Photo by Marni Elyse Katz/StyleCarrot
Happy Fourth from Boston.
Tag: Boston
Sunday Bouquet: Urban Garden Blur
Photo by Marni Elyse Katz/StyleCarrot
I took this photography last year at a community garden in the South End.
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Saturday Say It: #BostonStrong
via Boston Magazine / Michelle Andrews
Good luck to all the Boston Marathon runners on Monday.
Sending love to the victims and their families.
And thank you to the many agencies and volunteers.
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Design Diary: A Boston Patio Inspired by Majorelle Gardens
Another oldie but goodie from the Boston Globe Magazine archives. In October 2009, I wrote “Kind of Blue,” about a Beacon Hill patio redesigned for outdoor entertaining, inspired by the homeowner’s trip to Morocco; Majorelle Gardens to be exact. This well-traveled 50-something hired Brian Feehan to transform her 10-by-17-foot outdoor space when she returned from her trip. He wondered how he would cram a 20-foot reflecting pool in there, but with a flair for the dramatic (Feehan is actually a director and choreographer), he managed to eke out a bit of paradise in the historic neighborhood.
I N S P I R A T I O N
Jardin Majorelle • Marrakech
Majorelle Garden was designed by the painter Jacques Majorelle in 1924 and revived by fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his partner, Pierre Berge, in 1980. Feehan took cues from the distinctive cobalt blue accent color, Moorish latticework, lush greenery, and fountain.
B E A C O N H I L L P A T I O
Designed by Brian Feehan
Feehan replaced the existed rotted wood deck with a mahogany-stained ipe deck and painted the existing lattice matte black. He added a trio of of 6-inch-wide horizontal wood strips in cobalt blue around the perimeter. The slats add color, and the homeowner can hang votives and flowerpots from them.
For additional interest and color, Feehan hung a pair of antique Chinese doors found at SoWa showroom Mohr & McPherson. The scale and shape mimic the French doors on the opposite wall, and provide a focal point when one steps onto the patio from the house.
The blue mosaic tile you see in the background is a fountain. More about that below. Look closely, there are mirrors on either side of it, which extend the feel of the space.
Feehan created a mosaic glass tile wall fountain that’s eight-feet high. Water runs down the surface, which is covered with tiles in different sizes and thicknesses. It’s uplit, creating a glistening, otherworldly effect in the evening, and sounds lovely too. The water collects at the bottom in a cobalt-colored trough that runs the length of the brick wall.
Moroccan style tiles are affixed to the gate, adding more flavor.
The patio is accessed from the condo by French doors.
Don’t you wish she’d invite you to a cocktail party?
B E F O R E
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It’s time to wear your espadrilles!
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Design Diary: Boston Pied-a-Terre by Ana Donohue
I wrote about this the 1,600-square-foot, contemporary Back Bay condo, decorated by Boston area interior designer Ana Donohue, for New England Home in the article “Urban Oasis.” Boston photographer Michael J. Lee took all the photos.
The homeowners, who live in Bermuda, purchased the two-bedroom as a pied-a-terre so they’d have somewhere to stay while visiting their two daughters, who attend boarding school in New England. Ana was recommended by a friend, and worked with the wife to create a contemporary home-away-from-home that has a similar feel to the family’s Bermuda residence.
The walls were already this deep charcoal, and since there’s tons of light, they decided to leave it. Plus, dark walls would provide a dramatic backdrop for the light-colored B&B Italia Charles sofa by Antonio Citterio and Cassina LC2 armchairs, purchased at Montage. The mirrored cocktail table is from The Morson Collection. Newton-based art consultant Jacqueline Becker chose artwork throughout.
The floors, however, were a different story. Stained a rich walnut, the homeowner wanted them lightened. The contractor thought they were crazy, but embarked on a long bleaching process that left the floors a lovely, creamy shade of white. Everyone loves them.
Donohue chose a silvery rug from nearby Landry & Arcari to keep to a uniform palette. The homeowner told me, ““I didn’t want a Persian rug, or a busy print; it would make too much of a statement.” She also preferred to leave the windows bare. Donohue added color and pattern with Missoni throw pillows. Donohue chose a pair of alabaster-topped turned walnut Jonathan Adler Buenos Aires side tables in different sizes.
In the dining area, Donohue used a classic white marble Saarinen dining table and Saarinen Executive dining chairs. A Foscarini Caboche Suspension Lamp designed by Patricia Urquiola hangs above, casting an amber glow.
A Jonathan Adler Bond desk is in front of a window; the Lucite legs makes the burled mappa wood top appear to float. Behind it, barely visible, is an Kartell Mademoiselle chair, also with Lucite legs.
The upholstered bed in the master bedroom is from DWR and the sleek dresser from Italian Design in Brookline. Bedding from Bloomingdale’s.
Stacked horizontal tile in robin’s egg blue is from Ann Sacks, and the contemporary walnut vanity and faucet from Billie Brenner in the Boston Design Center.
The girls wanted fun colors in their bedroom. Ana found a brightly colored wire side table and bedding at Home Goods. The Jonathan Adler zebra rug in orange adds pattern.
Photography by Michael J. Lee
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