FLOWER
FLOWER JAN • FEB 2025
HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE
HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE
JANUARY• FEBRUARY 2025
CON TEN TS January • February 2025
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Living on Island Time
Designer Charlotte Moss brings the glamour and nostalgia of yesterday’s Bahamas to a quintessential home in Lyford Cay.
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Paradise Planted A shared love for exotic horticulture results in a breathtaking Costa Rica garden that blends the wonder of nature with handcrafted artistry.
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A Beautiful Blend
Cotswolds charm meets West Coast chic in a Brentwood, California, house designed by Brooke and Steve Giannetti of Patina Home & Garden.
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Artist in Residence
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ON THE COVER This vignette from a home in Lyford Cay, Bahamas, features a Jonathan Sainsbury mirror surrounded by 18th-century seashell engravings. Photographed by Brittany Ambridge
“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly. “One must also have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” —HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN 2 FLOWER January•February 2025
PHOTO BY ROB CARDILLO
Birmingham artist Patty B. Driscoll travels to Oak Spring in Upperville, Virginia, for an immersion in the gardens, interiors, and world-renowned library of the legendary garden designer, collector, and tastemaker Bunny Mellon.
T hTe HL iE l l i aM n U A uR g uA s tL MS u rO al U C oRl l C e cE tion
www.PaulMontgomery.com
Styling by Lillian August Photo by Ron Royals
www.TheMuralSource.com Mural Shown: Pastorale Gold
C ON TE N T S
Departments
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From the Field
A stylish bedroom built around a statement fabric, the latest in bedside lighting, and elements for a chic guest retreat.
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From the Field: John’s Almanac
John Coykendall, master gardener for Blackberry Farm, shares gardening wisdom he’s gathered through years of hands-in-the-dirt experience.
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Artisan
Marian McEvoy takes petals from one flower and combines them with the stems of another to fashion floral collages that spring from her unbridled imagination.
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Sense of Place
In his new book, award-winning landscape designer Fernando Wong spotlights the luscious, layered gardens he has created in tropical climes from Miami to the Bahamas. In this excerpt, he shares the story behind a Lake Worth project in Palm Beach and its magnificent kapok tree.
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I N EVERY IS SUE Watering Can 6 What’s Online? 36 Sources 76 Floral Moment 80
ARTWORK BY MARIAN MCEVOY; PHOTO (BOTTOM) BY DAVID HILLEGAS
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WATER I NG CA N A Note from the Editor
“Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendour in the grass, Of glory in the flower; We will grieve not, rather find Strength in what remains behind. . . .” –WILLIAM WORDSWORTH FROM ODE: INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY FROM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD
Nostalgia can play a significant role in our looking backward longingly. But often when I look back, I realize I wouldn’t want to go back—instead there are vestiges of bygone days that I move to incorporate into my daily life. I use my mother’s silver every day; I watch my father’s favorite ’60s Bond films; I’ve read every work ever written by F. Scott Fitzgerald; and I listen to Bach, Debussy, Aaron Copland, The Rolling Stones, and Nina Simone more than I listen to Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, and Beyoncé. I often find myself muttering, “They’re just not making music like they used to.” And they’re not. But I've discovered they are doing something interesting. When I stop and listen to today’s tunes or watch a contemporary Bond film or study an interior design in a current book or shelter magazine, I must acknowledge that many of these modern-day artists are sampling riffs from the past—and some deftly and with respect. And these are by far the most successful works. The stories in these pages each uniquely honor cultural history through modern moments and personal accents. Take a look at Dennis Schrader and Bill Smith’s Edenic property in Costa Rica where they preserved the original feel and flora as much as possible, integrating innovative modern elements and a palette of electric but somehow perfect hues. The result is a romantic “back to paradise” mood with a “now” design philosophy. In another island adventure in design, Charlotte Moss created a tour de force in Lyford Cay. She gathered treasures that evoke a sense of the shimmery Bahamas of yesterday while incorporating a fresh use of bold and saturated colors, along
with surprising yet thematic design and decorative objects. The home delivers the exact vibe of her clients’ dreams. Imagine the opportunity-of-a-lifetime for artist Patty B. Driscoll as she sat at the proverbial feet of the late iconic gardener and collector Bunny Mellon at her Virginia home, Oak Spring. Patty B. was invited for a twoweek residency where she produced her own interpretation of the wondrous world of plants and flowers. She gave voice to Mrs. Mellon’s pronouncement: “There is nothing that has not already been done in design. It is the joy of discovery that creates the excitement and interest of putting together old ideas with the originality of the individual person.” Even the new California “Cotswolds” house, drawn and designed by Brooke and Steve Giannetti of Patina Home and Garden, nods to design history with a contemporary overlay. It references the 1920s Hollywood landscape that was peppered with neo-Tudor and other English-style structures, especially apartments, while weaving in Brooke’s clean but comfortably sophisticated voice into the interiors. Each of these stories is an example of strength in the past paired with fresh vision. Wishing you all a Happy New Year— one filled with a deep appreciation for the old and new. Love and SDG,
Margot Shaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Please send your comments, triumphs, challenges & questions to: wateringcan@flowermag.com OR Letters to the Editor I FLOWER Magazine I P.O. Box 530645 I Birmingham, AL 35253 Get the FLOWER email newsletter! Sign up at flowermag.com/news
6 FLOWER January•February 2025
PHOTO BY CARY NORTON
THERE’S SOMETHING SO CAPTIVATING ABOUT THE PAST.
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A stylish bedroom built around a statement fabric, the latest in bedside lighting, elements for a chic guest retreat, and a new addition to the field: John’s Almanac. PRODUCED BY AMANDA SMITH FOWLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID HILLEGAS
FROM TH E FI ELD
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PREVIOUS PAGE AND THESE PAGES, OPPOSITE: Window Treatments in Cheers embroidered fabric in Seagrass (to the trade) by Weitzner • The Baker Bed (starting at $2100) by Coley Home • Lavali embroidered fabric on Baker Bed in Plum/Multi (to the trade) by Brunschwig & Fils through Kravet • Ophelia embroidered bedding in Clover (starting at $124) by Matouk Schumacher from Matouk • Alba quilt ($675) and shams ($189 each) from Matouk • Rattan Swirl Breakfast Serving Tray ($750) by Casa Branca • Antique French Louis Philippe mid 19th-century burl walnut commode with St. Anne belge marble top (inquire for pricing) through Adams Antiques & The Potager • Leaf Lamp ($1250) by Kass O’Brien Ceramics • Fine Italian Wood picture frame (starting at $34) from Galassi through The Boutique • Puro 6” Tortoiseshell Vase ($84) by Juliska ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Books information in Sources, page 76 • Corinne Footed Sorbet Dish ($65) and Cornelia Tumbler Old Fashioned ($130) by William Yeoward Crystal • Asian Garden Motif 05 salad plate ($135) and Golden Laurel dinner plate ($215) by Herend • Repousse sterling (inquire for pricing) by Kirk Stieff through Mirror Lake Antiques • Custom embroidery dinner napkins (inquire for pricing) by McKenna Designs • Custom Rug (inquire for pricing) from Jubin Rugs • Square Toe Leopard Print Ballet Flat ($498) by Frances Valentine
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