Contain Yourself 06/03/2010
 
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There's an interesting article in the Times today about the growing (pardon the pun) popularity of terrarium gardens.  They're an easy and inexpensive way for us apartment dwellers to have a tidy little garden.  But see, I've been cursed with the black thumb of death (RIP herb garden....) and would like to avoid an arrest for herbicide.  Could this supposedly self-sufficient set up be the answer?
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Rattan Accent tables from Pottery Barn
A common phrase on design shows and in shelter magazines is "bringing the outside in".  Most of the time that refers to a nature inspired color palatte or the addition of plants and greenery to a setting.  But as more people start using their decks and yards as their summertime living rooms, companies have stepped up to introduce products that are suitable for both indoors and outdoors.  Here are a few great finds.
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Anthropologie retail store in London
This entry is not so much design as it is gardening.  Considering I have the "black thumb of death" (seriously, I managed to kill a catctus), it's a little surprising for me to write about gardening type issues.  But one trend that I've noticed in both retail design and backyard design is vertical gardens.
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Pulled together 09/02/2009
 
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I snapped this picture walking down a residential street in the Federal Hill section of Baltimore.  Actually, I took the picture the second time I passed this townhouse.  My friends watched me as I took a picture of what to them was some random house in a neighborhood I don't live in.  I tend to do this. 

Something about the scene was so appealing, or maybe it was a combination of everything: the brick, the ivy, the blue trim.  I love how the little garden is thoughtfully tended with all of the elements working so nicely together.  The red flowers pick up the brick tones, the blue pots repeat the trim and door color and the additional greenery adds interesting texture.  There is no one thing that stands out.  Instead, everything works together to create a lovely front entry.
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