Satori Design for Living -

Outdoor Extravaganza Decorating Link Party

May

2013

I love this time of year when our living space expands outdoors. We tend to eat as many meals as we can in our outdoor dining area, and yesterday I shared the new tablescape I created for hosting brunch over the summer season as part of this week’s Outdoor Extravaganza decorating challenge.

Outdoor decorating is definitely one of my favorite things to do this time of year. I’ve been inspired to take on a few more projects this summer thanks to the other hosts of this series, Tiffany, Dawn, Barbara and Carmel. Be sure to check out their projects before you link up yours below.

Now it’s your turn! Link up as many outdoor plants & flowers projects as you like- old and new. Your project will show up on all 5 blogs! Please include a backlink to this post, and be sure to take a look around and show some blog love. No items for sale please!

Outdoor Decorating Projects

Outdoor Brunch Tablescape

May

2013

8 Comments

With the warmer weather finally upon us, we’re finding ourselves dining outside as much as possible. The fresh air and warm sun are at the top of my favorites list for sure . When we added the cedar partition to our deck a few years ago, it gave us the privacy we were seeking, and it created the perfect outdoor dining space. Normally we invite friends over for dinner, but this summer I’d like to mix it up a bit and decided to create my go-to outdoor brunch tablescape. Planning ahead means we’re ready to go at a moment’s notice.

The jumping off point for my decorating scheme was these yellow, teal, and green tea towels I found at Target’s opening in Calgary. I love the graphic pattern, and thought they’d be a nice alternative to typical napkins.

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Filed Under: Decorating, Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Outdoor Decorating, Plants & Flowers, Tablescape, Target

Weekend Outdoor Decorating Plans

May

2013

5 Comments

Happy Friday! We’re kicking off a long weekend here, and I’m so looking forward to catching up on some yard work (if weather permits), as well as taking some time to recharge after a busy couple of weeks. It’s been raining on and off for the last 2 days, making our grass and trees really green up- yay! Our spring was late arriving, but it looks as though it was worth the wait. I was worried about the perennials I planted last fall in front of the porch surviving the winter, but I’m happy to report all is good!

The ornamental grasses and atomic lilac are supposed to get at least a few feet high, filling the front porch area in and softening the hard edges a bit. Now I just need to finish up the decorative details I didn’t get to last year before the cold weather hit. Perhaps a chair or bench, and definitely a rug and some potted plants. That’s on the top of my to-do list for this weekend.

A big thanks to all of you who joined our Plants & Flowers link party as part of the Outdoor Extravaganza. I’m definitely inspired to plant a raised bed garden next year! There’s still time to share a project of your own.

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Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Outdoor Decorating, Plants & Flowers

Outdoor Extravaganza Plants & Flowers Link Party

May

2013

6 Comments

It’s time to officially kick off the Outdoor Extravaganza! Yesterday I shared my strawberry pot herb garden with you, which is a little different take on the way I usually grow these summer essential plants.

The other hosts of this outdoor series, Tiffany, Carmel, Dawn, and Barbara, have also been busy playing in the dirt. Check out all their inspiring projects!

Plants & Flowers Projects

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Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Link Party, Outdoor Extravaganza 2013, Plants & Flowers

Strawberry Pot Herb Garden

May

2013

21 Comments

Every spring I like to plant herbs to use in fresh recipes all summer long. Nothing beats fresh basil in a salad or rosemary infused chicken. Last year I created a kitchen container potager in a burlap planter, which ended up yielding a good amount of produce. However, with all the heavy rain we had, moss started to grow on the outside of the burlap container, making it look pretty shabby by the end of the season. This time, I decided to create a strawberry pot herb garden, taking up less space per plant than a regular planter, and hopefully looking a little better over time as well.

Supplies

Large strawberry pot with numerous pockets and drainage hole

Herbs (as many varieties as pockets in strawberry pot, plus 2 or 3 more for planting in the top- chives, basil, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, lemon balm, etc.) Note: resist mint or other herbs that are too vigorous

Gravel or small rocks (to cover drainage hole, plus more for watering channel)

Good quality potting soil

Cardboard roll (from paper towel or wrapping paper)

Water

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Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Plants & Flowers

Online Shopping Meets Pinterest at Spark Studio

May

2013

4 Comments

Recently, I was asked by Walmart Labs to try out a fun new way to shop online called Spark Studio. Like many of you, we have a very busy household around here, and anything that makes everyday life a little easier (and allows me to stay in my pj’s a little longer) is always worth checking out. Add in the Pinterest factor, and I’m there!

So what exactly is Spark Studio? I was just as curious as you, but it didn’t take me long to figure out how it all works. Think of it as a place where you can view great, creative products that have been “crowd-sourced” by Pinterest users. Let’s just say it’s an innovative shopping experience that gives you the opportunity to shop how you want.

I was immediately impressed by how easy Spark Studio is to navigate. You can browse and shop products by:

Inspirations- Items by Walmart shoppers on Pinterest

Fashion and Beauty- Discover must-haves from Walmart shoppers

For the home- Solutions and ideas from Walmart fans

Babies- Search the top picks from Pinterest moms

Pets- Find everything you will need for your pet

Playtime- A collection of items to entertain the whole family

I’m always on the hunt for beautiful decor and clever organizing products, so I clicked the arrows on the main banner until I landed on For the home. I simply clicked the banner, and photos of popular home and garden products popped up.

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Filed Under: Fab Finds, Life Tagged With: Blog Sponsorship, Products I Love

Light Fixtures for Open Concept Dining Rooms

May

2013

13 Comments

One of my current client projects involves a decorating plan for an open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen at the back of the house. As gorgeous as these spaces can be, decorating them involves careful consideration to achieve a specific mood or feel for each area, while maintaining a cohesive and balanced look throughout the overall space. Selecting the right light fixtures for these types of spaces is particularly important in order to create a sense of flow and interest.

With the dining room smack dab in the middle of the living room and kitchen, it’s important to get this light fixture right. Too heavy or cumbersome, and the sight line will be impeded from one side of the house to the next. However, if it’s too small or insignificant, it won’t give the dining area enough presence, and the table could appear to be floating in the middle of the space.

Aside from these considerations, it’s also imperative to think about the style and size of the table in the dining area. We have already discussed a few options for the space, and my client is leaning towards a Salvaged Wood Trestle Table.

Typically the light fixture in your dining room should be about one-third the length of your table. If the table is 84 inches long by 42 inches wide (as in this case), the lighting fixture should be about 28 inches in diameter. Another rule is to take the width of the room and multiply it by two. The number you get is the approximate measurement in inches that would be ideal for your space. For example, this dining room is 11 feet wide, so the light fixture diameter calculation is about 22 inches.

Of course these are only ballpark figures, and size of the light fixture can be adjusted up or down depending on the openness of style or heaviness of color or material.

For this particular dining room, there are several options I can see working very well. The first that comes to mind is an open cage chandelier which always seems to be the perfect balance between traditional and modern styling. I love that it has presence, but the openness of the design makes it a great choice for these kinds of spaces.

Open Cage Chandelier- Light Fixture for Open Concept

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Filed Under: Client Projects, Decorating Tagged With: Dining Room, Lighting

Finally Kicking Off Outdoor Living

May

2013

8 Comments

Happy Friday! Yesterday the sun was shining in full force and it looks like the weekend is going to be gorgeous too. We’ve had our patio furniture stored in the garage all winter long, and the plan is to finally pull it out tomorrow and start enjoying outdoor living. This summer I’m dreaming of an outdoor oasis where I can kick back and relax or have some friends over for an afternoon cocktail. Are you with me?

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Last fall my husband and I were out shopping for furniture for our newly finished basement when we came across a going-out-of-business sale on outdoor furniture. It’s always so unfortunate when businesses fail, but it was nice to be able to score two loungers made by Mountain House Furniture. We have wanted a pair since we completed the deck addition a couple years ago, but found they were either cheap looking or very expensive. I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. These ones are beautifully constructed in high quality virofiber with solid mechanisms, and heavy enough they won’t blow away in a voracious wind. They’re very similar to this black one, but in a multi-toned coffee color. (I’ll snap some photos this weekend once we pull them out).