Bloom Where You Are Planted –
“Not” a Designer Home

I stood back and looked at the finished and decorated room, the last project that I could complete before I left for Key West, and I was happy! What better way to kick off a vacation than by creating a guest room with such a Key West Vibe. I thought about how far this little Amarillo had come and I was taken back in time to three years ago and the words a homeowner said to me right before I left for vacation.

I stood back and looked at the finished and decorated room, the last project that I could complete before I left for Key West, and I was happy! What better way to kick off a vacation than by creating a guest room with such a Key West Vibe. I thought about how far this little Amarillo had come and I was taken back in time to three years ago and the words a homeowner said to me right before I left for vacation. Those words inspired me as we drove across the vast expanse of water as far as the eye could see and we seemed to float across the “Seven Mile Bridge”. I looked to my right, running parallel with us was the historic “Overseas Highway” built by Henry Flagler and the original passage to the Florida Keys. Age and subsequent hurricanes have left it a relic, rusty and beat up, but still standing.  It is used as a fishing and walking pier and is accessed by a few small keys peppered along the way. Some parts of it cannot be reached as adjoining pieces have fallen way….. Into the deep blue leaving a piece here and there abandoned by humanity. My eye spotted an anomaly, there on the abandoned bridge segment was a tree as tall as a house. Strangely, my mind conjured the words……..Pelican Poop….an explanation of how the seed must have been planted. However, it arrived upon this seemingly soilless ground this tree was the embodiment of the idea passed through time…..  “Bloom where you are planted.” The tree moved from my sight as rubber grabbed the rode moving us closer to our destination and I recalled a conversation with a client just before leaving for vacation. She said…. “This is not a designer home….” as if the only homes worthy of attention and embellishment was a designer home and my jaw dropped in disbelief. I decided on my way home I would take a picture of that tree as a shining example that despite the space and the condition of the home; you can bloom were you are planted. What I love about the room I finished today is that it is a tangible expression of the idea “bloom where you are planted.” I love that the homeowners did not say it is not a designer home instead they made it a designer home that they designed (with my help of course)!

Every house, no matter the size, deserves to be fabulous!

This house (similar to the cottage house Sunkist) is really amazing because the homeowners have added on to the home what suits their lifestyle best. The first addition was to bump out the front of the house and bump out the back of the house, to create a craft room and a media room. The second addition and the one that I am currently working on is another addition to the front of the house. If you can’t build out build up! That is exactly what these two forward thinking homeowners did. They needed a bigger bathroom, a storage room, and one more guest room for the grandkids. They bumped out the guest room and build a second story on top. This house is now a four bedroom house with three and a half baths and very unique!

They wanted the first floor guest room to reflect a Florida feeling so that the any visitors might feel like they were in Florida when the visit. The homeowners chose “Blue Sea Turtles” by Myra Robertson to set the tone. I loved them because they have lots of pinks popping and that makes the space feel different and fresh. The artwork set the tone and inspiration for the whole room.

The pictures were framed in blue so they would have blended into a blue wall. We chose a sunny, creamy, golden color that brings in the sun and keeps the Sea Turtles looking fresh and dramatic.

I was lucky enough to find a bed set from Bay Linens called Emperors Garden and this bedding complemented the paintings just right! However, I was only able to get a coverlet and two standard shams. I had three European pillows made from a pink check fabric that looks like they came with the bedding. The blue pillow in the center was bought in town at a local retailer. The mix and match look, when done right, looks as if it was designed to go together. As always, the first thing that I put on the bed is a white coverlet to be used all the time, and then add the other layers.

We used a lamp that looks traditional with a twist. The base is blue and crackled and the shade is burlap. These lamps look amazing and reinforce the color blue into the design.

We covered the one large window with a white shutter. The shutter is great for a finished window since it comes with molding that surrounds a window. Though we put up shutters and since this is a guest room, I wanted to do more. We hung side panels on each side of the window in white, to soften the space and create the illusion that the window looks bigger.

We placed a blue dish full of hot pink hydrangeas on the bedside table! I like placing all the same flower in one arrangement as a way to be dramatic and add more softness.

The builder was able to place an entire bathroom with a shower beneath the stairwell. As you stand in front of this bed and look to the right in the room, the bathroom can be seen. Since it can be seen so clearly, I think it should look fabulous and compliment the guest room. To do this, we placed an original picture painted by a ninety year old Jamaican artist called “happy house” above the toilet. This painting has lots of pinks and greens and is painted from the perspective that you are looking outside the window at the world on the beach in Jamaica. I love this room!

Every home is a beautiful flower waiting to bloom no matter what the size. It only takes an interested and determined gardener to make it transform into something that it was not before.

So, I had the best intentions to play paparazzi to the lone tree on the cement oasis but I fell asleep. I did however get pictures of the tree! One very kind reader sent the story to her son in Key West and sent me pictures. I will let you know how that tree is doing this year as I will pass by it twice; that simple tree that caught by my eye, not even looking for an inspiration that day, will forever remind me to Bloom where I am planted.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator in the heart of The Villages at 352-804-2056.​