Café Design

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A bestseller in the “bulb and flower gardening” section, Sean Pritchard’s book, Outside In, is a colorful antidote to a dull afternoon. These past few days I’ve kept two books within reach at all times. One is Alias Grace, a novel by Margaret Atwood, the other is Outside In, by Sean Pritchard. One is dark and disturbing and dives deep into the most hidden recesses of the human heart, the other is light and inspiring, and celebrates a life of color and flowers through the lens of a consummate gardener. I’ve been enjoying both reads, for very different reasons. Whenever I need to come up for air from spending too much time in the company of Grace Marks, I rinse my heart and fill my mind with the beautiful images and sensible advice that Pritchard passionately shares in his book. 

Outside In – A year of growing and displaying, by Sean Pritchard

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During the quiet moments of a busy afternoon, I find myself craving for some time with you, dear friends. It’s been a while since our last chat, I hope your summer is off to a great start. June has been an interesting month at our house, filled with moments of pure joy and productivity, but also sadness and longing. We said goodbye to elementary school and a wonderful group of teachers, parents and friends, and hello to sleep-away summer camps. With my daughter away, the house feels quiet and orderly, the rooms a little cleaner and neater than usual, but also empty and lacking in their usual liveliness and I’m counting the minutes until her return!

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A few months ago I showed you the beginnings of our breakfast nook transformation and I thought I’d give you a quick update on what we’ve done so far. It all started with the idea of enclosing a corner of our kitchen with an L-shaped bench to maximize seating and create a cozy pocket where we can all hang out with the cook. This is how it all started, five years ago (picture from open house):

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Calling all eBay shoppers! 🙂 Arguably one of the best ways to add personality to a room is to incorporate one-of-a-kind pieces that come with a great story, or a unique point of view. Next to family heirlooms, shopping vintage and antique is the best way to discover fragments of yourself in someone else’s belongings. The search creates story, and story deepens connection because the more stories tie us to our belongings, the more connected we feel to our surroundings, and the deeper our sense of comfort and well-being at home, which is truly the holy grail of decorating. 

I recently picked up a wooden carving of a hippopotamus. It’s silly-looking, slightly cracked and not at all what most people would display on their living room mantel, but I absolutely love it, and it makes me smile every time I see it (which is every time I pass through the living room). Personal expressions create that collected, storied look of a cozy house that feels like an old friend who knows and loves you for all the right reasons. 

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Gardening is one of those paradoxical and all-encompassing hobbies: the more of it you do, the harder it is to peel yourself away from the garden, and the more the garden needs you, and you it. At least that has been my experience so far. Does anyone else feel this way?

Two summers ago I started an experimental flower patch in front of our house. I say experimental because so far the results have been unpredictable, and the successes not always a given.  While the back-yard gets quite water-clogged during wet seasons (which is sadly most seasons here in Western Mass) and is perennially tick-infested, our front-yard held great promise. The gentle slope and gravity would provide good soil drainage, while the southern exposure would be a welcoming habitat for flowering perennials, and a magnet for pollinators large and small. Against the heavy clay soil I thought, naively, I could do battle with periodic sprinklings of organic matter (mostly compost, shredded leaves and pine needles) and a continuous stream of optimism and hard work. Changing the chemistry of existing soil at a larger scale has proven to be more difficult than I had initially thought, but it has certainly been a worthwhile effort. After two years, numerous heat patches and back sores, the results are in and I thought I’d share with you my little happy place…

Here’s how it all started…