Cottages: Pearl River

I've always hated huge houses, and I cannot lie. What's with all the space? I get not wanting to bump your elbows into tiny bathroom walls, or bang your knees against tables tucked into tight corners, not to mention bunk bedding with a sibling, but the sprawling, quickly made, cheaply thrown up stucco McMansion as a design style totally eludes me in its' ugliness. 

I like old Victorians with wide porches, pretty little brick cottages, and old stone farmhouses. Since its' me who usually cleans any space I'm in, I'm only too happy not to be able to afford the ugly new American Dream. I'm glad the housing bubble burst in America. Let's bring back the small, quaint, and beautiful.

Gardens and Green Walls: Landscape Design

Landscaped garden in Pearl River, NY.

There are many aspects to country life I enjoy, and access to beautiful landscapes is definitely one of the finer things in life. A sense about natural beauty has informed every major aesthetic I have as an artist and designer. I couldn't imagine my work without them as influences, so high do I hold them up on my list.

I've spent time gardening as a kid, helping my mom with her vegetable garden, and sporadically as an adult, growing herbs in a small backyard space, and it gives you an enormous sense of accomplishment to grow your own food. I've read a saying recently that said it's like growing your own money, and that's true. It is a freedom.

Beyond the undeniably practicality of a kitchen garden, a lush space enhances the home and surroundings in every way. A lovely garden enriches your soul, making you feel good. There's a reason we turn to nature for solace and inspiration: they form the center of every great abbey that's been built, so closely do we tie it to our spiritual health.

I can't imagine New York City without it's great cultural institutions of parks and public gardens, because they serve as essential counterpoints to all that human (and fallible) construction. Even when there's artifice behind the design, the benefits of breathing cleaner air is incalculable to our physical health. Make sure to spend some time outdoors this week, if you can. You'll be the better for it.

See my board on Pinterest for more gardens and green spaces:http://pinterest.com/mariedoucette/gardens-and-green-walls/