For grandeur and timelessness, include some stonework in your home. Nothing says “I’ve been here for years” like an aged stone window surround or balustrade.
We’ve upgraded our on-line presence to offer a number of our favorite items for sale. We’re still adding items daily, but feel free to browse what’s already available. In the coming weeks and months, expect a number of our favorites to cycle through here, as well as a number of one-of-a-kind antiques and trinkets. We hope you enjoy, and as always, if you have any questions, just email or call.
Seen above is a pot from Guy Wolff & Co. Guy started hand-throwing pots decades ago, and has expanded his offerings through the “& Co.” designation – offering pots made by skilled artisans hand-throwing his designs. (A Guy Wolff pot thrown by the man himself will not have the “& Co.” designation on it… and for the record, the number below the year in which it was made is the wet weight of the pot.) Pick some up and enjoy.
Perhaps the single most beloved flower in the South, gardenias are prized for their warm scent—said to be a mixture of jasmine, vanilla, and nutmeg. Gardenias grow well throughout Florida, but are not especially salt-tolerant, so don’t attempt them if you’re right on the coast. Prune them only once per year (right after the blooms fall), and fertilize 2-3 times per year. As for light, we’ve always had great luck with either full East or West exposure so they get intense sun for only half the day. Obviously, if you’re going to add them to your landscape, place them near a breezy front porch or a window you love to keep open….
After weeks of waiting, samples from our new slip-covered line have finally arrived. We’ll post more about the furniture—available in hundreds of styles, tons of fabrics that can be mixed and matched, and which is as heavy and solidly-built as any you’ll find—but after a busy night of getting it settled in… how about just a few quick pics? If you want quality, unique furniture for your home at a truly reasonable price, you’re going to love this stuff.
This couch is one of many available, and is over eighty inches wide. We have headboards, dining chairs, and plenty of other goodies in this line… but we’ll cover that later.
It’s blueberry season here in Tampa, but no matter where you are, something good is probably growing nearby. Do your community a favor, and skip the big-box retailers and support your local businesses and farmers.
We are by no means a gourmet market, nor do we pretend to be; however, we do like to help our customers add the finishing touches to more than just a beautiful room. That said, we offer a number of selections from Bella Cucina, namely antipasti appetizers, bruschetta spreads, and amazing sweet dessert sauces… If you happen to stop by, give one a try. They’re beautiful, delicious, and inexpensive. A couple of our newer favorites are the Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce and Roasted Sweet Balsamic Peppers, shown below.
- Italian statue “Spring” located on St. Armand’s Circle.
Only about six weeks until the sweltering summer arrives, so get out there and enjoy.
Turning fresh ground almonds and soft meringue into little bites of heaven… Le Macaron is a wonderful French pastry shop located on historic St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota, Florida. From chocolate to lemon, the flavors of their signature Parisian macarons are many and wonderful. If you happen to be traveling Florida’s Gulf Coast, do yourself a favor and stop in.
This is the Zephirine Drouhin rose. It was bred by Bizot in 1868 and is a completely thornless climber (10-12 feet is reasonable to expect) with a strong, old rose fragrance. Takes about three years to really fill in and bloom like mad, but it’s worth the wait—not to mention, the whole thornless thing is great around kids and pets. Give it a try.
Just a quick update here with a couple of beautiful new mirrors we’ve added in the boutique. We think they’d look great with any number of styles, but hanging on a distressed white wall in a shabby-chic room or beach cottage might be ideal…
Happy Monday!
With spring upon us, consider adding some great planters to your garden or patio. Some of our favorites come from Campo de’ Fiori. We have several new in the boutique, and all are hand made terra cotta. The pots are sculpted, seeded with moss, and aged in a greenhouse. Once “harvested,” they ship to our boutique and we can offer them to you. You’ll find none of that fake moss here. As seen in the photos below, these pots are already covered with moss that reawakens after you plant them and water. Of course, you’ll still have to pick a proper spot if you want maximum moss to grow, but you won’t have to wait years for it to happen. 
We have several new options at the boutique. If you’re local, stop by!
Sorry it’s been so long since we’ve posted here. It’s been an eventful few weeks with lots of new fun at the boutique. We’ll post tomorrow to show off a few great new items. In the meantime, we thought you’d enjoy seeing the change of seasons here in Tampa.
Here’s the last camellia, which has grown throughout the last several months. Believe it or not, this particular bloom is so large (3.5” plus in diameter) and heavy, that the plant will barely support it now.
Although we hate to see one of the South’s favorite flowers say goodbye, the first Ingenious Mr. Fairchild rose has popped:
And, of course, Spring brings other fun as well, including licianthus, petunias, and blue ajuga:
Seen here, a pink ranunculus (ranunculus tecolote) as it blooms in Tampa today. With over 400 species in this particular genus of plants, many of which are also referred to as “buttercups,” this particular variety thrives in full sun, Zones 8-11, where it will grow as a perennial—simply allow the leaves to die back in the fall and they’ll return the following year.
If starting from bulbs, plant bulbs in the fall for spring blooms. In colder zones, the bulbs can be planted in the early spring and act as an annual. They are low maintenance and come in a multitude of colors—from white to purple, pink to red, with vibrant yellows and oranges too. A single plant may produce as many as 30 blooms per season. (However, remember that ranunculus can be toxic to grazing animals.)
We discovered the amazing floral designer, Paula Pryke, through another blog some time ago (apologies for not remembering who to credit). If you are unable to enjoy her creations first-hand in the United Kingdom, consider getting your hands on one of her many books.
