PURE STYLE, OUTDOORS

Pure Style Outdoors by Jane Cumberbatch is an old book (1998) I found (in my own house, underneath Decorating with Shells) that completely absorbs, lifts and deposits the reader away from distancing and isolation and stress into the world of making the best of our outdoor space.  Balcony, backyard,  courtyard or patio. . . .  Just what I need today and maybe you too.  I wish the photos were mine, but these are by Pia Tryde.  They're so good the color and texture leap from the page.  

When we step outdoors we are in a living organic space.  I in my untidy woods and meadow, or at the beach.  You the same, or with a manicured lawn, edged and mulched neatly.  Or less neatly by a creek or river or lake.  High over a city with a balcony or rooftop, or nestled in an urban bricked-in yard or patio.  On a front porch or stoop.  Wherever our own outdoor spaces are.  This book with its pictures inspires us to make the most of them.  

The picture above shows how a hodge-podge of chairs completes a charming table; a mix of old and new including even plastic chairs with a pillow or two can make for a relaxing look. The backdrop above is gnarly grape vines, but cedar trees, a ledge with window boxes, almost any background would do. 

This restful spot I could replicate.  I have overgrown grass just about everywhere.  Bringing out an old table and chair with maybe a bright cotton throw or cushion would be easy.  I have two metal tables that get a sanding and another layer of spray paint every spring.  (That makes 10 bumpy layers so far.) We sometimes need to be reminded that there's a place for uncut grass.  The same kind of spot on a pretty green mowed lawn would be just as appealing.

I've got an old worn bench too, like the one just visible in the next picture.  And of course a dish towel or napkin for the table cover.  These are such simple retreats--just a chair, table or bench.  The ones pictured have not been up-fitted, which I like, don't you?  I love it when someone shows me that the easy way is the best way.  That peeling paint has character, that a rusty old

bucket makes a great accessory or plant pot.  That a bench covered with moss doesn't need power-washing and
re-staining to look good.  That a tin can with the label peeled off actually looks stylish holding a few pansies.  And an old cabinet makes a good place for storage in an urban outdoor setting. 

My own outdoor furniture includes a teak potting bench that is quickly aging.  When I scrub it, it works just as well as a buffet for outdoor serving. 

 

Stone, Glass, Metal, Ceramic, Wood, Greenery

The theme of this book seems to be that we can make our own tranquility.  I don't have a veranda, a front porch, a rooftop garden, or a screen-in porch.  All outdoor spaces I've always wanted.  I don't even have much of a flower garden because we have deer.  They sleep under the cedar trees in the meadow and eat from the stickery patch of black raspberries that grow wild in the woods.  But we all have something.  Where we stay in New Jersey, I put plants on the fire escape and there is a community picnic table. 

Color, water, light, scent, texture and comfort are what the outdoors is all about. What could make us feel better?           From Nina Naomi

"Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" ♬