THIS WEEK'S POLL
If you could have cocktails with any FLN show host, who would you choose?
Emeril Lagasse
Martha Stewart
Alexis Stewart
Zane Lamprey
Trainer Bob Harper
View Results

Recreating Getaways in Your Every Day
Part Three: Backyard Greek Island Retreat



It's easy to replicate the tranquility of Aegean seaside villages in spaces large and small. Home staging specialist Rosemary Wardell offers these tips for creating a Mediterranean paradise right outside your door.

A Backyard Greek Island Retreat

Greeks honored harmony and balance in design, originating "less is more." Such decor as clay pots, urns and busts, Spartan furniture, and sun-drenched colors should be used to highlight the pre-existing natural beauty of your space in creating a classical retreat.

In backyards, place terra cotta pots (among existing trees and plants to fill in bare spots in the landscape. Use a trellis to grow a grapevine for a dramatic entrance to an outdoor seating area. Use simple wood furniture padded in white canvas. For yards with pools, build a cabana draped in white canvas for poolside R&R.

In urban dwellings, whitewash patios and use fewer decorative pieces to create a (con)Crete paradise. Evenly space plants in ceramic and terra cotta pots along the patio perimeter. Candles in wine bottles and copper serving pieces add a splash without tipping the scale into overabundance.

For a dramatic and fun effect, hang shutters painted in terra cotta-red on the wall in the closed position, or opened to frame a painted scene of the Aegean coast. Toast yourself with a nice glass of ouzo: With a little imagination, you've created an inexpensive island getaway.

Rosemary Wardell
Designer, R Gallery
818-554-0759
www.rgallery.com

Site Extras