Spring For ward

HOT TRENDS Spring by Ja son ol i v er ni xon Forward a nD JoHn l oeck e

T he Madcap Cottage gents channel timeless trends to take your home from ho -hum to “Hello, gorgeous!”

Green Goddess u

Gardening has had a massive resurgence since the pandemic began, so for merly forlor n f ront yards are displaying a new found floral bount y. Trees have been tr immed, flowers are blooming blowzily, and stone masons have been busily craf ting patios and ter races. But how to connect the inter iors of your home with its glor ious exter ior? Br ing the timeless, f resh char ms of gardenplucked g reen hues within — whether in the for m of paint, wallpaper, fabr ics or r ugs. A s John says, “If it work s in your yard, it will work in your home. A nd there’s no more cool, soothing neutral hue than g reen.” T hink paint colors such as Sof t Fer n f rom Benjamin Moore and Dir t y Mar tini f rom Clare, and fabr ics such as Swans Island in Meadow Green f rom Madcap Cottage

Leafy Luxe p

Palmy, balmy inter iors — inspired by a mi x of the Beverly Hills hotel paired with a jigger of T he Greenbr ier and Palm Beach ’s Colony Hotel — are bursting into bloom. T hink traveler palms reaching hither and yon upon wallpaper and lemon trees scamper ing across sofas. Says Liz Vaughn, a g uiding force at iconic Ga zebo women’s retailer, “Gorgeous palm leaves march across the librar y at my home and have created a timeless vibe that is one par t Dorothy Draper and another par t classic escape. Stepping into this room is like tak ing a mini vacation, no plane tickets required. T he color and scale of the g rand palm pr int wallpaper absolutely da zzles our g uests.”

Remarkable Rattan p

R attan is finally getting its moment in the sun af ter seemingly falling out of favor for a blip — but never at Madcap Cottage! A nd the woven f ur nishings are not just mak ing star t ur ns on covered porches but also in living rooms and other public spaces. Notes Morgan Cooper, the ow ner of the glamorous Hive, “Our clients are loving reinter preted rattan that boasts a dash of unexpected whimsy and wonder. T his is definitely not your g randmother’s rattan. A nd it might be going into a master bedroom or bathroom — not just a sun porch.”

Prince of Chintz q

T he pendulum a lways shif ts, n’est- ce pas, so should you rea lly have kept those clothes f rom the 1970s that made you look like Holly Hobbie to use as so - ca lled “nap” dresses now? R ew ind to the 1980s. T hat decade’s go -to textile, chint z, is hav ing a big resurgence, too. “It’s not the highly polished chint z that we remember f rom Mar io Buat ta in 1987,” says John. “A nd we adored Mar io. But today’s chint z is a bit more rela xed, less polished, and w ith more negative space. Per fect for a sofa or an ar mchair.”

“Pink is such a wonder f ully flatter ing hue,” says John. “A pinkhued room will literally take 10 years of f your face. A nd pink can be both feminine and masculine, so the shade can really work in any room of our home — f rom a living room to master bedroom or bathroom.” Our go -to pink shades include Pink Ground f rom Far row and Ball, R achel Pink f rom Sher win-Williams, and Dead Salmon, also f rom Far row and Ball. P.S. Our most favor ite escape of late is st unning, pink-toned Manor House Room 23 at the ama zing Duncraig Manor and Gardens in Souther n Pines. Is it the pink walls that leave us feeling so ref reshed?

Heavy Metal q

We love using metallic finishes in home design schemes. But don’t think that we are referring to the old adage that “brass and glass equals class.” Think layered. Aged. Patina. Notes John, “W hy not embrace metallics on a ceiling to bring light into a room that lacks luster? We often wallpaper ceilings with metallic finishes, and that gentle sparkle really brings a space to life.” A favorite is The L ost City of Silver from Phillip Jeffries — just heaven.

Tried and True q

Noted landscape architect Jef f A llen t ur ns to classic, timeless garden elements to craf t his mag ical, cooling sanct uar ies. Here’s his garden go -to cheat sheet: 1. Box woods: versatile, beautif ul and sculpt ural. T hese classic bushes provide shape and st yle to any garden and pair well with ever y thing. T hey can be str uct ural or architect ural or can be used as an accent. With regard to the blight, there are var ieties that are disease resistant, and there are treatments available. 2. Hydrangeas: dynamic, color f ul and dramatic. You can't go wrong with large sweeps of hydrangeas for dramatic color. Under plant with bulbs to extend the bloom seasonally. 3. Pachysandra: my favor ite g roundcover. Used liberally in our landscape desig ns, pachysandra provides continuit y with our planting compositions.

Fabulous Follies p

A h, the g reat outdoors! But where to k ick back and rela x and sip a cool sauvig non blanc whilst shaded in splendor? Follies are all the rage in England, and these whimsical garden or naments are quick ly spilling across the pond. T hink whimsical temples ador ned with columns and plent y of space upon which to toss back on a daybed with book and hooch. Tur n to Haddonstone, the England-based caststone manufact urer, for whimsical creations that range f rom temples to pavilions, pergolas and more. Plus, Haddonstone has a U.S.-based ar m, so that makes the log istical bits all that much easier.

Make an Entrance u

A s we all paused over the past t wo, g ulp, years, we t ur ned our attention to fi xing up our homes and addressed areas that had perhaps been long overlooked. One such space that has been a focal point for our clients has been the foyer. Says A nne R ainey Rok ahr, the char ismatic ow ner of Trouvaille Home, “T he feeling one creates in the foyer sets the tone for the entire house and should therefore never be an af ter thought and definitely not a family drop zone. Even if the rest of the house look s a little messy the foyer should always be pr istine. A nd the foyer is the spot to go g rand. Pair a spectacular chandelier (always on a dimmer), a one- of-a-k ind chest, and a large mir ror with a couple of yards of a fine fabr ic, and you’re on your way!” PS

Ja son Oliver Ni xon an d John L o eck e are th e du o behin d T h om a sv ill e-ba se d Ma d c ap Cot t age.