THE ABODE Home & Garden

118’ BROWARD / Marantha Kidd

Mother Daughter Real Estate Duo A conversation with Cindy and Lily O’Dare

Lily: I am always so inspired by you, Mom. We are sitting here in your beautiful house, on your comfy white couches, there are lilies, roses, hydrangeas, and orchids surrounding us, and some Brazilian jazz is playing—our favorite. It smells like jasmine and citrus, and you look stunning.

Cindy: Well I just love it when you’re here Lil. I can’t believe you finally left the nest.

Lily: Believe me, you didn’t make it easy! That’s why I’m always over, and now sharing the same career path—it’s just a way for me to hang out with you more.

Cindy: Haha, I was always hoping you would get into real estate— and of course, you are a natural.

Lily: OK, so now I’m going to ask you some questions. I love to write and preserve our precious memories. I thought this would be a great way to remember Mother’s Day this year.

Cindy: I love you.

Lily: I love you too!

What are you most proud of?

Cindy: I am most proud of you and Katie. You two are the most incredible individuals and I can’t help but cry and beam with pride thinking about all that you both have overcome. Your love for life is amazing.

Lily: OK, now I’m crying! So travel has been on pause for quite some time now. Do you have a favorite travel memory?

Cindy: My favorite travel memory is traveling cross country on a motorcycle when I was 24 years old. Of course my trips to Barbados, and also Cabo with you! I was so impressed that you had been to Mexico so many times on your own for work and I finally got to experience your world during that trip.

Lily: That’s one of my favorite memories too. Remember when we sat down for that sunset dinner at Flora Farms and both started crying? We were surrounded by beautiful flowers, gardens, organic produce and herbs growing all around our table—it was heaven. I miss Mexico! Let’s go one day soon.

Cindy: Yes, please.

Lily: So a year and more without big travel, what would you say your takeaway is from 2020/COVID-19?

Cindy: I learned that the world is a beautiful place if you can slow down and take time to smell the roses. Life is precious and can be gone in an instant.

Lily: Isn’t that the truth. Speaking of roses, we both have such a love for flowers. I know that I got that from you. I’m so happy it’s spring time and everything is blooming again. Do you have a favorite flower?

Cindy: Gardenias, for so many reasons.

Lily: Can I copy you and say Gardenias too?

Cindy: Yes.

Lily: Do you have a favorite scent?

Cindy: That’s impossible for me to say. I love candles, perfume, Molton Brown bubble bath, lilies, peonies, roses, gardenias, fresh bread baking, coffee, popcorn popping, chicken roasting in the oven, I could go on and on.

Lily: Wow, ditto.

How do you make a house a home?

Cindy: Every home has an energy. I’d say equal parts love, cooking, music, cleaning, candles, and flowers. Nice windows and sunshine help too.

Lily: What is your favorite house you ever lived in?

Cindy: My favorite house I ever lived in was a tiny street called Atlantic Way in Miami Beach with only 8 houses on it, built in 1926. It had Dade County pine floors, a big claw foot bathtub, two fireplaces, and sat directly on the ocean. Hardly anyone ever knew it existed.

Lily: What are you most excited for this summer?

Cindy: You already know the answer, but North Carolina cabin life! Our happy place.

Lily: I am already mentally there.

Cindy: Me too.

Lily: What is your secret to aging gracefully? You are the most lovely, stylish, and pretty woman I know.

Cindy: Thank you Lily. I try to stay relevant and curious, and interested in other people’s stories.

Lily: I love that about you. Share a favorite memory that comes to mind.

Cindy: Dinner at my grandmother’s house every Sunday. Meeting my best friend on the playground at age 9. Going on tour with the Eagles. When you and Katie were born. Sitting on David Busch’s porch watching his chickens.

Lily: If you could, what would you tell your 30-year-old self?

Cindy: You are beautiful.

Lily: What do you see for yourself for the next 30 years?

Cindy: A very curated, thoughtful, and joyful life.

Lily: OK, so I have to ask about real estate. What do you think about the current market in our town?

Cindy: The market in Vero has changed forever. We are in a new phase. I’m not sure if it’s good, bad, or both!

Lily: Amen to that. I’m really enjoying it, I have to say.

Cindy: Well, you are on fire!

Lily: I am lucky to be learning from the very best. So how do you want to celebrate your birthday this year?

Cindy: A luncheon in my garden with lots of friends.

Lily: Speaking of your garden, I must bring up the owls. Ivy and Fox, our owls that came last spring, are back again and more in love than ever! What do you think about them?

Cindy: Our natural world is pure magic and I am thankful they feel safe and happy in my garden. I think they will always return.

Lily: OK, last question: do you love your French bulldog Clarabell more than me?

Cindy: Hmmm, now you’re throwing out the hard questions!

Christina Bruce Interiors: Which Blue is For You?

There are infinite shades of blue. Navy, robin’s egg, sky, cobalt, azure, slate, indigo, cerulean… you get the point. While any of these shades can be beautiful in a room, there are a few dos and don’ts I typically like to follow when selecting the perfect blue. Most importantly, the specific blue you choose should depend on where it is being used. When it comes to blue interior paint, it’s easy to go wrong. A sophisticated dining room can end up looking like a boy’s nursery if you aren’t careful. The two things I consider when selecting blue paint is tone and saturation. If you want a deep color with a fair amount of saturation, look for a tone that contains some gray. A color like Sherwin Williams Samovar Silver will give you enough color but because it’s more of a gray blue, it won’t appear juvenile. If blue grays aren’t right for you, I recommend avoiding a very saturated color. Icicle, also from Sherwin Williams, is essentially a true blue but is a very diluted version. This very subtle light blue will give you the blue color without being overwhelming.

I recommend that brighter blues be used as accents unless you truly are going for a bold look. Brighter cobalt, teal and aqua make beautiful pops of color both inside and out of the home. These colors can be great in accent pillows or small accent tiles in a bath. They also can give a fun beachy look to an exterior when used on shutters.

The one blue that has no rules or restrictions is navy. Navy, to me, is always right. Need a striking wall color for a dining room? Navy. You want a strong accent color in any palette? Navy. What coordinates beautifully with fuchsia, emerald green or canary yellow? Navy, navy, navy.

It can also look amazing on furniture. A navy piece can enhance any room, such as this beautiful lattice bed shown in my Midshipman Midnight from the Christina Bruce Collection for David Francis Furniture, pictured here.

If you follow these simple guidelines, I’m confident that you’ll be able to find the right shade of blue for you!

Visit ChristinaBruceInteriors.com for more inspiration, or follow on @christinabruceinteriors.

Written and photography provided by Christina Bruce

Styled by Hazel House

By now, we hope you know that Hazel House is your one stop shop for everything home related. Whether you’re on the hunt for new furniture, decor accessories, or ready to embark on a home renovation. We’re a team of interior, kitchen and bath designers with a retail store stocked with beautiful furniture. We tackle design projects big and small.

What happens when you've already bought all of the furniture, but you can't figure out how to finish off your space? Built-ins or floating shelves giving you grief? Or maybe you need help pulling all the finishing touches together? We’re excited to announce Lee Ann Hall’s promotion to lead visual merchandiser and she is now available for hire! From bookshelves, to bar carts, to coffee tables, Lee Ann will take any space from drab to fab in a matter of hours. Whether you want brand new decor or want to incorporate your sentimental pieces, our in-home services will leave you with a perfectly styled space.

Learn more at HazelHouseVero.com.

Written and photography by Taylor Brown

Image courtesy of Celadon Home + Julia Lynn Photography

Garden Elegance

Aiello Landscape Living Walls

Don’t limit your garden planting to ground shrubs when you can grow plants on a garden wall, or even the exterior of your home! Many people shy away from doing this for maintenance reasons. However, if you choose a few prime locations and calculate the benefits over time, you will find that there are applications that are worth the investment for the beauty they create.

Espalier is “the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling plant growth by pruning or tying branches to a frame.” On the Treasure Coast, the most common plants to espalier are Bougainvillea— trellis form, and Confederate Jasmine. Bougainvillea is best espaliered to a trellis or garden archway. The plant can be trained to stay within a column, flow across a trellis, or fill a wall in one mass of color. Bougainvillea love sunny locations and can grow three feet per year. Confederate Jasmine, which produce white flowers in the spring, can be trained into a variety of patterns. Jasmine can grow in full or partial sun, but flower more in the sun.

After selecting a location, we recommend measuring and marking a pattern of equally spaced locations for wall anchors. These spots should be drilled and filled with small eyelets. If you are working with Bougainvillea, the next step is to plant the vine and place the branches in the desired location and then strap them in place using monofilament fishing line. With Confederate Jasmine, you can lay out the fishing line in a square or diamond pattern first and then wind the plant around the desired pattern. When it is time to repaint the wall, snip the fishing line and lay the plant down flat. After maintenance is finished, re-attach with new line.

Another approach for living walls is to plant Ficus repens—Creeping Fig. Ficus repens is a fast-growing plant that will quickly take over a wall and can be planted in most conditions. The benefit of using Ficus repens is you can hide a wall that would otherwise be too stark and stand out too much. The downside comes when it’s time for maintenance and you have to remove the plant entirely. For some applications, this is an acceptable compromise as some walls aren’t painted very often and replacement Ficus repens grows so quickly.

As you look for additional ways to enhance your environs, consider adding vines on a wall to add to your garden’s beauty.

Learn more at AielloLandscape.com.

Written and photography by Pete Benedict, Vice President,

Aiello Landscape

Dee’s Doormats An Entrepreneurial Journey

For as long as I can remember, my mind has been brainstorming to start a business I can call my own; my pride and joy. It hasn’t been easy. It has led to many sleepless nights and even more anxiety. My entrepreneurial journey started back in 2012. I remember seeing an ad in the newspaper for the grand opening of a craft store. It was a three-day event that offered a $20 gift card per day to the first 10 customers. The store opened at 8 a.m., I was there at 7:30 a.m. every day, waiting for my gift card. After all, the sewing machine I wanted was $50.

My first shop was called OnlyDeeDee’s, and while it started off with hairbows, it quickly changed into flower crowns to adjust to the latest fad. After my sales started to plummet, I knew I had to find something that wasn’t short lived and in constant demand. A couple of years later, the shop switched to marbled clay coasters and decals.

At this time, I was completing my bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida. While at UF, I prioritized utilizing my resources. I joined the entrepreneurship club and became a member of the Gator Hatchery, an on-campus shop where students are able to sell their products to the public. While the coasters and decals did seemingly better than the previous products, they still weren’t taking off like I had hoped.

Once I graduated, I took some time off from my entrepreneurial adventures and found a “real” job. During that period, my mind continued searching for a better product. When the pandemic hit, things got tough for everyone. I lost my job just like many others and sitting around doing nothing was not cutting it for me.

My best friends’ birthday was coming up and she had just bought a house, so I thought, “What’s a more fitting present than a custom doormat?” I had an idea for the perfect design but was having trouble finding something similar. If I wanted a doormat with my design, I was going to have to do it myself. After my initial doormat got the attention and support of my friends and family, I decided to make them available to the public. Now, here I am 92 doormats later. Sometimes you just have to keep on keeping on.

Follow us @deesdoormats or visit DeesDoormats.com to learn more.