Flower May/June 2022

Now is the month of maying,When merry lads are playing,Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.Each with his bonny lass,Upon the greeny grass,Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.The Spring, clad all in gladness,Doth laugh at Winter’s sadness,Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.Fie then! Why sit we musing,Youth’s sweet delight refusing?Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.Say, dainty nymphs, and speak,Shall we play barley break?Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la la. THINKING ABOUT AND ALLOWING MYSELF to soak in the idea of May,…

When you combine the creative talents of two design powerhouses such as Kit Kemp and Annie Selke, you are sure to hit the jackpot. As founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels and the Kit Kemp Design Studio, Kit has a passion for both travel and textiles. So it seemed only fitting that she would partner with textile designer Annie Selke to produce a lifestyle collection inspired by her favorite destinations—New York, London, and Barbados. The Kit Kemp Collection for Annie Selke offers a beautiful assortment of 50 storied rugs, dozens of color-infused pillows, and a handful of vibrantly patterned bedding pieces, many with dreamy botanical accents. “We’ve had a year where everything has seemed grey, so I feel we’re ready to just open our minds to color, to joy,…

Vibrant Interiors: Living Large at Home by Andrea Monath Schumacher (Gibbs Smith, May 2022), $45 In her first book, Andrea Monath Schumacher takes a unique approach to decorating with a more is more philosophy. Known for her fearless design sensibility, Andrea demonstrates how to mazimize your life in every room. She also reveals her secrets to blending genres for the right amount of contrast, ultimately creating interest in each space and encouraging lively conversation among family and friends. The book includes more than 200 images, including some of Andrea’s best projects to date. Lilacs: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden by Naomi Slade (Gibbs Smith, April 2022), $23 What better way to celebrate the change of seasons than with the flower that seems to announce this transition from spring to…

Sometimes the best ideas spring from a frustrating situation, as designer Courtnay Tartt Elias of Creative Tonic discovered at her home in the Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston. “The houses on my street are set way back from the curb with huge lawns, which was perfect for my three boys to play all their games when they were growing up,” she says. But when Courtnay’s next-door neighbors tore down their existing house and sited their new home closer to the street, it changed everything. “The house effectively blocks the gate that leads to our backyard and pool.” When Courtnay and husband Mark became “free birds” (her charming phrase for empty nesters) with more time to relax and entertain, they came up with a way to solve the issue. “Instead of reworking…

THINK ABOUT HOW YOU WANT TO USE THE SPACE, AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. For example, we wanted a cigar-smoking area, but we knew it needed to be placed where the smoke would blow away from the main action. PLAN AHEAD FOR POTENTIAL USES. We went ahead and had a tent company install in-ground stakes so we could have larger covered events. And since we love to play games, we poured a concrete base for an outdoor pool table that I plan to buy. CONSIDER USING ARTIFICIAL TURF. I would never recommend this for the front yard, but we’ve loved it in this space. It dries out fast after a rain. They even make pet-friendly versions now. INCLUDE FURNITURE THAT CAN BE MOVED AROUND DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF GUESTS. For example,…

Inspiration: Emily created this arrangement to express the change in season and temperature. Yellows and pinks represent the warm, soft shades of spring, while deep reds announce that summer (and its notorious New Orleans heat) is just around the corner. The Dirt on Emily Eberwine “I’ve always loved getting my hands dirty,” says the Pick-a-Petal founder. “The smell of marigolds immediately transports me back to my Mississippi childhood and hours spent tending to the garden with my mama. Our backyard would become almost overgrown with flowers until we brought the bounty inside and filled our home with color and fragrance.” Although it seemed like a natural fit for Emily, a career in floral design wasn’t an idea that she initially entertained. In fact, that seed wasn’t planted until after she…