A Tour of Our Romantic Rose Garden : How We Design Our Garden for Summer

Summer is when everything is in bloom at our home! I do all of the gardening at our house by myself, and it’s a labor of love. When we moved into the house, the entire garden was full of vines. I took them out little by little to create garden beds. 

Front Porch and Front Garden Design: 

In front of our house and on the trellis, we have heirloom David Austin climbing roses. David Austin roses are specially bred in England, and have been cultivated by the same company for sixty years. They have an intricate breeding process in England, after which the plants are shipped to be grown in the USA. 

I like roses because they’re pretty hardy. Unlike peonies, which only bloom for a week or so and are very fragile, roses bloom for the season and can withstand windy days and summer heat. You just need to make sure they get enough sun, plant food, and water. 

These pretty pink roses welcome you to our garden, along with our catmint. We love catmint for its purple color, easy maintenance, and also for its name! (If you don’t know us very well, we love cats and take care of lots of rescues in our neighborhood). We added a variety of roses this year to add more color.

Our baby Ray enjoying the garden

Catmint is technically an herb. It’s aromatic, naturally bug-repellant, and heat/drought-resistant - super easy to maintain! Since it’s an herb, you actually can use it in food and make teas with it like any other herb. 

And yes, it is related to catnip, but it’s not the same thing. You’ve probably bought dried catnip at the pet store for your cats - they sniff it, roll around in it, and generally go a little nuts. You can also buy fresh catnip to put in your garden. It’s less ornamental as catmint, and fresh catnip in your garden will bring outdoor cats sniffing around to smell and nibble at it. 

Catmint, which is what we have, doesn’t have the same effect and isn’t as attractive to cats, and is a prettier, more ornamental plant. 

Garden Pathway Design

This is a very special part of our garden. The path is all hostas, which were transplanted from Brooklyn by my favorite Aunt Rose, who’s since passed away (and is the namesake of my daughter, Ava Rose). She loved gardening and planted roses she would clip for us each season. 

We added this special garden for our beloved Harry. Harry passed away last October. Harry loved our garden. I will never forget the day we rescued him he sat in the garden so happy to have a place to relax after being in an overcrowded shelter for 10 days.

Hostas are a great addition to your garden because they’re a mix of greenery and flowers. There are many types of hostas, so it’s fun to shop for different colors and textures. They’re cold-hardy and you can easily split them and replant into a new part of your garden, too. 

The only downside is that critters love hostas. Sprinkle sand around the base of your hostas to deter snails, who’ll leave unsightly holes in the leaves. Rabbits and especially deer will chow down on hostas like they’re a tasty starter salad, so if you have an unfenced yard, beware!

Favorite Garden Plants and Flowers

My tried and true favorites for my garden are hydrangeas (I mix up the varieties), roses (lots of roses), catmint, lavender, salvia, peonies, hostas for the shady area, hydrangea trees and  boxwoods, I also tried juniper this year and love the color of the trees with pink annuals.

I have about 5 garden beds going right now - front yard, side of the house, back of the house, lavender garden and our late kitty Harry's memorial garden, which I did in all yellow because it was his favorite color! 

The last hurricane we had here in New York sadly destroyed most of our garden, so this year I’m starting fresh. A trip to the local garden center to add some color (or I should say many trips to the local garden center!)

It’s fun to have roses, hydrangeas and peonies to use as cut flowers for vases. I recommend having lots of plants you can use for this, and you’ll never have to buy flowers all summer! You can cut flowers to put all over your home and outdoor space, and even bring them in a vase for gifts all summer long. 

Our Etu Home White Colorblock Flower Vase is a great white flower vase that complements the colors of all the summer flowers. It also comes in Navy, Sage, Merlot, and Denim. These are some of my favorite vases - they all look fantastic with hydrangeas. The Sage is especially pretty with white hydrangeas, and the navy and denim look perfect with any color. The Merlot is a great color for mixed flower arrangements. 

Shop the Etu Home Denim Colorblock Flower Vase online at Lavender Fields here

Shop the Etu Home White Colorblock Flower Vase online at Lavender Fields here

Shop the Etu Home Sage Colorblock Flower Vase online at Lavender Fields here

Our Etu Home Navy Artisanal Vase and  Etu Home Denim Artisanal Vase are handmade in Europe from recycled glass, and they each come in three different sizes. I like clustering them on an outdoor dining table, or scattering them throughout your outdoor living space or your home (one in the powder room, one in the living room, one in the kitchen). 

Shop the Etu Home Denim Artisanal Vases online at Lavender Fields here

For the minimalists, our Etu Home French Mason Jar and Etu Home Artisanal Vase showcase the blooms with their clear color. They also come in multiple sizes each. 

Shop the Etu Home French Mason Jar Vase online at Lavender Fields here

Shop the Etu Home Artisanal Vases online at Lavender Fields here

Best Garden Planters and Canvas Planter for Garden

Sitting in the garden shouldn’t just be a visual experience, but an entire sensory one. That’s why I like the roses, lavender and catmint - they make the whole space smell like summer. 

To bring some of that over to your seating area, you can plant some aromatics or herbs in a planter. Our Plant Kindness, Gather Love canvas planter is a favorite and makes a great gift. You can also get our Keep Blooming, Beautiful One canvas planter. 

Shop the  Keep Blooming, Beautiful One canvas planter online

Shop the Plant Kindness, Gather Love canvas planter online

Our Lorena Canals Basket Zoco Black-Natural doubles as a basket or a planter for a covered outdoor space. 

Shop the  Lorena Canals Basket Zoco Black-Natural online

And for something a little more French Country, our Aged Metal Soaking Tub Relic, inspired by a vintage soaking tub, is perfect. 

Shop our French Country Aged Metal Soaking Tub Relic online 

Garden Bed Design and Chemical-Free Garden Maintenance

For my garden and grass I don’t use any chemicals for fertilizer or for pesticides. I am super picky about the mulch too, since that gets moldy and kills perennials. 

Favorite Outdoor Decor and Dash and Albert Indoor Outdoor Rugs

Our rustic Potters Cart is a dream for any gardener - you can even keep your tools in cute baskets underneath and use the top as a serving area or bar cart.  Our Potters reclaimed wood shelf can display all of your beautiful plants and other garden decor.

Shop our rustic Potter's Cart online at Lavender Fields here

Shop our reclaimed wood Potter's Shelf online at Lavender Fields here

Our Dash and Albert Outdoor Rugs are best sellers and can help complement all your pretty plants. For my garden, I’d probably start with pink outdoor rugs like the Dash and Albert Journey Indoor/Outdoor rug to complement my roses. Yellow outdoor rugs might also be another fun, sunny option - I like the Dash and Albert Happy Yellow Stripe Indoor/Outdoor rug. 

Shop our  Dash and Albert Happy Yellow Stripe Indoor/Outdoor rug online at Lavender Fields here

Shop our Dash and Albert Pink Journey Indoor/Outdoor Rug online at Lavender Fields here

Our customers also really love coastal outdoor rugs, striped outdoor rugs, and light blue outdoor rugs. 

To bring a little bit of the garden inside, everyone loves our Sugarboo Your Mind is a Garden Art Print. 

Shop our Sugarboo Your Mind is a Garden Print online at Lavender Fields here

Shop Garden and Outdoor Decor

Next up, we’re getting new outdoor furniture - I’ll share more on that next month! In the meantime, check out our latest new arrivals at our online shop at Lavender Fields. 

How to Decorate in Modern Farmhouse Style: Tips from an Interior Designer

 At Lavender Fields, our customers love modern farmhouse style - it’s one of our most popular categories on our site. Our interior design and e-design customers also love farmhouse style decor, and we layer their rooms in our favorite farmhouse style rugs, bedding, furniture, wallpaper and more. Here are our designer tips on how to decorate in modern farmhouse style. 

What is modern farmhouse style?

Modern farmhouse style offers a more updated farmhouse aesthetic for your home. Most people love the feel of farmhouse living, but don’t want to live in a house straight out of the 1800s, filled only with antiques or old-fashioned finishes. Going the modern route lets you blend in different styles of artwork, furniture, and wallpaper. For example, you can do a rustic reclaimed wood farmhouse coffee table with clean white walls, a more midcentury-style sofa, and a great piece of contemporary art. 

As interior designers, we’re adept at blending these styles together well. If you’re not a designer and are nervous about mixing styles, we have some tips for starting with your modern farmhouse journey. 

Classic French Farmhouse vs. Rustic Farmhouse

Some people differentiate between a more industrial farmhouse look and a more classic or French farmhouse look. We think that both styles can live harmoniously together, if done right. We like industrial farmhouse elements like cool lighting, iron beds, and unique hardware, but also love the softer look of cozy French farmhouse chairs and more cottage-like French farmhouse bedding. 

Shop the Checkered Linen Bed Scarf online at Lavender Fields here 

Shop the French Farmhouse Toile Settee online at Lavender Fields here

You can easily do a guest bedroom with an iron bed frame like our Corsican standard bed in white and your master bedroom with a custom upholstered headboard in a pretty slate gray linen. There are no hard and fast rules! In fact, the last thing you want is for your home to look “themed” or matchy-matchy,  so mixing it up (within reason) is even better. 

Start with the basics of your room

The easiest way to start decorating your room in modern farmhouse style is to start with a clean palette. From a designer’s perspective, we want the farmhouse furniture and accents to really stand out in this room - if we add too much “stuff” or color, the room will look less modern farmhouse and more antique farmhouse. 

When we decorate a home in this style, we start with a fresh coat of white paint on the walls. We like Benjamin Moore’s Simply White - it’s a warmer white that offsets the warm tones of the rustic wood you’ll soon be adding. 

pic via Benjamin Moore

pic via Studio Mcgee

A lot of people think of shiplap walls when they think of a farmhouse thanks to HGTV, but this is an expensive and time consuming treatment. You can get that same clean feel with just a fresh coat of the perfect white paint. 

If you’re doing a kitchen or bathroom, we like clean white subway tile or penny tile with black or white grout. Not only are these inexpensive options, they give the perfect palette to the farmhouse decor you’ll be decorating with.  

We love wallpaper when done judiciously.If your home is open concept, finding a wall to use wallpaper on can be difficult, as you don’t want it to just end in the middle of the room. Good spots to use wallpaper in these homes are smaller rooms like powder rooms, laundry rooms, mud rooms, bedrooms, and dining rooms (if your dining room has its own room with its own walls and isn’t part of the open concept area). Contrary to popular belief, wallpaper won’t make a small room look smaller; in fact, it turns a powder room or laundry room into a fun little jewel box, making an oft-overlooked space into a special one. 

Layer in your Farmhouse Rugs and Furniture

A rug is a huge part of your decor - you may not realize it, but from a design standpoint, it takes up a huge part of the visual landscape, even though the furniture covers part of it. Some people think they don’t need a rug in a modern space, but rugs warm up the room and make it feel cozier and more liveable. 

At Lavender Fields, we have a huge selection of Dash and Albert farmhouse style rugs. If you’re sticking with a more neutral look and bringing in color elsewhere, stick with a sisal or jute rug. If you want to bring in a little bit of subtle color, try a Pom Pom at Home one, like this pretty blue stripe Beechwood rug. 

Shop the Pom Pom at Home Beachwood Striped Rug online at Lavender Fields here

Next, choose your furniture. Unless you’re hiring an interior designer, most people don’t buy all new furniture in one fell swoop and instead select one investment piece at a time. We have a great selection of artisan-made, heirloom-quality farmhouse furniture on our site. It’s all made from solid wood, and will last you for decades to come. A rustic sideboard cabinet or reclaimed wood dining table looks fresh in a room with fresh white paint, a new sisal rug, cool industrial lighting, and modern farmhouse accents. 

Shop the Aged Zinc Top Round Dining Table online at Lavender Fields here

Shop the Modern Farmhouse Country Club Sideboard online at Lavender Fields here.

Add in your Farmhouse Style Art and Decor

We love to create gallery walls for our design clients. With clean, fresh white walls, the artwork can really shine. We’ll put their most treasured photos in our Traditional Modern Farmhouse Reclaimed Wood Frame or the Farmhouse Reclaimed Rustic Wood Picture Frame Set, which comes in a set of 1, 2, 3 or 4. For a gallery wall, we might add something whimsical, like our farmhouse style art painted on barnwood. We like to finish it with a Spicher and Company Letter Print with the first letter of the family name. 

Shop the Debi Coules Barnwood French Farmhouse Rooster Artwork online at Lavender Fields here

Shop the Spicher and Company Letter Art Prints online at Lavender Fields here

For a more contemporary feel, our Hyden Horses photography collection is perfect. They’re available framed or unframed, and at 54”x42”, they make a major statement. 

Shop the Hyden Horses: Spotted Art Print online at Lavender Fields here

If you’re looking for unique farmhouse style artwork, we love our Sugarboo collection. The fabric tarps are handmade, and in our clients’ homes we hang them with Sugarboo’s hand-forged metal nails. We like the Sugarboo Designs Handmade Botanical Wall Tarp - Each Flower Must Grow wall tarp in a living room. 

Shop the Sugarboo Each Flower Must Grow Wall Tarp online at Lavender Fields here

We always finish a farmhouse room with farmhouse style throw pillows. Our favorites are the Sweet Gumball Farmhouse Lumbar Pillow, the Taylor Linens Farmhouse Stripe Boudoir pillow for a bedroom, the Taylor Linens Old Glory pillow for an Americana vibe, and our Damask Linen Euro Pillow Sham for a French farmhouse feel.

Shop the Taylor Linens Old Glory pillow online at Lavender Fields here

Modern Farmhouse Kitchen and Bathroom Ideas 

A modern farmhouse vibe works especially well in kitchens and bathrooms. Most of us don’t have old homes with original 18th or 19th century kitchens, (and to be honest, would we even want them?). You can have a beautiful kitchen with marble countertops and white cabinets but get that modern farmhouse feel with gingham roman shades, cup pulls on your cabinets, farmhouse cross back chairs, and vintage-y lighting, like our Jamie Young Provisions pendant.

Shop the Somerset Bay Oakville Modern Farmhouse Stool online at Lavender Fields here

Shop the Jamie Young Provisions Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Pendant Light online at Lavender Fields here

To add some decor to the kitchen, we love a Spicher and Company Farmer's Market Tomato Seeds Framed Print to bring a Farmer’s Market vibe. Somerset Bay Oakville Stools are classic country home, but in 22 finishes you can go all white or bring in a little color (we love a bold navy blue).  

Shop the Spicher and Company Tomato Seeds Print online at Lavender Fields here

 

For a powder room, we’d do a pretty farmhouse-inspired wallpaper paired with a simple penny tile and a pedestal sink. 

Bathrooms need decor too - we’d add our handmade Etu Home French Mason Jar in small with fresh flowers and whimsical farmhouse artwork, like our Rosie the Cow barnwood artwork. 

Shop the Debi Coules Rosie the Cow in Flower Crown Barnwood Artwork online at Lavender Fields here

Shop the Pine Cone Hill Diamond Eyelet White Shower Curtain online at Lavender Fields here

The trick to keeping the “modern” in a modern farmhouse is restraint. In bathrooms, we like to do that by keeping the soft goods like towels and shower curtains white - let the artwork, wallpaper, and decorative accents give the farmhouse vibe. Some of our favorite classic but never boring white shower curtains are the Pine Cone Hill Diamond Embroidered White Shower Curtain, the Pine Cone Hill Diamond Eyelet White Shower Curtain, and the Pine Cone Hill Trio White Shower Curtain. 

For towels, we stick with our Pine Cone Hill signature white towel collection - always soft and absorbent, always classic. If you want to add a little color to your farmhouse bath mat, we’d go with our Pine Cone Hill Rowe Shale Stripe bath mat; otherwise, we love our Pine Cone Hill Modesto Bath Mat to add some texture. 

Decorate your home with modern farmhouse style

Our customers and interior design clients alike come to us for modern farmhouse furniture and decor. Get in touch with us for our e-design services, or shop our farmhouse collection on our site here. 

Top 10 Tips from an Interior Designer

1. Do Not Be Afraid to Hire An Interior Designer 

Hiring an Interior Designer not only brings peace of mind to the design process but it will save you time and money in the long run. While it is easy to think that you can “do it yourself,” an Interior Designer is going to help you stay within your budget, provide access & resources to design items otherwise not accessible, and take the stress and guesswork of creating a beautiful home. Additionally, an Interior Designer is going to give you TIME back. Between family, work, and life, letting a professional take the lead with your design project will allow you more creative freedom to assist in the process, yet still stay focused with your day-to-day tasks. 

At Lavender Fields, your happiness is our number one priority, and we look forward to assisting you in creating the home of your dreams. We offer complimentary design assistance in store, by phone, and email too. 

Contact us today to get started on all of your design needs! 

2. Purchase Quality Furniture 

While purchasing good quality furniture may seem like an unneeded expense at the time, their return on investment far outweighs that of their initial price tag. Here are just a few of the reasons WHY investing in quality furniture is going to be more cost effective to you in the future!

• Quality products are going to last - most likely a lifetime! In addition, they provide better comfort and, ultimately, less of a financial burden down the road. 
• The versatility of what is offered with higher end furniture is far greater than those with a relatively lower price point. 
• It’s aesthetically pleasing! High quality furniture looks just like that; high quality! 

At Lavender Fields, we understand the importance of QUALITY, and we want you to feel confident & proud of what you display. This is why we hand select all of the items we carry, and never compromise on items that we would not recommend. Hiring an Interior Designer will help you search for the perfect statement piece/pieces to make your home stand out, all while staying within your budget & no sacrificing quality!

Modern History Collection

3. Start Each Room With a Favorite Piece

 When you are looking for design inspiration, turning to a favorite piece for each room is the perfect start. Whether you have a piece of art you adore, a piece of furniture you want to highlight, or a fabric that you have been wanting to use, these provide the best starting point.

Somerset Bay Furniture

4. Create Your Own Story 

In a world of DIY, home improvement channels, and even social media, it’s hard NOT to get excited about decorating, and inspired to create the perfect living space. More often than not, though, I work with clients who see a look they like, fall in love with the picture, and decide they want to recreate or “copy” it altogether. Easy right?

What we tend to not look at are the specifics, and if it “fits” our lifestyle. 

Here are a couple of examples:

The space [family room] I want to recreate is gorgeous but will it be conducive to my young family of 5? It is too formal, and not enough comfort? Does it fit the needs of our family right now? 

I love this rug shown on social media but, beyond the expense, does it work in the area where I would want it to be showcased? It’s in a “high traffic” area and gets a lot of wear and tear. While I want quality, maybe I need to find something similar but with more versatility. 

Getting inspired by what is out there is a great economical resource but tailor it to your “story.” It’s about bringing style, comfort, and versatility to a space that fits your current needs, whether you are a young couple, a family of 5, or empty nesters. Hiring an Interior Designer is a wonderful addition to help bring your story to life, and create a vision for ways to change this down the road as your style and living situation evolves. If you are looking for some inspiration, take a peek at the curated selection of lifestyles we offer!

Dash and Albert

5. Lighting Matters

Think of lighting like your wardrobe - fun statement pieces mixed with essentials for everyday. Believe it or not, though, lighting is a design element that tends to be overlooked in the process. One of the best ways to properly “outfit” your space is to think about all of the ways it will be utilized. From there, you can start creating the perfect mood(s) such as warmth, drama, inviting, etc. For example, lamps serve an essential, everyday purpose; whether table or floor, they bring life to your space, and compliment natural and overhead lighting. On the other hand, chandeliers can act like jewelry, or fun statement pieces, for your home.

Jamie Young Lighting

6. Sleep Is Important

The art to creating an inviting bedroom is that it is not only beautiful but the space is conducive to getting a good night’s sleep. In addition to selecting peaceful, serene and warm colors, along with proper lighting to provide a calm and welcoming space, I advise clients to make sure their bedroom is designed to be just that - their bedroom. Things I like to consider include keeping electronics outside of the space, avoiding clutter which can induce the feeling of stress, room temperature, and, most importantly, selecting your bedding wisely.

Bella Notte Linens

7. Guest Rooms Matter!

While guest rooms may not be a part of the home that you utilize on the regular, and “live in” for that matter, they should not be spaces that you skimp on though! Just as you want your home to be beautiful and comfortable for everyday living, the same should go for making your guests feel that way too!

Pine Cone Hill

8. Slipcovers Are Life Saving

There is something to be said about a slipcover, specifically for the fact that it is machine washable. This is a huge WIN, and a great addition when I am creating a child and pet friendly home for a client! Beyond being able to clean them as needed, they are versatile and can easily be changed out when you are ready for a new look. Plus, it is more economical since you only need to replace the slipcover and not the entire sofa. We are pleased to offer Lee Furniture, Cisco, Rowe and Norwalk. Contact us for details as our fabric options are endless!

9. Art Matters

All too often, I will walk into a room and see the space with no art at all, art that does not tell the client's story, or art that is not cohesive to the space. Art can be an overlooked investment because of the expense and not fully understanding the value & statement it adds to the home. While it can feel like an overwhelming process, take time to select art, and get to know what you like, don’t like, and fits your decor, personality, and story. Invest in art that will increase in value or that can be passed on to your family. If you are looking for some inspiration, take a peek at the art & wall decor that we offer at Lavender Fields.

Natural Curiosities

10. Don’t Make Impulse Purchases

Finally, all too often I see customers make an impulse purchase from a big box store because they felt they “had to have it.” Those purchases often wind up on marketplaces as they realize the quality is cheap, it does not fit right in the room, it’s not versatile, etc. The art to creating your perfect space is in the hunt, and comparing a variety of different pieces before making the investment. What you think you may have wanted may not be what you end up loving! Even living in the space for a bit gives you a sense of what feels “right,” and what makes the most sense given your current lifestyle.

If you are ready to take the next step contact us for a free consultation.

Setting a Beautiful Easter Table

 

Setting a beautiful Easter table can be fun for the entire family. You can easily use what you have already around the house and add touches from nature. 

Here are some fun ideas:

Use a mix of vintage and new items.

• Add natural elements such as plants in pots.
• Create a fun family project of creating an Easter egg tree to be the focal point of the table. 
• Decorate with candy. Jars of jelly beans and peeps make such a fun decoration. 
• Gather your Easter decorations from around the house and add them to the table. Fun bunnies, ceramic eggs, grass runners all create a fun table. 
• Take it outdoors. If it is warm enough for outdoor dining set a beautiful table outside.

Photo source Pinterest and Home with Holliday

Photo source - Pinterest and A Wonderful Thought 

Shop our linen and tabletop collection for beautiful dishes, table decor and table linens. 

Create Your Perfect Gallery Wall

 These easy tips will help you create that gallery wall you have been meaning to work on but have no idea how and where to start.

1. Start with your favorite piece. It could be art, an architectural piece or a tapestry. Once you have your focal point and favorite piece you can work around it. If you do not have a favorite piece look around to see what inspires you. 

2. Gather your other pieces. Are you going for a coastal theme, eclectic, romantic or country look? Search online, local shops, flea markets or from your already growing collection. View our art collection. 

3. Clear some floor space and tape off the amount of space that are working with for your gallery wall. Then play around with the arrangement of your pieces to decide on a layout. When you are ready cut out some kraft paper and painters tape it to the wall so you have your gallery wall all planned out before you start nailing into the wall.

4 .Now take a step back, look at your wall and make adjustments if needed.

5. If you need help with your gallery wall we offer free design assistance as well as full design services. Find out more about our services.

 

Brand Spotlight - Sweet Gumball

Karen Olney is an entrepreneur, product designer and artist based in Alpharetta, Georgia. Her company, Sweet Gumball, is known for being passionate about creating all things simple... and of course, sweet. While some like to describe Sweet Gumball's craftsmanship as "understated elegance" she likes to describe it as designs "from the heart". The color palette is consistent in soft linen tones combined with mineral tones found in nature. The materials used to create the look are described as a blend of cozy meets rustic, a look that can be easily added to a beach home, a farmhouse or any urban setting. Sweet Gumball crafts their products by hand and are happy to add that the art, candles and metal work is all crafted in the USA. The linen collection is designed in the USA, imported from India, and finished in the USA, with love.

We have been proud to offer Sweet Gumball Designs in our shop now for many years. We love supporting arts such as Karen. When customers see Sweet Gumball in person they truly fall in love. Shop our collection of Sweet Gumball farmhouse style art, coastal style art and children's art.

 

Visit our retail shop at 318 Wynn Lane in Port Jefferson, New York or shop the Sweet Gumball Collection online.