I ADDED A FRENCH BULLDOG TO MY SUMMER GARDEN

My perennials have started taking turns blooming in my summer garden.   The annuals that I planted in the Spring are blooming too.   I always have a mix of perennials for variety all summer and the annuals are my constant color.  This year I added a french bulldog to my garden.

FRENCH BULLDOG IN MY GARDEN

I planted some vinca around the rocks.  I like to use vinca because it's deer resistant, unlike its look- alike impatiens.  I add rocks in different shapes and sizes to the flower beds.  

The ones with fossils belong to my geologist husband.

DEER RESISTANT VINCA

You know that all the dogs in my home wear necklaces.  This bull dog wears rhinestones.

BULLDOG WITH A RHINESTONE NECKLACE

One of the early garden bloomers is this fabulous lime green hosta.  The chartreuse color is spectacular and the leaves are huge.  The deer love it, but I have it in a protected section so it won't become deer salad.  It divides easily, so it pops up in different sections of the beds.

MY SPECTACULAR CHARTREUSE HOSTA

This time of year it sprouts bell-like flowers from a stalk.

BELL SHAPED BLOOMS ON A STALK

HOSTA BLOOMS

I found these geraniums on the $1 plant rescue shelf at Lowe's.  

They were droopy and the leaves were brown, but they really perked up.

MY BARGAIN GERANIUMS

The primrose are also blooming near my chippy fence.  They've really taken over the bed.

PRIMROSE SURROUNDING MY CHIPPY FENCE

What do you plant in your garden?  Perennials, annuals, or a mix?

What do you mix in with your flowers?  Found objects, rocks, statuary?

MY KITCHEN'S LAST GASP

For as long as I've been blogging, I've talked about updating my knotty pine kitchen.  Well, I'm doing it.  I'm so excited that all the "orange" cedar trim and the cooktop island that divides the room in half are leaving for good.  We're knocking down the wall between the dining room and kitchen and creating a large open space.  There is a link at the end of this post to the before of my 1970's kitchen.

I'm going to miss my Duralee faux snakeskin fabric back splash.  I outlined it with nailhead trim.  I really loved that feature.  It will be missed.  It was a true labor of love.

DURALEE FAUX SNAKESKIN BACKSPLASH WITH NAILHEAD

Of course the kitchen will be black and white.  Right before the demolition started, I added some Dorothy Draper chairs to the eat-in area.  You had some sneak peeks of the space in a post about the chairs. I wanted to share some of the other black and white details before they're gone.  Make sure to notice all the rough cedar trim.

BLACK AND WHITE EAT-IN KITCHEN

I changed out the Chinoiserie chairs that matched the table for these Dorothy Draper ones.   The table really didn't match style-wise, so I covered it with a black and white buffalo check cloth.

BUFFALO CHECK TABLECLOTH

You haven't seen this wonderful black beaded chandelier.  I know that I'm going to find a place for it in another room.  That's the advantage of having black everywhere in your house.  Decor can move around. The centerpiece is a white cachepot with preserved boxwood orbs.

BLACK BEADED CHANDELIER AND CACHEPOT WITH BOXWOOD SPHERES

SIDE VIEW OF THE BEADED CHANDELIER

This curvy vintage black and gold chest has been mine for a very long time.  The lamp made from an old coffee urn is also a long-time possession.  They both move around the house frequently.

VINTAGE CHEST AND COFFEE URN LAMP

The framed Fornasetti wallpaper hopped in from the pantry.

FRAMED FORNASETTI WALLPAPER

I borrowed the vintage books with marbleized covers and the architectural fragment bookends from book shelves in the family room.

VINTAGE BOOKS AND BOOKENDS

I always purchase books with marbleized covers when I see them.

BOOKS WITH MARBLEIZED COVERS

These architectural building fragments have become my favorite bookends.

BUILDING FRAGMENT BOOKENDS

I'll make sure to keep you posted on the new kitchen project.  I'm so excited!!

Link to the kitchen BEFORE here.

Link to the post about the Dorothy Draper chairs here.

I WANT TO LIVE IN A BARN

MY LATEST VINTAGE FIND: DOROTHY DRAPER CHAIRS

Over the years many tables and chairs have passed through my kitchen.  When I found these Dorothy Draper chairs by Baker Furniture,  I knew that the Chinese Chippendale chairs had to go.

MY DOROTHY DRAPER CHAIR

The back is just as detailed as the front.

FRONT AND BACK DETAILS

If you've been following my blog for a while you know that not only do I love black and white, but I also love nail head trim.

MY FAVORITE:  NAIL HEAD TRIM

There is even more nail head trim around the curved back.

Another detail:  a medallion applique.

ADDED MEDALLION

This brass handle is also a Draper signature-style feature.  It appears on many of her furniture pieces.

DOROTHY'S SIGNATURE STYLE:  BRASS HANDLE

BRASS HANDLE

And just when you think she just can't add another detail, you notice the greek key design carved into the back rest.

GREEK KEY CARVED DETAIL

Aren't they wonderful!

Dorothy Draper is one of my favorite designers.  I'm sure it's because she always uses black and white, adds pops of color, and mixes patterns.  Best of all, she's not a minimalist.

To learn more about her and her bold unique style,
 go here.

To see my post about my other find, my Dorothy Draper Espana dresser, go here.

ENJOYED THIS POST? 
 Sign up to receive a notification every time I publish by clicking here.