Furnishing the Garden with Bunny Williams

What could be more enjoyable than spending the afternoon with Interior Designer Bunny Williams touring her gardens and listening to her talk about her passion?  That is just what happened  at DCOTA's Winter Market.

Bunny Williams in her Connecticut garden.

Bunny shared her insights into what creates a beautiful garden and ways to add a bit of charm.  Of course it's the plants and trees and flowers but there is so much that can go into making a garden wonderful place to spend time.

One of the first things she mentioned was the idea of creating a focal point with sculpture or an architectural element.

Placing a large "finial" in this bed of roses immediately draws your eye and gives
that part of the garden importance.

The placement of this large urn anchors this more formal garden.

An old fountain can also serve as a focal point.

There are many ways to draw attention to a garden path.

Frame an arbor with animal statues.

Create an entrance with a beautiful gate.

A rock wall and steps flanked by cement newel posts make us want to follow this quiet pathway.

Line a pathway with pots of vivid flowers such as hydrangea.  Potted trees, like lemon trees, work equally as well.
(When I first saw this image I thought it was a painting.)

Bunny's philosphy is that whatever is placed in the garden, especially furniture, should blend with nature.   Wood benches that turn gray with age, painted furniture in rust or bronze, all become part of the garden in a very natural way.



See how beautiful this bench has become as it is over grown with moss.

How seamlessly this weathered teak blends with this pretty garden.  It really appears to belong there.


Stone furniture or tables topped with stone also work well to accent a natural surrounding.

A garden is also a wonderful place to introduce a touch of whimsy.  These mushroom sculptures are a delightful surprise.

In keeping with the idea of harmonizing with nature, Bunny also suggests using "faux bois" furniture, or pieces that are made to look like real wood like these shown below.

It is hard to tell if this bench has actual tree trunks for legs.

The settee above is designed in a more traditional style but made to look like it is created from real wood.  In fact the whole subject of "Faux Bois" is very intriguing.

Of course using natural wood furniture is the most authentic way to blend with the outdoors. 

It is hard to tell where the grape vines stop and this bench begins.

In fact even a large structure like the gazebo below still seems to be part of the forest because it is built from the trees themselves.

That is precisely the idea behind the way Bunny Williams designed and constructed her amazing pool house.

Bunny said she "wanted the building to feel like it had just waltzed out of the woodland and formed a greek temple."

She used stone to border the pool in keeping with the surroundings.  Inside the feeling continues with the furnishings she chose.

It was wonderful to hear Bunny speak about her passion and equally wonderful to see how she has woven these ideas and inspirations into the landscape of her lovely home.  Now she has designed a line of outdoor funiture for Century Furniture that exemplifies her style.

How pretty is her teak sitting group?  It will weather into a soft gray patina just like the ones in her garden.

The pieces above are wrought iron but made to look like bamboo.  The dark finish will work nicely in a garden or to bring the outdoors in.

Some of the things I took away from what Bunny shared were that the garden is really another beautiful space to furnish.  Just as in interiors, creating a focal point is important and adding a touch of whimsy makes it fun.

One other thing she said was that not only is it nice to have seating to gaze out to the scenery, but she also finds having a place to look back upon your home is lovely too.

What is the view looking back at your home?  It's even fun to see it at night.

So inviting.

I hope you enjoyed this garden tour and found some ideas to inspire you.  How would you add whimsy to your garden?  What would you do to draw attention to a pathway?  Where would you like to have a comfortable sitting area to enjoy whatever your view may be?

As always I invite you to share your experiences and thoughts in the comment box below.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Decorating!

If you would like assistance with a decorating project please email me at pictureprettyint@aol.com 

(The photos in this post are from Google Images, including several depicting Bunny Williams' home and gardens, or from the library of Picture Pretty Interiors.)

Celebrity Designers, Alexa Hampton, Mario Buatta (The Prince of Chintz) and Clodagh headline the DCOTA Winter Market

Mario Buatta,  Alexa Hampton and Clodagh Davis all together for one incredible event?   How lucky can I be? I guess you might say I am a little star struck when it comes to meeting celebrity designers.  Fortunately for me our local design center, DCOTA, offers several market events each year that spotlights some of many the icons of the interior design industry.

Clodagh Davis

I have to admit I was not familiar with Clodagh Davis or as she is known, Clodagh.  But the title of her presentation, "You Are Who You Are No Matter Where You Are", intrigued me.  Clodagh is a leading innovative designer of hotels, spas,commercial spaces and residences.  She spoke about her integrative approach to life-enhancing design. I was awed by the photos of her projects.

Whiskey Blue 

She told us to use our senses to direct our designing.  She uses materials that will create a feeling of well being.  Our spaces effect us and our emotions are being fed by what we see, feel, and sense.  Clodagh encouraged us to create spaces where our clients feel supported. 

 Design the  passages and entrances as carefully as the places behind the doors was another one of her design aesthetics.

  

She says her experiences inform her.  I just love her approach to design.  Clodagh began her presentation with a 90 second video of a dog bounding through a field of wheat....popping up and disappearing again and again.  She said she wanted to share what 90 seconds of pure joy might be.  What a wonderful way to begin our day.

Interior Designer and author, Alexa Hampton

Alexa Hampton, is the head of Mark Hampton LLC, the renown interior design firm founded by her father.

While I had heard of her before I was not all that acquainted with her design style and projects.  Now she could be one my favorites.  Her presentation centered around before and after images of several of the homes she had designed.  Before and afters are always fun and  her narrative about how they all came about was wonderful. Alexa's sense of humor and grounded honesty was so refreshing.   

She  likes to focus on the detail of good design.  What can we as designers and you who are your own decorator do that will set your home apart?  It is all in the details.  Add a tassel to the arm of a chair or sofa, set a band of trim atop another band of fabric,  make your wainscot lower than expected or hide a distracting door by removing the hardware and running the baseboard along the bottom. She calls this a jib door.  Lacquer walls for drama.  Upholster walls for intimacy.  And use bamboo shades everywhere.  They have become a favorite of hers.

These lacquered walls may be dark but they also reflect the light.
Bamboo shades bring in nature and texture.  Don't you just love the zebra rug?

A jib door 

Timeless design with classic pieces and modern styling.

So elegant!

The legendary Mario Buatta is celebrates his fifty years of his career in interior design with a new book, Mario Buatta: Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration.  He has decorated homes for celebrities including Presidential guest quarters.  He has became known for his English Country style and made his use of chintz so popular he is called "The Prince of Chintz".  Once he made pants out of fabric samples of chintz!

He was charming and witty as he entertained us with stories of his personal and professional life.  His interiors are elaborate and filled with colorful palettes, fabulous furniture and antiques.  No detail is left unattended.

                                                                          

  

                                  (Sorry for the fuzzy images)
It was a day of fun and inspiration.  My design colleagues and I always come away with our heads spinning

with ideas and inspiration.

My friends Lucille Giannakopolus from Gianna Designs, Ginger Westmoreland  fromWest Dezine and myself with the incredible Clodagh.

Alexa Hampton and me enjoying a funny story.

Another wonderful addition to my every growing design library.

Mario was as debonair as ever.

Mario Buatta opens with a practical joke.....he said he made a few notes for his presentation!

Mario and my friend Lucille enjoyed some lively conversations.

What celebrity designer do you admire?  How have they influenced the way you decorate your home?  Do you collect their beautiful books like I do?  How do they inspire you?

As always I invite you to share your experiences and ideas in the comment box below.  You must also type in the encoded numbers/letters and click on submit.  Your comment will appear after it has been sent to me.

                              HAPPY DECORATING!

If you would like assistance with an interior design project please email me at pictureprettyint@aol.com   

   (Some images courtesy of the designer's websites and google images)