Welcome To Autumn

The first day of October brings with it a brisk breeze and the wonderful fragrances of autumn!

A note on our upcoming workshop.  To accommodate the many parents attending Exeter High School's open house tonight, we have changed the workshop to Thursday October 8th at 7pm at The Willow.

We will be working on fall decor with a hint of Halloween.  

The first 20 people to sign up will receive a mini orchid courtesy of The Willow.

Please feel free to pop by and bring a friend.

A new addition to The Willow is the wonderful craft artist Patricia Woodbridge, who owns Snackerty Hollow.

Patricia weaves magic into each whimsical piece of art.

The world of fairies and woodland creatures are delight for the senses.  

I can just imagine the twinkling warm glow eminating  softly from the corner of a room lit by one of Patricia's elaborate fairy  homes.

And what a delightful night light for child!

Please pop by the Willow when you have the chance and fill your senses with magic!

A friend just dropped an email to mention that HGTV's Decorating Cents just re aired an episode I did a few years ago with a redesign in Boston.

http://www.hgtv.com/decorating-cents/rustic-spanish-living-room/index.html

I believe it was Woody Allen who said, "I don't want to be immortalized through my work, I want to be immortalized by not dying!"

I'll take it any way I can get it!

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Warm regards,

Renee

Maine Thoughts

Drawing upon last weeks blog, I wanted to take another week to share with you some of the amazing artists and design that were displayed in the Maine Cottage in Wells, Maine this summer.

Whenever possible I love to use local artists.  It just makes sense to support local talent and when the talent is so good, why not!

Rose Bryant is one of my favorite artists (actually one of my favorite people!).  

Her art is fresh, inspiring, and personal.  It is so rare these days to find an artist that will listen to a client and create for them.

For the Maine cottage, all I needed to do was give Rose my color palette and she was off and running. The result was all original art that reflected nature and the seaside in a subtle, comforting way.

I am thrilled to announce that Rose's art can now be seen at The Willow,

183 Water Street in Exeter.  Please drop by and enjoy the view!

Another local artist that I was privileged to display in the cottage was Matthew Smith, owner of The Copper Canoe, in downtown Exeter.

The process is called copper block etchings and takes it roots from a 300 year old craft in Italy called intaglio.  From the inception of the design all the way to the framing process, you can tell that Matthew's heart is present in every project.

The other great news this week is The Willow and I have finalized our lecture season and we can't wait to get started! The series will take place on Thursday nights from 7-8.  Wine and cheese and great decor!  Feel free to bring a friend! We will always send out an Evite, so make sure you have signed up on  The Willow's monthly newsletter.

October 1-  Fall Design with Sprinkling of the Bewitched

November 5- Thanksgiving Tablescapes with a Twist

December 4 (so that we can all enjoy the Festival of Trees on Thursday!)- Holiday Treasures

January 7- Color Your World- Dewey Color System

February 4- Finding Your Perfect Colors

March 4- Waking Up Spring- Holiday Tablescapes

April 1- Designing the Perfect Front Porch Container, No Kidding

May 6- Getting Out in the Garden- Color, Texture, and Really Cool Accessories!

Enjoy the beautiful week ahead!

Renee

www.mandevillecanyondesigns.com

Mandeville Canyon Designs appears in the Susan Sargent gallery

So, it is of course no surprise to anyone who knows me, that I am a huge fan of anything Susan Sargent.  I try to use a bit of her inspiration in all my designs. Some of my more patient clients get a big dose of inspiration!

I am honored that they have chosen to put one of my most recent projects into their online gallery.

From the moment I stepped into this space, I knew that Susan's vibrant color palette and creative use of pattern and texture would be the perfect compliment to this little seaside retreat located in Seaglass Village, Wells, Maine.

Vacation homes should inspire homeowners to

reach out to their other sides.  To be bold and 

daring.  Foster the playful and free side.  

Celebrate the freedom that comes from 

reinventing oneself.  

What I love most about Susan's design sense is that while she is defined, she avoids the "Lifestyle Trap".  Some big companies would love you to just turn off the creative switch and follow them blindly from birth to death in the traditions that they tell you are correct.

While Susan Sargent can provide you with furniture, rugs, fabric, lamps, table settings...... her style encourages exploration of style and color.  The result is a refreshing and cheerful celebration of color and texture where the homeowner is invited to create a design that is made just for them.

Take a moment and check out her website:

www.susansargent.com

Make sure to check out the gallery section where the cottage is featured.

For a real treat, the next time you are in Manchester, Vermont pop by the store and indulge in the full effect.

I dare you not to smile!

Enjoy!

Renee

A Glorious Day for Garden Tour

Thanks to all who made the first annual ECCA Garden Tour and wonderful success.  From the beautiful weather (finally!) to the charming sculptural art to the fabulous attendees, we couldn't have asked for a better day.

The waterfall was humming, the music was lyrical, and the conversation lively.

For those of you that did not get a chance to attend, here is a sampling of the garden that I designed:

If you see anything in the garden you would like to chat about, please feel free to post a comment right here or drop me a line at: Info@mandevillecanyondesigns.com

Next week I will start the color series.  Each week I will explore a great new color that I have used in one of my projects as well as the hottest new colors for 2009/10.  I invite your input and ideas!

Stay cool!

Renee

Get Your Garden On

Just a reminder that the first annual Art in the Garden ECCA garden tour will take place rain or shine this Saturday from 9-2.  Tickets are still available at The Willow and Churchill's Gardens, as well as the day of the tour.

The following is a list of resources for our garden:

-All of the garden fencing and arbors is provided by GCAAA fencing in Dover.

-The vibrant rocking chairs are from Furniture Classics and are carried by The Willow in downtown Exeter.

-Fairy garden accessories can be found at Portsmouth Candle and Snackerty Hollow- Patricia Woodbridge- 603.608.5764

-The teak garden furniture is supplied by Smith & Hawken and Restoration Hardware.

-Garden umbrellas are from Crate and Barrel, while the outdoor window panels and rod can be found at Pottery Barn.

-The cedar garden trellis' can be purchased from The Gardener's Suppl

y Company.

-Candles and candle holders can be found at Pier One.

-Octopus dinnerware can be found at Pottery Barn 

-The wonderful "paper plates" are actually fallen palm leaves that are 100% natural, non-toxic, and can go right into the compost bin!  Each plate is produced by fair wage workers along India's Malabar Coast.  They can be found at Portsmouth Health Food store or online at Verterra.

-The salt water pool was designed and installed by Ferrari Pools of Massachusetts.

-Outdoor garden fabric was supplied by Susan Sargent of Vermont

 and sewn by Marcia Whatmough of Brentwood- 603.682.7409

-All outdoor rugs are by Dash and Albert and can be found at The Willow.

-The white accent table was designed by Yves Beher for the Botanist Series sponsored by Orange22.  The piece is titled Pixel Burst and represents a bright light spot, a sun, a squint.

As with all the designers in the Botanist series, a portion of the proceeds is directed toward a passion of the designer.  Yves has chosen, as one of many, the Surfrider organization, a grass-roots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's oceans.

-The conch and clam shells as well as the seashell wreath can be found at The Willow.

-Dining table accessories hail from  a variety  of shops including Abode.

-Sea stars and all things nautical can be found at Red Chair Antiques in Peterborough.

The plantings are too numerous to mention, but I would love to give you a list of my favorite retail suppliers:

Bill Holt of Willow Mist Grasses in Stratham is one of my favorite places.  It is unpretentious and tranquil.  Walking through Bill's collection of grasses is good for the soul, not to mention the wonderful sound when nature graces you with a breeze.  If you get lucky he may show you his collection of chickens and even gift you with a fresh duck egg!

Another favorite is Scenic Nursery in Raymond. This is another nursery to satisfy the senses.  Make sure you plan extra time to sit by the pond and enjoy the bullfrogs.

Rolling Green Nursery in Greenland has a wonderful selection of plants as well as miniature conifers and plantings for fairy gardens.

Churchill's Gardens always has a large selection of perennials and a great selection of garden decor.

Nature's Outpost in North Hampton has a lovely collection of bird feeders and unusual garden decor.

Cymbidium Floral in Exeter and The Flower Kiosk in Portsmouth are two of my favorite shops for absolutely wonderful and original flower arrangements. 

If you see something in the garden that you fall in love with and don't see it mentioned here, please feel free to drop me a line and I'll give you all the details.

Enjoy a beautiful day!

Renee

Join MCD in the garden next weekend

The Exeter Center for Creative Arts is hosting it's first Art in the Garden Tour on Saturday July 25th from 9-2 pm. ECCA is a nonprofit art center dedicated to providing art education to the greater Seacoast New Hampshire community and Mandeville Canyon Designs is proud to host one of the gardens on the tour. 

Our garden will feature a weaving of the five elements of Wood-Fire-Earth-Metal-Water to combine a delicate balance between man, nature, and sustainability.  Our garden features comfortable renewable teak furnishings as well as fabulous 1940's wrought iron furniture with a touch of Susan Sargent whimsical fabric. The garden also offers two cozy fire pits, boulders and stone of all shapes and sizes for climbing and exploring, as well and wind chimes and sculptures. As one drifts from the upper garden the destination, by design, is the salt water Gunite pool complete with waterfall, evening lighting, and an invisible outdoor sound system.  Beyond the 5 elements, the family friendly garden also features a fairy garden comp

lete with miniature conifers and a fairy home.  Native plantings complete with a rain garden to prevent runoff to the reservoir below, insure that this garden, while committed to good design, is even more committed to sustainable living.

Tickets are available the day of the event as well as The Willow and Churchill's Garden

Hope to see you there!

Renee

Mandeville Canyon Designs Joins The Willow

Mandeville Canyon Designs is excited to announce our new collaboration with The Willow.

For almost ten years The Willow has been providing the seacoast with a wonderful collection of home furnishings and accessories that dazzle the eye and warm the heart.  Recently we were able to set up shop in the back of the store to provide on-site interior design services.  From color consultations to design layout as well as furniture and rug selections, we now have a studio that can take care of all our clients needs right in one spot.  

I will be in the store on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-2 and also by appointment.

Please feel free to stop by with all of your ideas and let's get to work!

The Willow is located on 183 Water Street in downtown Exeter.  

To reach the shop just ring 603.773.9666.  To reach Mandeville Canyon Designs for an appointment 603.321.0650

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Renee