Palm Springs meets Scotland in Toronto

We had a wonderful opportunity this past month to completely design a rooftop installation for one of our corporate clients' own home. 

 South West exposure....... thinking......desert..... dry, hot.  It is SO not cottage garden flowers and plants for this terrace. This is extreme territory !

 We needed to compile a list of plants that could survive a drought tolerant, wind exposed position. We also wanted both drama and tropical in an extreme sort of way......hence Palm Springs meets Scotland.

 Plants: a knotted pom pom Scots pine, aloe vera,  various succulents, bougainvillea (totally love), lava rocks, various cactus and other sun loving gems.

It worked very nicely!  We are so pleased with the results.....

And the client was very happy also.  We received an email this morning saying they spent the evening on their terrace enjoying their Palm Springs meets zen like garden, in Toronto.

to growing older, great taste and warm smiles....

A few years back (June 2006 to be exact), David and I were hanging out at home. He was reading the newspapers. Me, I had just received my latest issue of House & Garden (very sorely missed by the way). 

After some time and nearing the end of the magazine I saw this picture and suddenly I said: "David, I really hope this is how we will look when we grow older..." 

This is Yves and Michele Halard

Up until this point, David had not seen the picture so he didn't want to know. All he heard was "older". Not a great word for most men. Or women for that matter. Then I quietly slipped the magazine in front of him. It took a moment, but then he smiled and said;"Yes, that would be very nice. Let's keep that somewhere to remind us".

 

Yves and Michele Halard are very famous French interior designers. Since entering the world of blogging I have discovered that quite a few bloggers have posted about them and their work. 

Their house in Provence probably sums up their taste and philosphy. It is a beautiful, eclectic, slightly eccentric home.

The entryway is painted in a sky blue mixed by Yves, features a wooden chandelier (a stage prop), Spanish urns and a bust of Christ. The console is covered in a glorious red antique silk textile. The photograph on the wall is by their son, photographer Francois Halard.

 

The dining room is a wonderful, mad clash of  garden style chairs, geometric rugs, noeclassical moldings, Italian marble on the mantel, a terra cotta pot of ivy trails and Royal Limoges dinner ware.

The Library holds a large number of books and magazines.  The white side chairs are from Versailles and the sumptuous carpet is a 19th century Aubusson. 

As you can see Yves and Michele love colour.

At the end of the article, they spoke about their work and life. One question and response caught my attention.

What is the secret to a welcoming decor?

" You need a little disorder to go with a little fantasy. If you are too neat, you'll never have a warm house. There should be magazines lying around. Perfection is intimidating".

Well said Madame Halard.

A Sidenote: When the H&G article was written, Madame Halard was still working, commuting from Paris to Provence weekly. All the photopgraphs by Francois Halard, their son.