Design: Eco Friendly

I designed this quaint little garden for a client in Eastern Tennessee. The backdrop of 360 degrees of beautiful mountains could not be more perfect for a small, full funtional design for this small space.

On the front of the house I wanted to give it a nice face left. While staying with the theme, I added a reclaimed arbor over the garage to soften the ruggedness of the 'utility' area. To give a punch to the curb appeal I painted the door blue, and tied in colorful foliage in the front planting areas. To keep the space maintenance free, we removed all the grass areas, added native ground covers for drought tolerance, and added in small ornamental trees for texture. A great tree for spring interest is a Flowering Dogwood ( Cornus florida) it has elegant pink blooms that pops against the faint gray exterior. 

In the back of the house, the star of the show has to be the vegetable garden. Located across from the firepit, nothing better than sitting out by the fire drinking cocktails while taking mint straight from the garden. I love the flow from the garage into the entertaining space. With mixed containers and vines covering the arbor, the garage functions as a separate room, adding value to the home.

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Wear this design:

( Shop:Blazer,Shirt,Boots, Ring, Watch)

This outfit screams laid back, eco friendly, and ruggedness that rocks! I can't get enough of the blues and greens for the upcoming season. I always recommend each season set aside $50-$75 and go crazy on asscessories at F21. It's amazing how you can re-mix an outfit with just a little switch -a -roo with your acccessories. To dress up this look switch out the jeans for some classic red skinnies, nude pumps, and red lips.

Flora Inspiration: Stella

I found this beauty ( Hemerocallis Stella De Oro) in my garden yesterday. They make the perfect cut flower to bring into the house for instant sunshine.  When I woke up this morning and stumbled into the kitchen grabbing for morning coffee and toast. This little guy gave me the jumpstart I needed to get up and head out the door. I'm grabbing a book, jumping in the Wrangler and headed to Lake Michigan.

Wear this Flower

(Sandals, Shorts, Swimsuit, Boyfriend Tank, Shades, Nails)

What item in your house gives you that extra little motavation to get up and moving? To get 'mentally' moving I always leave my favorite book bedside so I can dig in early in the morning or late at night. I love those early hours on the weekend when the hubs is sleeping and I am wide awake. I reach for the my book and an hour later, I'm chapters in, and mentally stimulated and ready for the day.

Design: Peaceful

design copyright of: floradesign

My client wanted to turn their thirty by thirty space in the suburbs of Chicago into a no maintenance surreal paradise. By using low maintenance pavers with light gray, decorative walls, this once weed driven playground is now a no stress sanctuary. To make the hardscape softer, I added in a small koi pond with waterlilies for color interest, and an area for sandart that is found in many Japanese gardens.

The Japanese Maples ( Acer palmatum) bring interest in the fall months with fierce red and yellow leaves, while the heavy evergreen anchors the space in the winter.

Wear this Design

( Hat, Dress, Sunglasses, Earrings, Sandal)

What inspiration did you pull from the design for your everyday wear? Can I carry around an aquarium with a large koi as an accessory. I would name him nemo. Then again, any of The Office fans out there? First thing I thought of when I did this design was Michael falling in the koi pond. So I guess the real question for this post should be - Did Jim push him?

Home: Flora Pastels

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How beautiful are these floral prints from West Elm. I have been looking for light pastels for awhile. Our bedroom already has the nice stainless finish to our bed, and sidetable. Just need to incorporate a little more boldness to really make the stainless the star of the show. I'm really rooting for duvet cover numero uno. It has that nice modern flare without the 'flora' aspect being to literal. And the big chunky twill rug in all there pics.. can we say? yum. Gives you a comfort factor that plays off the hardwood floors. Add in our nice fluffy, fur rug and its a light, airy, sleepylicious ( nope that's not a word, but close to bootylicious.. see where Im going with this..) room.

Wear this room:

( Shoes , Shorts, Sweater, Bracelet, Watch, Shirt, Earrings)

Flora Inspiration: Mystic

(Hat,Shades,Scarf,Dress, Sandals, Bag)

I'm loving this girly, funky yet sophisticated look. Play around town, shop the mall, or hang out poolside ~ this outfit will take you from day to night. Get extra use out of the traditional scarf by wrapping your ponytail  for a 'fun' factor.

Flora Inspiration: Dahlia 'Mystic' Enchanted