back yard

I've been so focused on the front, I have not shown pics of what we have done in the back. Neil put in a compacted gravel parking area for 2 cars. It feels pretty solid, but since it's pervious, the water drains right through.
Our stepping stones were picked out at Pavingstone Supply over in Ballard. They have a large selection and they also supply pavers like we used on the patio, but ours came directly from Mutual Materials.
The back stoop has 2 fish tiles like the front stoop leaves from Seattle Tile.

first floor bathroom - details

I've been meaning to follow up and give more product callouts and lately I've had a few nudges, so I thought I'd start with the downstairs bathroom. We settled on the American Standard Ravenna Pedestal Sink that we saw at Morgan's Plumbing Supply. It has clean lines, room for soap and flowers and of course the built in towel bar.

The faucet is Grohe Concetto

The mirror is actually just a picture frame from Aaron Brothers and Neil had the mirror cut to fit.

We do really like our Toto Aquia dual flush toilets.

I'll have to look to see if I can find the brand of this toilet roll holder.

If you already have a pedestal and like the towel bar location, they do make ones that are sold separately that attach to the wall like this.

the front yard

Sometimes it's good to look back and see how far one has come. This blog is good for that. The yard has been my biggest challenge. I have never been a gardener. Never lived in a place that had a yard like this. It's been overwhelming at times, but we keep plugging away at it a little here and there.

The grass is starting to fill in. We have been lucky with the weather and haven't had to water so much. We put down a seed from Swanson's Nursery called Play & Fun. It's good for high traffic and play areas. It does well in moderate shade to full sun and is drought resistant. It's a blend of 40& Elf Perennial Ryegrass, 20% Creeping Red Fescue, 15% Azcella Annual Ryegrass, 15% Longfellow Chewings Fescue, 10% Solera Tall Fescue.

I've been noticing some white spots on my pansies. Does anyone know what causes these? ahhh...My mom emailed me that it could be wind...which makes sense because they are more exposed up here.

garden inspiration

Last autumn I went on a house tour that took me to this amazing garden. It was a landscape architect's own home and it was just spectacular. I loved the mix of textures and colors. Some views like the one above, are as if they were painted with just the right pop of color.





Even this dead Allium looks more like sculpture.

pots + plants

I've been thinking of planting a couple of pots on our back deck or patio and this is an inspiration outside of work at the wine shop in Langley. The mix of textures, heights and colors is wonderful.

porches + plants

My tulips I planted in the boxes are popping up now. They are very fragrant when they are open. On a still day you can smell them when you walk on the porch. I never thought of tulips with a strong fragrance.

I had bought the rain chain over the internet at Overstock.com. There is also a website devoted to them that I looked at... http://www.rainchains.com/ There is a catchbasin under the rocks that links to the deep drywells in the front yard. We seem to be alternating between beautiful sunny days and days of soaking. Hopefully our newly seeded lawn is not drowning.


The concrete guy did a good job finishing the stoop. I had chosen these tile leaves at Seattle tile and we have fish in the back stoop.

The Nandina "Moyer's Red" seems to be doing okay. I was concerned because there are a lot of leaves on the ground around it. It seemed to be in shock for the first couple of weeks, but I think it's settling in now. The color is beautiful.

Neil put in a bench outside the back door. I have eaten lunch out here a few times with my back against the post. It's always in the sun.