Thursday, July 9, 2009

City Garden – Mini Style



In NYC you're really lucky if you have a private terrace or a backyard space. I am about to be the proud owner of a mini terrace- a balcony really. The windows in the new apartment facing the street go out to a balcony - 1.5 feet deep by 10 feet wide. This is just enough space for a planter or two.

I’m really excited, as I have never had this little luxury before. The look of plants outside will be an asset in many ways: they will add a patch of green, cover the busyness of traffic, and offer a little more privacy for me inside. The trick is to cover some, but not too much of the pretty window or the view.

At the Kipps Bay Decorator’s Showhouse Bunny Williams put the ones you see here off the parlor floor living room. They literally stopped me in the street as they were exactly the look wanted for my balcony – and fake.

Normally I am not a fan of faux plants, but in this case I'm going fake all the way. It will be too difficult to water the plants without a hose, and if watering with a can, I also run the risk of watering people downstairs on the street – the florist below warned me of this already. Fake will also alleviate the stress of keeping real plants alive year around, and since a view of dead ones is not the look I’m going for - bring on the fake boxwoods.

I already previewed my options, and they look real close-up so from the street they are sure to look amazing. Maybe during the holidays I can add a few little white lights to match the big snowflake that hangs over the street – ohhhh can't wait...

2 comments:

MaryBeth said...

Please let us know what the choices are as I know it is something I would be very interested in learning about. Thanks, MB

Kelly Giesen said...

I sure will! I will take pictures of the plants and planters and post them. First things first - a window washing. They have not been cleaned in over 30 years! I can hardly wait to see out crystal clear. That will be as big a change for the better as any.