DAN'S PAPERS, April 24, 2009 Page 50 www.danshamptons.com
Refresh
(continued from previous page)
tainers and display clear glass or crystal vases. It’s a nice touch to fill glass containers and vases with sand, pebbles or beach glass. A starfish and shells placed on a coffee table books is a symbol of the season. If you have a fireplace, place a large vase or container of fresh or silk flowers – tulips, daffodils or hydrangea – in there for an instant burst of color. Natural fiber rugs are made from sea grass, jute or sisal. These rugs come in many different patterns and are relatively inexpensive. Generally light beige
or sand color, natural fiber rugs blend with any scheme and they give an airy and warm weather look to a space. Adding live plants to your room can be a link to the outdoors and improve indoor air quality. I love large leafy plants that are durable and make a bold design statement. A kitchen herb garden of dill, basil and rosemary is easily grown in a sunny window and you’ll always have a pinch for your next recipe. In the winter people tend to hoard things; magazines, knickknacks, blankets, etc. Eliminate clutter. Straw and wicker baskets add a nice summery touch. Your house will seem larger when you reduce the clutter and you’ll feel better, too. Create an outdoor garden “roomâ€? with patio furniture, plants and flowers that compliment the dĂŠcor of your home. I have spent a great deal of my time over the past 23 years beautifying clients’ homes. Last year, while I was decorating a house in Bridgehampton, I ventured out of the interior realm and designed my first garden. The newly finished
HunterDouglas REBATES S AVAILABLEE THROUGH H 4/30 $50-$300 Per Window on Select Products
Window Treatments • Furniture Wall Coverings • Home Staging . . .
family room with antique walnut floors, massive fieldstone fireplace and floor to ceiling windows overlooked a garden that was in disrepair. Since I labored over the color palette of the room, I wanted to ensure that the garden view complimented the interior spaces. I selected many indigenous plants and flowers that harmonized with the interior color scheme. I kept in mind that the height, weight and texture of a plant are just as important as its color. Creating your own personal garden can best be approached as part of the overall home design process. Take the time to enhance your backyard and you’ll spend many days enjoying the fruits of your labor. Donna Avedon, recognized as one of New York’s top designers, creates environments that reflect her clients’ personal style. For more information, go to avedondesigns.com.
Make Your Decorating Dreams a Reality
Earthly 1196596
Diane Bianchini, Designer
29 Montauk Hwy • Westhampton 1196348
631.325.5900
(continued from page 48)
www.dwandi.com
7$.( $ %$&.<$5' 9$&$7,21 4URN YOUR BACKYARD INTO A VACATION DESTINATION WITH A 3UNESTA 2ETRACTABLE !WNING 3UNESTA AWNINGS ARE CUSTOM MADE WITH MORE THAN FABRIC OPTIONS AVAILABLE "LOCK THE SUN LOWER YOUR ENERGY COSTS AND REDUCE YOUR INDOOR TEMPERATURES ALL AT ONCE #ONTACT US TODAY FOR YOUR FREE IN HOME ESTIMATE &DOO QRZ VR ZH FDQ RUGHU DQG LQVWDOO \RXU DZQLQJ EHIRUH WKLQJV JHW UHDOO\ KRW ,QVWDOODWLRQ LV IUHH 5HGXFH (QHUJ\ &RVWV E\
0RE 3 $ISCOUEASON NTS
&$// &$52/ 25 %,// '8))< $:1,1* )25 $ )5(( (67,0$7(
ZZZ (DVW(QG$ZQLQJ FRP
They work for large grasses that tend to flop like Miscanthus variegata, sedums, which fall apart in the fall when the flower heads form, and for dahlias too. We prepped the ground for the dahlia tubers in advance, adding bone meal and bulbtone, and then used the peony cage as a marker to remind us where the tuber was planted in the ground. Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite chore is pruning. I had to take a sizable amount of wood off some old espaliers that had gotten overgrown, which was mentally challenging. It was so refreshing to look at them once they had regained their original form though. Hopefully there will be enough bees to pollinate them. And the roses needed the usual care, nipping them back into a vase shape with outward facing buds, removing the dead or crossing branches is another intellectual exercise of sorts. If only all my other chores were as satisfying as the ones I do in the garden.