Month: January 2019

Trim Color Tips: Get Your White Trim Right

With the many decisions one must make during renovation or construction, the small ones can be the roughest. Take selecting a trim color; it is a relatively small detail, but I’ve seen many homeowners worry about making the decision wait till the very last minute, with a paint builder breathing down their neck to get a choice. Not fun.

If you’re fortunate enough to possess high-quality wood trim that’s in good shape, and you enjoy the appearance of it unpainted, consider yourself blessed. For those who need to or need to paint your trim white, here are a couple options which may spark an idea for your own project.

Ingrained Wood Studios

If you enjoy contrast. Use color to set off amazing door and window casings. With all the walls painted a deep, dark color and with a crisp white for the trim, the stunning details in the space here really pop.

Jennifer Ott Design

For a minimalist appearance. If you’re stuck with builder-grade wood trim or prefer a minimalist look, paint the trim the exact same color as the surrounding wall. Use a semigloss sheen onto the wood so that it’s stronger and easier to clean.

Sellentin True Design Build

With natural wood. In case you’ve got nice wood components, keep them but place off them with white painted wood trim. If the baseboard trim and door casings here were natural wood, not one of the components would really stand out, particularly against the wood floor and the cosmetic joists over the door. Add white painted trim to the mix, however, and each one the high-quality wood detailing stands outside.

LJL Design llc

With cool colors. A foolproof way to pick a trim color is to take a cue in the color palette in the room. If you’re painting your walls a cool shade (greens, blues, purples or grays), then find a white which reads as cooler. The simplest way to do this is to place swatches of different white paints alongside another and see how they play off one another. Some colors will look more hot or beige-like; others will read as a very light gray with hints of green, blue or purple.

Jennifer Ott Design

Stylish white trim colors. Each of these paint colors reads as plain white or even a minor off-white individually. But when they are placed alongside another, you can really see the hints of different colors they feature.

Based on the color calibration of your screen, what you see here color-wise is not necessarily what it is you will get. Always refer to the actual paint swatches when picking colors and sample any colors you like to be certain they work on your own space.

From left to right:
1. Site White SW7070, Sherwin-Williams
2. Full Moon 780E-2, Behr
3. Mineral Ash 7006-19, Valspar
4. Horizon OC-53, Benjamin Moore

Birdseye Design

With warm colors. In case your palette is on the warmer side (shades of red, brown, orange or yellow), pick a white which has a hint of warmth. This could be a white with orange or yellow mixed in.

Jennifer Ott Design

Warm white trim colors. See the notice about your monitor’s color calibration above.

From left to right:
1. Creamy SW7012, Sherwin-Williams
2. Popped Corn W-B-200, Behr
3. Snow Cap 7003-8, Valspar
4. Acadia White OC-38, Benjamin Moore

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Mix things up with neutrals. Those who like to branch out and are convinced in their own color selections can blend up their warm and cool colors. This beautiful dining area includes a neutral wall shade with a cool ceiling shade and a hot white trim shade. The effect is calming since the colors are very muted and soft.

Inform us : What is your go-to white trim paint?

More: Interior Trim: 8 Must-Know Elements

See related

Cooking With Color: When to Utilize Yellow in the Kitchen

Are you a sunny optimist? Or do you just wish you can channel that vibe? Connected with joy, exuberance and elegance, yellow is an excellent color choice for the kitchen. Since yellow reflects a lot of visible light compared with other colors, it is ideal to restrict brighter shades of this attention-getting hue to small doses and materials that you truly need to stand out.

Listed below are my top yellow paint picks along with eight eye-catching yellow kitchens to inspire one.

Jennifer Ott Design

8 yummy yellows for the kitchen (clockwise from top left):

1. Sparkling Wine 15-3, by Pratt & Lambert
2. Pineapple Delight 211-3, by Pittsburgh Paints
3. Lemon Basil 097-3, by Mythic Paint
4. Daffodil Yellow 380-B4, by Behr
5. Decisive Yellow SW6902, by Sherwin-Williams
6. Laguna Yellow 291, by Benjamin Moore
7. Top Banana 3008-1C, by Valspar
8. Golden Treasure KM3437-2, by Kelly-Moore

Luciano Group

This cosy kitchen includes a warm and inviting shade of yellow on the walls. Combined with the warm wood and brick tones along with the white cabinetry, it is a pleasant kitchen palette.

Watch more of this kitchen

Oakwood Projects Ltd..

Yellow looks modern in this contemporary stunner. The bold yellow cabinetry is balanced well by the mild hardwood flooring and darker wood-clad exposed ceiling. The stainless steel appliances add a cool sheen to the mixture.

Kaia Calhoun

A bold yellow accent wall in the kitchen is a great way to create a vibrant focal point in an otherwise mild and neutral kitchen. I enjoy the way the floor tile picks up the yellow, gray, white and black palette here. It is a cheery and modern kitchen color scheme.

Adrienne DeRosa

This charming kitchen features a nice mixture of mellow and bold yellows. The small bits of red and blue add drama without going overboard on color.

T.A.S Construction

For people who favor softer yellows, take inspiration from this lovely kitchen and use a pale citrusy yellow on your cabinetry or kitchen walls. This seems like a happy area for preparing a meal on even the dreariest of days.

Louie Leu Architect, Inc..

The great thing about yellow is that it can go superlight without becoming a sugary pastel. This creamy yellow wall color contains just enough brown inside to keep it sophisticated. This is a gorgeous kitchen with a soothing, natural palette.

Rich Mathers Construction, Inc..

I can not decide what I love most about this kitchen — these gorgeous mellow yellow backplash tiles from Heath Ceramics, the bold orange pendants that provide a great little punch of color or the beautifully manicured counter stools by the Cherner Chair Company. Sometimes too much bold shade can divert from the fine stuff used at a space. Here’s a good example of using just the right amount of color and letting the beautiful stuff get the attention they deserve.

Beckwith Interiors

This yellow resin countertop convinced makes a bold statement and draws your attention directly to the cool, linear sink. The rest of the colors used are light or neutral, allowing the countertop, sink and onyx backsplash behind the stove to really stand out.

Inform us Does a yellow kitchen make you happy? How have you used the color in your property?

See related

Cooking With Color: The Way to Use White in the Kitchen

As much as I am drawn to boldly colorful kitchens, I also have a soft spot for the contrary: the white kitchen. But you can’t just specify white for all the materials, finishes and fixtures and take it a day. Comparable to a slim-fitting white gown or a set of white jeans that are skinny, white is not the most forgiving colour — if something is white, we tend to notice little details about it, like the grade of the texture or material. This is because white reflects light — unlike darker hues, which tend to absorb light. So while I’d use bold, vivid colour to distract the eye from lower-quality or less-interesting materials, I would use white to accentuate higher-quality or superbly produced materials, letting them take centre stage.

Also keep in mind that a lot of white on your kitchen can feel cold, sterile and unwelcoming. You will see that most of the kitchens below, while predominantly white, also often add natural wood in some way — typically in the form of flooring or furniture, which adds warmth, charm and character. White makes the perfect backdrop for dashes of colour. Or, for a relaxing and tranquil space, add other mild neutrals, such as colors of beige, tan and gray.

Permit these 11 exquisite white kitchens, together with some of my favorite white paints, inspire you.

Wm. F. Holland/Architect

This beautiful kitchen in colors of white, gray and wood tones is a lovely example of the way to work with white at a kitchen. There is quite a little glossy stainless steel, but it’s balanced out nicely by the farm table — using its rich patina — and the wood floors.

Matthew Bolt Graphic Design

The exposed wood pole and beams along with the intriguing pendants across the peninsula add character and charm to this modern white kitchen.

Melissa Lenox Design

I love this wood floor, but it needed to compete with wood-toned cabinetry, it could start to look busy. It is a clean white kitchen having just the right amount of charming bits: the island pendants, the glass-front upper cabinet doors and the lightly textured backsplash tile.

My ideal kitchen would have a link to the outdoors and abundant natural light trickling in through walls of windows. But for a lot of reasons, this situation is often not possible. The best way to fake it’s to go with a monochromatic white palette and also good artificial lighting. This kitchen seems to acquire natural light in an adjoining wall or space, but even though it didn’t, it would nevertheless feel light and bright and open due to the abundant use of white and light-reflecting stainless steel.

REFINED LLC

Here is another space lacking windows on the main kitchen partitions, but because of the white walls, cabinets and countertops it feels airy and open.

Loop Design

For people who want to exhibit colorful artwork or collectibles in their kitchen — such as these turquoise dishes — a white kitchen offers the perfect backdrop. Think of it like a gallery space, in which the objets d’art are on screen and get your entire attention.

Sabal Homes

I love the stools and pendants within this kitchen. The white walls and cabinets act as a blank canvas, allowing the intriguing furnishings and fixtures to really stick out.

House of Bohn

White is also a fantastic color choice at a kitchen if you’re fortunate enough to have a tantalizing view out your windows. With opinions like these, you do not want your attention diverted by extreme colours or occupied patterns and textures on the interior. Additionally, white works well to rip black out; we tend to prefer darker colours set lower to the floor, with lighter hues going up the wall and on the ceiling.

Alex Maguire Photography

This kitchen illustrates how white works well as a supportive colour to high-quality materials and craftsmanship details. Colorful walls and cabinetry will distract from each one of the gorgeous marble.

McKinney Photography

White also works to open up a kitchen, which makes it seem bigger and more spacious than it actually is.

Abbey Construction Company, Inc..

And if you’re blessed with a large, expansive kitchen, you can use white to tie together other areas of the house which are open to it to get a seamless feel.

Jennifer Ott Design

Most paint companies possess a “pure white” or “ultrawhite” paint, which will give you a very crisp and clean look from the kitchen. But you can also go with a color of white which has a tiny bit of yellow, brown or gray, which will warm up or cool down the white and also include a little life to it.

Notice: The gaps from the paint swatch appearances will vary depending upon your screen, but this can give you a beginning point in the paint shop. As always, make sure you paint a large test area and examine it through the day and week, using artificial and natural lighting, prior to making a final decision.

White paint chooses to get the kitchen (from left to right):

1. Marshmallow SW7001, by Sherwin-Williams
2. Swiss Coffee OC-45, by Benjamin Moore
3. Sauterne OW-6-1, by Mythic Paint
4. Bistro White 7006-4, by Valspar

Tell us Are you a lover of white kitchens? Or do you prefer cooking with more color?

More: Read thousands of white kitchens by style

See related

Overhauled Interiors at a Tiny Fisherman's Cottage

Even though it’s a part of Irish history, this 280-square-foot cabin was rotting away in Ireland’s coastal town of Bray. Constructed in the 1880s as a crude fisherman’s cabin, it was decaying and uninhabited because a poor remodel in the 1960s. The client, who grew up in Bray, pictured bringing the cabin into life as a little vacation home.

Colm Doyle and DMVF Architects helped her turn this very small space into something livable and bright. Behind its traditional cabin exterior, a new, modern interior revolves around an innovative plywood cube that divides the space by action, creating a slick and open feel.

at a Glance
Who lives here: This is another home for a Dublin girl to keep in while visiting with her mother.
Location: Bray, Ireland
Size: 280 square feet

DMVF Architects

The client wanted to maintain the cottage look of the exterior. Owing to its history, this home is listed as a protected structure, which intended Doyle couldn’t knock it down and needed to operate inside its tiny footprint. But since the house was remodeled in the 1960s, the interior could be changed dramatically.

The cabin doesn’t have any front or back garden, and originally had only one tiny toilet that needed to be accessed from the outdoors.

DMVF Architects

Traditional forms fall away indoors, as you can see in those pictures of the redesign, taken before the home has been decorated and furnished.

The first layout had divided the house with a galley kitchen down the middle — right in the entrance — with all the bedroom on one side and a little living area on the opposite. The strange layout made the 280 square feet feel even smaller. The client wanted to make the most of the light and space in the home.

DMVF Architects

Doyle and his staff removed the home’s first low ceiling and added a plywood cube, each side with its own purpose. The kitchen takes one side, access into the shower area is around the corner, a sleeping loft sits on the very top, and also this side holds storage and a little utility area. “It became evident very quickly during the design procedure that every last inch of space needed a specific purpose and dedicated usage,” says Doyle.

Before Photo

BEFORE: Water seeping in through a leaky roof caused damage throughout the home. Unoccupied for the past ten years, the house had no functioning gas or electric system. The kitchen has been terribly outdated — an awkward mix of styles and tastes from various eras.

DMVF Architects

AFTER: The back side of the cube now holds the kitchen and extra storage. The railing above opens into the bedroom near the peak of the cube, which faces back windows and skylights. Nothing exists from the previous kitchen sleek cabinetry, durable countertops and modern appliances now make up a simple space which works perfectly for another home.

DMVF Architects

Because the cabin was left unoccupied and in a terrible state for such a long time, it was difficult for the client to envision the way the interior could eventually become livable. While she wanted it to be comfortable and full of light, she didn’t have any preferences stylewise, so Doyle and his group were basically left with a blank slate.

Before Photo

BEFORE: The initial living area was obsolete and suffering from severe water damage. Wallpaper peeled from the walls, and old linoleum covered the floors.

DMVF Architects

AFTER: though the cube occupies about half the floor area in the house, it allots far more living space than the initial divided layout did. “This endeavor was about working from the minimum upward,” says Doyle. “We looked at the minimum dimensions of each one of the elements or purposes, and allocated space to them then.”

DMVF Architects

Stairs built into the plywood cube lead until the sleeping stage.

The home’s small size produced work challenging for the building group, especially with no outdoor backyard to retreat to. Doyle had to make certain only a couple people were in the home at precisely the exact same time, so construction could be safe and productive.

DMVF Architects

A surprisingly spacious loft takes advantage of the cottage’s sloped ceilings. Large skylights allow in afternoon and evening light but keep the space from getting too bright in the daytime. Closet and storage area built in the wall removes the requirement for a dresser or wardrobe.

See related

Summer Plants: How to Grow Peppers

You can fill your backyard with peppers and it wouldn’t be boring. With sweet peppers and hot peppers; white, orange, yellow, red, green, brown and purple peppers; big peppers and tiny peppers; and round, ruffled, bell-shaped and peppers that are long, there’s enough variety to satisfy any pepper enthusiast.

Peppers are usually split into two broad classes: sweet peppers and hot peppers. The best-known sweet peppers are bell peppers, however there are plenty of others on the market, a lot of which are amazingly flavorful. Sexy peppers live up to their name. They get their essential hotness in the capsaicin they contain, along with the hotness can vary from slightly above mild to cool. Some hot peppers resemble sweet peppers, so be sure to check exactly what you’re planting.

All peppers need the exact same growing conditions, although hot peppers take a little more time to mature and like it a little warmer.

Note: While peppers love warm weather, nighttime temperatures consistently above 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) can result in a bad harvest.

Barbara Pintozzi

When to plant: Start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before planting into peat or fresh pots; set out seedlings at least one week following the last freeze date and when soil temperature has reached at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius).

Days to maturity: 60 to 120 after transplanting

moderate requirement: Full sun

Water necessity: Frequent


Favorites:
Sweet peppers: Ace, Apple, Baby Belle, Bell Boy, California Wonder, Giant Marconi, Golden Bell, Gypsy, Jingle Bells, big sweet cherry, Lilac Belle, mini chocolate bell, mini red bell, mini yellow bell, Pepperoncini, Purple Beauty, Red Heart, Red Ruffled, Sweet Banana, Sweet Chocolate, sweet pimiento, Tequila, Valencia, Yolo Wonder Hot peppers: Anaheim, ancho (poblano), cayenne, habanero, Hungarian Hot Wax varieties, jalapeño, Mariachi, Mirasol, Mulato, NuMex Pinata, NuMex Suave Red, Padron, Pasilla, serrano, Tabasco, Thai Dragon, Thai Hot, Trinidad Perfume

Andrea Meyers

Planting and maintenance: select a website with abundant, well-draining soil in sunlight that is sheltered from end — warmer conditions mean hotter peppers. Wait until both soil temperatures and outdoor temperatures have grown. Sweet peppers like temperatures at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 24 degrees Celsius) during the daytime, whereas hot peppers like it even warmer, up to 85 (29) degrees.

Dig approximately 1 to 2 1 1/2 feet deep and add compost or another rich organic matter into the planting site. Place plants 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart, settling them in only slightly thicker than they had been planted in their developing pots; space rows 2 to 3 feet apart. Taller peppers might require staking or caging; if you think you’ll want support, it is best to put it in place at this moment. If cutworms are an issue in your region, add collars around the young seedlings.

When growing space is limited, plant berries with little fruits in containers. Select a pot that is at least 18 to 20 inches in diameter and feed gently throughout the growing season.

Whether in the garden or in pots, keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy throughout the growing season. Do not despair if elevated temperatures trigger a loss of petroleum production; regular care, such as watering, will help ensure that production will increase when the weather cools down. When the soil is reliably warm, mulch to retain moisture and prevent weeds.

Feed plants with a low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer since they set blossoms, but don’t overfeed. A fertilizer designed for tomatoes is a good option. Many experts suggest spraying the leaves and blossoms with a diluted solution of magnesium sulfate, or Epsom salts, at this opportunity to increase production.

Though peppers are usually sturdy, armyworms, aphids, some beetles, caterpillars, corn borers, mites and whiteflies may cause occasional issues. If viruses are an issue in your region, start looking for varieties which are resistant and rotate plantings.

Harvest: Cut fruit in the plant with scissors or pruning shears. Harvest sweet peppers once they’ve reached full size or allow them to continue to color; they’re sweeter the more time they ripen. Pimientos are an exception; don’t harvest until they are reddish.

Harvest hot peppers once they reach full size. You can select them while they’re still green or wait until they turn red or yellow for a more complex flavor. As a precaution, wear gloves when harvesting and keep both hands and gloves away from the face, especially your eyes.

Best advice: After picking or utilizing hot peppers, wash your hands thoroughly, then rub them with vegetable oil, then wash them again.

See related

How to Get Ready for and Live With a Power Outage

You likely know the ominous feeling: As a storm or storm sweeps throughout your community, you’re huddled safe in your home or in a nearby refuge … and with no warning, the lights wither and perish. You’ve lost power, and experience says it could be some time before you receive it back. What do you do today?

If you’re one of the lucky people with a generator, the moving won’t be so bad, and you can live in relative comfort until the power’s back on. But generators could be costly, beyond the reach of many people. When a storm is coming and you could be facing days or weeks with no power, these measures can help you make it through.

Westborough Design Center, Inc..

Strategy early. When a big storm is bearing down, there’ll be a run on water, propane, mobile figurines and other essentials at local stores. Keep as a number of these items as possible on standby so you don’t get caught in the beat or, even worse, confront a deficit.

Stock the pantry. Have available nonperishable products that offer loads of protein and other nutrients and may be eaten cold: peanut butter, whole-grain crackers, energy bars, beef jerky, canned and dried fruit and so on. Make sure you’ve got litter, food and other supplies available for pets too.

Do not forget to maintain a manual can opener nearby. And stockpile lots of bottled water or water in jugs for drinking.

Make or buy extra ice. If you know there is a storm headed your way, load up on bagged ice in the supermarket or fill zip-top plastic bags with water and freeze them to create cold packs. Utilize them in the fridge, the freezer and simmer to maintain milk, milk and other perishables at a safe temperature as long as possible.

Get meds filled. If you’re running low on medication and the power is out at your local pharmacy, you could be in a bind. Get your next wash and keep it handy.

Crate&Barrel

Weber Performer Grill – $349.95

Get your grill ready. If you can not use your cooker, you will want to have an alternative way to cook. For gas grills, have extra propane tanks on hand; when the grill is connected to a natural gas line which may be affected by the storm, then it’s worth buying or planting a charcoal version. Lay in a supply of charcoal, in watertight containers to keep it dry when needed.

Remember to grill outside only; do not hesitate to bring the grill inside, no matter how cold or wet the weather is. At a pinch you can channel your scout days and fashion a makeshift oven. Utilize the oven outside, away from any flammable surfaces, and extinguish the coals promptly after cooking.

Know where your lanterns and flashlights are. It’s a good idea to keep at least one or 2 in an easy-to-reach place on every floor of the house. Consider flashlights which are powered by winding or another nonbattery method.

Charge your phone and other electronics ahead of time. Then use them as sparingly as possible; power them down or off when you do not need them. If you have car chargers, you can top off the charge occasionally when required. And while we’re discussing automobiles, fill your gas tank before the storm hits.

More ways to Remain charged and connected when the power goes out

Bed Bath & Beyond

O2-Cool Battery-Operated Fan, Black – $29.99

Get laundry completed. Your washer and dryer will not function while the power is out. Wash as many loads as possible prior to the storm so you will not run out of clean clothing while the power crews do their thing.

If necessary, have a portable heating or cooling supply. In hot climates or in the middle of summer, you might not have air conditioning; in winter, you could be without heating for some time. Buy a few cheap battery-operated fans (and lots of extra batteries) and/or propane heaters. If you’ve got a wood-burning fireplace, make sure there’s lots of firewood to fulfill it.

With propane heaters, security is key — they’re not designed for small or poorly ventilated spaces. Use them on your largest room and do not run them; use them just to keep the room warm enough to avoid compromising your health. Stay bundled up in sweaters, hats, gloves, extra blankets and socks.

Additionally, know when to run and cut. If you’re not able to keep the house warm or cool enough for many family members to remain safe, go to a nearby resort or refuge, or go to a buddy or family member’s house in an area not affected by the storm.

Jones Design Build

Conserve water. Fun fact: A typical family of four goes through nearly 300 gallons of water a day, much of it hot. A gas water heater may work even when the power’s out. An one clearly won’t. Use hot water sparingly to allow it to last as long as possible, but with no heating source, it is going to start to cool quite shortly. If you have to, you also can heat water onto the grill or over the fire.

With water that is well, you’ll lose pressure in the event the pump change will not work. If you do not possess a supplemental storage tank built into your own system or a portable generator which powers the pump, then fill big tubs or your bathtub with water which it is possible to dive into for flushing toilets or sponging off. Never drink water during or after a power outage until you’re certain it’s not contaminated.

When you’ve got a generator, offer to help. Do everything you can to make life easier for other people in your area. Let neighbors bill telephones or take a warm shower, or prepare hot food to send to older residents or families with young kids. Should you have Internet access, you may even use the power of social networking to spread the word about individuals locally who may be in need of immediate assistance.

How to Pick the Ideal Generator

See related

Pretty Up Pumpkins With Paint

To mention that my husband doesn’t enjoy carving pumpkins is a understatement. We’ve got a 7-year-old, so Halloween is a big deal in our house, and every year we bring home a carload of bulbous orange beauties from the pumpkin patch. As my son and I gladly pick the best ones to become jack-o’-lanterns, I can see the look of dread in my husband’s eyes. Last year he just mutinied, giving me the knife reappearing only after he detected the odor of pumpkin seeds roasting in the oven.

Needless to say, I’m now the designated pumpkin carver in the house by default. However, I will mix it up somewhat and try painting a few of them, which can be neater, less tedious and a whole lot more child friendly than hacking at them with a chef’s knife. Onboard with the idea? Follow my lead and check out these pretty painted pumpkins for inspiration.

Rikki Snyder

Metallic paint autumnal orange lends gentle shine to these tiny pumpkins. This is a good way to highlight their beautiful curves and ridges while staying true to their natural colour.

Hint: Pick the most straightforward, firmest possible pumpkins for painting — dips, soft spots and knobby growths will make it trickier to get an even coating.

FOCAL POINT STYLING

A mini pumpkin in gold gowns up a drop place setting and echoes the brass candlesticks.

Pullga

A ruddy bronze hue and playful polka dots give these pumpkins the appearance of upside-down toadstools.

Hint: Gently wipe pumpkins using a moist cloth or sponge to remove dust and dirt (you might need to wash them under a faucet or hose should they have caked-on sand). Towel dry or air dry them entirely.

Rikki Snyder

Do not be afraid to use unexpected colors. Light blue is not a color you usually think about for Halloween, but it makes such a perfect partner for orange that I wonder why we don’t see more about it.

Pick a colour that blends with the scheme of the space to create a sleek effect. Within this darkened area, white painted pumpkins seem strikingly sculptural against the pristine backdrop.

Hint: Before you paint, apply a coating of multipurpose sealer, which helps to preserve the pumpkin and assists the paint to adhere. Permit the sealer to dry thoroughly.

Rikki Snyder

In a similar way, these ghostly pumpkins comparison with spare black branches to get a stripped-down group that’ll delight minimalists.

Seaside Interiors

Keep it easy by painting a little design onto each pumpkin rather than covering the whole thing. Letters on this trio spell out a spooky message and perform up the black and white palette.

Hint: Spray paint works best if you are painting the pumpkin a single colour. If your layout is much more complicated, brush acrylic paint for better control.

Silver pumpkins shine in this trendy display, but that’s not the only notion here. Consider embellishing a painted or unpainted pumpkin using nailheads — used here as a monogram — or hammering it with metal studs. Happy Halloween!

Hint: Keep pumpkins in a cool spot away from strong sunlight to preserve them as long as you can. Depending upon your climate and whether you display them indoors or outdoors, they’ll last at least two or three weeks, and sometimes more.

See related

Texas Gardener's October Garden Checklist

Fall is finally here, so take a big, deep, crisp breath. Your summertime cleanup is finished, and now it’s time to plant, plant plant. Fall is the absolute best time to receive plants in the floor, as it gives them two cooler weeks to set deep roots. Plants put in now and next month will be much larger, will blossom better and will be more drought tolerant next calendar year. What exactly are you waiting for? Get out your trowel and shovel and get digging.

J. Peterson Garden Design

Planting

Wildflower seeds. October is the perfect time to plant those seeds if you would like a little all-natural accent in your garden or if you’re intending to create a wildflower meadow or prairie. Try out bluebonnets, coreopsis, poppies, Indian paintbrush and Indian costume.

Pay particular focus on bed and dirt preparations as you sow these seeds select a sunny site, till up all the present grass and weeds, incorporate up to 1 inch of compost, sow seeds according to package directions and water in well.

J. Peterson Garden Design

Annual flowers and ornamental plants. So many cool-season annuals can be planted this month — pansies, violas, snapdragons, alyssum, dusty miller, calendulas, poppies and nasturtiums are all fantastic choices. If your place is having a bit of an Indian summer with higher temperatures, make sure you hold off another week until things cool off a bit.

Use annuals and other ornamental plants, like cabbage and kale, in containers in addition to in the fronts of the beds and borders as slower-growing accents.

J. Peterson Garden Design

Trees, shrubs and perennials. Look around to see if any of your mature shrubs or trees are showing signs of demise after last year’s devastating drought and warmth — it often requires a complete year to observe the harm. If some of your bigger plants are on the downslide, take the chance now to remove them and replant. The same goes for your perennials, as autumn is the perfect time to get them in the floor. Try out salvias, columbine, yarrow and esperanza in addition to ornamental grasses.

J. Peterson Garden Design

Naturalized bulbs. Many bulbs, like tulips, require a cooling period to obtain energy to regenerate following spring. Those types do not work really well in our gardens (zone 7a to 8), as the weather simply does not typically get cold enough. Not so with naturalized bulbs, that can be well suited to our environment. Try out daffodils, bearded irises, muscari, spider lilies, oxblood lilies, crocuses, alliums and anemones. These bulbs usually like bright areas and needs to be planted at a depth of 3 times the width of the bulb.

J. Peterson Garden Design

Vegetables. Cool-season vegetables are so abundant and healthy, so attempt to tuck in a couple of new ones this year. Broccoli, turnips, cauliflower, spinach, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cabbage, collards and other greens can also be planted now. If you’re expecting a hard freeze, consider adding some row cover to protect your veggies, but otherwise these plants will take the crisper weather in stride and provide you months of produce.

Ground covers. Ground covers are important for erosion control, as a low-growing accent in front of a border or as a way to compensate for grass that will not grow beneath a shade tree. Choose Asian lavender, lamb’s ears, mondo grass, liriope, ajuga or periwinkle. Be sure you know which floor covers like bright websites and which ones prefer shadier conditions, and you’ll be rewarded with lush growth and decent coverage.

The Todd Group

Care

Care for your lawn. Be on the lookout for “brown patch” disease on your lawn, particularly in the event that you have St. Augustine grass. It seems as dead grass in a doughnut shape with fairly green grass in the center. Additionally, take a peek at the base of the grass blades although the blades themselves can look lifeless, the base of them is typically green if you have brown patch. This disease is caused by many things — improper watering and fertilizing, together with warm evenings, are a few of the more common causes.

When you have properly identified your grass issue and are confident you’re dealing with brownish patch, then you’ll need to use a fungicide to kill it. Should you use a fungicide and you do not have brown patch, then the remedy is going to do your grass no good. Consistently follow the package directions for the best result.

Check out more early-fall lawn tips

www.KarlGercens.com

Divide perennials. Transplant or share your branches of timber ferns, cannas, shasta daisies, bearded irises, violets and daylilies. Over the years these plants create bigger spreading growth, which can crowd out other plants and contribute to diminished blooms.

Carefully dig them up — I like to use a tined garden fork for this — and then gently separate the root ball with your fork, shovel or hand pruners. Immediately replant your branches, or share with your neighbors, for double the amount of plants at no extra cost.

More guides to Texas gardening | Find your U.S. garden checklist

See related

Mid-Atlantic Gardener's October Checklist

In the ever-changing leaves of oaks and maples into the harvesting of fall edibles, fall is a time of beauty and bounty. October is the month when all the hard work at the garden pays off, the natural world says farewell to some year with a bang of vibrant colour, and the weather is more gorgeous than it is going to be for the remainder of the year. Don’t miss it. Throw open these windows, choose long day walks and delight in the very last bounty of this yummy season!

Amy Renea

It’s the very end of this late-summer crop, so collect the bounty as you can. You may still have potatoes to crop if you planted a second batch in summertime. Mine have bloomed and are only beginning to turn brown. From the end of this month, they’ll be ready to pull out of the ground prior to a legitimate frost strikes.

Amy Renea

Hint: Together with the nights cold and the days hot and sunny, tomatoes and eggplants can endure under a blanket of burlap or other defense.

Produce a tabletop arrangement with the fall harvest

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Seedpods are everywhere you look, and the following effects of blooming can be even more amazing than the blossoms.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Take pleasure in the beauty but make certain that you cut down any plants which may infest your garden with tens of thousands of unwanted plants. An area of Queen Anne’s lace seedpods is amazing to look at, but oh my, the havoc it will wreak on your summer garden next season!

Amy Renea

Still have blooms on pumpkin and gourd vines? Cut off them. At this point in the season, you want the fruit that’s already on the vine to ripen instead of fresh fruit developing. There isn’t time for fresh fruit to grow to adulthood, so give the existing pumpkins a increase by plucking those blossoms until they get started.

Amy Renea

Herbs are plentiful all fall, but they’ll disappear sooner than you can say “Jack” when frost comes knocking. Harvest mint, lemon balm (shown), rosemary and other people to keep them for winter. Dry the herbs, chop and freeze them or use them in soaps to get new herbs.

Amy Renea

Following your herbs possess dried, consider making your own tea mixes for winter. I blend stevia (shown) with numerous herbs for exceptional and cheap teas. So long as I have new herbs, though, I will brew up a batch every single day until my luck runs out.

Amy Renea

While you’re maintaining edibles, consider preserving a few blossoms too. Flat flowers like zinnias press nicely, while large bunches like hydrangeas dry well as big clumps.

D-CRAIN Design and Construction

Grasses are in all their glory in October. They seem best in drifts at which the end can ripple through them like water.

Wagner Hodgson

Trees will also be beginning to put on a display. At the beginning of the month, you’ll start to find the tiniest hint of colour.

Mid-October brings bolder and brighter screens which are as magical as they are spooky at the early-morning fog.

Obviously, the real show is in late October, when the trees wear a symphony of colour and move out in a blaze of glory. There is nothing better.

See related

Graphic Vintage Style in an East London Townhouse

From vintage fashion posters put against stark white walls to handpicked furniture, style writer and journalist Hywel Davies’ terrace townhouse carefully accounts functional flow with perfect spaces for entertaining. “I opted for white walls and dark flooring to serve as a blank canvas for my own accessories and furniture,” he says, “which is where I feel that the main design personality is found.”

When Davies bought the house a couple of decades ago, he set to work straight away, ripping out all the carpets, stripping off the floorboards, installing a new kitchen and knocking down walls. Then he included his own decorative touches to produce the light and bright space match his fashion-forward style.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Hywel Davies and his partner
Location: Lower Clapton, Hackney, East London
Size: 160 square meters (1,722 square feet); 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths

Beccy Smart Photography

Davies describes his design design functional and basic, with a mixture of vintage and new. He sources most of his furnishings out of London’s secondhand shops and out of economies in Berlin and Paris.

He highlights subtle symmetries in each of the house’s spaces. This pair of black leather armchairs is from a Royal Air Force base.

Beccy Smart Photography

A well-worn chesterfield leather sofa from John Lewis adds soft lines into this linear space and contrasts with the zigzag floor lamp. Stacked industrial-style stools are at the ready for when Davies entertains.

“The living room is my favorite place in the home to relax, as it is only a staircase from my cellar study,” he states.

Beccy Smart Photography

Black Eames dowel-leg side seats make a statement around a 1960s Danish table. Davies is attracted to the clean lines of Danish design and frequents the Danish Homestore in Nottingham.

Beccy Smart Photography

Stairs lead down in the primary entryway into this ground-floor kitchen. The kitchen and dining room lead straight onto a recently additional garden deck.

Beccy Smart Photography

New skylights keep the kitchen space open and encourage flow in the kitchen into the backyard deck. An upholstered armchair at the head of the table can easily become a reading nook throughout the day.

Beccy Smart Photography

The biggest and most costly part of the remodel was cladding the brand new kitchen in stainless steel. Davies chosen to get a couple of open shelves to minimize clutter.

Beccy Smart Photography

Davies added a backyard deck, where he enjoys dining and where he keeps a small range of potted plants.

Beccy Smart Photography

This is an opinion of the home from the rear of the massive garden. “My notion of gardening is becoming someone else to do it,” Davies says.

Beccy Smart Photography

Upstairs, he included a wall sticker of a world map to accent the blank wall between the 3 bedrooms.

Beccy Smart Photography

A unique industrial-style vest found in a secondhand store also sits in the hallway between the bedrooms

Beccy Smart Photography

Within this guest bedroom, also at the other bedrooms too, Davies splurged on genuine Fog & Mørup pendant lighting.

Beccy Smart Photography

The master bedroom keeps exactly the same minimum, neutral color palette as the rest of home.

Beccy Smart Photography

Davies collects graphic design posters. Hanging here’s a poster commemorating the 50th anniversary of the font Helvetica.

Beccy Smart Photography

Davies repurposed a vintage crate for a TV stand, which conveniently hides the wires behind.

Beccy Smart Photography

He knocked down walls to combine two small bedrooms into a big bathroom. A gray claw-foot tub has a view of the backyard garden. From the corner, built-in shelves hold towels and other essentials.

Beccy Smart Photography

The large walk-in shower includes classic white subway tiles.

Beccy Smart Photography

Davies chose an old-fashioned bathroom throughout the renovation to increase the vintage, traditional feel. Along with the tub, it is a surprising highlight of the space.

Beccy Smart Photography

An additional guest bedroom with Orla Kiely bedding and a classic leather welcomes guests and guests.

Beccy Smart Photography

See more photographs of this Home

See related