Health food makes me sick.
Calvin TrillinEntries by Janice Barton (204)
The Serenbe Yard
All of Serenbe is meant to have somewhat of a country cottage look -- nicely trimmed grassy lawns seem not to be the thing. Much more in favor is the "well placed weed" -- so to speak (or somewhat literally).
There are so many "weeds" in this yard, I could not begin to count them and it's very difficult to imagine what this will all look like when it matures. There is a combination of love grass and mosquito grass which is designed to move across the yard in "drifts". Offsetting these are various beds of limelight hydrangeas and red ferns. Frankly, I'm just not that imaginative -- let's see what happens. The house is so symetrical, it begs for a yard that would be much the same but it is not to be (yet). There are several very nice, large trees that I love -- the loblolly pines, deodar cedar, cryptomeria, the dogwood allee all work for me. Just not sure about the grasses.
The side garden should be fun and manageable. The 4 raised beds are currently filled with sage, thyme, basil, chives, etc. Hopefully, next year I can have the soil ready and learn how to start a few things from seed. But -- there still seems to be a lot of water. We've altered the soil twice but when you dig down to the bottom of the rocks -- it's wet! They swear there's no leak in the irrigation system. Can't stand to think what this could mean. Guess I better look for plants that are suited to a bog.
The back veranda is perfect -- it will always be fully shaded in the summer, but has a southernly direction for the winter. The brick floor is easy to keep and the mondo grass and slate patio area are no maintenance for me!
Janice Barton
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More Serenbe & Stuff
Slowly, piece by piece, things are starting to come together at Serenbe. You've all been after me for more pics and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update the blog. Just so much going on between houses and work. This will give you an idea of what's going on inside, although there is still quite a bit to finish...
This is the living room. Johnny hung the mirror for me -- it's from the condo as is most of this furniture. I thought it worked out great, better than in Florida. Once the furniture went into this room, it made me rethink the draperies (which were going to be a rusty red pulled from the sofa fabric). But, a softer neutral will work better as there's so much going on in here anyway.
The arched doorways on the left and right of this room are nice -- this is the view looking toward the sunroom. I brought the big buffet from the house in Roswell -- fits much better here. As you can see, there are still many bare walls.
Not much furniture in the sunroom yet. This loveseat and chair are new. The loveseat is 44" deep -- but the cushions make it more comfortable for small people and it should be perfect for napping and watching TV. The chair is not so comfortable -- never order a chair that you didn't sit in. I know better. It looks good, but isn't very comfortable.
Looking from the kitchen toward the sunroom. The french windows have shades and the windows across the back will have cafe curtains -- yep, regular old cafe curtains on a rod. I'm love plantation shutters but I don't want to move the furniture every time I want to open a window. The cafe curtains will be much more functional and I think they'll be a neat change and because they won't go all the way to the top of the window, will let in lots of lights and keep the trees in sight all the time.
The kitchen is probably my favorite room -- no surprise. Not sure how 2 sinks are going to work out. I really wanted a prep area separate from the clean up area, but I seem to just be constantly walking back and forth. The light fixture you see was hanging over the bar with another fixture over the table. It was just too much, so I nixed the bar light and put in a fan and put that fixture over the table. Worked out better and kept the room open. The dining room table is also from the condo. I replaced all the nicer stuff I pulled out of there with very inexpensive furniture -- hopefully the condo will sell soon although the Florida market still shows no signs of recovery.
Did I say the kitchen was my favorite room -- hmmmmm, I might have lied as the library is where I always want to be. Now this chair is comfortable -- the most comfortable chair I think I've ever sat in.
Do you have a Scott's Antique market close to you? We have one in Atlanta which is huge -- so much neat stuff. I got this table for about $300 -- solid as can be with perfect aged patina. Real wood, no veneers. The chair is a reproduction, but another nice find. The lamp actually goes in my bedroom but I haven't found what I want for the table yet.
So there you have 3 rooms -- more later. In the midst of all this, Bev and I took Noah & Madison (ages 8 and 10) to Washington, DC. I timing was perfect -- we were there during their first heatwave of the season. It hit 98-100 every day with humidity that felt like the Everglades. I thought I would die, but there was nothing to do but keep on keeping on so we did. I'll post more on that later.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Especially to my two bothers and two wonderful brothers-in-law. You could look the world over and wouldn't find 4 finer men anywhere -- seriously. I hope their day is as special as they are.
Slowly, piece by piece, things are starting to come together at Serenbe. You've all been after me for more pics and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update the blog. Just so much going on between houses and work. This will give you an idea of what's going on inside, although there is still quite a bit to finish...
This is the living room. Johnny hung the mirror for me -- it's from the condo as is most of this furniture. I thought it worked out great, better than in Florida. Once the furniture went into this room, it made me rethink the draperies (which were going to be a rusty red pulled from the sofa fabric). But, a softer neutral will work better as there's so much going on in here anyway.
The arched doorways on the left and right of this room are nice -- this is the view looking toward the sunroom. I brought the big buffet from the house in Roswell -- fits much better here. As you can see, there are still many bare walls.
Not much furniture in the sunroom yet. This loveseat and chair are new. The loveseat is 44" deep -- but the cushions make it more comfortable for small people and it should be perfect for napping and watching TV. The chair is not so comfortable -- never order a chair that you didn't sit in. I know better. It looks good, but isn't very comfortable.
Looking from the kitchen toward the sunroom. The french windows have shades and the windows across the back will have cafe curtains -- yep, regular old cafe curtains on a rod. I'm love plantation shutters but I don't want to move the furniture every time I want to open a window. The cafe curtains will be much more functional and I think they'll be a neat change and because they won't go all the way to the top of the window, will let in lots of lights and keep the trees in sight all the time.
The kitchen is probably my favorite room -- no surprise. Not sure how 2 sinks are going to work out. I really wanted a prep area separate from the clean up area, but I seem to just be constantly walking back and forth. The light fixture you see was hanging over the bar with another fixture over the table. It was just too much, so I nixed the bar light and put in a fan and put that fixture over the table. Worked out better and kept the room open. The dining room table is also from the condo. I replaced all the nicer stuff I pulled out of there with very inexpensive furniture -- hopefully the condo will sell soon although the Florida market still shows no signs of recovery.
Did I say the kitchen was my favorite room -- hmmmmm, I might have lied as the library is where I always want to be. Now this chair is comfortable -- the most comfortable chair I think I've ever sat in.
Do you have a Scott's Antique market close to you? We have one in Atlanta which is huge -- so much neat stuff. I got this table for about $300 -- solid as can be with perfect aged patina. Real wood, no veneers. The chair is a reproduction, but another nice find. The lamp actually goes in my bedroom but I haven't found what I want for the table yet.
So there you have 3 rooms -- more later. In the midst of all this, Bev and I took Noah & Madison (ages 8 and 10) to Washington, DC. I timing was perfect -- we were there during their first heatwave of the season. It hit 98-100 every day with humidity that felt like the Everglades. I thought I would die, but there was nothing to do but keep on keeping on so we did. I'll post more on that later.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Especially to my two bothers and two wonderful brothers-in-law. You could look the world over and wouldn't find 4 finer men anywhere -- seriously. I hope their day is as special as they are.