable height.
18.Furniture Redo
Sometimes all that blah piece of furniture needs is a dose of style CPR. Check out these two easy projects for ideas.
19.Kids' Room Window Seat
Here's how to make a comfy hideout complete with built-in storage cubbies and a work surface for coloring or homework.
Any bath, no matter what its size, can always use more storage. Here are our favorite solutions for 14 all-too-common storage dilemmas.
1.Linear Storage
Problem: You don't have the floor space to add storage units.
Solution: Without using a lot of wall space, this modern shelf offers ample storage. Oversize baskets maximize the amount of stuff each shelf can hold. For a symmetrical look, top each shelf with identical storage boxes or baskets.
2.Flex Your Storage
Problem: You rent, but you still want stylish bathroom storage.
Solution: Look for TV trays, baskets, wall hooks, collapsible chairs, and lightweight wall containers in discount stores. For a quick punch of style, forget about paint, and rely on vividly colored towels and rugs.
3.Highlight a Niche Display
Problem: Special keepsakes are put away in boxes.
Solution: A fluorescent uplight fixture in a display niche or atop a cabinet can provide timeless style and helpful illumination.
4.Divide and Conquer
Problem: Small storage spaces lack creative inspiration.
Solution: A simple, divided plywood box covered in newsprint tells the story of creative storage. Petite jars and boxes make the most of otherwise limited storage areas.
5.Warm Up with Wood
Problem: Your bathroom has no closet.
Solution: If you have the space, a freestanding cabinet is your best stand-in for a closet. Look for unfinished cabinetry at home centers, or snag a great piece at a yard sale. Consider cabinets intended for other purposes, such as this repainted pie safe.
6.Bulk Up with Boxes
Problem: Your bathroom doesn't have a medicine cabinet.
Solution: Avoid clutter by placing toiletries in nested baskets. Group supplies in each basket for a specific task, person, or time of day. For a more out-of-sight solution, wall-mount small boxes. Purchase fabricated boxes from discount stores, or make your own.
7.Sturdy Hang Up
Problem: Your shower area doesn't have built-in shelves.
Solution: Keep necessities near the tub in this kitchen-inspired storage system. Originally designed to hold cooking utensils, this metal rod with hanging accessories now holds shower products.
8.Scale Down for Small Spaces
Problem: You have only a sliver of extra floor space.
Solution: Choose small-scale case goods -- such as the eight-drawer roller cart near the vanity here -- for maximum flexibility. Taller pieces offer more cubic inches of storage in limited square footage than shorter ones.
9.Light Up Your Bath
Problem: Your bath is dark and uninviting.
Solution: Install a wall sconce inside your linen closet or storage cabinet. Creamy eggshell finish offers a clean, simple background.
10.Find Lost Space
Problem: You don't have floor space for shelves.
Solution: Gain storage without losing space by building shelves right into the walls between studs. An unused area above the tub and adjacent to the sink fitted with simple glass shelves offers ample space for towels and accessories.
11.Shelve Your Problems
Problem: Your shelving doesn't match your needs.
Solution: Remove that past-its-prime plastic shelving system and replace it with wood or rubber-coated wire systems. Or take matters into your own hands and build new shelves with 1x12 painted pine boards as shown here.
12.Try Something Different
Problem: You find only the same old storage options at all the discount stores and home centers.
Solution: There are many different ways to store your bathroom stuff if you think creatively. Here, a wood desktop organizer from an office-supply store, painted pale blue to match the walls, tops a freestanding linen cabinet.
13.Brighten Your Bath
Problem: Your bathroom is boring.
Solution: Here, chrome and clear storage accessories brighten the bathroom. For a fast dash of flash, top a dark countertop with a piece of hammered-aluminum sheet metal, available at home centers. Cut the metal to the size you need, then use flat-nose pliers to fold under 1/2 inch of the metal sheet on all exposed edges.
14.Show and Stow
Problem: You lack versatile space.
Solution: Keep all those hardworking bath essentials hidden yet handy in this cottage-style wall unit. Use display space for colorful and attractive items and stow away the more homely basics.
Buy a can of the color and test it on the wall in the room where you want to use it. If you are afraid of color, try putting it in a small space such as a powder room. If you can afford to hire a decorative painter, paint the color as a glaze rather than as flat or plain paint glazed colors are more luminous than plain paint. If you don't want to commit to color on the walls, then use color in the decorations. Fabrics and carpets in a variety of colors, or in shades of one color, may be easier to live with than the total commitment required by a color on the wall.
Whether you prefer strong color or quiet neutrals, there should be balance and harmony. Too much of anything is unsettling leave the theatrics to Barnum & Bailey. Try several nice, big samples on the wall before you take the plunge.
When selecting a paint for your interiors especially bright colors I advise that you lighten up! The color that looks just right on the paint fan will probably be too intense once you begin painting. That’s because the effect of color intensifies about 60% when applied to a wall. I advocate selecting a color that is a shade or two lighter than your original choice.
When people think of color in terms of a residence, they initially think of wall color, often making a commitment to the envelope without considering how all interior contents can present in terms of color as one's space evolves. A neutral palette (in terms of envelope) which does not, by definition, mean insipid allows for the development of blocks of color introduced through artwork, textiles, ceramics, etc., enabling an environment to evolve over time. This provides an aesthetic flexibility in which spaces can be reinvented by incorporating these objects.
Go for light colors in well-lit rooms and for dark colors in rooms where the quality of light is not so good.
Soft, pale colors have more longevity. Strong colors are tiring to the eye, unless it is your most favorite color.
When painting a ceiling, always make it blend with the paint color on the walls. Never make it stark white. I see that all the time the ceiling is treated as the poor cousin, when it is one of the main elements in a room and should be treated as such.
Color families: everything relates and is compatible when all viewed as a whole. No sudden shifts in value or color except as a dark accent. Don’t be afraid of dark accent colors, but those should be reserved for powder rooms, libraries or entry halls also small anterooms or sitting rooms off of larger bedrooms and don’t overdo them in any single residence. The dark accent should feel special and be a pleasant surprise, not startling. I tend to make most colors soft pale beige and grey combinations, kind of an oyster color. Complex and fresh, but not bright, like off white. At the beach we tend to use colors slightly darker because of all the reflected light off the ocean. White walls at the beach require sunglasses inside the house.
Don't be afraid to use color throughout the house nothing gives a home more warmth than some strong colors. But I almost always add a little grey to all of the colors I use to tone them down a bit and give a more subtle and complex feel.
Select a single voice of neutrals for the basic furnishings and backgrounds. Add color accents in accessories only. The foundation scheme and materials should remain timeless, the accents easily changed with fashion.
Richard Meier and partner Michael Palladino designed a four-bedroom beachfront house on the coast of Southern California for modern-art collectors. Untitled, a circa 1945 painted-metal-sheet-and-wire mobile by Alexander Calder, hangs in the living area.
Characterized by its dramatic cliffside setting and rebuilt by architect Mickey Muennig, a couple’s house in Big Sur serves as a calming retreat. Throughout the home, designer Mark Boone mixed furnishings by his firm, London Boone, with the clients’ art.
For a San Francisco client, designer Barry Brukoff used muted tones and matte surfaces to emphasize “one of the most spectacular views in the city,” he says. Coit Tower emerges from Telegraph Hill through the living room windows.
Designer Craig Wright, working with architect Mark D. Kirkhart, of DesignARC, transformed a 1960s ranch house into a California Mission-style retreat. The entrance drive crosses a pond to reach the residence, which is set in a grove of oaks.
“We redid the whole presentation,” designer Sally Sirkin Lewis says of a Carmel Valley house she and her associate Kenn Shlaes renovated for Ed and Ruth Morrow. The living room “was dark despite all the windows,” says Lewis. With drywall ceilings and a lightened oak floor, “the space is much brighter now,” the designer points out. “It practically glows.”
“The subtle curvature of the surrounding topography is reflected in the design, which encourages constant movement from one space to another, from interior to exterior,” says architect Wallace E. Cunningham about Wing House in Rancho Santa Fe. Cunningham, who was assisted by Peggy Walther, designed and updated the house, which sits on a four-acre site near San Diego.
Window walls in the living area of a home in Santa Monica make the most of exterior sightlines, including the lush foliage and distant mountains beyond the pool and terrace. Designed in 1963, it is the only residential structure Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer built in the United States.
Nan Tucker McEvoy, former chairman of the board of the Chronicle Publishing Company, asked Los Angeles architect Marc Appleton to design a residence for her Marin County ranch. Olive orchards, which cover 70 acres of the 550-acre property, surround the house.
Pocket doors which remain open much of the year separate the living area from the veranda of a home that architect Howard J. Backen built in Napa Valley for himself and his family. His wife, Lori O’Kane Backen, did the interior design.
“It’s an oasis within hectic Los Angeles,” Xorin Balbes says of the Sowden House, which was built by Lloyd Wright in 1928. Balbes, who collaborated with Bashar Shbib on the landscaping, restored the neo-Mayan structure with architect Paul Ashley.
“It became the primary source of inspiration for the entire project,” designer Steven Volpe says of the 19th-century tagasode hanging in the living room of a San Francisco apartment. Calvin Fabrics linen velvet on sofa. Bergamo pillow fabric.
In the entrance hall, a bronze Tibetan Buddha is atop a shagreen-covered Art D co chest.
The designer chose a muted, neutral palette to highlight the dining room’s important furnishings—a set of early-20th-century klismos chairs and a 1950s Venini glass chandelier—and art. The photograph is by Michal Rovner. Chairs, Therien.
The sunroom, like the rest of the apartment, was revamped: “It was treated as an extension of the dining room and as a counterpoint to the axis from the entrance hall,” Volpe explains. Late-18th-century fauteuils from Therien.
In the study, cabinets faced with the same bamboo as the shades, from Conrad Hand Woven Window Coverings, hide bookshelves for “a seamless, uniform appearance,” the designer remarks. Herm s carved boxes rest on the Jean-Michel Frank desk. Lisio desk chair chenille.
Using inset mirrors, Volpe created the illusion of space in the small, windowless master bath. Waterworks vanity mirror.
Volpe, working with his client, assembled a collection of midcentury French pieces, including a circa 1950 Line Vautrin sunburst mirror and a 1945 gilt bronze Ren Prou stool. Lisio bedcovering and pillow fabrics. Shades from Conrad.
Not sure how to choose a color, prepare a room, or clean a paintbrush? Learn some practical and unusual tips from Brian Santos, the nation's favorite painting expert.
1.Tips for Painting Novices
Q. What are three things a novice should know about painting? Brian Santos: You might be surprised at the answer! Most of us might guess buying enough paint, priming, or prepping the walls. What do you think?
2.How to Test Paint Colors
Q. What is the best way to try a color before you paint, and why does paint sometimes look different from the paint chips? Brian Santos: You probably selected the color by looking at it under a different type or intensity of light than what's in your room. Sunlight, daylight, fluorescent light, halogen light, and incandescent light affect colors differently. So bring the sample card into the room you intend to paint and look at it several times during the day. See how the color looks using different kinds of artificial light before making a final decision.
3.Low Sheen or High Shine?
Q. What's the best paint finish or sheen for my room? Brian Santos: One factor you must consider is sheen, the degree of light reflection off the painted surface. In other words, how much the paint shines. Sheen affects the finish's appearance, durability, and suitability for certain uses. As the amount of sheen increases, so does the enamel value, which determines the hardness or protective value of the coating.
4.Use Color to Solve Problems
Q. How can I use paint color to trick the eye and solve decorating dilemmas, like falsifying the dimensions of a room? Brian Santos: Your paint selection will depend on the result you desire. For example, if you plan on painting the walls white throughout your home, use the same value of white in every room for a unifying effect.
5.How Much Paint?
Q. How much paint should I buy? Brian Santos: If you're not a numbers person, the following steps may sound like gibberish. Just take it slowly and break out each step -- at the end you'll arrive at an accurate estimate for the amount of paint you need.
6.Selecting Paint Applicators
Q. What kind of paint applicators are the best? Brian Santos: You'll be tempted to buy a cheap, throw-away fuzzy-napped roller, but save yourself the headache! A 1/2-inch foam paint roller works faster, easier, and better. You can load three or four times the amount of paint onto the roller. Such porosity means less dipping into the roller tray, which means more coverage in less time. For smaller jobs consider a paint pad. It's a tool that has everything to offer: The pad's foam core holds three times more paint than a brush, has five times more surface area than a regular brush tip, and has bristles that are only 1/4-inch long, so the paint won't dry out. It splatters and drips less than a brush. Most pads even come with a plastic paint tray and airtight snap-on lid.
7.Blue Tape. Now What?
Q. How do you keep paint from seeping under the edges of masking tape? Brian Santos: The secret to keep this from happening is to heat-seal the tape. Run a tapered plastic tool quickly over the applied edge of the blue masking tape after you've set the tape. This heats the edge of the tape, the waxy adhesive on the tape melts, and when it resolidifies at the edge, it creates a barrier that prevents paint from seeping underneath the tape.
8.Speed Through Cleanup
Q. What's the best way to clean a paintbrush? Brian Santos: Taking care of brushes, rollers, and pads will save you time, energy, and money. Don't throw your tools in a bucket or sink and expect them to clean themselves; they'll be ruined, and you'll end up throwing them away and buying new ones. What household item can help you clean brushes and rollers in a flash?
9.Wallpaper: Paint or Remove?
Q. Is it easier to paint over old wallpaper than to remove it? If I have to remove it, what tools do I need? Brian Santos: It depends! Read more for advice and tips on painting, and removing, old wallpaper.
10.Crayon van Goghs
Q. How can I get crayon marks off painted walls? Brian Santos: With three children, I've tackled more than my share of crayon marks on the wall. The best way to remove these stains is to fold an old T-shirt into a pad several layers thick and place it over a crayon mark, then set an iron at medium heat and run it over the pad.
11.More Painting Secrets from Brian Santos
Would you like to get more tips from Brian Santos? You'll find them in his book, Painting Secrets from Brian Santos, The Wall Wizard, available in bookstores now.
Sweet woodruff is the perfect ground cover for adding fragrance to your backyard. When the leaves are crushed they smell like freshly mown hay. This is one plant that isn't prone to invasiveness and tends to form well-mannered clumps.
Name: Galium odoratum
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 12 inches tall
Zones: 4-8
16.Japanese Forestgrass
Ornamental grasses are a beautiful way to add texture to the landscape. Low-growing forms are great ground covers -- and Japanese forestgrass is one of the best. It comes in glowing shades of gold and chartreuse, and forms flowing mounds that hug the ground.
Name: Hakonechloa macra
Growing Conditions: Full to part sun, moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
17.Hens-and-Chicks
A perfect companion for sedums, hens-and-chicks is an excellent succulent for the rock garden, stone wall, or crevice in the sidewalk. Hens-and-chicks is among the lowest-maintenance of ground covers. Just plant and enjoy.
Name: Sempervivum varieties
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 4 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
18.Soapwort
Soapworts are underappreciated plants. Many of them make fine ground covers. 'Max Frei' is a low-growing, mat-forming cultivar that is highlighted with starry pink flowers in spring. It's an excellent choice for gardens because it tolerates summer's heat and humidity.
Name: Saponaria x lempergii 'Max Frei'
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 3-7
19.Showy Evening Primrose
This heat-, drought-, and humidity-tolerant plant rewards you in midsummer with showy pink flowers. While it's easy growing, it does require some patience: It's one of the last ground covers to emerge from the ground in early spring.
Name: Oenothera speciosa
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 2 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
20.Thyme
Enjoy the fresh smell of thyme underfoot in your garden. This easy-to-grow ground cover offers fragrant foliage and pink or white flowers in spring or summer.
Name: Thymus serpyllum
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 10 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
21.Armeria
A charming plant not seen enough in gardens, armeria offers low, grassy foliage and clusters of bright pink or white flowers in late spring and early summer. For extra interest, look for 'Rubrifolia', which offers burgundy-tinged foliage.
Name: Armeria maritima
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 8 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
22.Creeping Phlox
Pink, white, purple, red, and bicolors with darker-colored eyes abound in spring on this perennial ground cover. Perfect for edging sidewalks and walkways, this slow-growing perennial likes full sun and well-drained soil. Creeping phlox won't become a rowdy neighbor to the tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs that look charming planted with it.
Name: Phlox subulata
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
23.Barren Strawberry
Barren strawberries are native to eastern North America and are appreciated as garden plants for forming dense clumps with strawberry-like foliage and yellow flowers.
Name: Waldsteinia fragarioides
Growing Conditions: Part to full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-8
24.Prostrate Veronica
This is the ground cover version of the taller, well-known veronica. Its blue flowers are a dazzling contrast to the golden foliage of cultivars such as 'Trehane' and 'Goldwell'.
Name: Veronica prostrata
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-8
25.Cotula
Here's a great plant you probably haven't heard of. Cotula offers tiny, fine-textured foliage that's tinged black. Plus, it tolerates some degree of traffic, so you can walk on it.
Name: Leptinella squalida 'Platt's Black'
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 6 inches tall
Zones: 4-7
26.Sedum
Low-growing sedums may not produce the big bang of color like their taller cousins, but it's hard to go wrong with these ultra-low-maintenance ground covers for sunny spots. This one provides golden blooms in summer.
Name: Sedum acre
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 3 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
27.Snow-in-Summer
Billowing mounds of crystalline white flowers float over snow-in-summer's silvery foliage. It makes a delightful accent to a stone wall, patio, or garden border. Snow-in-summer is able to handle a range of soil types as well.
Name: Cerastium tomentosum
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 3 inches tall
Zones: 3-7
28.Lamb's Ears
Kids love the fuzzy leaves of this old-fashioned, classic perennial. Soft and silvery, lamb's ear forms comfortable, low-growing mounds. Equally fuzzy spikes of purple to pink flowers add interest in summer. Good cultivars to watch for include 'Cotton Ball', 'Big Ears', and 'Primrose Heron'.
Name: Stachys byzantina
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Let easy-growing ground covers be the solution to your landscaping problems. Here are 28 of the easiest ground covers for your yard.
1.Periwinkle
Enjoy vinca's colorful blooms from spring through fall. The blue, purple, or white flowers provide a colorful accent to the shiny, green foliage. This easy, adaptable ground cover tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Note: It can also grow very quickly -- to the point some gardeners call it invasive.
Name: Vinca minor
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: 8 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
2.Ajuga
In spring, ajuga bursts forth with spikes of blue, pink, or white flowers. The plants usually have great foliage, too: Several types are available, from the chocolate-purple foliage of 'Chocolate Chip' to the reddish-bronze foliage of 'Rubra'.
Name: Ajuga reptans
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: 6 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
3.Bloody Cranesbill
Bloody cranesbill is named for the bright red color the foliage takes on in fall. Many varieties are available in flower colors of blue and purple. The plant spreads slowly but will eventually form broad swaths in full or part sun or shade. It's not only beautiful, but easy and carefree, too.
Name: Geranium sanguineum
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil
Size: 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-8
4.Creeping Buttercup
Here's a buttercup that no gardener should be without. 'Buttered Popcorn' offers bright, chartreuse-splattered foliage that's truly electric in the shade garden. While the foliage is the main attraction, creeping buttercup also offers golden flowers in late spring and early summer.
Name: Ranunculus repens
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil
Size: 3 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
5.Crested Iris
Crested iris, sometimes known as woodland iris, is a native of eastern North America and can be found in variety of forms and patterns in blue and white. Once established, they are carefree, cheery ground covers for the woodland garden.
Name: Iris cristata
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: 9 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
6.Golden Moneywort
Golden moneywort is a superb choice for adding color to shade, thanks to its golden foliage. Also called creeping Jenny, this is a fast-spreading plant perfect for covering lots of ground.
Name: Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and moist soil
Size: 3 inches tall
Zones: 3-7
7.Lamium
Lamium is an excellent, easy-care ground cover. Most types bloom through the summer, producing clusters of pink or white flowers. Even when they're not blooming, they have great silver-marked foliage that brightens up shady corners. What a beautiful alternative to a struggling lawn!
Name: Lamium maculatum
Growing Conditions: Full shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: 8 inches tall
Zones: 4-8
8.Lily-of-the-Valley
Beautifully fragrant, lily-of-the-valley is one of the easiest ground covers to grow. It's perfect in the shady spot off the patio or under the big tree in the backyard. Do watch it, though: It can be a vigorous spreader.
Name: Convallaria majalis
Growing Conditions: Shade and well-drained soil
Size: 8 inches tall
Zones: 3-8
9.Epimedium
Dry shade can be a tough landscaping problem. Thankfully, epimedium thrives in these conditions. There are many to choose from, but varieties to look for include 'Pierre's Purple', 'Sulphureum', and 'Lilafee'.
Name: Epimedium grandiflorum
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil
Size: 8 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
10.Snow-on-the-Mountain
Fast spreading, snow-on-the mountain will thrive where most other shade plants fail. For extra interest, look for 'Variegata', which sports cream and white splashes on green foliage.
Name: Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 12 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
11.Bunchberry
Cute little white flowers cover the plants in spring. The real fun comes in autumn, when bright red fruits adorn the petite plants. The leaves also develop festive shades of bronzy-purple.
Name: Chamaepericlymenum canadense (also commonly called Cornus canadensis)
Growing Conditions: Full shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 6 inches tall
Zones: 2-7
12.Wild Ginger
Wild ginger is prized for its glossy, heart-shape leaves and vigorous growth. While not invasive, it wastes no time forming a sizable colony in your landscape.
Name: Asarum europaeum
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 4 inches tall
Zones: 4-8
13.Lady's Mantle
This beautiful perennial offers a unique treat: Fine hairs on the leaves sparkle with water droplets and glisten in the early morning light. Lady's mantle blooms in early summer, too, producing clusters of chartreuse blooms.
Name: Alchemilla mollis
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 4-7
14.Pachysandra
Use pachysandra to cover deeply shaded ground. This plant offers rich, dark jade foliage and little clusters of white flowers. Pachysandra will take a few seasons to establish but once at home will thrive on neglect. Plant it and ignore it: The plant is about as low-maintenance as you get.
Name: Pachysandra terminalis
Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
Lawn Gone Wrong? Easy Steps to Make It Right
Solve your lawn's problems with our step-by-step guide to lawn renovation.
1.Diagnose the Problem
Figure out why your lawn has declined. If you don't determine the problem, fixing your lawn could be a waste of time. For example, if grubs are the problem, you'll need to treat for them before laying a new lawn. But if too much shade is the problem, you're better off forgetting a lawn and investing in low-maintenance shade-loving ground covers instead.
2.Get a Fresh Start
If more than half of your lawn is screaming for help, start from scratch. Spray the lawn with an herbicide containing glyphosate (be sure to follow all directions on the packaging). It kills all vegetation but allows new turf to re-establish quickly.
3.Mow Low
Wait a couple of weeks after applying the herbicide, then mow the turf as short as you can. Don't be afraid to really scalp it -- this low mowing leaves the area with short, dead plants, to prevent erosion, and keeps the dead plants from shading your new lawn too much.
4.Rake, Rake, Repeat
Visit your local rental center and get a power rake. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds -- many models are as easy to handle as the average lawn mower. To save yourself frustration, ask the clerk to show you how to adjust the blades.
You want to leave just the barest layer (about 1/4 inch) of thatch on the ground. Then rake off the remaining debris and compost it. You'll know you've raked enough when you see equal amounts bare soil and dead grass stems. Then spread a thin layer of compost over the soil and rake it in evenly.
5.Add the Green
Now it's time to plant. If you're using seed, follow the instructions on the package to determine how much seed to use. This is important: Not enough, and your lawn will be thin and scraggly. To make the seed application uniform, spread half the seed in a north/south direction, then turn around and apply the other half in an east/west direction. This will lessen the likelihood that you'll end up with bare spots.
If you're installing sprigs or plugs, it's just a matter of digging little holes and plopping the plants in place. Cut a small trench for sprigging and using a transplanter tool for plugs. You can usually buy this little tool from the same place you purchased the plugs.
6.Deter New Weeds
This is an optional step, but it's pretty easy and usually worth the effort. Apply a pre-emergence herbicide containing siduron. This product will prevent crabgrass seeds from sprouting, yet allow lawn grass seed to grow. Note: If you renovate in fall, this isn't necessary, because crabgrass is mainly a problem in spring.
7.Water Well
When everything is planted, your task is to keep the area moist. For the first week or so after planting, be sure the soil does not go dry. After the grass is up and growing, it's like the story of the three bears: You don't want the area too dry or too soggy, but just moist. This may mean watering a couple of times a day early on (for short, five-minute applications). Over time, you can go to a once-a-day watering for 10 or 15 minutes. It's important that the moisture be applied evenly so that your seed doesn't wash away, creating bare spots.
8.Feeding Time
When the grass shoots are about an inch tall, apply a starter fertilizer to encourage growth. The same goes for sprigs and plugs: After you see a couple of new shoots, apply fertilizer. But be sure to wait until there's growth -- you can burn roots if you fertilize too early.
9.Start Mowing
When the grass is about 3 inches tall, give it its first mowing. This will discourage weeds and encourage the spread of your grass. This simple step makes a huge difference in the success of the project!
Be sure the mower blade is sharp the first time you mow; a dull blade could rip the seedlings right out of the ground. Then mow as normal once the grass is the height you want it. For the health of your turf, don't cut off more than a third of the leaf length in any one mowing.
Rugs and carpets withstand a lot of wear and tear, especially in a high-traffic kitchen. The good news about sustainable flooring? It won't harm the earth and the natural fibers last longer than the synthetic variety. Take a look at our favorite picks.
1.Shaw: Antoinette
Shaw carpeting comes in all the colors and patterns you'd expect from a leading flooring company, but they also have an edge up on the environmentally friendly market with their cradle-to-cradle policy: Each of the carpets in their Inspired Spaces collection are manufactured from Nylon 6, which is recycled at their facilities into new carpeting repeatedly, creating a cycle of sustainability.
Get It: Antoinette, $35-40 per square yard, shawfloors.com
2.Shaw: Timeless Home
Coupled with their cradle-to-cradle carpeting, Shaw introduced Endurance II carpet cushions made from 100 percent recycled content.
Get It: Timeless home, $35-40 per square yard, shawfloors.com
3.Shaw: Simply the Best
The designers at Shaw worked hard to make sure "green" didn't mean "ugly." They designed an array of gorgeous carpets in fashion-forward colors and patterns so you can feel good about your style and environmental choice.
Get It: Simply the Best, $35-40 per square yard, shawfloors.com
4.FLOR: Classic Quilt
FLOR's Mission Zero program works to eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by 2020, all while producing affordable carpet tiles you can mix and match at will or purchase in ready-made combos, like this vibrant area rug.
Get It: Classic Quilt Mango (8 x 10), $339, www.flor.com
5.FLOR: House Pet
With a durable finish that doesn't show dirt and cleans in a snap, it's no wonder the House Pet series is FLOR's number-one seller. And you can be confident about the method of manufacturing -- so far through Mission Zero, FLOR has reduced their manufactured waste sent to landfills by 63 percent and their greenhouse gas emission by 56 percent.
Get It: House Pet, $9.99 per tile ($3.71 per square foot), www.flor.com
6.FLOR: Fedora
FLOR's Fedora line is created from 80 percent post-consumer fibers, has a brushed felt finish, and comes in six ultra-versatile colors -- all for only $6.99 a tile. Three cheers to FLOR for making it easy to go green on a budget.
Get It: Fedora Cayenne and Brick, $6.99 per tile ($2.60 per square foot), www.flor.com
7.FLOR: Modern Mix
Ready-made color mixes make it easy to coordinate flooring with the rest of your decor. Plus, if you ever want a new color, FLOR's Return-Recycle program arranges for your old FLOR tiles to be picked up and recycled into new carpet tiles.
Get It: Modern Mix Blue, $59.99/four tiles ($5.58 per square foot), www.flor.com
8.Company C: Sachi Black Bean
Company C, longtime purveyor of gorgeous rugs with a modern twist, has added some of their most popular rugs to their Natural Grounds line, a collection of rugs made from 100 percent natural wool and natural ground, meaning dramatically less dye is used to make the rug. Sachi rugs come in colors to match virtually any home.
Get It: Sachi Black Bean, $550 (4'6" x 6'6"), www.companyc.com
9.Earth Weave: McKinley Snowfield
For a truly natural, sustainable rug, look no further than Earth Weave's Bio-Floor collection. Their carpet is completely biodegradable, from the 100 percent natural wool used for the face fiber to the 100 percent natural rubber adhesive used to hold the jute rug backing in place.
Get It: McKinley Snowfield, $35-45 per square yard, www.earthweave.com
These environmentally friendly tips will keep your lawn green and healthy.
1.Choose the Right Grasses
Focus on mixtures of grasses adapted to your region. A mix of grasses ensures that a disease problem won't affect every blade of turf in your lawn. And focus on your conditions: Almost all grasses prefer full sun, but a few, including fine fescues, tolerate some shade.
Remember that sometimes, the best grass is no grass -- and using ground covers or planting beds makes the most sense.
2.Don't Cut Your Lawn Too Short
Tall grass is usually healthier grass. It grows longer roots, which access more water and nutrients. And because it has more leaf area, tall grass is also more vigorous than closely mowed grass. The taller leaves also shade out weeds. Most grasses grow best when kept at least 2 inches tall.
Hint: No matter what height you let your grass grow, remove no more than one-third of the grass blade in a single mowing. Removing too much at one time causes stress.
3.Keep a Sharp Lawn-Mower Blade
A dull lawn mower blade tears grass instead of cutting it, resulting in frayed grass that's susceptible to disease. Sharpen mower blades at least once at the beginning of the season. Sharpen again during the season if your grass looks ragged after you mow.
4.Leave Clippings on Your Lawn
Clippings left on the lawn decompose and add nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. (Plus, you don't have to rake as often.) Contrary to popular belief, clippings do not contribute to thatch buildup.
Note: Use a mulching mower to finely mince blades, so they decompose and benefit your soil more quickly.
5.Control Thatch
Thatch is an impenetrable mat made of grass blades, roots, and rhizomes that forms over the soil. A thick layer of thatch prevents water from reaching roots, and serves as a welcome mat for disease and insect pests. If thatch isn't severe, aeration may solve the problem. Thick thatch requires a vertical mower or mechanical dethatchers to break it up.
6.Aerate Regularly
If your ground is hard, if it has dry spots where grass fails to grow, or if you can't poke a pencil 4-6 inches into a moist lawn, it needs aeration. Aeration improves drainage, breaks up thatch, stimulates lawn growth, and improves lawn health -- all without pesticides or fertilizers. Aerate when the lawn is actively growing (spring or fall for cool-season lawns; summer for warm-season lawns).
7.Water Sensibly
Water your lawn when grass takes on a dull green or bluish color, when leaf blades begin to fold or roll, or when footprints remain in the grass after you've walked on it. Water deeply and infrequently: You want roots to grow deep into the soil -- healthy roots extend 6 inches deep or more. Consider weekly rainfall before setting out the sprinkler. Water based on the weather rather than your weekly planner.
8.Watch for Weeds
The best thing about healthy, organic lawns is that they naturally defeat most weeds without help from you. If your lawn has weeds, it may indicate a different problem. Use organic products, such as corn gluten meal (CGM) when necessary.
9.Feed Your Lawn
Use a balanced, natural fertilizer to feed your lawn. Most natural fertilizers are slow-acting, remain available over time in the soil, and rarely damage the lawn by burning grass.
Apply fertilizer once or twice each year. Be careful not to use too much: Even natural fertilizers can damage plants when used in extreme. Always follow the instructions on the fertilizer packaging. With fertilizers, less is better!
10.Top Dress with Compost
Compost works miracles in the soil for gardens and lawns. Spread up to a quarter of an inch of compost over your entire lawn each spring or fall.
Don't be square! Create a patio with curving edges to add character and a sense of informality to your outdoor living area. Curves are more relaxing and visually appealing than straight lines.
Patios often look like they've just been plopped in your yard. To avoid a jarring feel, plant a border of flowering annuals, perennials, and shrubs around the edge. Create a lovely addition to your landscape and enjoy your favorite plants up-close and personal.
Tip: Use taller plants to offer more privacy.
Throw down a rug. There are more and more high-quality, weather-resistant rugs for use outdoors. They come in a variety of colors and styles, so you can find one to suit your tastes. Select rugs made from recycled materials and be environmentally friendly at the same time.
Give your patio personality at night. Whether to illuminate a dark space or add ambiance to your favorite seating area, outdoor lighting can be just the touch of nighttime pizzazz your patio needs. Choose solar products or low-voltage, energy-efficient bulbs to conserve resources and protect the environment.
Almost everyone had a wagon they grew up with. But as we grew older, wagons became clutter in the shed or garage. No more! Haul out that old wagon and make it into a decorative holder for your collection of container gardens. A fresh coat of paint will spruce up your wagon, adding a classic, rustic element to your patio.
here's something about water that's serene and peaceful. Be sure to add it to your patio. Enhance those relaxing moments with a patio-size water garden. Find one with a small recirculating pump so you can enjoy the sound of water trickling over stones or through a bamboo spout.
Plants for Stone Patios
Accent the edges, nooks, and crannies of your stone patio with low-maintenance, drought-tolerant succulents such as sedum and hens-and-chicks.
Summer is the perfect time to be outdoors. Fire up the grill and invite friends or neighbors over for a backyard barbecue amidst your collection of containers in your lush backyard. Choose durable furniture that withstands the elements. Create a table piece that highlights blooming flowers from your garden, bringing it right onto your patio.
A pergola is the perfect patio addition. Use a kit from your local home-improvement center, and make it a quick weekend project. Soften your pergola with climbers such as clematis (Clematis sp.), chocolate vine (Akebia quinata), Wisteria, and ivy (Hedera helix). Once established, these vines will provide a cozy, shady respite after a hard day's work.
Planter boxes are a timeless, classic accessory. Whether wrought iron or barn wood, they're a charming patio accent -- and they're a great way to showcase your favorite small plants. Colorful new annuals come onto the market every year, so the design possibilities are endless.
Gather around the fire with the kids late at night. Perfect for toasting marshmallows in summer or warming your outdoor space in spring or fall, fire pits are a gathering place on the patio. Make your fire pit from anything from flagstone slabs to small boulders.
Tip: Research your local fire code and ordinances before beginning this project.
Attract a variety of birds throughout the year by adding birdfeeders to the perimeter of your patio. Put out different types of feed to attract different birds. Use an open-tray feeder and wild-bird mix to attract a variety of songbirds and seedeaters. Hang fresh fruit out in the summer for orioles and in the winter for robins and waxwings. Here's the chance to invite nature right onto your patio!
Don't forget the power of fragrance. When you're relaxing on the patio at the end of the day, enjoy a rich aroma or subtle perfume. Consider planting a fragrant path that leads up to the patio from the garden. Tall, arching stalks of flowering tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris) or licorice-scented sprays of hyssop (Agastache rupestris) could greet you alongside a small trellis with moonflowers (Ipomoea alba). This combination will create a "scentsational" experience for you and your guests.
Tropical plants are favored because of their flashy blooms and lush foliage. They're perfect patio accents when planted in large containers. If you live in a southern climate, leave your tropicals outside all year. If you live in a northern climate, you'll need to bring them indoors in fall. If you're going to be bringing them in and out of doors, keep them in containers that are easy to move.
Enjoy the sounds of music on your patio. Wind chimes are a traditional, yet stylish part of the outdoor lifestyle. You can find wind chimes made from bamboo, teak, and stainless steel to create the windy, musical melody that best fits your home.
Have a large shade tree? Why not consider building your patio under its canopy? You'll enjoy the cool, shady retreat in the heat of summer when you need a quick break from your afternoon gardening chores. You can also plant your favorite shade plants, such as hostas and caladiums, around your patio for summer-long color and interest.
