Skip to main content

Featured

Coleton Fishacre - Inside the House

Coleton Fishacre has been described as "the perfect combination of the simple architecture and high standards of craftmanship of the nineteenth century Arts and Crafts movement with the modernity of the Jazz Age." I was told that there are not that many Art Deco style houses in the UK and this is one of the few private residences that are open to the public. Among the furnishings are Lalique wall lights, an eighteenth century Venetian chandelier and a carpet designed by Marion Dorn. Most of the furniture was designed by the architect of the house, Oswald Milne.   After Rowland and Freda Smith bought the house in 1949, they did not make many changes and the furnishings that they didn't use were stored. After the National Trust took over the property, they meticulously recreated the furnishings based on photographs that had appeared in Country Life magazine.   The library, pictured above and below, features a celebrated wind-dial map that was created by noted mapmaker Georg...
2 comments
Read more
Labels

Joanne Fuller's Garden



When the temperature is predicted to be 104 degrees, touring a garden is probably not a wise decision. Nevertheless, plans had been made and an appointment to see Joanne Fuller's garden as well as her next door neighbor Linda Ernst was set - at least it was morning and relatively cool.

The two gardens are located in a beautiful neighborhood with tree-lined streets. Joanne's house is elevated above the street and steps bordered by terraced beds lead up to the front porch. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the front since I had not asked permission yet and by the time we worked our way around to the front again (from Linda's side), I forgot to go back and take photos.

Stepping into the back garden leads down a shady pathway bordered with a tapestry of contrasting foliage. Joanne loves bold foliage and she is especially fond of podophyllum. I lost count of how many varieties she had - all beautiful. 



 
The garden is also filled with art. This Buddha statue is a memorial to Joanne's sister. The stand is faced with a mosaic of stones and shells.


And draped around the trunk of a large Japanese Maple is this incredible mala (prayer beads) created by Berkeley artist Marcia Donahue.

Continuing down the path...


Joanne's garden is mostly shady. However, a recent tree removal from the neighbor's garden behind her created a sunny spot -



I believe the pebble mosaic is by Jeffrey Bale (I hope my memory is correct). In the corner, notice the loquat tree. Mine is still a baby compared to this -



Every step you take, there is something to see and one must not forget to look down -





Up to the patio/deck that overlooks the garden -


Lots of great pots -



In my next post, I will step through the gate that leads to Linda's garden...


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post
Labels:

Comments

  1. Kris PetersonAugust 20, 2023 at 4:50 PM

    Gorgeous! If you hadn't mentioned the horrific heatwave, I wouldn't have guessed you were in the middle of one based on those photos.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment