revitalize your deck

Deck revitalization through the winter months

Hi everyone;
I wanted to talk to you this month about re-vamping your deck and making sure you have good seasonal planting providing color and form when things start to go a bit barren or droopy out there.
Here are some tips in general to maximize your deck impact:
1. Choose consistent pots or containers. These are quite expensive but well worth the investment. You want your eye to pan easily, so choose one consistent color that compliments your plants and flowers. See: useful suppliers below.2. Choose plants that are durable and give form and color. Think about which plants look contemporary, exotic or romantic. Work with a palette of 3 colors. ie: purples, chartreuse and whites ( very fresh look) or yellows, oranges and reds ( a warm earthy deck palette). 3. Don't be wary of mixing very wild-flower plants in very contemporary containers. This looks great!. It usually attracts little friends to your garden like hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. 4. Pick good soil or change out soggy soil if the rains have been harsh.5. Consider the functionality of the deck though the colder months. How can you and your family still enjoy being on your deck. One way is to not let it look dead and dormant. Invest in a blower and blow leaves off twice weekly. Invest in some great winter plants, like tons of white cyclamens and silvery lamb's ear mixed in with some ornamental cabbage plants?
Here is a good winter list: White/pinks: Cyclamens Silvers: Lamb's Ear, Silvermound Artemesia , Salvia Sonomensis, Himalayan Silvermint, Kalanchoe, Cotyledon Undulata Purples: Ornamental cabbages.
Protect your seating covers with big throw blankets that you bring out when entertaining.Light your heater lamp or fire pit and make some hot toddies. Watch your window to a changing season in style!
Recent deck re-haul: see pics below

Labels:

Deck revitalization through the winter months

Hi everyone;

I wanted to talk to you this month about re-vamping your deck and making sure you have good seasonal planting providing color and form when things start to go a bit barren or droopy out there.

Here are some tips in general to maximize your deck impact:

1. Choose consistent pots or containers. These are quite expensive but well worth the investment. You want your eye to pan easily, so choose one consistent color that compliments your plants and flowers. See: useful suppliers below.

2. Choose plants that are durable and give form and color. Think about which plants look contemporary, exotic or romantic. Work with a palette of 3 colors. ie: purples, chartreuse and whites ( very fresh look) or yellows, oranges and reds ( a warm earthy deck palette).

3. Don't be wary of mixing very wild-flower plants in very contemporary containers. This looks great!. It usually attracts little friends to your garden like hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

4. Pick good soil or change out soggy soil if the rains have been harsh.

5. Consider your functionality though the colder months. How can you and your family still enjoy being on your deck. One way is to not let it look dead and dormant. Invest in a blower and blow leaves off twice weekly. Invest in some great winter plants, like tons of white cyclamens and silvery lamb's ear mixed in with some ornamental cabbage plants?

Here is a good winter list: White/pinks: Cyclamens

Silvers: Lamb's Ear, Silvermound Artemesia , Salvia Sonomensis, Himalayan Silvermint, Kalanchoe, Cotyledon Undulata

Purples: Ornamental cabbage

Protect your seating covers with big throw blankets that you bring out when entertaining.

Light your heater lamp or fire pit and make some hot toddies. Watch your window to a changing season in style!

Recent deck re-haul: see pics below

Dear Readers;

Last week I spoke about the Art of Living Sensually in one's home. This Saturday, I am happy to say that details of my blog will be published in the Marin Independant Journal in the Lifestyle section, so be sure to catch it.

This week, however I would like to invite anyone who would like to complete my Five Senses Questionnaire to do so and e-mail me with their answers to design@fivesensesinteriors.com. I shall pick the first 3 and do a one hour five senses consultation on your interior.

In that consultation we will create a whole new Five Senses 'layer' based on your individual sensual preferences at home. We shall put that questionnaire to good use and embark on a fabulous journey together. The idea is that we shall create a sensual 'experience' be it changing textures, customizing a scent, bringing flowers in , new colors, artwork, something poetic, Whatever it shall be , it shall serve to inspire you, refresh your soul and create a sensation!

The Five Senses Questionnaire :

SCENT

Please tick scents you like and that may evoke pleasant memories for you. If there is

any scent you strongly dislike please specify:

Floral: Exotic:

Rose leather hide

Gardenia peppery spices

Jasmine lap sang souchong

Lavender ambergris

Bergamot cardamom

Chamomile ocean

Mimosa rain

Lily green tea

honeysuckle

Edible: Woodsy:

Blackberry sandalwood

Vanilla pine

lemon cedar wood

mandarin vetiver

cinnamon earth after the rain

fresh basil musky old books

coffee freshly cut grass

baked bread

sugared violets

mint

peaches

cucumber

Fig

Remember a specific moment when you experienced a distinctive memorable scent.

What was the smell?

Try and describe the scent in words:

TOUCH:

If you could be surrounded by the following tactile materials, feeling them on your skin

or underfoot, which would you choose?

Linen

cotton

silk

satin

leather

suede

fur

feathers

cashmere

wool

felt

velvet

rubber

plastic

wood

bamboo

steel

aluminum

pebbles

stone

ceramic

marble

plaster

something liquid filled

Which element do you gravitate most toward ?

earth

fire

water

air

SOUND:

Is music or silence more appropriate for you in your current lifestyle?

How often do you buy music and what were the last few cd’s you bought?

On a scale of 1-10 how stressed do you feel right now?

When was the last time you danced in your own home?

Remember a time when a particular noise/sound uplifted you:

Remember a favorite song or piece of music:

Please tick your musical tastes:

classical

opera

pop

rock

jazz

fusion/acid jazz

house

world

techno

indie

chill out/ ambient

film score soundtracks

country & western

latin

R & B /soul

hip hop

tamla motown

oldies but goldies

disco/funk

dance/dj mixes

nature/meditational

SIGHT:

What are your favourite colors?

What 3 works of art would you love to own?

What are your favorite flowers?

Do you like cosy or uncluttered interiors?

Describe your ideal room:

What is in it?

What is the lighting?

What colors?

What materials?

Who is in it?

Pick 3 colors you would like to see together

TASTE:

What are your favorite foods from around the world:

Are there any foods you do not care for?

Sweet or savory? Do you have a sweet tooth?

What are your preferred snack foods?

Are you allergic to anything?

Are you vegetarian?

If you were staging your ideal intimate dinner party for 6 close friends what would the

meal consist of?. Think up a good theme:

some examples

file:///Users/alexandraray/Desktop/ray207.jpgfile:///Users/alexandraray/Desktop/blog%20photos/buddha.JPGfile:///Users/alexandraray/Desktop/blog%20photos/Ray_041.5.tifffile:///Users/alexandraray/Desktop/ray207.jpg