I have a weakness for re-purposed objects in the garden. Years ago, one of my favorite features in my mother's garden was my grandfather's antique side chair that my mother transformed by replacing the tired seat upholstery with a planted seat of moss and meadow flowers. This sweet bench with curvy arms, curvy back, and a curvy heart cutout punctuated by five offset terra cotta flower pots strikes a similarly charming chord. (BTW I spotted this bench at The Victorian Inn in Edgartown, MA.)

Re-purposed garden objects sited outside the garden can also be a delight. You may recall the wheelbarrow planter I featured some time ago.

There's simply something about the garden that invites us to play with expectations -- by transforming an object that's generally found indoors, into a strictly outdoor object, or re-imagining something meant as a work tool into a decorative display piece. What object might you transform as a foil for your garden? I'm thinking an old, galvanized watering can might make for a nice planter; just remember to drill drainage holes in the bottom. Drop me a note with your ideas over at the KHS Facebook Page.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

image courtesy of Fine Homebuilding magazineI first learned of a design approach that's come to be known as "new regional vernacular" when I was working for Mark Hutker on Martha's Vineyard some seventeen years ago. Then, this past January, I found myself back on Island touring one of Hutker Architects' stellar examples of new regional vernacular for a story Fine Homebuilding asked me to write for their HOUSES 2014 Awards Issue. The house, called The Nest, won their Editor's Choice award. The story brought me full circle: from my own introduction to new regional vernacular to an opportunity to introduce it to (and/or share it with) the readers of Fine Homebuilding and, now, you. 

To learn more about it, pick up the issue on newsstands now and/or peruse a PDF of the story from this link. 

Issue #243, Spring/Summer 2014. Reprinted with permission copyright 2014, The Taunton Press, Inc.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast