CLASSICALLY- INSPIRED PORCELAIN GARDENING POTS FROM CULTIVATED GARDENS FOR MIDDLE KINGDOM

Photos courtesy Rosie Sauser of Cultivated Gardens for Middle Kingdom

Now that we are into March, I think it is safe to start thinking about gardening and flowers in general. On that note, I have been biding my time, waiting for the right moment to share one of my gift show discoveries. Taking their cue from classical Greek and Roman urns, Cultivated Gardens for Middle Kingdom's bisque-finish porcelain Oggee Vaso footed bowls possess extraordinary beauty. The appeal lies in their utter simplicity--  a pared-down form with the cleanest of lines, in a matte gesso finish. They may appear delicate, with their thin silhouette and whisper thin edge, but their durability comes from being fired in a kiln at high temperatures.  You can find them at leading home and flower shops around the country, as well as from Washington, D.C.-based Cultivated Gardens directly.

In matte grey,  white hydrangea provide a robust filler for the bowls. I would love to see a loose arrangement done with drapey material too.

Available in two sizes in pale hues of retro green, grey, and biscuit,  the footed bowls are perfect for fruit, centerpiece arrangements, or as a vessel to throw mail in by the front door.

TAKING ROOT: FRANCES PALMER'S TERRA COTTA POTS

Best-known for her quirky yet charming handmade all white porcelain vases in unusual shapes, the Connecticut-based artist Frances Palmer has made a foray into terra cotta. Just in time for summer container gardens, I give you her elegant unglazed ceramic designs.  In the tell-tale rich orange hue she has reinvented classic vessels with the addition of deep ridges and pedestal bases. Palmer's newest designs will add a nice amount of the unexpected to your botanical bounty this season.

Succulents in their greens and reds provide a contrast against the terra cotta of No. Two Tom Pots.

No. Five Tom Pot, when a slim cylinder is needed.

Phoebe Terra Cotta Urn sits gracefully filled with bright blooms.

No. Five Terra Cotta Two Handle Urn seems to be just the spot to plant assorted herbs.

No. Six Terra Cotta Urn would look wonderful with ivy with draping tendrils.

Low Footed Bowl, Ferns, is a good option for fruit or as a centerpiece.

MAKE YOUR GARDEN GORGEOUS AT THE NYBG GARDEN SCULPTURE AND ANTIQUES FAIR 1750-2013

Photo courtesy of NYBG

To kick off the New York Botanical Garden's weekend-long Garden Sculpture and Antiques Fair, join a great group of garden swells on April 25th for the preview party.  The worlds of philanthropy and interior/garden design will come together to support the great New York institution and partake in cocktails and a silent auction. In addition to perusing antique garden furniture, urns, statuary, garden-related accessories and botanical prints from the esteemed 30 vendors below, you can pick up a beautiful rare plant from the array in the evening's silent auction.  To purchase tickets to the 1st Dibs-sponsored event, click here. 

 If your dance card is full that evening, visit The Garden from April 26th to April 28th, from 10-5 daily to shop for antique Belgian, English, American and Italian garden ornaments and more. Your garden deserves it.

Every dealer is the terrific, so you are sure to find beautiful things--

Antique American Wicker

Arader Galleries

Balsamo Antiques

 Joan Bogart Antiques

 Brennan and Mouilleseaux Antiques

Dawn Hill Antiques

Scott Estepp Gallery

Finnegan Gallery

Fleur

French Country Living Antiques Ltd.

Jeffrey Henkel

 Barbara Israel Garden Antiques

 Anthony Kavanaugh Period Garden Ornaments

Judith and James Milne At Home Antiques

 Aileen Minor Antiques

Susan Frei Nathan Fine Works on Paper, LLC

Pagoda Red

Francis J. Purcell,Inc.

R.T. Facts Antiques The Red Horse Antiques

Rose Garden Antiques and Design

 Schorr and Dobinsky

 Shop in the Garden

Linda  Howard Stein

The Sugarplum

Telescopes of Vermont

 Village Braider Antiques 

Bob and Debbie Withington Antiques

LOUNGE ACT: OUTDOOR FURNITURE

When the summer beckons, it is natural to spend a great deal of time thinking about gardening and outdoor spaces. Getting those outdoor areas in summer-ready shape is no easy feat, as furniture, outdoor fabrics and accessory options abound. If you are in the market for some new wood or metal outdoor furniture, there is just so much to choose from. I ended up finding most of the exciting design was really happening in metal and wood, not as much in wicker and teak. So,  I decided to round up some of the most beautiful garden furniture out there, just to make your decision process that much easier. Stay tuned, as my blog panel conversation and fair at the Chicago Botanic Garden will yield new discoveries.

 Photo courtesy of McKinnon and Harris

The Gilliam Tray Table being made

McKinnon and Harris is one of my favorite companies. They are very old world in their dedication to creating some of the best high quality outdoor furniture  out there. Their classic furniture, meant to be left in the elements all year long, is handcrafted out of meticulously crafted high grade aluminum in Richmond, Virginia. Their pieces are guaranteed, and their classical detailing make it a good choice for traditional architecture.

Photos courtesy of McKinnon and Harris
Du Val Double Sun Chaise
A tete a tete for lounge luxury.

Large Pavillion Sofa
Fretwork sides and a tapered leg bring 1950' details and current style together

Otey Three Seater Sofa
It doesn't get more classic than this over sized lattice back.

Scaisbrooke Ottoman
A newer design, the bobbin leg, looks very English but also very modern in metal. I look forward to seeing chairs and chaises in this design.

Beaufort Dining Side Chair
Little chairs are always needed

Graves Dining Arm and Side Chair
The nice thing about this design is it looks like it could be inside, but is reinterpreted to be out of doors.

Tangier Dining Tables
Pushed together or used for 2 tables of 4, this design has line and ball detailing that is just detailed enough.

Scaisbrooke Coffee Table with Square Adams Top 

So gorgeous. Who can say no to red?

Albermarle Dining Table
Concentric circles with a trad base merge modern and antique.

The Perrow Tray Table serves up style with slat design.

 Photos courtesy of Accents of France

Goulaine Chair and Bench with a custom paint finish

I have known Accents of France's  founder Philippe Le Manache since he showed at his first gift show, back in the mid 2000's, when he started his standardized and custom tailored treillage creations, based on French 18th Century designs. Since then, his hand created lattice walls have graced many a garden large and small around the globe. He's pretty amazing at what he does. I was pleased to see his recent foray into furniture, so now the seating options can be as beautiful as the greenery. Taken from the great benches around France, his detailed wood lattice details include a pattern to suit a variety of settings.

 Malmaison Chair and Bench in White Oak has a Chinoiserie feel

Chantilly Bench and Table in a custom color with a double lattice pattern

Nozay Chair and Bench in White Oak of interlocking squares for a graphic detail

 Photo courtesy of Brown Jordan
You can't think outdoor furniture without thinking Brown Jordan. Both my interior designer mother and sister got outdoor furniture recently, and they went with Brown Jordan. Their assortment is endless, and every style is represented. They tend to do something new to hit every style trend, so expect to see innovations first with them.
When I walked into their High Point Market showroom last market, the killer new Kantan II vied for my attention. Updating a 1956 design classic by Tadao Inoye, the new version has a cool brushed metal frame and cloth instead of vinyl straps.  It's sexy, low and inviting.

Photo courtesy of David Sutherland
You too can own one of the iconic 1960's designs of San Francisco designer John Dickinson. David Sutherland carries an assortment of the playful small reproduction pieces, created out of a glass fiber resin concrete composite.

Photo courtesy of Janus et Cie
Made of lightweight fiberglass, Janus et Cie's Totum table comes in a zippy orange or soothing white

Photo courtesy of Janus
Janus et Cie's Janice Feldman has had a passion for gardens and what goes in them for forever. Her dedication to finding, creating and designing the most gorgeous elements is unsurpassed. She appreciates outdoor spaces in all their variety- and herself lives with a pretty splendid garden. Light in feeling, the Lucy collection from Janus et Cie is durable resin wicker and aluminum and easygoing.

Photo courtesy of Soane
It is not a secret how much I adore what Soane Britain does. Lulu Lytle is kind of a genius. She's young, super-knowledgeable and has make her English furniture and decorative accessories company a place that is full of stunning design surprises. From reviving a Victorian era wicker manufacturer to finding detailed metalwork artisans, she designs true antiques of tomorrow, by looking back in history to innovate for today. Here, her Schooner Oak Daybed with scroll arm has curves in all the right places.

NOT YOUR GARDEN VARIETY

Photo courtesy of Coral and Tusk

The charming, naif embroidery stylings of Coral and Tusk never fail to warm your heart. Since gardening season is around the bend, gardeners are starting to accrue the tools of the trade. To keep clippers and trowels close at hand, the Garden Work Apron keeps tools handy and at the ready. What a sweet way to call the birds, butterflies and bugs that keep the greenery humming along into action.

GET GROWING: CONTAINER GARDENS FROM PENNOYER AND NEWMANN

With the weather warming up, many gardeners are starting to think about their gardens, terraces, porches and container gardens. That being said, here are some beautiful, lightweight options from Pennoyer and Newmann. Made from easy to drag around resin and fiberglass composites, their highly detailed designs are cast from original planters and vessels found on estates around the globe. It is so nice to see how many new designs they have created since they started in 2003, and their aesthetic will suit stark modern and traditional settings equally well. They were the first company in the US to create stone resin replicas that resembled the lead originals.  Planting in containers allows for a variety of plant options and you can see how transformative they are in these city container gardens shown here. If you happen to live in NYC, stop by their new showroom at the New York Design Center to see them in person and begin to envision your garden coming to life.

Photos courtesy of Pennoyer and Newmann

Square Planter with circle icon

Conical Strap Pot

Elizabethan 

Dutch Planter 

Whiskey Barrel 

Conical Strapped Egg Cup 

Compote Bowl 

Squat Planter 

Lattice Urn with or without a lid is the chicest thing ever

They even do custom monogram plaques for planters- such a chic way to make it your own

MORE STYLISH SHOPPING IN HOUSTON: THOMPSON AND HANSON

Manager and buyer Kathy Frietsch 

Bringing the best of the French countryside to River Oaks, Houston, Thompson and Hanson have created something special, an escapist enclave like no other. Their creative vision combines the best of four worlds.  A beautiful complex incorporates a landscape architecture firm, garden center, retail shop and chic cafe, Tiny Boxwoods. You see this sort of set up in England and France, but the concept is not as widespread here. They have created a true destination that is worth seeking out when you are next in Houston. The owners take world-wide shopping jaunts and bring back the best Belgian and French antiques, unique terra cotta planters, Provencal urns, garden ornaments, linens and more. The ever changing assortment, housed in their long space with grey wood rafters, includes hard to find scented candles, Italian leather trays, tole, Italian printed paper goods, and decorative accessories to make you swoon.  The mix of materials, shapes and surfaces paired with greenery makes the array a feast for the eyes. If you visit, go hungry, and head across the pebbled path to Tiny Boxwoods for yummy elevated comfort food in a beautiful setting.

 Rough hewn wooden dining tables mingle with woven wicker chairs and metal side tables. As you can see, the space includes many chic discoveries.

 The dramatic ceiling height adds to the sun dappled space's magic.

 This whole set-up is ready for a sunroom.

Italian paper accessories, notecards, and porcelain vases have gift giving covered.

Painted tole flowers and potted agave in a pretty moment.

These French photophores illuminated by led candles had me at hello. I am obsessed with them. I have never seen anything like them and probably never will. The trefoil cut out, leaf detail on the lid and simple base make them ideal around a pool.

This antique mirror has loads of character with it's chipped paint finish. Next to a stark wooden plank planter, each piece really comes alive.

Entertaining-ready linen napkins, beautiful cutting boards and storage baskets.

This pair of antique Louis chairs of a medium-hued wood were so simple and so good.

Their global shopping trips mean they score wonderful finds like these Italian leather trays and candles encased in bright leathers.

The oval leather tray in the brightest orange and taupe colored leather accessories were beyond.

The nursery, where you can have arrangements and container gardens made up on the spot.

A container garden mixing hearty green plants and flowering plants. Behind is the landscape architecture office.

A heavenly arrangement of a reddish cabbage. So elegant and spare.

The assortment.

A stroll across the courtyard takes you to best brunch at Tiny Boxwoods. They also happen to have the best chocolate chip cookie in town.