This is an occasion where the Boston Design Community comes together to bring high design to the dining experience. Bar carts and dining tables were decorated to the nines, each with a unique theme.
The evening’s mission
“To raise awareness and help alleviate homelessness in the Boston community. Heading Home is a non-profit that re-houses and provides a supported pathway to self-sufficiency for young families in the Boston area.”
OK – enough talk, onto the pretty pictures. Maybe you’ll find inspiration for your next sit down dinner at home.
If you missed the Museum of Fine Arts Art in Bloom exhibit, allow me to share a few of the photos I took that are fueling my floral inspiration this season. Every Mother’s Day my goal is to pretty up my outdoor spaces with new hanging plants, garden pots and planters. I love going to the local nursery and selecting colorful blooms, greenery, plantware and accessories. If I’m being honest, I didn’t get very far this year, but I’m glad to have gained some floral inspiration from my recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts nonetheless. Their dramatic floral displays may not be anything I could recreate myself, but many arrangements did give me creative ideas that might extend, in some small way, to the plantings I will eventually get to this spring.
Here were some of my favorites.
Closeup
Dense and Dramatic
Color Coordinated
I loved how the floral displays played off the color, texture and imagery of the art.
Sculpture
I have a thing for sculpture and only after having taken this photo of the ballerina did I realize it reminds me of the garden sculptures I have of two dancing girls.
I hope you enjoyed this floral inspiration pictorial.
Let’s hope all of those April showers bring us beautiful May flowers. And June, July, August…
I have a weird thing when it comes to rugs. They’re always the last thing on my mind. Until recently when I had occasion to redecorate Tony’s home office and attended a Rejuvenate Your Space workshop at Helen Thomas in Andover. There I discovered their collection of Dash & Albert rugs. Check out my post about the workshop and office makeover here.
Dash & Albert Rugs
Stacks of beautiful rug samples line the back wall at Helen Thomas. I was drawn to the gorgeous colors and textures and spotted one sample, in particular, I thought would work amazingly well in Tony’s newly reimagined office.
I knew the lighter tone of the rug would be perfect to brighten the small room and the geometric pattern in blue was perfect to pick up on the blue tones I already had going in the room. It also had just the modern simplicity I was going for.
Of the many Dash & Albert rugs that Lisa Schiavone, owner of Helen Thomas, has available, I chose the Moroccan inspired, Numa hand knotted wool rug in blue. It also comes in a charcoal pattern. The blue lines are a perfect pop of color on the floor that also serves to tie all of the other blue accents together.
Our Rug
We couldn’t be happier with our Numa rug. It creates such a warm and cozy environment in a place that was formerly dull and unwelcoming.
Stop into Helen Thomas Andover
If you are in the market for a rug, be sure to stop into Helen Thomas in Andover to see their selection of Dash & Albert rugs. Oscar loves this rug so much that he prefers it over his big, blue bed that nearly takes over Tony’s office.
Also, be sure to ask Lisa about all of her home décor and design services.
Helen Thomas is located at 90 Main St. Andover, MA (978) 475-7981.
*All photos by Lisa DiAntonio of Green Park Studios*
I love interior design and home décor, yet I struggle to pull off a room makeover myself. For me, it’s daunting and overwhelming. I like choosing furnishings, art and accents but, in the end, have trouble pulling them all together. I also struggle with finishing touches, which can make all the difference.
When Lisa DiAntonio of Green Park Studios invited me to a DIY Rejuvenate Your Space styling workshop, at Helen Thomas in Andover, the timing was perfect. Tony had just asked for help redecorating his home office and I was at a loss.
In this fun space styling workshop, Lisa gave attendees the tools and motivation to make a plan. We each sent in before photos so we could collectively talk about issues, ideas and action plans. Lisa’s best tip was to have us write down three relatively simple things we could do to get the ball rolling, that wouldn’t overwhelm us. My three things were:
Remove cumbersome, rarely used conference table
Replace dated table lamps
Replace the unimpressive mirror over the fireplace mantel with something more eye-catching
By the time I left, I had a clear idea of how to make Tony’s office the manspace of his dreams. He says, “It’s better than I could have imagined.”
The Full Makeover
Starting this process with my three action items successfully barrel-rolled into a complete room makeover. We held onto many pieces that still worked allowing us to indulge in some extras that have elevated this room exponentially.
A gorgeous Dash and Albert rug from Helen Thomas in Andover brightens the room and creates a lush feeling underfoot (stay tuned on Thursday for a post about these great floor coverings.) Oscar loves this rug!
Adding to the light and bright factor, we repainted the walls an airy Benjamin Moore Winds Breath. And we painted over the natural wood mantel a few tones deeper in Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth. We are left with a fresh, modern look that both Tony and I love.
The final two changes are likely Tony’s favorites. We swapped out an ugly old recliner, that I hated, with a beautiful and streamlined Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa that is perfectly long enough to accommodate Tony’s 6’ 2” frame.
And the pièce de résistance, since we saved on many repurposed items, a Samsung Frame TV that Lisa told me about at her workshop. It is mounted, flush to the wall, above the fireplace and looks exactly like a picture in a frame. When not in use it displays a variety of beautiful artwork. It is very cool.
I am so satisfied having completed this project and Tony is so happy with his new space.
Before and After Photos
It’s All in the Details
Thank You
Thank you Lisa, for sharing your knowledge and great ideas. I couldn’t have, wouldn’t have, done this without your inspiration.
In another attempt to spend time in Boston, I attended the Boston Flower and Garden Show last week. I dragged Tony along with me, which was funny because he has absolutely no interest in botanicals of any kind. In fact, if I so much as reference a plant by its proper name (i.e. Forsythia) he rolls his eyes. He claims it’s pretentious to “name drop” plant names. Oh right, I should just say the yellow bush – my bad!
Regardless, we had a nice time in the city and I loved seeing the gorgeous displays. I was most interested to see the latest in floral design trends. However, I was also impressed with the landscape and stonework displays. Some were very elaborate.
As we walked around, I looked to identify the top floral design trends and popular plants.
Plants
As far as plants go, it looks like succulents are still a favorite. They were abundant throughout the show. I imagine the easy care and hard to kill nature of these plants allows them to maintain their popularity. Bonsai creations were also quite attractive to the crowds.
Flowers
While the plant and garden displays were eye-catching, my focus was on flowers. I was happy to discover the Floral Design Competition room tucked in the back of the convention hall. Here, I took my time and perused the colorful and creative arrangements. I looked for patterns in color, structure and flower choice. The trend that most intrigued me was the fusion of floral and sculpture – flowers combined with some kind of manmade structural component. I did find these creations interesting and dramatic, however I prefer the beauty of blooms to stand alone.
It was nice to get a touch of spring at this event. Hopefully we, here in New England, won’t have to wait too much longer for the real thing.
Feeling blue? Go buy yourself a bunch of happy flowers…sniff and smile. They always do the trick for me.