part 3 of the design of the breakfast sunspace, the heart of my French Country inspired home, is all about the purpose and use of the dream sunspace. 

Part of the original design of the house, the sunspace has four main purposes. 

1. Dining Area
2. Light Source 
3. Solar Heat 
4. Gardening 

The purposes are intertwined and together illustrate a principle of good design. A space created for more than one function is wise use of resources, including natural resources of light and heat, not just monetary and square footage resources. 

The sunspace also illustrates useful, practical spaces can be beautiful spaces.

Dining  Area

The main function of the light-filled sunspace is for dining. An added bonus during meal time is enjoying the changing nature views all during the year. Blooming pear, redbud, and vitex trees visually swarm with birds, butterflies, and bees. Squirrels, foxes, and neighborhood cats and dogs wander through on their way to the surrounding woods. 

Bright, sparkling pale green leaves on trees emerge in early spring, then change to dark, dusty green in the dry rainless summer. Fall leaves can surprise us with seasonal yellows and golds before turning to rusty browns. By Christmas, the branches are bare and often glisten with ice during January and February ice storms. 

Dream Sunspace Design No.2 | Interior

Take a tour of the interior of my dream sunspace with details about location, windows, window coverings, flooring, and connection to a French Country inspired post-and-beam home. Read specifics you can use in the design of your own dream sunspace.

April

This is part 2 of three articles about the design of the breakfast sunspace at the heart of my French Country style home. Previously, part 1 was about the design of the exterior of my dream sunspace. If you missed reading Part 1, there is a link at the end of the post. Part 3 will have beautiful photos and details of the purpose and use of the sunspace I dreamed about and planned for years before we built our post and beam house in the country. 

Dream Sunspace Design No. 1| Exterior

Where do you begin designing a dream sunspace for your home after your initial daydreams? You have collected photo clippings, pinned images to your Pinterest boards, drooled over sunspaces in tours of design houses, drawn rough sketches on the backs of paper napkins while dining out, and have some overall vision of what you would love to build. 

What should you consider to translate your sunspace daydreams into reality? 

April  

Take a journey with me in the design of the sunspace in my French Country inspired dream home to get some practical design ideas for your own dream sunspace. Everyone's dream sunspace is different, but read about what to consider including in your own variation of a sunspace. 

Part one of the journey in my dream sunspace is this post about the design of the exterior. Parts two and three in the sunspace design journey will be 2) sunspace interior design and 3) sunspace purpose/uses. 

Photographs used to illustrate information are over several years and for different times during the year. Look at the caption below each photograph for when the photo was taken. Note the sunlight in each photograph. 

Bulletin Board Inspiration No. 1 | Baskets, Eggs, Wreaths

A Paper Series Post

Creating a bulletin board filled with photographs of spring baskets, bird eggs, and wreaths is an inexpensive way to enjoy photographs from magazines, brochures, catalogs, flyers, maps . . .  Plus, seeing collected clippings on a board gives ideas for creating similar arrangements around the house. Take a look at the latest bulletin board arrangement in my house for March, and read my suggestions for creating your own bulletin board arrangements. 

Last fall I rejuvenated an old ordinary bulletin board by painting the cork board ink blue and by applying a gold gel stain to the narrow wooden frame. When I shared the finished look in a post, I promised readers a new series of Bulletin Board Inspiration. Today is the first of several bulletin board inspiration posts, with tutorials included for how I lay out my bulletin boards. The board I created and photographed last November will debut this November. 

3 Design Factors for Exterior Stairs

{Disclosure: If you purchase items from Botanic Bleu, I receive compensation for your purchase. See my Disclosure and Privacy Policy for more information.} 

Tips for designing beautiful exterior wood stairs in the backyard to lead to a second floor storage area above the garage include design ideas for style, safety, and durability. 

If you have ever fallen down steep stairs, you know how important good design is to building stairs. Like all good designs, each of the three factors of style, safety, and durability is intertwined with the other two. Each decision for how to create the new stairs was based on all of these factors. 

Finished last winter, the stairs are beautiful to see from inside looking out through our dining room windows. 

Pine Chest Vignette Tips | Spring and Summer

S P R I N G   &   S U M M E R 

PART 1 OF A 2-PART SERIES 

As the seasons change, so does the vignette on the pine chest at the end of my stone fireplace. A few things stay the same year round. The lily print, the small lamp, and a varying stack of books anchor the chest's arrangements as seasons come and go. 

As you look through the photos of how the pine chest vignettes changed during spring and summer of years past, watch the book stack go up and down in number and in change of titles. Notice also the changes in the base of the lamp. 

One of the ways I find ideas for new arrangements is by studying Instagram, Pinterest, and other blogs. Invariably something catches my eye and sparks a vision for the top of my pine chest. And, if the photographer/writer shares bits of her design process, I take note for ways to improve my own. Thank you, StoneGable,Home is Where the Boat Is, My French Country Home, . . . 

Then I dissect my mental notes for patterns, techniques, and principles. 

Just like attending interior design classes, but in my nightgown curled up in bed.  

You may find some of my insight for creating vignettes helpful to you in creating your own vignettes.  

. . . like a PRO. . . StoneGable, Home Is Where the Boat Is, My French Country Home . . .  

French Country Style For Bathrooms

Adding French Country to a bathroom can be as easy as adding accents. Ready for ideas about which accents/accessories will give your bathroom French style? It is easier than you may realize. 

Begin with one piece of French Country furniture to add instant French decor. A small chair or an ottoman gives you a place to sit near a bathroom's vanity, and either a chair or bench is an easy way to add French Country charm to any space. 

For small spaces like bathrooms, one small chair or bench makes a big impact in setting the room's style. 

7 Ways to Add French Country to a Master Bath

Adding French Country style to a new home or a fixer-upper is easier to do than adding French Country style to an existing home. When you build a new house, you can include architectural details with French roots from the ground up. Fixer upper projects often include major renovations for floors, windows, room layouts, plumbing, appliances, and/or built-in cabinets. All offer ways to include French style. 

But, what about when you want to add French Country style to an existing room without remodeling? The good news is you can make changes to your rooms that will give them French style without changing the structures. With a little practice for looking at your existing rooms from a fresh perspective, you will begin to see changes you can make. Each new change will spark ideas for more changes. 

To get your creative decorating ideas flowing, take a look at seven ways you can add French Country style to a master bathroom... without making structural changes. 

Kitchen Island Spring Nesting | Design Challenge

Spring brings out the feather-my-nest instincts to create pretty arrangements on the kitchen island. Then over the course of several days I continue to fluff my nest by adding some elements, removing some items, and rearranging others. It reminds me of a saying my mother had, "Can't get your nest made?" 

Hearts on the Table... With French Connections

Hearts of all kinds find their way to my house. 

Wood hearts, carved hearts, paper hearts, metal hearts, 

small hearts, large hearts, flower vase hearts ... 

A few arrive as gifts, some come as travel souvenirs, 

and many come from office supply or gift stores. 

Even though the skies are bright blue, horizon to horizon, 

and the temperatures are predicted to be in the 70s for the next three days, 

it is February which calls for heart decorations. 

The collection of hearts on the breakfast table includes many 

French connections and inspiration.  

Neutral Colors 

While red and pink are the expected colors for February hearts, 

neutral colored hearts in a white ceramic bowl give a French feel to the collection. 

B*O*N*H*E*U*R

A natural-colored linen heart with bonheur (happiness) embroidered on it 

is one of two hearts in the bowl that came from France. 

While touring lavender fields in Provence, 

our small tour group stopped for lunch at a hilltop village 

that overlooked lavender fields we had just walked through that morning. 

Handmade 

With great bonheur, I found a small boutique de souvenirs (gift shop) 

filled with items handmade in France and bought several hearts. 

The hand-carved wooden angel wings peeking over the bonheur heart 

came from the same boutique. 

Distressed white-washed finish 

The wooden white-washed heart is the second heart in the bowl 

that came from the Provence area boutique. 

A close-up shows the natural honey-colored wood grain that blends with the 

pine posts and beams throughout our house and French country houses.  

Blend of materials 

The hearts on the table include linen, wood, metal, twine, and paper materials... 

a wonderful mix of refined embroidery, rustic metal, carved wood, and modern paper. 

A typical French approach to a collection is to include old and new, 

rustic and refined, simple and elaborate, blending them together harmoniously. 

Attention to details 

A hallmark of French design is attention to details that lifts the ordinary to extraordinary, 

making a common-place item elegant, setting it apart from other lackluster similar items. 

While the white paper hearts may or may not be French, 

their design reflects French inspiration. 

The extra thickness of the paper, the tonal texture of the paper's pattern, 

and the pinked edges of the heart elevate the paper heart far above the usual paper heart. 

Hearts on the breakfast table fill me with happiness 

and remind me of elegant French design. 

Does French design appeal to you? 

If yes, what do you like most about French design? 

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Have you heard?  

There is a new linking party that started 

Thursday, February 11, 2016 

Four of my friends who are also Texas bloggers 

will be hosting 

Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Everyone is invited. 

Their button grabbed me right away... all that beautiful blue. 

Hope to see you there. 

Botanic Bleu will be.... 

celebrating friendship, decorating, recipes, gardening, and inspiration. 

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Please join me at these inspiring sites...

SUNDAY

Table It @ Rustic and Refined 

MONDAY

Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home

Something To Talk About @ Karen's Up On the Hill 

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

TUESDAY

the Scoop @ Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Tuesdays At Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House
Show and Share @ Coastal Charm 

WEDNESDAY

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

THURSDAY

The Inspiration Gallery @ Craftberry Bush

Thoughts of Home on Thursday @ Poofing The Pillows 

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch To Yours

Your Inspired Design @ bluesky kitchen  
Share Your Cup @ Art and Sand 

FRIDAY

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

SATURDAY

Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events

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Cinderella Pumpkins Display Tips

It's official! 

September 23, 2015 is the first day of 

of all shapes, sizes, and colors are in the garden centers in my neck of the woods. 

f i n a l l y ! 

Cinderella is the name of a pumpkin variety, but, for me, a cinderella pumpkin is any pumpkin with a fairytale shape, or with a bewitching stem, or with a magical color.  Like the pumpkin sitting on my kitchen counter nestled in a green boxwood wreath... which happens to be a Rascal variety.  For me, it is still a cinderella pumpkin. 

Just look at the color, the texture, the shape, and its crowning glory, the stem.  Any wondrous pumpkin with this much style and beauty could be transformed to Cinderella's carriage.  So, what are the tips in displaying a Cinderella Pumpkin just waiting for its debut at the Ball? 

TIP #1 - Choose a magical gorgeous color 

Rascal pumpkins are soft peach with hints of green in color and have delicate veined skins with texture.  The color is really described as pink in growers' descriptions.  Now, if pink is not a color for Cinderella's pumpkin, what is?  

I wandered around my local garden center for at least an hour finding just the pumpkin to bring home.  Color was the first thing I noticed in ALL of the many choices of pumpkins.   

TIP #2 - Choose a bewitching stem  

I looked long and hard at the white pumpkins, but there just was not a bewitching stem on any of the white pumpkins.  Hmmm... maybe the wicked stepmother got there before I did and snatched up the beautiful white pumpkin with its bewitching stem.  Curly stems with squiggly tendrils add beguiling features to even the most beautiful pumpkin, similar to curls and stray tendrils in Cinderella's beautiful hair coiffed for the ball. 

TIP #3 - Choose a fairytale shape 

Shapely symmetrical lobes with a well-defined stem valley are a fairytale shape.  Misshapen, tilting, lop-sided pumpkins may be good for cooking, but pumpkins destined for display should have more grace and style, especially if the pumpkin is a centerpiece by itself, not part of a clustered group.  

A Cinderella Pumpkin holds center stage by itself without need of ladies-in-waiting. 

TIP #4 - Provide a setting worthy of royalty 

A white pedestal cake plate with a ruffled edge showcases whatever sits atop it.  Setting a pumpkin on a striking platter, in a rustic basket, inside a stoneware soup tureen, or in a tarnished silver loving cup draws the eye even more to the pumpkin.  

Look around your house, and use a container you like that fits your overall style.  French Country is what I consider my style, and the white stoneware cake plate seems to fit French Country.  

Or, be bold, and use a totally unexpected container like a wooden crate, olive bucket, old wooden ice cream freezer, or a wooden Coca-cola crate. 

TIP #5 - Add an unexpected "nestling" layer 

A preserved green boxwood wreath is a surprise for Fall.  Traditional Fall colors are not my favorite palette so I look for things that are some of my favorite things to use all year and use them in Fall displays.  The boxwood wreath also gives a more formal French touch and less cluttered look to the arrangement.  I have been trying to find ways to give a natural, airy look to my house. 

A nestling layer helps stabilize a wobbly pumpkin and camouflage any imperfections in the fairytale shape.  No one is the wiser.  Nestling materials like hydrangeas, berry vines, and grapevine twirls also add more interest to a display. 

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For more Cinderella Pumpkin displays, see older posts from previous years' pumpkins.  See if you can spot how I used my five (5) tips in each of them.  

 5 Thanksgiving Blessings Found in White Pumpkins and Blue Berries

Not Your Usual Fall Colors

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Please join me at these inspiring sites...

MONDAY

Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home

Something To Talk About @ Karen's Up On the Hill

TUESDAY

the Scoop @ Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Tuesdays At Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

WEDNESDAY

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

THURSDAY

Share Your Style @ Common Ground

The Inspiration Gallery @ Craftberry Bush

Your Turn to Shine @ Canary Street Crafts 

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch To Yours

FRIDAY

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Fridays Unfolded @ Nancherrow 

Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House

SATURDAY

Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events

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Can't Go to France? Bring a Little France to You

Can't go to France,
but the longing for France dances in your mind daily? 

When you have friends going, hearing all their plans, 

but you can't go due to work, or family illnesses, or not in the budget.  

What to do when you can't go to France? 

  

Then... 

bring a little France to you. 

Here are suggestions for ways to 

bring a little France into a favorite spot in your house. 

Bring France to a place that you see every day, 

in full view from the kitchen and living room. 

Start with a French blue flower pot and add an old world live foxglove, 

one that takes center stage to add a touch of  

French country gardens and Parisian flower markets. 

Design tip:  Notice the multiple uses of blue... 

flower pot, large floral framed print on the stone wall, 

small picture on the chest, blue in the books, paperweight... 

The color bleu helps unify the grouping. 

Add another touch of greenery with preserved boxwood 

tucked into an empty glass candle holder 

that has golden scenes from Paris. 

The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Conciergerie... 

Scenes that bring Paris to you... 

Display books about France. 

The Heart of FRANCE and 

ONE HUNDRED & ONE BEAUTIFUL TOWNS in France 

Just seeing the books brings to mind France's beauty. 

Having them in sight invites you to browse 

through them to take a 30-minute tour while having coffee. 

You may not be there in person, 

but your mind and spirit can be there as you daydream 

looking through photos and reading about French scenery. 

Place the boxwood at the base of a small lamp atop the stack of books. 

Design tip: Once again color has been repeated. This time, gold. 

Gold spine of the top book, gold design on the glass candle jar, 

and gold picture frame in the background. 

Sometimes good things come from accidents. 

Or perhaps, realizing not all is lost when accidents happen. 

The small lamp once had a cherry wood base 

with a blue and white teacup filled with artificial pastel flowers. 

Oops! 

The lamp was knocked onto the floor shattering the saucer 

and breaking the handle of the teacup. 

Miraculously, the teacup was still intact. 

So many memories of good times traveling to Salado 

with a dear friend, now deceased, are tied to the little lamp. 

Both my friend and I bought this same lamp on one of those trips. 

In the French spirit of treasuring the imperfect as well as the perfect, 

the handle was glued together, but the teacup was not glued back to the lamp base.  

Painting the lamp base white gave it new life and an update. 

Had the lamp not been broken, it would have been unlikely 

that it would have been painted, and for certain, it would always 

have retained the blue and white teacup. 

Now the lamp can hold any number of small things on its base. 

At Christmas time there was a small white vase with the word Noel. 

The accident paved the way for changing the lamp's look 

with each new grouping on the chest of drawers. 

Bring a little more France to you... 

Add a small picture of French lavender like this one 

purchased in France while touring lavender fields in Provence. 

Souvenirs from previous trips to France 

bring vivid memories filled with details of authentic French life. 

When you cannot create a new travel experience, 

relive a favorite memory of a previous trip. 

Postcards make excellent small photos to frame, 

and the photos often are from a viewpoint not available to travelers. 

Design tips: The small picture's frame echoes the gold of the larger print's frame. 

The beading and corner accents in the wooden frame reflect French design. 

With flowers, French scenes, books about France, 

and a souvenir picture you can 

Bring a Little France to You

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What is your favorite way to bring a little France 

(or insert country of choice) to yourself? 

Food comes to mind, but it is hard to incorporate 

into an arrangement on a chest... 

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If you enjoyed this post and would like to share 

a link to it with friends, family, or your readers, 

just use the social media buttons found 

at the bottom of the page near the Comments section. 

With just a click of a button you can 

share a link by email, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, 

and Google +1. 

Linking it to your Pinterest page 

makes it easy to find for re-reading in the future. 

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Please join me at these inspiring sites...

MONDAY

Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home

Something To Talk About @ Karen's Up On the Hill

TUESDAY

the Scoop @ Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Tuesdays At Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

WEDNESDAY

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

THURSDAY

Share Your Style @ Common Ground

The Inspiration Gallery @ Craftberry Bush

Your Turn to Shine @ Canary Street Crafts

FRIDAY

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Fridays Unfolded @ Nancherrow 

SATURDAY

Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events

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