Author: Husbad

Fireplaces

Bewitching Halloween Entryways by ers

ers, you answered our call! Thank you for sharing your creative Halloween entryways with us. I’ve been using a ball checking out all of your decorations, from inviting harvest displays to decoration made to frighten off the most intrepid visitors. Here’s how you all are spicing things up this October.

Lighting plays a major role in a lot of ers’ Halloween entry schemes. Garrison Hullinger has the expertise to make a great Halloween glow and spotlighting for his favourite holiday.

Hullinger also includes some toil and trouble brewing on the front porch, giving the place a layer of fog that is unexplained.

Mary Prince Photography

Photographer Mary Prince submitted this beautiful Halloween driveway; autumnal landscape islands are topped off by pumpkins.

Lynda Quintero-Davids of Focal Point Styling has highlighted the vertical with branches and bright fall foliage.

consumer rgillenwater’s display can readily be de-Halloweened on November 1.

This entry transforms after dark, when consumer safbham flicks on creepy luminous cat eyes and flickering orange lights.

Julie Ranee Photography

Gourds and pumpkins are such a wonderful way to decorate for both Halloween and fall generally. The further disfigured and wartier, the greater.

See the rest of this porch

This picture, sent by consumer cindyp106, is the one that made me laugh the hardest. Apparently, Pumpkinbum is in need of a good belt.

Smalls Landscaping

If you would like to work that Halloween curb appeal beyond the stoop area, use a window box or deep windowsill like Smalls Landscaping includes here.

You might think that this is just a pretty entry decorated for maximum fall curb appeal, but look closely… it seems the house might have landed on the Wicked Witch of the East.

Mary Prince Photography

As striking as pumpkins intricately carved with Van Gogh paintings or lace designs are, I prefer to be fulfilled with old-school jack-o’-lanterns with character like those.

It’s difficult to believe that consumer Deborah Price isn’t done with this entry yet. She promises to reveal the finished design on All Hallows’ Eve. You can follow her progress in her Halloween 2012 ideabook.

Front lawns –turned–graveyards are becoming increasingly more elaborate. This one is from consumer shannon; the next one came in from consumer sunflowerbecky.

consumer Kevin writes,”L-O-V-E Halloween! Here’s what we do with our entry but we do a lot more with the yard. We get almost 600 trick-or-treaters every year. So enjoyable!” Kevin’s pumpkin-head ghouls look more menacing at nighttime (next picture ).

Here’s a close-up of Kevin’s pumpkin-head ghouls at nighttime. Pretty scary things — I am astonished 600 trick-or-treaters brave their way up to the door.

consumer tenthmile writes,”Here is the first year I have really done anything for Halloween, so no laughing.” No laughing ; I am batty over this smart garage door dressing.

Edgar Allan Poe brought out the goth in consumer donnasue65, who used his poem”The Raven” as inspiration for a black, white and red scheme.

consumer ksflygirl makes certain her beautiful fall entryway doesn’t get eaten by local Kansas varmints by shining her up gourds with some lacquer.

Mary Prince Photography

I certainly would not take the apple this witch in Boston’s Back Bay is offering!

Sunflowerbecky didn’t forget a detail on this creepy hanging skeleton bride, complete with a veil and a black rose. “We go all out for Halloween… we are living in a 140-year-old house and we attract the children and parents through the house with each room decorated to be somewhat haunted,” she writes. Does anyone else get the feeling from this it’s not so mild? I would really like to check it out.

consumer Melissa Hedges knows the power of giving people the feeling that there’s something frightful hovering overhead. One look up in this need to produce a terrified gasp.

consumer tomnkat has silhouettes in every window of the house.

“I looked for contours that I liked and sketched them black fadeless bulletin board newspaper,” writes tomnkat.” [I] cut them and taped them up! I really like them and my daughter begins asking me to place them on October 1st — they are a hit in the area!”

consumer sarelle23 makes sure the little ones aren’t scared off by those spooky skeletons and spiderwebs. “We are called the Halloween House in our neighborhood,” she writes. “We replace the white bulb onto the porch with reddish, which really glows supporting the cobweb at nighttime. The skeleton on the right is on a sensor and makes moves and noise when people walk by. We can observe the trick-or-treaters out of our kitchen window — if they’re young, I answer the door and it is less frightening. If they’re older, my spouse places on a monster hands and opens the door, scaring the elderly children — they love it!”

At first glance, consumer flippingartist’s front porch doesn’t seem all that scary, until you observe those creepy eyes peeking out of the”hole” in the steps.

Don’t be intimidated by elaborate decorations; consider just how charming something as simple as consumer ikwewe’s jack-o’-lantern lights can be, day or night.

Please check out the Opinions section of the original Halloween call to see more great decorating ideas. Additionally, please keep sharing your decorations in the Comments section below!

See related

Kitchen Guides

Integrated Kitchen

The term”integrated” means that lots of individual components combine in a means that makes a unified whole. Kitchens are one of the hardest-working rooms at a home, and good design makes the room efficient and pleasant to be in. The goal of an integrated kitchen is the appliances are imperceptible elements; they are either made to appear to be cabinetry or made to be flush with the cabinets, with all the visible controls removed.

CWB Architects

Wall pantry or fridge? This integrated refrigerator has the same frame and panel face as the rest of the kitchen cabinets. It is regarded fully integrated.

RWA Architects

Flush surfaces are also utilized within an integrated kitchen. Appliances do not stand out or sit recesses; they are in line with the rest of the cabinetry.

Andre Rothblatt Architecture

For a few sticklers of integrated design, integration ensures the appliances are completely hidden and unidentifiable. Even the small controls with this dishwasher give away the fact it isn’t a cupboard, but it is a small detail that many could live with. This dishwasher could be considered partly integrated.

MELISSA BAGBY

Technically this fridge isn’t integrated, since it’s controls on the outside and doesn’t have the same millwork confront as the cupboards. Incorporating it in an armoire of sorts was fairly clever, though.

Palmer Todd

Having an integrated kitchen is quite desirable within an open-floor-plan home, as the kitchen can be viewed from many rooms, and mismatched appliances and finishes are not very attractive. Stainless steel appliances are generally most expensive; adding a cabinet face to a appliance can be a cost-saving measure.

Jane Kim Design

High-gloss gray surfaces conceal the prospective appliances within this pastoral modern integrated kitchen, inducing one to possibly ask, Are there any really appliances in there?

More: manuals to kitchen layout

See related

Flowers and Plants

5 Ways to Plant a Kiss of Red on Your Landscape

The Scarlet Letter. Scarlett O’Hara. Few colors connote passion and play quite like the colour red. In the scene, as in literature, this fiery hue cranks up the heat, stimulating energy, confidence and enthusiasm. Whether you wish to make a bold statement or accentuate a focal point, here are five ways to landscape with red.

Windsor Firms

1. Command Attention

Just like a stop sign, red makes us all pause. Make the most of this bold hue from the landscape to direct the eye where you want it. Here, swaths of red impatiens funnel focus into the door.

Rely on reddish to highlight focal points, including urns, fountains and planters.

Pacific West Tree Company

Use red blossoms to bring vibrant energy into an otherwise neutral landscape. Because a tiny red can go a long way, this sexy colour is ideal in warm climates, where crops are scarcer.

Windsor Firms

2. Layer for Effect

Red appears to come forward in the landscape, which helps make a large garden feel more amorous.

Wallace Landscape Associates

Plant reddish toward the end of a destination, like a very long walkway, where its vibrant color will lure guests down the road.

Wallace Landscape Associates

Few colors extend as warm a welcome as reddish. Tap into its friendly soul by planting strands of red flowers up front steps or flanking front door with them.

Raymond Jungles, Inc..

3. Choose Shades of Difference

Red-browns and terra-cotta reds offer a warm, autumnal appearance. Look to foliage selections for this earthy scheme.

Locate plants with reddish foliage at the plant guides

Wallace Landscape Associates

Dark reds (and deep purples) are one of the initial colors to glow in waning light. Restrict them if you would like to enjoy an evening garden.

Liquidscapes

Red and yellow are a timeless summertime garden colour combination. Provide a broad range of blossoms in these colors then; therefore, they look best in bright sunshine.

Find fantastic reddish blossoms | Browse yellow blossoms

Wallace Landscape Associates

4. Play It Cool

Temper red’s bold nature by pairing it with complementary green.

Exteriorscapes llc

Somewhat red, like in this Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’) may go a very long way. Team it with serene blues, grays and greens for a refreshing appearance.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Fantastic plant companions, such as airy red yarrow and scattering purple salvia, showcase a winning combination of sexy and trendy colors.

5. Utilize Focal-Point Flowers

Sure, you can catch attention with impatiens and geraniums, but other more sudden specimens abound. One chance: kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos ‘Red Cross’).

Terra Nova® Nurseries, Inc

Another energetic candidate value a closer look is Mukdenia ‘Crimson Fans’. Somehow this plant blurs the line between flower and foliage.

An old favourite from South Africa, Bright Eyes Montbretia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora) is a gorgeous plant that may stand alone as an accent plant or blend in with additional hot-colored summer bloomers, such as daylilies.

See related

Tropical Style

Pot War: When and How to Use Chemical Herbicides

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, it is time to bring out the big guns of weed management: the compounds. Think carefully before using chemical herbicides on the landscape, and make certain they are part of an integrated pest management approach that includes:
Identifying the particular problem plant.Understanding the plant’s life cycle. Can it be an annual or a perennial? Does it spread by seeds, seeds or both? If it spreads by seed, when does this germinate? Using cultural (growing conditions that discourage weeds) or mechanical way of command, whenever possible. Recognizing when and the way the weed invasion may cause catastrophic damage to a natural habitat, either harvest or structure.Once you’ve determined that an herbicide is the proper step in handling your weed problem, you can evaluate the options and select the right product for your circumstances.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

First, let us get familiar with the terminology. Herbicides act as pre-emergents, by inhibiting plant seeds from germinating, or as postemergents, which means they operate on actively growing plants.

Some are nonselective and affect any crops they contact, while some are selective and will control only particular crops.

Contact herbicides impact only the plant cells on which they are applied, while systemic Compounds are absorbed into the whole plant and plant system.

Chemical controls may be natural or synthetic. Ideally, all herbicides must be applied by a certified pesticide applicator.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Natural Herbicides

The active ingredients in natural herbicides come from minerals or plants. These products are subject to government regulations for private and environmental safety. Read all product labels thoroughly and follow along with care.

Corn gluten free meal. The protein component of a corn kernel is a selective, pre-emergent herbicide most commonly utilized to control annual weeds — including as oxalis, purslane and spurge — in lawns. It is also about 10 percent nitrogen, therefore it helps promote nutritious turf. Corn gluten meal is most successful when applied two times a year. Apply it before the seed germinates and forms a root. A dry period after germination is also vital. Find out more about timing corn gluten meal programs here.

Vinegar. It is a nonselective, postemergent and contact herbicide for annual weeds. Apply horticultural vinegar alternatives, which have less than 20 percent linoleic acid, as a spray into the weeds’ foliage. The acid acts as a contact desiccant (“burning” the foliage but not the roots) and can be most successful when applied to annual weeds in the heat of summer.

Soap. Horticultural soaps, derived from fatty acids, which are nonselective, postemergent, contact herbicides. Sprayed about the weeds’ leaves, the item smothers the foliage, inhibiting the crops’ growth. Horticultural soaps are most effective in young, actively growing, annual weeds.

Iron. The newest kid on the block employs a 1.5 percent option of FeHDTA (a iron chelate) as its active ingredient. A selective, systemic, postemergent herbicide, the applied iron dose is toxic to a number of common broad-leaf weeds but does not have a detrimental effect on turf grasses.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Synthetic Herbicides

Synthetic herbicides have artificial elements subject to government regulations for private and environmental safety. Remember: Read and follow product labels carefully.

Glysophate and glufosinate ammonium. All these nonselective, systemic herbicides could be effective on poisonous perennial weeds like field bindweed, myrtle spuge and quackgrass. Research shows that a very particular application regime — the time of year, the phase in the plants’ life cycle, and also the method of application — is vital to the most efficient and beneficial use of this herbicide.

2,4-D and Tryclopyr. Both these chemicals are selective, systemic, postemergent herbicides useful for controlling many annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like puncturevine, kochia, Canada thistle and orange hawkweed. They are effective on weeds in lawns and round conifers.

Your local Cooperative Extension Office will have significantly more research about the best way best to identify and manage the weeds in your region.

More:
5 Ways to Naturally Grow the Weed War
Tackle Weeds the Pure Method
5 Weed-Smothering Ground Covers

See related

Attics

8 Tips to Turn Your Attic Into a Snug Reading Nook

On the lookout for an excuse? These comfy reading nooks might be just the inspiration you need. Indulge your inner bookworm by turning an often-overlooked space to a location where you are able to get away from the distractions of the primary floor.

Stonewood, LLC

Go for dual duty. Consider adding storage beneath any built-in seats. Attic spaces are normally tight, and that means you’ll be glad you have got the extra hiding space for this magazine collection you have been slowly working your way through. If you are keeping things simple and just buying furniture, find some handsome baskets to slide beneath.

Furnish it with your favorite bits. This distance is all about comfort, so exude furnishings which will encourage precisely that. “A comfy chair and ottoman are ideal so the reader can put up their feet,” says interior designer Diane Bishop.

Ehlen Creative Communications

Embrace the sloped walls. Sloped walls may be an architectural annoyance, but they make for a perfect reading nook. Utilize the space beneath for a daybed or window seat; the sloped walls emanate instant coziness.

A+B KASHA Designs

Create a library feel. If you’ve got the distance, combine lounge furniture and book storage. Not only will this keep your collection accessible, but having novels in sight makes the space feel like a library.

Diane Bishop Interiors

Bring in the reading lamps. Attics are usually dark, along with a reading nook will not be good if you can not find the book before you. “A tall lamp with a sheer shade both will light the region and supply soft lighting for the words onto the page,” says Bishop. “Pick the right style, and the lamp will double as an attractive design element inside the room.”

LDa Interiors & Architecture

Pick colors that induce calm. This distance is meant to relax you, go for soothing colors that set the right tone — usually whites, neutrals, light greens and blues. “Consider painting the ceiling a different colour to make interest,” suggests Bishop.

Ventilate. Equip your distance with sufficient ventilation and air circulation so that you don’t feel uneasy when trying to unwind. Attic spaces get sexy, and ceiling fans may make a refreshing breeze.

Cardea Building Co..

Maintain the attention. Recall, the role of your loft has changed. Don’t allow the focus change to storage or anything else. “Let this place be only about writing or reading,” says Bishop. “Cut down on clutter and distractions to make a truly peaceful space”

See related

Tropical Style

Cool-Season Vegetables: How to Boost Cabbage

When summer winds down, it’s time to acquire cool-season vegetables like cabbage into the floor. The classic pine is round and green or red, but look at a backyard catalog and you’ll find cabbages that end in a point or are relatively flat, savoy cabbages with their feature ruffled leaves, and stunning varieties with blue-green leaves plus a purplish-red head. Some are more streamlined and may last longer into warmer weather.

They’re generally split into early, midseason and late cabbages. The early varieties are best for spring blossoms; the others do better in the fall. You will even find flowering cabbages, which stand out in the garden, especially following the first frost hits. These are usually grown as ornamentals, but they’re edible.

More: The way to grow cool-season veggies

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

When to plant: Like most cool-season crops, cabbage is happiest growing in fall or spring. For spring planting, then sow the seeds of an early variety in very early spring. You can even start them indoors about six weeks before the last frost date and place out transplants three weeks afterwards. For fall and winter crops, plant seeds of midseason and late varieties in summer time.

Days to maturity: 50 to 100

Light requirement: Full sunlight is best; partial color can also be fine, especially if the weather heats up quickly.

Water necessity: Supply ample water and keep the soil moist.

Favorite cabbage kinds: Alcosa, Arrowhead, Brunswick, Early Jersey Wakefield, Gonzales, January King, Late Flat Dutch, Mammoth Red Rock, Red Drumhead, Red Express, Red Meteor, Redball, Samantha, Savoy King, Savoy Queen, Super Red 80, Winnigstadt

Planting and maintenance: Be sure that your soil is fertile and well drained. Sow seeds around a half inch deep and an inch apart. Give them space, setting them thinning them to 2 feet apart with 2 feet or more between pops. They enjoy water, so keep the bed continually moist. Feed the plants about halfway through the growing period using an entire high-nitrogen fertilizer. Weed them as the roots are shallow.

Cabbage is prone to problems; what do you expect when there are bugs named cabbage loopers, cabbage root maggots and cabbage worms? They may also have problems with diseases, like damping off and downy mildew, and these are simply a few of the possible problems.

Solving plant problems: You can watch to see if the issue resolves itself obviously, especially if you observe the principles of integrated pest control and organic gardening. But if it gets out of hand, take steps to eliminate it, beginning with the least invasive strategy and moving out of there. Rotating crops in the future may help with a few problems. Heads will divide if they are too old, therefore harvest before that happens.

Harvest: View the cabbage heads carefully and harvest until they divide. Store them in a cool spot and keep them damp to help prolong their storage life.

More: How to Boost Cool-Season Vegetables

See related

Eclectic Homes

Get It Done: Strike the Coat Closet

Sometimes there are so many things in the home that require organizing that we don’t even know where to begin; I know that I don’t. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was your mess.

Take it one job at one time. Sit down and make a list of all the regions of your house you’d really like to see neat and organized. Hang it on the refrigerator or write it onto a chalkboard wall, and make it a goal to finish 1 job per week until you are done. In reality, you may even get fancy and turn it to a ideabook like that I did.

If the thought of making a list is overwhelming (I know the feeling), don’t worry. I’m going to make it easy for you by giving you one job per week which you’re able to accomplish within a few hours. Make sure you have sufficient time to complete the job and have a shopping trip; otherwise you will wind up with more of a mess.

We’re going to begin with the coat closet.

How to Organize Your Coat Closet

Approximate time: 1-3 hours, depending on whether you have to create a rush to the store.

Installation: Box for contributions, garbage can, box for items which will discover new homes elsewhere, notepad and pen for jotting down thoughts and needs across the way vacuum cleaner and dusting supplies.

More: Take a “Before” shot so that you can feel additional satisfied when this is over.

Getting started

• Take out everything and put it into a spot where you are able to organize it all.
• Thoroughly clean out the closet in the top to bottom. Dust shelves, corners, ceiling, walls, sticks and the flooring. You’ll be amazed and a little grossed out by what’s hiding in there. Then you’ll feel satisfied that it is all clean.

Hable Construction

Espresso Beads Storage Box – $98

Evaluate and kind

• Determine what will remain in the closet. For instance: outerwear for the current season, sports equipment, 1 pair of Wellies per family member, umbrellas, gloves and hats.
• throw everything that needs to find a new house (out-of-season coats, sweatshirts, additional shoes, toys) in a basket. Go put away this stuff right now; you don’t want it distracting you while you put the closet back together.
• Throw everything you are likely to donate into a different box, create an inventory checklist for tax purposes and put it in the car to take to Goodwill.

Pottery Barn

Kellan Shoe Rack – $89

• have a look at what needs to find a house back within the closet.
• Consider how it’s going to match. Can a shoe rack or baskets for umbrellas, hats and gloves help? Would you want some over-the-door hooks for bags and scarves? How about another shelf? Are you going to require a much better system for corralling sports equipment? Create a list.

Liquid Printer

Hat Boxes

Get the right boxes

Scout out your home for appropriate boxes and baskets. You may always cover plain old cardboard shipping containers with pretty paper to jazz them up, or you may require a visit to The Container Store, Target or Ikea. Look at each product and see what it needs, create a list of container sizes to fit your area, and hit the stores.

Hint: The gift-wrap section often has pretty boxes which aren’t so expensive and seem like classic hat boxes. Also check the office supply department to save some cash on appealing containers.

IKEA

BUMERANG Curved clothing hanger – $3.99

Shop

as you’re out shopping, catch fitting hangers which can handle the weight of coats. Hanging a winter coat on a cable and cardboard hanger from the dry cleaner is obviously a neglect.

Amazon

Honey-Can-Do On The Door Clear Shoe Organizer – $13.99

If you have room for this, a clear over-the-door shoe rack is great for keeping hats, gloves and other small items organized and easy to discover.

Contemporary Hooks And Hangers – $5.99

Enjoy restocking your closet

Place everything which belongs in the coat closet back in. Be a bit precious about getting all the coats face exactly the same manner and organizing things by color or length to make it seem photo prepared.

Admire your job

Tatum over at A Few Minutes of Me did a motivational task of organizing and sprucing up her coat closet. It is a fantastic lesson in maintaining your clutter corralled. (Another lesson: If you background the rear wall, then you’ll be more motivated to keep it clean so that it is possible to enjoy the view.)

Once you are finished, you are done until next week, when we will attack another issue spot around the home. Step back, admire your job and go reward your self.

More:
8 Incredibly Clever Organizing Tricks
Small Actions to Organizing Success

See related

Patios

Permit Screen Doors Mesh With Your Style

I love front doors that have glass to bring in additional light to brighten the home’s entry area. And in warmer weather, having the ability to open the front door to permit all that light and fresh air to come indoors is really a wonderful thing. However, I so dislike so many of the screen doors that are readily available. It is truly sad when a beautiful front door is covered with a screen door that little thought was given to.

For those wondering where they can get a nicer screen door, a good local carpenter ought to have the ability to create one or, even better, try out a regional millwork firm. I have had great experiences with millworkers, since these people have the right skills and tools for producing just about any door you style. And though the price can get up there to get some of these doors, many of the examples below can be obtained for just marginally more than the ubiquitous aluminum doors from the big-box retailers.

So have at it. Let your imagination be your guide in developing a beautiful screen door that fits you and your property. Let’s take a look at a few examples of screen doors that do precisely that.

Susan Wallace

Susan Wallace

1. Ensure it is artful. Artist Susan Wallace in Austin, Texas, generates screen doors that are unique and intriguing. Whether as studies of circles or …

Susan Wallace

Susan Wallace

… as branches, Wallace’s screen doors are as much about art as they are about work. You can see more of those doors and her artwork here.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

2. Make it colorful. One of the great advantages of using wood to get a screen door is that it can be painted as you’d like. So go on and paint the door the exact same color as the trim so the shade joins all of the nice detail collectively.

Blue Sky Building Company

3. Make it fun. The screen door doesn’t need to be squares and rectangles. How about some patterns and cutouts? A carpenter or woodworker can create something similar to that for you.

Rethink Design Studio

4. Make it a double click. Display doors can be double doors also, especially when they’re part of the whole porch. Just be cautious and use some additional reinforcing, like a cable rail, to keep these doors from warping and sagging.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Whether at the line of the porch or the house wall, a double screen door will certainly keep the inside light, bright, refreshing and bug free.

All About Windows Inc

Motorized Screen Door

5. Permit it retract. Not so much a doorway in the conventional sense, these screen panels retract into the structure, and the tracks are integrated neatly. They are a well-thought-out solution whenever there are multiple screen panels.

Bud Dietrich, AIA

6. Make it a combo. A screen panel in the hot weather can easily give way to a glass panel if it is cold outside. This keeps the screen door useful all year round.

Albert, Righter & Tittmann Architects, Inc..

7. Match the entry door. Do not hide some of the pleasant features of the main door. Instead, make sure the structure (stiles and rails) of this screen door up with those in the main door.

Castle Homes

8. Let things slide. A screen door doesn’t need to be hinged. In reality, there will be a number of situations when you’re want that screen door to slide to the side — something that is easily done with an overhead track.

Grizzly Iron, Inc

9. Ensure it is metal. Whether you have a wrought metal door created or …

John Termeer

… you repurpose a closed wrought iron gate, a screen door like this will add beauty and security to your home while keeping it bug free.

See related

Life

How to Design (and Live) With Meaning

Architects can be a group. But generally, I usually do not take myself or my profession badly. (Maybe some of you have discovered?) I have a tendency to make light of my fellow angst-ridden coworkers. Find the comedy and I have a tendency to lighten the mood. I will giggle together with the best of them at the absurdities of my livelihood. But under the layers of sarcasm and angst and snark lies enthusiasm and a profound affection for design.

Do not allow my smirk fool you. In my core is an overriding belief in the power of design. Occasionally I have to take a minute to remind myself of the. I composed some principles for design for myself, a list of what’s essential for me to remember when I start new work. This started out as a very personal list, however I think it may apply to other people too.

Think of these as directions for designers.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

No designer is in it for the price. We all aspire to something don’t we?

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

It’s a significant distinction.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

I try to consider my projects as a continuation of a larger work, and of my work as merely a small portion of the total community.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

I try to target for the elegance of balance instead of the perfection of sequence.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

It’s the ideal way to think of design. It’s like the leave-a-penny, take-a-penny menu near the cash register.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

I think all layout should be constructed to last.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Honesty in materials, in construction technique, in building program, in motivation, in meaning, in intent, in all things.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Trust yourself. When it’s really important for you, it’ll be important to everyone else too.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

The hardest part is staring at the blank piece of paper. Beginnings are always challenging, but once you start, you can start to revise, and that’s the easy part.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Layout is a process; a lifelong undertaking.

OK, I feel better. Now I will return to making fun of myself.

See related

Front Yard Ideas

Vegetables and Flowers Mix in Beautiful Edible Gardens

Expanses of ornamentals planted chiefly for aesthetics in days past were available exclusively from the gardens of the strangest land baron or royal. There was little worth for the average citizen in spending time and resources cultivating plants which didn’t create something useful. The lawn was a scheme for raising plants used for food, medicine, seasoning, scents and more.

We no longer rely on the lawn solely because of its manufacturing value, nor will be a backyard composed entirely of ornamentals beyond the range of the average Joe or Jane. But doesn’t a garden composed of plants equally beautiful and productive make sense? Say hello to the blended garden — or what I affectionately refer to a cottage-potage backyard — in which fruits, vegetables, veggies and herbs mix freely with decorative species.

No have to bulge the veggie garden in with all the laundry line, trash cans, compost bins and other drab service areas. Sure, a veggie garden can look just a little punk from the off-season, but with just a little creativity, it doesn’t have to.

Beauty and Bounty

It is time to quit banishing the edibles to the rear 40 and deliver them front and center. Feature them. Flaunt them. Celebrate them. Mix edibles into your boundaries; plant vegetables and herbs in beautiful containers scattered throughout your outdoor spaces, add fruit trees along the curb strip. Want a shade tree? Pick one which provides fruit as well. Need to screen something from your own view? Try out a fast-growing evergreen fruiting vine.

By integrating edibles and ornamentals we receive attractiveness and Profession — while squeezing the maximum from the time and resources we invest in our modern day yard. You are just a couple of strawberry plants, a few lettuce seeds and perhaps a fruit tree or two away from your own beautiful and extremely productive cottage-potage backyard.

The cottage-potage backyard. I envision the historical predecessor of what I predict the cottage-potage garden could have appeared somewhat similar to this backyard, with edibles like kale (in the foreground), herbs and squash (adjoining to the house) implanted here and there along with scented flowers and ornamentals.

Margie Grace – Grace Design Associates

My own blended backyard. My garden has witnessed a lot of change over the 20-plus years I have been tending it. I started raising create in large, colorful containers set among flowering perennials from the curb strip and along the drive about eight decades back. The large pots provide lots of no-bend, clean-shoe gardening (my favorite kind). The pots are placed where there is good sun exposure and air circulation, providing construction, interest and color to the garden. They look good at the height of the growing season and at the off-season as well.

I come home at the end of the day and spend about five minutes between the curb and my front entrance. By the time I cross the threshold with a couple of new fare, I have figured out what’s for supper and decompressed from the pressures of the day.

Tip: To hold down prices, I selected baskets from the greatly discounted “moments, chips and dings” section at large pottery supply shops.

A space-saving, high-density producer. Watermelon is tucked below the towering hollyhocks to squeeze the maximum from this space within this free-spirited backyard.

HUISSTYLING

Small distance? Espalier and graft. Apple, pearshaped, fig and other fruit trees are easily espaliered (trained to grow flat against a wall, a trellis or a arrangement of stakes). This espalier provides screening and fresh fruit.

Tip: Desire more types of fruit than you’ve got space for trees? Select “fruit salad” trees with multiple varieties grafted onto one espaliered plant.

Margie Grace – Grace Design Associates

Ditch that the orchard. Newly planted espaliered apple trees are at home in this perennial border, providing bushels of apples to go with an abundance of fresh blossoms. These trees have been trained as cordons,the familiar form of grape vines. Growth is restricted to a few main horizontal branches within easy access.

The cordoned apples provide needed screening for this front-yard backyard, and the nearby flowers attract pollinators, which improve fruit production.

Tip: Annual dormant-season pruning increases the number and density of fruit buds, so reducing the total footprint of this tree while keeping high yields.

This garden is located on a quarter-acre four-unit multifamily residential site in downtown Santa Barbara, California. Vegetables, herbs, ornamentals and over 30 fruit trees joyfully, beautifully and fruitfully coexist, thriving on saltwater. Discuss getting the most from your own resources!

AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc..

The contemporary edible. The blended garden easily adjusts to any garden design. Fruit trees are seamlessly incorporated into this contemporary outdoor living area, bettering the distance from just beautiful to bountiful as well.

Diane Licht Landscape Architect

Double-duty layout. A vine-laden arbor provides colour for an outdoor dining area and heaps of fresh table grapes. These vigorous vines aren’t too fussy about soil, can withstand periods of drought once established and, other than yearly pruning and a bit tying up, require minimal maintenance. Look at planting several varieties of grape on a large arbor for a cornucopia of fresh fruit.

Vines are not the only fruit which can be trained to increase overhead. Although slower than blossoms, lemon, lime, fig, apple and pear — to name just a few — are great options to cover an arbor or a pergola.

Tip: Utilize a deciduous vine like grape or kiwifruit in which you would like to have colour in the summer and sunshine in winter.

Mark English Architects, AIA

Variety is the spice of life. Look for interesting color and form from the wide variety of veggies, fruits and herbs out there. A wealth of exquisite forms and colours exist to add attention to perennial beds and containers.

Or try a twist on the veggie garden that you’ll be thrilled to feature front and center. In this picture, colorful row plants are put out on a jaunty angle, including movement and play to the article.

Glenna Partridge Garden Design

Harness the decorative qualities of food-bearing plants. Artichokes, for example, are stunningly beautiful integrated into a planting scheme. They provide color, texture and structural interest — and a delicious feast. Eat them when they are young and tasty for the freshest ‘choke you’ve ever needed, and leave a few to grow into huge, dramatic purple-blue blooms to cut and bring indoors.

Witt Construction

Still favor a traditional veggie patch? No difficulty — maintain the vegetables together but give some thought to the layout and construction of beds. Break from the standard 4 feet by 8 feet raised wood beds lined up along the rear property line.

Give your beds design and an attractive layout that looks great year-round. Include a place for lounging, entertaining or dining. Low stone walls add enclosure, visual interest and extra seating within this united veggie garden and dining patio.

Huettl Landscape Architecture

Veggies plus play with. Raised Cor-Ten beds are superstylish and perform well with the steel-edged boccie court. Start looking for opportunities to integrate your veggie patch along with other outdoor spaces to find the maximum use, value and joy out of your backyard.

Margie Grace – Grace Design Associates

Powerful structure for powerful interest. This parterre-inspired veggie garden, with its strong architectural lines, is appealing year-round. Insert the playful sprinkler — which looks to be an armillary sphere if not in performance — and you have a vegetable garden that’s fetching sufficient for center stage.

Make raised beds a focal point. Rather than hide the veg patch out of view, these homeowners chose to cultivate their produce exquisite raised stone beds, which also serve as a focal point at the end of their own backyard. The stone walls provide extra seating for large gatherings and attract crops within easy access without the need for bending or stooping.

More:
Experiments Aplenty Fill Vancouver Edible Garden

See related