Gardenalia: Creating the Stylish Garden

by Sally Coulthard

A portfolio of visual inspiration for creating beautiful, evocative, and stylish gardens with natural design and ornament, such as hedges, borders, and paintings, as well as antiques, flea market finds, collectibles, and other decorative objects. Whether you want to re-create the look of a New England farmhouse kitchen garden, the feel of a Tuscan parterre, or the sophistication of a Parisian balcony, the possibilities offered in this delightful book are almost endless. Beginning with a focus on the types of outdoor spaces—from patios, terraces, and courtyards to front porches, perennial borders, and landscapes—Gardenalia explores how to make the garden or outdoor space an extension of your style. Filled with inspirational ideas, the book features superb color photographs that demonstrate the different moods and spatial effects that can be achieved with a carefully selected combination of plant material and decorative objects such as furniture, architectural items, and other objects, both vintage and contemporary. While shrubbery and hedging are the bones of an outdoor space, garden ornaments are the key to style, whether formal or informal. Objects and ornaments can create a sense of relaxed whimsy or serene classicism; they can make a space seem larger or give the illusion of privacy. A separate section is devoted to how to source "found objects" and making the best use of decorative items, including antique garden furniture, stone troughs and statues, vintage garden tools, distressed terra-cotta pots, and more. This richly illustrated volume is full of ideas for crafting the perfect outdoor space.

Genres: Gardening

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

After studying Archaeology & Anthropology at Oxford University, best-selling author and designer Sally Coulthard has spent the last twenty years designing, making and writing about homes, craft and outdoor spaces. She sees no boundary between the rules that govern good interior design and those which are needed to craft a spectacular studio or glorious garden.

Keen to make good design accessible, she’s written over twenty books about restoring houses, designing interiors and outdoor living. From garden styles to craftsmanship, creating workspaces to building sheds, Sally’s books inspire, encourage and equip readers to take on projects of their own.

Sally is a passionate advocate of rural living and regularly writes about nature and her experiences of smallholding deep in North Yorkshire countryside, including her ‘Good Life in Country’ column for Country Living magazine.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gorgeous book full of photos of lovely gardens and garden spaces. As the subtitle, "Furniture, Planters, Gates, Trellises, Structures, Ornaments and Other Garden Accessories" says this is more about hardscape and garden accessories than plantings. The author's specific style is worn, classic, materials and furniture with a patina. While many of the gardens are large, they all provide ideas within reach of the average gardener. Alas in my very windy locale, many of these excellent ideas are not practical as they would fly away. But I highly recommend gardeners check out this book for the ideas they can glean.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photography of attainable ideas. Highly recommend for vintage enthusiasts.