West Side Story

From early spring into late fall, we crave spending time outdoors. The patios at Connecticut Country House serve as natural extensions of the interior spaces. My approach to arranging these areas is just like how I design my rooms. I consider the scale of the space, height, windows, walls, form, function, texture and color. Sounds like a lot, but it really is simple. Design the “rooms” to be inviting, comfortable and beautiful.

The West Patio is surrounded by beds of billowy fairy roses, fragrant Russian sage and emerald English ivy. A mandevilla plant, with dark green glossy leaves and hot pink blooms, grows in a whitewashed, rectangular wooden container. Trained to vine its way up a trellis, it brings height, form and color to an otherwise ordinary, small side wall.

Two bay laurel topiaries, in mossy clay pots, enjoy warm temperatures and spend their summer vacation outside. (In winter, due to the cold temps, they reside indoors.) Flanking the doors to the family room, they provide an elegant focal point to this entrance.

The baby boxwoods in the bay window, an extension of the space, do a great job of blurring the lines between indoors and out.

And lastly, a pair of whitewashed Adirondack chairs, positioned close together, anchors the center of the patio. This spot, possibly my favorite area in this outdoor room, is where Murph and I catch up at the end of the day, recharge our batteries and watch the sky turn into all kinds of gorgeousness as the sun sets.

Happy decorating!

Love, Nora