{A summer update from LeAnn}

Alex and I have been busy with the usual and not-so-usual line-up of summer activities - 

Our family celebrated my sister's wedding just a few days ago. She and her long-time beau married the end of December and had a beautiful celebration this past weekend in Topanga Canyon.  The gorgeous blossoms above are just a small indication of what was an idyllic, romantic setting my sister put together.  I was given a couple of arrangements to take home hence the in-depth photo shoot that ensued. 

A few more shots (of many)

 - exceptionally lovely, aren't they?

Also on our agenda this summer were house guests and road trips and beach days as well as two trips to my childhood home to help my parents decide on and then install new flooring. 

At our house, we just installed a new shower flower.  We got a little creative with some flat landscape pebbles. 
(These you see are the result of several hours of us washing and sorting for color and size so be forewarned if you plan to give this a try!)

Our installer had no idea what he was in for (his boss having misunderstood our design plan), but he was soon on-board and by the time he was finished, very proud of the result.

This is the pebbles installed before grout...the sunlight coming through the window and skylight above enhancing the very zen quality of the concentric design.

Finished and in-use, the coloration blends well with our existing stone floors and the pebbles not only give the natural zen aesthetic we were looking for, they work perfectly to massage tired feet. 

Plans are still being discussed as to how exactly we are going to enclose our deck. (This has been ongoing for months.) When we renovated the kitchen and did new stone floors throughout the house, we continued the same stone floor and radiant heat onto the deck without any interruption in the height or pattern to visually expand the bedrooms and to capture more livable space we can use year-round.  

A few pics I've collected with various elements I hope to incorporate:

Simple windows...

 ...wall of windows and doors to garden...

...love these paneled bottom doors.

We've been tossing around several ideas with regards to the roof configuration...we want to add ceiling height and bring in as much light as possible but also want to keep the whole project as simple as possible...not wanting to take on major re-structuring of the whole back of the house.  (Wish us luck!)   Our architect is sending new drawings soon based on the last meeting we had with her (engineer) husband and we hope to begin work the end of September.  (Stay tuned for updates.)

Many of you have written asking questions about the various phases of our renovation and my former life as a designer.  I'm always happy to provide advice, ideas and sources.  If I can't get back to you individually, I will address oft-asked questions in a post or within the pages of our digital magazine...(much of our kitchen renovation featured in the next issue.)

Currently, Alex and my youngest sister Kim (an inspiring yoga instructor) are in Portland Oregon visiting friends and scouting out the city to see if Kim wants to make it her new home. 
 This is an image Alex sent me today:

Heart-shaped crema and hydrangeas -check and check.  

-Looks like their in-depth investigation is coming along fine.   

Before I finished writing this post, I received another iphone pic from Alex (see below.)  This is an area adjacent to the hospital where her friend is interning and she says the whole city of Portland is this way, - just a few steps from where you work or live you can be on trails like this, completely immersed in nature.  

This led me to look up a few stats:  I did not know that for over a century Portland has been known as the "City of Roses" with a climate ideal for the petaled beauties. Portland is also often referred to as the "Greenest City in America" having made green space planning a priority as early as 1905. Amazingly, with a population of over 588,000,  80% of Portlanders live within a 1/2 mile to a park and over 16% of Portland's city area is parkland. - (statistics via:  Portland, Oregon, Wikipedia)

In the works and almost ready for public consumption is the latest issue of our digital magazine. We've had many inquiries about advertising - please be aware that we do not take on traditional ads. We do, however, create features on products and businesses we love.  If you have a product or service you think meshes well with the l&l aesthetic and lifestyle, please send your proposal or questions here: linenandlavender@ {gmail.com}. We're happy to review your ideas and explain the opportunities we have available.

Coming up - a feature on a most amazing hotel we simply can't get enough of ...we'll reveal all in our next magazine.

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful 

August with family and friends!

LeAnn

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Dream Day

My dream day?  Well, it comes in many forms but what immediately comes to mind is travel.  I love to travel and see the world  – to explore another place, another culture, another way of doing things.   I always return with a fresh perspective and charged with creativity energy.

Today, the time I spent capturing the light in my garden sent me into a peaceful, meditative state  -a bit of inside travel, you might say.  A gentle breeze perfumed the air and with these intricate beauties beckoning me, I was on my way—

 

images by LeAnn, "Rose Splendor"

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"If you build it. . .

                                     ...they will come."    

I think the magical thing about gardens is that they take on a life of their own.   

I mean, all I really did was put together a few plants, flowers and trees...and now I have this haven — this oasis in the middle of the city.  I was really struck by this fact today.  –All I had to do was set the stage and they arrived.

The French doors of my studio are open and I am sitting at my desk looking out to the fountain, I can see most of the garden from here.

The day started sunny, then a rogue rain cloud passed over and shared a bit of moisture with us.

This fellow was caught in the midst of  it as he was taking his morning bath.  As the rain showered down, he remained, continuing his grooming.  (I think he considered himself pretty fortunate.)

Before I knew it, the sun was out again and the visitors increased.

   

Butterflies, bumblebees and long-legged wasps stopped by.

Hummingbirds and songbirds came to say hello and to peruse the blossoms or to take a rest on the garden bench.   

In fact, it almost seemed as though an announcement went out:

"Hey!   She's got her camera out today

at 1720, stop by if you want some

exposure."     (This is L.A. after all.)

Truth be told, when I created this garden, I didn't really think about the "wildlife" it might attract.  I love flowers and trees and designing spaces for people to enjoy and that's what I was thinking about mostly.

That's why it seems such a huge side benefit and almost, well . . . "flattering" really. 
Each time a new creature comes to call -or moves in- it is thrilling.  It's like nature is giving a nod of approval to something I initiated.    And really, that's all I did.  

I am still in awe at the miracle of it all. –Just plant a seed and a beautiful flower will grow there one day. –Just stick that little sapling in the ground and one day you will be lounging in the shade of a mighty tree. 

There is such a peace and serenity that comes from nature — a connection to the Divine at the ready.  

In creating this little snippet of it here, I have reaped far more than I have sown, that much is for sure.   

Planting a garden is like knocking on Heaven's door and what has opened up to me is far more than I had ever imagined.

all images by LeAnn, l&l at home, our garden

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Sunday and a new perspective...

The first flowers to grace the new island counter–peonies.  
I'm still in the midst of a bit of renovation mess and frustrated by delays and mishaps, but then today I happened to notice this still life comprised simply of these floral beauties, a stack of dinner plates waiting to be put away and the remains of our Sunday morning tradition–cappuccinos and chocolate croissants.  Just the few moments it took me to grab my camera and capture this transported me to another state of being far away from renovation woes and to-do lists.  —My own little island sanctuary you might say.  :)

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Peonies

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready

to break my heart

as the sun rises, 

as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers

and they open —

pools of lace, 

white and pink —

and all day the black ants climb over them, 

boring their deep and mysterious holes

into the curls, 

craving the sweet sap, 

taking it away

to their dark, underground cities —

and all day

under the shifty wind, 

as in a dance to the great wedding, 

the flowers bend their bright bodies, 

and tip their fragrance to the air, 

and rise, 

their red stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness 

gladly and lightly, 

and there it is again — 

beauty the brave, the exemplary, 

blazing open. 

Do you love this world? 

Do you cherish your humble and silky life? 

Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath? 

Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden, 

and softly, 

and exclaiming of their dearness, 

fill your arms with the white and pink flowers, 

with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling, 

their eagerness

to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are

nothing, forever?

~Mary Oliver

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Wisteria

The incomparable "glicine" in an ancient village in Chianti. 

Image via Mediterranean Style

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Mediterranean Style in the emporium

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