The landscaping crew was here all day yesterday cleaning up the lawn from the seemingly non-stop winter storms here in New England. While we luckily didn't loose any trees, the lawn was strewn with downed limbs and large branches. It's nice to see it all cleaned up and a few little crocuses pushing up out of the soil. But, I am dying for a little color! It will be May before we see a lot of color outdoors here in New England and on this dreary and raw Thursday, I'm personally feeling a little bit of the winter blahs.
I love garden walkways and dense flower beds. I am not any kind of a gardener - as a matter of fact, I hate the feeling of dirt under my nails - but I love the results of all the hard work.And who wouldn't want the puppy in the pic above!! (via
Trouvais)
I love this sunny space with lots of greenery. You can just taste the iced tea and smell the sea breezes. (via
BHG)
This image is just so happy, and again, I am loving the garden pathway. (via
Medwest Living)
The saturation of colors in this image really gets to me. I want! (via
BHG)
This just looks really magical.
I can never decide whether I prefer a naturalistic garden, or something more manicured and organized. This one really appeals to my love of classic design and symmetry. (
Debra Carbone Associates)
And I love a boxwood hedge.
And I really love a secret garden!(
Grant & Power Landscaping)
Another little secret space - and more rustic than the really mancured gardens above (via
BHG) See, I can never decide which I prefer!
More pathways to heaven.(via
BHG)
Truly, a riot of color. Love.
A different kind of pathway (
Botanica Atlanta)
I'm not really a pool person, but this lap pool is lovely and so beautifully integrated into the landscaping. Have been pondering if my "Dream House" would have a small pool such as this.
Just a pretty idea. (via
BHG)
This is making me impatiens for Spring! (sorry, had to do it...)
I visited Edith Wharton's Berkshires home "The Mount" a few years ago and of course, loved the gardens. Her views on gardening were rooted in the traditional concept that formal gardens should be laid out like rooms in a house with connecting pathways (hallways). The image above was the beautiful flower garden around a central pool. I think this was still a work in progress at the time, though it wasn't as sparse in person as this photo makes it feel.
The Italian inspired white and green garden is really quite spectacular in its monochromatic lushness.
Talk about spectacular lawns and gardens!
So, for the exterior of my
Dream House, I have been working on the concept of whether to have an attached or detached garage. Most of the antique houses in my dream location of Newburyport, MA were built before garages and either have nothing at all, or detached converted carriage houses. So, I do envision a detached garage. But in New England, it's kind of a pain to have to schlepp bags and groceries in the rain and through the snow. So, I started toying with the notion of doing a covered walkway connecting the two structures. And if I'm really having a fantasy, I could have a walkway that had glass walls in the winter so I didn't even have to shovel it. As long as it's a fantasy project...
This beautiful house is the work of the Massachusett's firm
Siemasko + Verbridge.
And so, updating the back of my "house" (well, it's virtually mine!), I've added a covered walkway to connect the garage and house. It necessitated that I move the kitchen door from the side of the house to the rear, but that's okay, it gives me more of a useful wall in the kitchen (which is still a work in progress).
This is the virtual view from the garage door into the kitchen. Obviously, there would be a lot more architectural interest, this is a more of a placeholder until I really design the walkway. I've also changed from having a deck off the sun porch to a more traditional brick patio. I still need to work on this whole area, but all the pics above have my mind churning away. Given that the property would not have a lot of frontage or actually side room, the space between the garage and house would really be very important. I love a secret garden and the notion of a beautiful space that is hidden from the street. And moving the patio around back gives me much more privacy, which I like.
I think this is truly my inspiration shot. Imagine looking out the kitchen windows to this...
Oh, and just one more totally crazy one. Is this a photo of a real space, or something made up?
All available credits, images and links can be found
here.
If you would like my help on your dream home project, I would love to chat with you! Please
email me. Thanks!
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