Heaven's Gate

I promise this is the last gardening post for a bit--at least, the last related specifically to my own garden.... it's barely interesting to me at this point, so apologies to those of you still here!

But I had to share images of our new (old) gates leading into our side yard. My husband found them at our favorite salvage building-supply store, then existing as two rusty metal panels, and we knew they would be the perfect replacement for our sad, droopy, six-year-old wooden gate. (In a true testament to how well my husband knows me, he spotted them on a solo shopping trip, noticed the presence of the greek key motif, and bought them without even soliciting my opinion. He's good!)

After a few weekends of work (my husband's, not mine, though I have contributed my fair share of encouragement, and boy, am I tired), they are installed, and I could not love them any more.

Or, as my beloved Jonathan Adler would say, "J'adore the doors!"

Here's our newly reconfigured fence panel, which is now our plan for the entire fence. Guess who gets to deconstruct the whole fence and reassemble it horizontally? Hint: It's not me. I can't wait to put every last bit of the ugly trellis topper into the yard waste bin!

Detail of gate - beyond it, check out our cool rainwater barrel, made from a plastic container used to mix Coca-Cola syrup (my husband works for Coke) and corrugated metal. Way better than the green giants we thought were our only option!

Behind the Fence

As promised, a peek behind the other side of the fence.

When we bought our house nearly six years ago, it was an expanse of weed-filled grass, melding into the neighboring yard. Oh, and it had a giant concrete RV parking strip adjacent to the alley in back. Perfect for Clark Griswold's cousin, not so perfect for young marrieds trying to cultivate a green thumb.

While there are so many elements that I love (concrete fountain and firepit, custom metal gates and fence, glass garage door), there are others I have come to wish away -- chiefly, our ugly wood fence.

It seems impossible for me to comprehend now the way we approached the building of the fence six years ago, but this was pretty much our strategy: build one. Build one fast. We didn't think much of anything about the design, opting for the premade trellis toppers at Home Depot (apologies to anyone else who has these, but UGH. What were we thinking?).

We wanted a dog, and we wanted privacy. So we built a fence around our entire yard (and by "we" I mean my husband) in a matter of days.

The good news? We got a dog (two, actually), and we got privacy.

The bad news? It's six years later and now we hate our fence. But there is a silver lining: over the last few weekends my husband reinvented one fence panel and installed a set of amazing vintage metal gates replete with--you guessed it--a greek key motif. Dreams really do come true. Photos of this development to follow.

But enough negativity: let's focus on the LOVE.

BEFORE: A view of our garage and backyard from the deck

BEFORE: From the aforementioned RV concrete pad, looking toward the back of the house


BEFORE: In all its glory, the concrete parking strip and back of the garage. (Side note: my husband used a sledgehammer to remove all of this concrete. Insane.)

Now let's move on to the AFTER:

The entry to our side yard, through our old, cobbled-together-on-the-fly wood gate (since replaced with fabulous new-old metal greek-key gates. Stay tuned for more on that project). The weird statue is now gone; it came from a good place, being an homage to St. Francis, patron saint of animals...but one day we both just decided it was weird.

The side yard, showing the detached garage at rear. Not sure if I am feeling the torches any longer, though they are super-functional for dining al fresco on summer evenings.



Reverse view of side yard, looking toward street

Entrance to backyard from side yard. My multi-talented husband welded these gates from pieces of pipe he cut, and the wood came from scraps from a friend's fence project. Growing across it all is a lovely climbing hydrangea that now almost completely shields the two areas from one another with its leaves in the spring and summer. This remains one of my favorite elements of the yard.

The backyard, showing the concrete fountain my husband made. I think this is my very favorite element of the yard.... The sound of running water is so dreamy and seems to be the closest to waterfront living I'm going to get for some time.

Our back deck

Looking toward the back of the house from what used to be the RV parking pad and is now home to a shade garden, firepit, patio and shed! The metal fence shown above was also made by my husband. We are growing privet on either side of the metal arbor to shape around the metal form...it's slow going, but one day we will get there.

The mod shed living in the shadow of the RV parking spot....also built by the husband, who has certainly earned his keep. Its windows and doors all came from our favorite salvage yard, where I have also found amazing treasures for both home and shop.

Fence bordering the alley

Concrete firepit made by...yep, him. The patio under it was crafted from sledgehammered pieces of the former RV parking pad.

One of our splurges was installing a glass garage door where there was previously a homemade set of wooden "carriage doors." (I use that term loosely.)

Finances permitting, we plan to one day convert the garage into a guest house for visiting friends and family. Neither of us are from Seattle, and with a 1,300 square-foot home and two kids, we are desperate to add to our liveable space. The glass garage door was installed with that in mind, so that some day, we and/or our guests can lounge in the garage with an open door, fire blazing and music playing. Life doesn't get much better than that...assuming, of course, that there is easy access to alcohol of some sort.

Like all projects around the home, there remains much more to be done, more growing to occur and refinements to be made, but it is certainly rewarding to stop and reflect on how far we've come.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Home Sweet Home

In an effort to delve a bit more deeply past the store inventory and our latest vintage finds, I thought I would share a bit about another passion of mine: gardening. It feels funny to say as, since my initial idea to open the store last November, I have barely seen my yard, much less worked in it. But there was a time, not so long ago, when I could spout Latin names of plants as easily as if they were names of friends...which they were, really.

My husband and I bought our first home, pictured above, nearly six years ago. We were newly married, I having abandoned my first career in editorial and merchandising work to follow my passion for interior design, going back to school to pursue a second degree.

Our budget was small by Seattle standards, so we looked at double digits-worth of homes--homes in good areas with holes in the ceiling, homes in bad areas with slightly smaller holes in the ceiling... I was emotionally exhausted and ready to hole up permanently in our apartment when I found what is now our house. And it was just like the story you wish you could tell about your significant other: I walked in the door, and I just KNEW. Charm oozed from every corner: 12' ceilings, original hardwood floors, open floor plan, attic-turned-whole top floor master bedroom, huge yard...

Oh, but the yard. Not so charming.

I grew up in the South, in a lovely historic home built in 1808, in the middle of 18 acres of rolling green fields. My mom was an avid gardener, and with 18 acres, she had plenty to do. As a child and teenager, I never got gardening--so much work, all the weeding, mulching, dividing, and for what? Just to do it over and over again. I was sure the bug would never strike me.

But within the confines of an apartment, I found myself planting and tending window boxes, shopping for plants I had nowhere to put. I found myself wanting a--gasp--garden.

Come closing day, we tackled the yard head-on, even convincing my mom to travel from Tennessee to pitch in. We planted upwards of 100 boxwoods in our front yard, dug up all the grass from our planting strip, threw up a fence, planted trees--and this was just the first week. We were on fire.

Our pace kept up pretty steadily over the next few years, with sketches passed back and forth between me and my husband, compromises on plant selections and materials to use for various projects....all of it made our yard more lovely, but it also was something we could do together, something that reminded us of all the reasons we liked each other to begin with (and some of the reasons we didn't!).

Since having a child, then starting a business, then having another child, our time working in the yard has decreased dramatically. But like an old friend, it's out there waiting for us to remember it's there. I just hope it won't hold a grudge.

"Before" and "After" shots of our front yard:

Before

After

Stay tuned for Part Two: The Backyard....

Garden Pruning

...or, as they say in the retail biz, a SALE.

After much soul-searching, we've come to terms with the fact that we're just not as motivated by gardening as we are to-die-for decor items, so we are winnowing out our garden section to make room for expanded furniture offerings, including a forthcoming bedding section. We'll still carry select garden-related items, but only those things we just can't live without and think you shouldn't either...translation: no more pruners or watering cans.

Starting this Saturday, August 30, most of our gardening items will be on sale for 25% off original prices to make way for new furnishings and accessories... Now's your chance to snap up fabulous garden design books, stylish Hable Construction gardening hats and gloves, colorful pots and more, all for a great price.

The sale will run through the following week, ending Sunday, September 7. First come, first serve.

We Got Dirty!

We are so excited to be featured in a recent post on Sunset magazine's gardening blog, "Fresh Dirt." As Northwest gardeners, we pretty much live and die by Sunset's gardening advice, so it's quite an honor to be one of their recommendations!

Check out the mention here: http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2008/05/revival-home-ga.html

What's New?

We have received over the last week a number of wonderful new items (including the to-die-for vintage Chesterfield now ensconced in our front window) and just had to share our favorites with you. There are many more items we still haven't unpacked, so stop by and see what else we have up our sleeve. And, of course, let us know if you'd like more information about any items that catch your fancy.... Such as:

Plexiglas-framed monoprint from Nashville's own Hatch Show Print, paired with a vintage French tufted reclining chaise...


"Beautiful Girls" monoprint from Hatch Show Print...


"George Washington" monoprint from Hatch Show Print...

Vintage (1950's) riveted steel armoire--a must-see!...

Set of four vintage (1950's) steel folding chairs...


White leather side chair with amazing nailhead trim at base...


Black-and-white houndstooth sofa with same nailhead trim...


Jonathan Adler (yes, we are carrying Jonathan Adler now!!! Yippee!) dog bed for the fabulous pooch...
Male & female canvas silhouette totes...


Pair of metal indoor/outdoor chairs...they're new, so order as many as you need!...

Hable Construction gardening gloves in great prints...we are so happy to be carrying their pillows as well, looking to add more from their accessories line soon.

Rectangular terrazzo planters in various sizes...

There is much more, but you'll have to come in to see for yourself.