Seeking FLW (Frank Lloyd Wright) design guidance- WWY do
deb s
4 years ago
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What would you do with these perennials?
Comments (42)SnailLover - thanks for the compliment about my garden. I think it hails back to 2011 and defining the picture I had in my head of what the garden should look like once I grew the plants to set in the beds. Via winter sowing, I grew trees, shrubs & perennials and was able to stuff them into my garden beds so they could grow up and grow on. The ornamental dogwood trees I grew from seed are 6 ft. tall this year. The grown-from-seed St. John's wort & spirea have sent out new growth as have veronica, beardtongue, globeflower, Siberian iris, Maltese cross, Shasta daisy, columbine, agastache, blackberry lily & potentilla/cinquefoil. As for design, I grabbed a sketch pad, lawn chair & pencil, sat in the chair facing an expanse of lawn and started drawing on paper what I saw in my head, which is reflected in the pictures I posted above. Once I had the raw materials (i.e., plants), I started placing them in the beds. Did I make any mistakes? Oh, yeah--like a shrub (that I thought grew 2 ft. tall & 2 ft. wide) planted next to one of my concrete walkways which then grew 5 ft. tall & 5 ft. wide. It's on this year's list of "things to move." Fortunately I didn't expect to get it right the first time out so making adjustments hasn't made me give up on having a garden that not only pleases my own eyes but also those of folks passing by, either on foot or on wheels. I picked up lots of tips and advice from folks on the GW forums. For instance, setting perennials in groups of 3 planted diagonally to a walkway or path. Since I had an abundance of plants to work with thanks to winter sowing, I took that advice into account when it came time to plant out. I also reduced the recommended planting space between perennials, down from 18" to 14". Did I measure with a ruler or tape measure? In some cases I did; in others, no. When I try to plant things I end up overthinking it, measuring and trying to make everything symmetrical and evenly spaced. Why? Did you read somewhere that things must be symmetrical? Have a look at some garden designs--Bluestone Perennials' website (see link) has garden bed planting layouts you can check out to get ideas. You're planting your garden to please your eyes, not the formal gardens at Windsor Castle or Sissinghurst. No one is going to grade you for getting it right the first time. Here is a link that might be useful: Bluestone garden plans...See MoreHow quickly do you grow tired of what you have?
Comments (40)It took us awhile to figure out the style that resonates with us, which is mostly centered on clean lines, without a lot of knick-knacks or decorative froufrous. Gilded baroque is probably our worst nightmare. Our home is sort of a cross between Frank Lloyd Wright and ultra-modern. We also have a few family pieces that have to be fit in because of the sentimental attachment. I do think that any style or look can be done very well, which is how decorating magazines can be a bit confusing. It's easy to go from "I want a nice looking room" to "this room looks great" to "I want this room" In reality a great looking room may still not be the one you want to look at everyday, or appropriate for your lifestyle. It probably took us 20 years to hone in on just what was our preferred taste, as opposed to just what we'd grown up with or saw in stores and magazines. I think that more awareness and consideration on our part might have hurried the process along. At any rate, once we figured out what we really like, and took the time and effort to find it, we've remained quite satisfied with it. It is definitely an ongoing thing. I've never had a house that I consider "done", but I have had rooms that way. A lot of that is budget. I will no longer buy something based just on price and availability. If I don't like it a lot, or have a dire need, it's not worth any price. ----------------- ps.. I bet our feelings on home decor carry over to other areas as well. I would rather have a few nice clothes than a huge wardrobe of mediocre ones. Other people want to be able to wear a different outfit each day for several weeks. I don't think either approach is right or wrong, just right for the individual....See MoreUpdate Curb Appeal for 1960's Ranch?
Comments (24)I moved some of the photos from the album the OP linked to. This home looks to be custom built for the lot. Notice the design philosophy where the posts blend right into the trees and are hardly noticed. Why would anyone want to "beef up" the posts or glue trellises to them? It looks like some of the posts have started to be painted white to match the window and door trim for some reason. This is an easy fix and the posts can be repainted to blend. If you start messing with the posts in front of the house then you have created a monster with the posts along the garage not matching. There is no reason to start hacking the support posts out as some are suggesting, both from a design perspective and from an engineering standpoint. This home was designed to 'cocoon' the inhabitants and blend in with the natural surroundings. The FLW philosophy believed a home should work with the surroundings not just be plopped down. This home embraces that philosophy. I am very curious as to whom is the architect here. It looks like there may have been tiered steps and a platform going up into the garden in back that have now been removed and replaced with a new sloping walkway. Before doing any other modifications a professional should be consulted for guidance....See MoreDesigning a Colorful HOME, Holly and Mark
Comments (75)Let's come back to earth and remember where we are. This is a forum about designing and building a house. A custom designed and built house is pretty much a first world issue isn't it? And one of the frequently raised issues is the conflicting approaches of: 1). Adapting one's family and life style to a pre-designed, often pre-built house, versus 2). Adapting a custom designed home to support one's family and life style. Mark has posted elequently on the two different approaches to designing and building a home, and the very different results. Certainly, folks who see a home as nothing more than shelter could care less. And just as certainly folks who care greatly about the positive impacts possible with a creatively designed custom home seek nothing less. We see postings daily from each segment and view....See Moredeb s
4 years agodeb s
4 years ago
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