August 13th, 2010
Escape Gardens
The great Argentine writer, Julio Cortazar , once talked about vacations, and how every vacation isn’t really time away, but time to plan one’s escape from the world when they get back home. The home in the city is often a place of respite, and a place to get away from everything that can be overwhelming in the course of any day. It can also feel like an escape, and with careful attention to design, and a willingness to change interiors frequently, it can remain as fresh as any hotel room, and offer the same possibility for something new.
Enhancing the escape factor can be a welcome challenge, then, with some great possibilities for spectacular results. One of the easiest ways to move from the everyday and ordinary into extraordinary realms is to learn to work with the garden. It needn’t be a patch of land on which to grow carrots, although that is a lovely thing if it’s possible. For most city people, the garden is a limited space, but holds limitless potential. The careful placement of plants in pots, and a couple of elegant fountains can transform any space into a garden, and offer the same sense of solace in nature. It can also feel like the perfect escape from everything else in the world.