Our Take on Outdoor Living + Entertaining
Design // Moore House Design — Project // The Modernist Tudor
Some of you may recall our Jamestown project from a few sneak peeks we shared on IG after completing our first partial install, but we’ve yet to show you our plans for the outdoor space. With summertime just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to share ‘a bit Moore’ about this project and our take on creating a successful outdoor space.
A concept that resonates with us here at Moore House is that a house, whether it your own or one of our guest stays, should feel like a respite from the everyday world — a haven. We feel this is even more imperative for a garden patio or outdoor living space so we’re always looking for ways to create little moments that feed the soul and rejuvenate our spirits.
The Modernist Tudor Project
Jamestown, Rhode Island
Design // Moore House Design — Project // The Modernist Tudor
We consider exterior spatial design with the same attention we do interior design with special attention given to the transition between the two — taking account of materials, lighting, energy, and the natural landscape. The latter is very important because we want to be sure any pieces sourced will have a playful dialogue with the natural material palette of the landscape or plans from the landscape architect. Fostering this connection between landscape, hardscape, furnishings, and lighting leads to a final outdoor space that feels magical and in the case of our Jamestown project, completely tranquil.
You’ve probably heard us say this before, but it’s extremely important to consider our clients’ lifestyles when we’re designing — for us bespoke truly means bespoke! With a love for entertaining, and relaxing the guests of our wonderful clients will find plenty of spots to dine, lounge, warm up, and enjoy the tranquil views. Life’s occasions have been considered and there is a vignette perfect for each — a quiet spot to read with a cup of coffee, or varied seating grand enough to host a large dinner party.
This space is flooded with light tonal materials featuring tactile hard finishes. A sense of earthiness exudes from the materiality of each piece we sourced… To give you the gist, there are custom pieces coming from BC, and Europe, as well as some yummy antiques from our trip to Round Top back in March. Naturally we’re super excited to see this dreamy outdoor space come to life over the next few months.
We spend a lot of our time sourcing goodies and designing custom pieces for our clients. Below you’ll find a selection products inspired by this upcoming project.
“And Now for Something Completely Different”… Sort of.
Back gardens conjure up a lot of contrasting imagery depending on whom you talk to. What we’ve grown to love over the years is a very traditional but enduring aesthetic, known as the English Country Garden style. These gardens are inherently romantic with their expansive winding pathways, lush floral borders, and hidden benches to dive into a good book or simply take in a bit of dappled afternoon sunshine. Elements of this style can be added regardless of the size of your garden area, so don’t worry if you’ve got a smaller space. Without further ado, here are a few English-centric gardening tips:
Design // @acreswildgardendesign for @bluedoorsbelle
Design // @acreswildgardendesign for @alitex_
Photo // @acreswildgardendesign visiting @kewgardens
No. 01
Plant Lush, Herbaceous Borders
According to The Middle-Sized Garden, a herbaceous border is simply “a mixed border of plants. Most don’t have woody stems. Roses and shrubs – which do have woody stems – can also be found in a herbaceous border, but most of the plants will be annuals or perennials…The term ‘herbaceous border’ has come to mean a carefully planned, long border, which is often the showpiece of the garden”. This is a quintessential piece of any English Garden and looks absolutely stunning. If you’re looking for something low-maintenance we’d suggest selecting plants like Catmint, Ferns, Boxwoods and Sedum along the entrance to your space or along a back wall.
NOTE: Peonies, Hydrangeas, Climbing Roses, Hollyhocks, Queen Anne’s Lace, ivy, cherry laurels and Wisteria are other favorites of ours.
No. 02
Repeat the materials of your house in your garden
We mentioned the importance of the relationship between outdoor furnishings, landscape, and hardscape, so it won’t be a surprise when we recommend that you stick to materials already used on your property as far as garden fixtures go. If you have a brick chimney, then a brick pathway will make your property feel more cohesive — lining a pea stone pathway with brick is another look we love.
No. 03
Create a focal point
Another key element in English gardens is the addition of features like a stone urn at the end of a pathway, a romantic hidden bench, or an arched trellis for climbing roses or wisteria. This is where the design eye of a landscape architect or garden designer can be helpful especially if your backyard is on the smaller side. The flow of a garden isn’t entirely dissimilar to the flow of an open concept floor plan, so if you’re going to DIY this one, try thinking of it that way.
Architect // @paulbatesarchitects — Landscape Architect // @golightlylandscape
Architect // @paulbatesarchitects — Landscape Architect // @golightlylandscape
This blog would be incomplete without mention of one of our favorite firms for exterior inspiration — Paul Bates Architects. These are two of our favorite shots, but certainly check out their feed because it’s wonderful!
A Well-Appointed Outdoor Space Makes for Easy Summertime Entertaining. Here Are Five Tips To Help You Host Your Next Backyard Party.
Photography // @erinmcginn — Our @moore.house stays HQ, affectionately known as “the she shed”, as you can see occasionally needs trimming!
No. 01
Tidy up outdoor spaces
If you’ve got a lawn make sure to mow it and weed your flower beds if they’re running a bit ragged. If you’ve got planters, consider spicing them up with a few fun summer blooms to sweep your guests off their feet. You can go as crazy or minimal with landscape and florals as you’d like — the bottom line is having a good base always helps elevate the final result.
No. 02
Accent tables with florals & greens
We love our freshly cut flowers and greens here at Moore House because of the whimsy they can bring to a tablescape. Leggy florals and herbs including Dill, Sheepshead Hydrangeas, Mint, Lilacs, and Alliums (preferably white) in bud vases or pewter cups have become our go-to for an effortless look.
Note: Having what you like to snip conveniently growing in your backyard makes for easy decorating — naturally, we plant accordingly at each of our cottage stays.
No. 03
Mix & match place settings
If you’re hosting a larger party, be purposeful about the mixing and matching of place settings when you’re short a few. Something we love to do is hit a few antique shops to grab several different plates that have a common thread between them — for example, a floral element like toile edges or even just coordinating colors will make your mixed table look intentional.
Photography // @erinmcginn for @weatherlow_florals
Photography // @erinmcginn for our MH Dinner Series.
No. 04
Proper cocktails + hors d’oeuvres stations
Encourage guests to serve themselves with a fully-equipped libations station. We like to do a table for cocktails with one or two large pre-mixed signature drinks that match cocktails that match the vibe of the party for the ease of guests. We also recommend placing iced-up coolers nearby to keep wines chilled, as well as canned goodies like beers, and seltzer waters. On the same wavelength, we like to place a few small tables full of hors d'oeuvre or lite bites (that don’t need to be kept too cold).
No. 05
Be sure there’s ample seating
This is a biggie when it comes to the comfort of your guests and the success of your party because if they’re not comfortable, they likely won’t stay long! Patio furniture can be expensive, but we find having one or two couple higher-end items in the mix brings everything up a notch. That said, we’ve seen and done everything from stumps as stools to 10-foot-long antique benches draped with sheepskins. Whichever direction you go, just make sure you’ve got enough of it and that the look is consistent.
As always thanks for reading and please drop your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. We love to hear what you all think! P.S. If you like our blogs, you can subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to know when they go live :)
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