Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2022 en Flower

Now is the month of maying,When merry lads are playing,Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.Each with his bonny lass,Upon the greeny grass,Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.The Spring, clad all in gladness,Doth laugh at Winter’s sadness,Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.Fie then! Why sit we musing,Youth’s sweet delight refusing?Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.Say, dainty nymphs, and speak,Shall we play barley break?Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la la. THINKING ABOUT AND ALLOWING MYSELF to soak in the idea of May,…

Sometimes the best ideas spring from a frustrating situation, as designer Courtnay Tartt Elias of Creative Tonic discovered at her home in the Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston. “The houses on my street are set way back from the curb with huge lawns, which was perfect for my three boys to play all their games when they were growing up,” she says. But when Courtnay’s next-door neighbors tore down their existing house and sited their new home closer to the street, it changed everything. “The house effectively blocks the gate that leads to our backyard and pool.” When Courtnay and husband Mark became “free birds” (her charming phrase for empty nesters) with more time to relax and entertain, they came up with a way to solve the issue. “Instead of reworking…

Flower: You’ve had a big year, including the release of your new book. I love the title, Wonderland. What aspects of your work were you exploring in it? Summer Thornton: I’ve had that title in my head for many years. In fact, one of the very first showhouses I did in Chicago was based on the dreamworld that Alice escapes to in Alice in Wonderland. Design is all about escape, and that means different things to different people. For me, it is about creating a story and driving the design to elicit a powerful mood and feel. The book is separated into five chapters that explore different moods. My own home is the first chapter, which is all about romance. Building my home was like writing a love letter to…

Bec Porter laughs as she recalls the early days of working with clients Justin Anderson and Austin “Scoot” Rhodes. “The three of us would sit on the floor of their empty house for hours talking and getting to know one another so I could gauge their style,” the interior designer says. “They had just moved to Nashville from L.A. and had that ‘California cool’ vibe, so I assumed they would want clean-lined, contemporary interiors. But as we pored over magazine pages and Pinterest boards, I realized that I’d pegged them completely wrong. They love color, pattern, and antiques!” Justin, a lifelong Californian, and Scoot, an Ohio native, fell for the Music City and its Southern charm while visiting a friend who had recently relocated there. They were also drawn to…

When you combine the creative talents of two design powerhouses such as Kit Kemp and Annie Selke, you are sure to hit the jackpot. As founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels and the Kit Kemp Design Studio, Kit has a passion for both travel and textiles. So it seemed only fitting that she would partner with textile designer Annie Selke to produce a lifestyle collection inspired by her favorite destinations—New York, London, and Barbados. The Kit Kemp Collection for Annie Selke offers a beautiful assortment of 50 storied rugs, dozens of color-infused pillows, and a handful of vibrantly patterned bedding pieces, many with dreamy botanical accents. “We’ve had a year where everything has seemed grey, so I feel we’re ready to just open our minds to color, to joy,…

THINK ABOUT HOW YOU WANT TO USE THE SPACE, AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. For example, we wanted a cigar-smoking area, but we knew it needed to be placed where the smoke would blow away from the main action. PLAN AHEAD FOR POTENTIAL USES. We went ahead and had a tent company install in-ground stakes so we could have larger covered events. And since we love to play games, we poured a concrete base for an outdoor pool table that I plan to buy. CONSIDER USING ARTIFICIAL TURF. I would never recommend this for the front yard, but we’ve loved it in this space. It dries out fast after a rain. They even make pet-friendly versions now. INCLUDE FURNITURE THAT CAN BE MOVED AROUND DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF GUESTS. For example,…

A change of scenery will do you good. Pam Gillette took that advice to heart when she lost her husband several years ago and decided to make a pilgrimage to the gardens of England. The fresh air, manicured lawns, and endless views to the horizon were balm for her heartache. They were also the catalysts of a new start. Accompanied by her college roommate, Kathy Lummus Smith, Pam traveled to the verdant getaway for two consecutive summers. The friends walked 8 to 10 miles a day, traversing historic public grounds such as Hidcote Manor Garden with its hedges and garden rooms; Montacute, featured in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility; Kelmscott Manor, with its ancient trees and abundance of roses; and Greenway House, the summer home of Agatha Christie. They passed…

Any items not listed are unknown. IN BLOOM PAGES 23–29: ENTERTAIN: Courtnay Tartt Elias, Creative Tonic Design, creativetonicdesign.com PAGES 30–32: DECORATE: FLOWERS: Floral Designer: Emily Eberwine, Pick-a-Petal Floral Design, pickapetalnola.com PAGES 36–42: DECORATE: Q&A: Designer: Summer Thornton, summerthorntondesign.com PAGES 44–46: GARDEN: GardenFit, pbs.org/show/gardenfit/ BY THE SEA PAGES 48–55: Landscape designer: Keith Williams, Nievera Williams, nieverawilliams.com A PLACE OF PEACE PAGES 56–65: Interior design by Kara Cox, karacoxinteriors.com DINING ROOM: Custom chandelier: Louise Gaskill Company, louisegaskill.com; “Tree of Life” panels: Carriage House, Greensboro, 336.373.6200; OUTDOOR DINING AREA: Table: Restoration Hardware, rh.com; Chairs: Kingsley Bate, kingsleybate.com WITH A THICK IRISH BROGUE PAGES 66–73: Rowallane Gardens, nationaltrust.org.uk/rowallane-garden SOUTHERN COMFORT PAGES 74–83: Interior design: Bec Porter, 615.584.4255 GREAT ROOM: Sofa: Restoration Hardware; GREEN ROOM: Bedding: Matouk, matouk.com; Comforters and draperies: Ballard Designs; ballarddesigns.com PINK ROOM: Bedside…

Vibrant Interiors: Living Large at Home by Andrea Monath Schumacher (Gibbs Smith, May 2022), $45 In her first book, Andrea Monath Schumacher takes a unique approach to decorating with a more is more philosophy. Known for her fearless design sensibility, Andrea demonstrates how to mazimize your life in every room. She also reveals her secrets to blending genres for the right amount of contrast, ultimately creating interest in each space and encouraging lively conversation among family and friends. The book includes more than 200 images, including some of Andrea’s best projects to date. Lilacs: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden by Naomi Slade (Gibbs Smith, April 2022), $23 What better way to celebrate the change of seasons than with the flower that seems to announce this transition from spring to…

Inspiration: Emily created this arrangement to express the change in season and temperature. Yellows and pinks represent the warm, soft shades of spring, while deep reds announce that summer (and its notorious New Orleans heat) is just around the corner. The Dirt on Emily Eberwine “I’ve always loved getting my hands dirty,” says the Pick-a-Petal founder. “The smell of marigolds immediately transports me back to my Mississippi childhood and hours spent tending to the garden with my mama. Our backyard would become almost overgrown with flowers until we brought the bounty inside and filled our home with color and fragrance.” Although it seemed like a natural fit for Emily, a career in floral design wasn’t an idea that she initially entertained. In fact, that seed wasn’t planted until after she…

DON’T NEGLECT THE STRETCH. Limber up first before launching into chores. CHANGE IT UP. Plan days around a rotation of tasks that alternate muscle groups. BUY THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT. Invest in ergonomic tools, such as a multifunctional kneeler seat with a tool-storage pouch. Use gloves with digging claws, latex-coated palms, and breathable nylon backs for reduced sweating. EXTEND THE HEIGHT. Consider raised beds to avoid back pain. Long periods of crouching and bending can cause hip flexor pain, as well as spine pressure. EASE UP ON YOUR KNEES. Use your hip area (not your knees) as a focal power point when pulling weeds. Spread your feet wider than your hips, and when bending, hinge your hips backward and tilt your body forward. Knee aches can also result from weakness in…

All of the above provided through partnership with Replacements, Ltd., 800.737.5223, replacements.com…