Tag: Interior design

Design is in the Details at the Vermont Fine Furniture & Woodworking Festival

At Marvin Gardens, we believe the beauty of design is in the details. It’s for this very reason that we’re always keeping our eyes peeled for events, shows, fairs and workshops that highlight meticulously designed items. If you have an affinity for fine wood carvings and intricately detailed wooden furniture, we suggest you don’t miss the Seventh Annual Vermont Fine Furniture & Woodworking Festival. The premiere woodworking event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 25 and Sunday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Union Arena in Woodstock, VT. The family-friendly event features dozens of wood artisans and vendors. Take a look!

Click here to learn more.

Photo Credit: Jon Gilbert Fox

Sharing Your Favorite Posts Has Never Been Easier!

If you’re looking for a simpler way to share Marvin Gardens’ posts without having to copy and paste its links every time, then listen up. There’s now a feature at the bottom of every one of our blog posts that allows you to quickly and simply share it with over 200 social networking sites! Follow the 5 steps below and you’re good to go!

1. Click on the title of the post you wish to share.
2. At the bottom of the post click on or hover your mouse over the share box.
3. Scroll down until you find the application you want to share through, or type in the name in the search box and click the icon.
4. Enter your user name and password for the site.
5. Click enter or send (depending on the site) and you’ve shared our post.

And there you have it!

Finding Inspiration in the Spreckels Mansion

Beautiful architecture usually inspires more beautiful art. The Spreckels Mansion is no exception. Located in the Pacific Heights area of San Francisco, California and renown for its white limestone façade, this monument has been inspiring designers and artists alike for years.We wanted to take a closer look into the building that many bay-area residents can only hope to get a glimpse into.

From NeoHill:

The Spreckels Mansion was built in 1913 by sugar magnate Adolph Spreckels for his lovely new wife, Alma le Normand de Bretteville. The French Baroque chateau was built on several prime lots overlooking the bay and Golden Gate. Alma was an avid art collector and model – you may recognize her likeness in the Dewey Monument in Union Square – who would later donate the Palace of the Legion of Honor art museum.

The 55-room house remained largely unchanged until Alma’s death in 1968. The current owner, romance novelist Danielle Steele, added the row of hedges that now block curious eyes from trying to peer into the historic mansion.

At Marvin Gardens, we know that inspiration can be found everywhere. What are some buildings that you find most inspiring?

For more information on the Spreckels Mansion, visit NeoHill.

Photo Credit: NeoHill

Italian Architect Takes Gardening to New Heights

Gardens come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They also can be placed in a number of locations. For some folks, space permits sprawling backyard plots that can showcase a number of different fruit-bearing plants. For others, their “home garden” is better defined as a strip of tiny potted cooking herbs on the kitchen window sill. But the award for the most truly unique garden space has to go to those for Italian architect Gaetano Pesce. In a world of tight spaces and growing pollution Pesce created hanging wall gardens in Osaka, Japan to maximize space while still maintaining beauty. The walls of the construction feature interesting extruded pockets with plants, thus creating an impromptu vertical garden, according to Freshome.com.

From Freshome:

This idea also contributes to the overall original look of the building which made it become one of the city’s landmarks in the past years. The 80 types of plants and trees were selected by asking help from specialized local horticulturists, but the main species is Bamboo. In case you are wondering what this structure houses, know that is a nine-floor building with 7,052 square meters of interior space.

To learn more about Pesce and his work, visit his website.

Photo Credit: Freshome

How To Care for Your Fig Tree

Contrary to popular belief, the fig tree is not a difficult tree to grow. In fact, they are among the simplest fruit trees to care for! Whether you’re a gardener who prefers contained or underground plants, the versatility of this beautiful specimen will be perfect for your plot. To help guide you though the process of fig ownership — from selection to planting and then straight on through to fruit picking — eHow.com has put together a quick fig tree how-to guide for those of you interested in adding one to your garden this year.

From eHow.com:

  • Choose a fig tree variety that will do well in your climate. Figs can be grown as far north as the coast of Long Island, but most do best in a warm climate, such as southern California.
  • Select a location for planting. Figs need some sun to propagate well and do best in full sun. The roots are vigorous so keep the tree away from septic tanks and sewer lines.
  • Start a tree from a hardwood cutting by taking a stem with three or four joints and place it in a container with well-drained soil. Keep the cuttings wet, but not too wet.
  • Remove the suckers that form at the fig tree’s ground level. The pruning of a fig tree is less work if you let it grow in a bush style rather than a single trunk.
  • Fertilize if you want to increase your fig yield. The fig tree does well without fertilization, but feeding the tree will increase its fruit production. If you’re going to fertilize, do it during the growing season from spring until late summer. Spread it around the base of each tree once a month and then water it thoroughly.
  • Water every week to every three weeks during dry spells depending on the soil.

Contact Marvin Gardens for more plant-care tips or e-mail MarvinGardensUSA@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: MyOpera

A Twist on The Traditional Wedding Bouquet

If you’re in the process of planning a wedding, you know that there are a number of options for virtually every last detail that needs to be decided on. There’s black and white and then every shade of gray in between when it comes to picking out items like invitations, centerpieces,  cakes, venues…and of course, let’s not forget dresses. But we here at Marvin Gardens think that one particular designer of yesteryear had the right idea when it came to navigating through the plethora of options: less is more. Constance Spry, known to many as “The Original Wedding Planner” was responsible for designing the flowers for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and chose a more simplistic approach to the couple’s royal decor. In fact, through a little creative ingenuity, she created masterpieces of not just fancy flowers like roses but weeds and even kale.

Thanks to Habitually Chic, we found some fun photos from of Spry’s  traditional, yet minimalist style. Now if only Lady Spry was around today to help us wade through today’s obstacle course of wedding planning, we’d be in good shape!

Click here to view more.

Small Space, Huge Potential

Smaller rooms can be a popular place to gather in the house. Friends and family are able to sit close and enjoy conversation. The problem with small rooms seems to be that they clutter way too easily. The potential of a small room is huge, if you know exactly what to do with the space. Southern Living Associate Photo Stylist Alan Henderson revamped his den when he decided that it needed to be a more inviting space. Check out his work for some inspiration:

This is the space Henderson started with, a small room lacking that comfy, cozy feel.

Henderson’s finished product- He kept his existing furniture and re-covered it with fabrics (a great way to revamp and save money) that flowed with the color scheme of the room. Solid velvet and synthetic suede paisley in golds and browns provide just enough contrast but still work together. Nail heads add a decorative touch and delineate where the two fabrics meet.

An oversized ottoman was changed into a coffee table. It’s a versatile piece of furniture that you can prop your feet on or you can toss a colorful throw on it to look more formal. Furniture can do double duty is always a great addition to any room. Use your imagination and you’ll come up with endless possibilities.

Textured walls are sometimes the most striking change in a makeover. Henderson went with grass cloth because it has a natural weave. He liked how the black tones behind it draw the darker colors throughout the room in, like the chocolate brown on the windows.

For more inspiration, visit the Southern Living site.

Photo credit: Laurey W. Glenn via Southern Living.

Bring the Outdoors Inside with Mosaic Patio Tiles!

Interested in creating a new summery look in your in your kitchen? Consider tiling your patio and kitchen  floor with black and white mosaic tiles! While the idea seems simple, the outcome will be a dramatic one that seamlessly brings the outdoors right inside. Take a look at these mosaic tile examples from CocoCozy.

Photo Credit: CoCoCozy

Add a Touch of Cottage Style to Your Home

There’s no better time than summer to touch your home up with light cottage décor. “Cottage” style can incorporate so many different elements that make the season from –everything form the breeze of a beach house to the warmth of a county inn. In fact one of the most tantalizing things about cottage style is its implied “no-fuss” vacation-y energy, notes Freshome.com in a recent article of theirs called Simple Touches to Bring Cottage Style Decor into Your Home.

“Cottage style décor is reminiscent of vacation homes and small tucked away cabins that are no fuss, and all about leisure and a slower paced lifestyle.  You can achieve this look in your home with the following touches to bring cottage style décor into your favorite spaces. Whether its summer or winter, who doesn’t love laid back interiors to come home to?”

Visit Freshome to learn more about incorporating cottage-inspired décor into your home.

Whites, neutrals, and colors inspired by the beach are very common in cottage décor. Sun bleached hues of blues, and greens give a sense of weathered interiors. Cottage inspired décor looks like it has been there for years.
Try combining modern materials coupled with cottage décor – the results can be beautiful! The kitchen is the perfect place to add modern marble or granite counters, paired with cottage inspired cabinetry.

Photo Credit: Freshome

New Julia Rothman Patterns

They’re here! Julia Rothman’s latest collection of patterns have been unveiled this month! The Brooklyn-based illustrator and pattern designer has become recognized for her light and fun, whimsical patterns and is a fixture at a number of hip boutiques and retailers like Urban Outfitters and Hygge & West.  Her illustrations have even appeared in The New York Times, Details magazine and on a line of puzzles for Kid O. If you haven’t had a chance already to take a look at her designs, please do! They’re fun and can be used for a variety of projects. The possibilities are endless!

Visit Julia Rothman to learn more about her work.

Photo Credit: Julia Rothman