Archives for 2014

Get inspired for budget-friendly fall decorating by a resourceful stylist’s thrifty but sophisticated adornments

Sarah Macklem’s children have different ideas about Halloween decorating than their mother has.

“The kids love severed body parts and all that stuff,” says Macklem with a good-natured shudder. A home stylist based in suburban Detroit, she forgoes disembodied limbs for a seasonal decorating style that looks elegantly understated, but is sourced largely from thrift stores and discount retailers.

To keep things sophisticated, Macklem builds upon her home’s black and white palette, overlaying touches of autumnal color in things like dishes and towels, while rendering familiar objects in unfamiliar ways. (White ceramic pumpkins, anyone?) Her seasonal handiwork goes up around Labor Day and culminates in a neighborhood Halloween party at her house.

“Decorating is my life,” says Macklem, “and I take advantage of every opportunity I have to do it.”

Natural brick is often considered a traditional building material. Here’s how people are using it in contemporary gardens too

Leaning against a brick garden wall warmed by the autumn sun, I pondered whether this ancient building material has a place in contemporary garden design. Is it a relic of traditional gardens? Brick has been a favorite material for gardens for centuries, from Roman courtyards and Tudor knot garden paths to the walls surrounding Victorian vegetable gardens. Winston Churchill, the British wartime prime minister, found brick laying to be a form of relaxation and built an extensive wall at his Chartwell garden.

Brick, which has been with us in one form or another since humans first started building, is most often formed from kneaded clay, molded into its familiar shape and then fired at a high temperature. Today, with garden designers embracing other construction materials, is there a place for brick in the garden? I think there is, and I’m sure that when you’ve had a look at some examples of great contemporary garden design using brick, you’ll agree.