Tory Burch’s beach home in Antigua is not only chic by design but also by provenance. This beautiful beach house once belonged to the garden designer and private socialite, Bunny Mellon. Bunny is well known for her impeccable taste and fantastic garden designs. Albeit the house sat for years without being sold, once Tory Burch laid eyes on the beach house she undoubtedly saw the gem that Architect H. Page Cross built for Bunny Mellon in the 1960’s. Vogue describes the pretty house as a series of elegant pavilions. Back in the days, Bunny enlisted the legendary Interior Designer Billy Baldwin to jointly with her, design the house. This was usually the case with most of Bunny Mellon’s houses; she was an active collaborator in the interior design process of most of them. Her only design request for this particular coastal home? She told Billy Baldwin to make the interior look as if was furnished with furniture found in the attic.
Our Gift Ideas for the Hostess and Gardener will make things easier for you this Holiday. It’s party season and I’m sure you don’t want to receive a smirk face for bringing the all expected wine bottle. I’ve compiled an exquisite and affordable selection of gifts for the host and gardener in your next soiree. Whether your host is a gardener or a great entertainer I am certain one of these gifts will be of his or her liking and will not be re-gifted…
When you see or hear the name Oprah attached to something, you know the end result will be far from simple. Furthermore if it has something to do with beauty and serenity, inner beauty and natural growth. Unsurprisingly Oprah Winfrey’s Rose Garden is worth keeping on an inspirational board for all the valid reasons as you can corroborate by looking at these images below. Rose parterres, gravel pathways, topiaries, and a metal arbor where Oprah usually goes to get in sync with nature. She declares “Sometimes I stand under the arbor, close my eyes, and allow myself to take in as much as I can: I hear birds splashing in the fountain and literally smell the roses. This garden makes me present.” One of the many effects Gardens can have on people, which I wrote about in this post.
Are you ready for the eclipse today…? We aren’t since we couldn’t find one single special glasses available… Then I thought why not record the eclipse with my cellphone and look at the phenomenon on the screen while it’s happening…until I read somewhere that the rays can damage the phone? So I gave up without hesitation. Picture below, Charlie McCormick’s Garden.
Lauren Santo Domingo’s Exceptional Rooftop Garden in Paris
Have you heard of “Harvesting Happiness”… I recently read an article about how hospitals and hospices are adding gardens or rooftop gardens as a form of therapy for well being. The belief is that gardens have strong restorative powers that promote healing and happiness. The idea being that Gardens enable us to get in the “zone” similar to the conscious state during deep meditation or after a good run while also providing the benefit of exercising by burning an average of 400 calories per hour. The benefits of gardening or being in a garden are seen not only at the physical level but also mental. “A garden lifts the heart, soul and spirit. Although those are quite ephemeral words, we know that when you put people in space with a view, it does something for their mood and anxiety levels.” Laura Lee, Maggie’s chief executive. It’s very comforting to see how over and over these psychological and environmental surveys often conclude on the simple fact that everything arises from and comes back to one main source, nature… beauty… all that comes from a higher source.