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.
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!)
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.
A few pics I've collected with various elements I hope to incorporate:
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.
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:
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
subscribe to receive our magazine delivered to your inbox.
NOTE: If you arrived here from Belgian Pearls,
