You Said It: Look for ‘Possibilities, Meaning and Identity’ and More

This week on Houzz, many of the stories reminded me to open up my mind. I opened it up to a longer blooming season, to mixing yoga balls with homework time, to an at-home climbing wall, to less expensive alternatives to popular materials and to why one person’s beloved items all work together. This week there were many reminders to ignore limitations and get creative — here are some of the highlights.

“As a garden designer, I am on a mission to inspire people to stop seeing their yards as decoration for the house and to begin seeing their outdoor spaces as living things that want to come into their own. I urge you to look past the generic foundation plantings and manicured turf. Look instead for possibilities, meaning and identity.” — Jay Sifford

Reading this made my heart beat faster. Yes, yes, yes to all of it! Open your mind to what your garden can be on its own. Certainly you can take cues from the house to integrate the two harmoniously, but let the landscape be its own entity. So many people plot out little islands of plants one at a time around their yards. Think bigger, with the master plan and its broad strokes, and then focus on smaller areas that will make up the whole. Sifford’s article will help you open up your mind to the big picture.

Full story: How to Create an Unforgettable Garden


“I believe whatever you put in your home is what you should love, and that way it creates its own style. I’ve been collecting for so long that a lot of my treasures have come together because I love them.” — Jennifer Harrison-Ciacchi

I never thought about this before, but I totally believe it. All the things you love should go together. Well, maybe not all of them in one place, but certainly they can coexist in harmony in one house. I wonder if this applies to all the people and pets you love? I doubt it. Best to stick with flea market finds, art and hand-me-downs.

Full story: My Houzz: Garage Sale Meets Glam in Ohio


“A porch allows a gracious and practical transition from public to private — a place where one can soak up the late-summer sun, visit with neighbors, watch a thunderstorm pass, greet arriving guests or just shake off the umbrella and remove dirty shoes.” — Steven Randel

I’m sold; how about you? If you’re considering a porch, bookmark this article now. Randel gives us all the measurements you’ll need, from the right porch depth to comfortably fit a rocking chair to how high a railing should be.

Full story: Key Measurements to Help You Design the Perfect Front Porch


“Unlike many other dreamy home features, climbing walls can live beyond our imaginations. Though they require an investment of time, money and space, you won’t have to win the lottery to afford one.” — Annie Thornton

If you are interested in creating a climbing wall at home, Thornton has all the details. She starts with the questions to should answer before diving in, then walks us through costs, aesthetics, DIY options, which pros to hire, how long it will take to build and what the maintenance will entail.

Full story: Get a Grip on Climbing Walls


“Because most children can’t sit still in one spot, like a chair, for too long, breaking up the monotony is important.” — Catherine Funkhouser

This story is chock-full of great ideas for getting your home and your kids ready for homework time. Check out all of the best tips Funkhouser has gleaned from her research and experiment over the next few first weeks of school with your kids.

Full story: 5 Ideas for a Great Home Learning Zone


“If you plan things just right, you can keep the flower gratification going much longer — like a fireworks finale on auto repeat.” — Benjamin Vogt

If you’re not ready to wind down your gardening time just yet, let Vogt teach you about asters. If you play your cards right, he says, you can have blooms going for months.

Full story: Autumn Joy: How to Get 3 Months of Fall Flowers


“What were once underappreciated vegetables have found their niche as stars of the ornamental fall and winter garden.” — Marianne Lipanovich

We’ve been learning so much about the edible versions of colder-weather vegetables lately that I’d almost forgotten what lovely ornamentals they are in the fall garden. Decorative flowering cabbage and kale offer striking color contrasts, shapes and texture that will stun in flower beds, window boxes and container gardens as we hurtle toward winter.

Full story: 20 Favorite Flowers for the Fall Landscape


“A well-stocked home can help you handle the little surprises — drop-in guests, dastardly spills — life throws at you with a bit more grace.” — Laura Gaskill

Gaskill’s checklists cover correspondence supplies, a first-aid kit, reference books, a home bar, birthdays and gifts, a household tool kit, laundry room essentials, flower arranging, entertaining and the guest room. Bonus: Items gathered from one of these lists can make a great gift — perhaps correspondence supplies for someone who is headed off to college, home bar essentials for a wedding gift or the toolbox items for someone’s first apartment. I had a roommate who had been gifted a well-stocked toolbox when she moved into her first apartment, and I’ve never forgotten what a great idea that was.

Full story: 10 Checklists for a Well-Stocked Home


“A lot of people love barn wood — I do too. But demand makes it hard to find and expensive. Tim called a local fence builder and was able to find these posts for less.” — Kara Paslay

What a smart move, and the accent wall turned out great! This reminded me to open my mind and look for alternatives more often.

Full story: Room of the Day: A Guest Room Like No Other

Did something on Houzz strike a chord with you this week? Open your mind to something new? If so, please share it with us in the Comments section.

URL: You Said It: Look for ‘Possibilities, Meaning and Identity’ and More http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-24572.html