DECOR | ENTERTAINING | GARDENING
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
COMFORTABLE AND CLASSY
Outdoor showcase LIGHT UP YOUR LAWN AND YOUR LIFE
THE MAIDA FAMILY ENJOYS OUTDOOR LIVING WITH AN EVER-CHANGING ARTISTIC TOUCH
GROOM YOUR GARDEN FOR FALL
Made of glass
BETTY RAWSTHORNE PRACTICES ARTISTIC ALCHEMY
ACCENT YOUR LIFE WITH OUTDOOR INSPIRATIONS
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Contents August/September
22
Feature Outdoor lighting lends life to your lawn
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CONTENTS
COVER STORY
6
19 GETTY IMAGES/COMSTOCK IMAGES
Comfortable living melds with an artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s touch at the Maida home 10
INSPIRATIONS
Let the outdoors inspire you 6
PROFILE
Betty Rawsthorne 28
IN THE GARDEN
26
Now is the time for pruning and prepping 26
ALSO INSIDE Bring the outdoors into your home 19 Get some green in your life 8
The Maida home is listed with Hill Spooner & Elliot, Inc., 850-907-2051. COVER AND COVER STORY PHOTOS BY GLENN BEIL/DEMOCRAT.
4 Home & Design Magazine | August/September 2013
CONTACT US
277 N. Magnolia Drive Tallahassee, FL 32301 Call 850.599.2255 Fax 850.942.0185 PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER
Julie Moreno 850.599.2126 jmoreno @tallahassee.com EDITORIAL
Amanda Leighty 850.599.2256 aleighty@tallahassee.com ADVERTISING
Lisa Lazarus 850.599.2333 llazarus@tallahassee.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Marina Brown Meredith Clark Tricia Dulaney Andy Lindstrom Kati Schardl FEATURES DESIGN TEAM LEADER
Krista Volenski Wilcox
DESIGNER
Heather Shije TJ Johnson ONLINE Find a digital copy of the magazine and all this month’s articles, along with past issues, online at Tallahassee.com/ HomeAndDesign. Home and Design Magazine is published six times a year by the Tallahassee Democrat at 277 N. Magnolia Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. Home and Design Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or artwork.
Quite the welcome to
Home & Design
W
ell hello, readers. In the last issue of Home & Design, Lisa Lazarus gave her farewell and passed the torch on to me. Let me tell you, this issue has been a labor of love. We occasionally work with Realtors to find the home that appears on the cover. The theme for the August/September issue is Outdoor Living, and the home originally chosen for the cover story was the epitome of outdoor living. The home was situated near a lake with a dock and gazebo overlooking the water. It had a pool, it had a small stable, it had a screened porch and it had a large, lush yard. But this is not the home that appears on the cover and in the cover story. Unfortunately, just days before we were to head to the home to take photos for the magazine, the home was struck by lightning, which started a fire and caused $800,000 in damages. But just as in show business, the magazine must go on. With deadlines looming, I was lucky enough that the Maida family agreed to showcase their home. The beautiful custom-made home is filled with art, care and love. When I was being shown the home, I was in awe of the attention to detail and touches inside. One of the Realtors showing me the home mentioned that every time she comes to the home, there’s new art hanging on the walls. This shouldn’t come as a surprise though, given that Mary Maida is the owner of the Signature Gallery on Thomasville Road. I can’t help but think how wonderful that must be, to come home to an ever-changing collection of beautiful artwork. My first issue of Home & Design has been a bit trying, but as things most often do, it all worked out in the end. I hope you enjoy the issue. Until next time,
DO YOU KNOW OF A STORY-WORTHY HOME? Know a home that simply must be our cover story? Email me at aleighty@ tallahassee.com with details and photos.
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INSPIRATIONS Enjoy the great outdoors even more with these products
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ESPOSITO’S
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1) Multi-colored Plant Hangers — add even more color to hanging plants. Esposito’s, $2.99-$5.98 5) Turquoise Watering Can — since we’ve had so much rain, this one is for decoration. Available in every color. Esposito’s, $23.99 7) Paisley Women’s Clogs — avoid the puddles with style. Esposito’s, $29.99
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4
2
7 3 PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRUCE LAY
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FEATURE
SOMETIMES IT’S BEST TO CONSULT THE EXPERTS
GO GREEN— literally PANTONE
2013 adds a gloss of green By Tricia Dulaney
O
z the Great and Powerful knew what he was doing when he commissioned his Emerald City. The Pantone Color Institute, a New Jersey company which sets the color standard for print and other industries, chose emerald green as 2013’s Color of the Year, describing it as “a color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony. No color conveys regeneration more than green.”
8 Home & Design Magazine | August/September 2013
The pouf is quite versatile, $79.99 at World Market. GANNETT
Pantone Universe interior satin paint sample, $3.98 for 10 ounces at Lowe's. GANNETT
Can’t get the look you want? Don’t even know where to start? Or maybe you’re combining households and having trouble blending your style with your partner’s? It might be time to go pro. Hiring a professional design consultant sounds scary, but at its base, Rose Marie Brabec says, it’s “helping people understand themselves, and express what they may not be able to articulate in their surroundings.” Rose Marie and Russ Brabec have operated Design and More, a consulting firm and showroom in Market Square, for more than 20 years. Both art educators who studied in Paris, they travel the world keeping up with design trends and searching out unique pieces for their clients. “A lot never touches the floor; it goes straight to a client’s home,” says Rose Marie. Their showroom rivals Aladdin’s cave of wonders, with furniture, fabrics and accent pieces from all over the globe. “Some people just come into the showroom because it makes them feel good. We don’t judge anybody, whether they want a whole house done or simply one small mirror as a treasure.” “Our goal is to make the home a sanctuary, a place to come home and relax, a place to nurture love and family.”
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Today’s greens are popping up as accents. Using plants is the easiest way to incorporate the color.
Wizards and color gurus aren’t the only ones who favor green. Ancient cultures associated it with fertility and balance, and as the most abundant hue in nature, it represents growth, healing and prosperity. “My eye says it’s life,” sayd Rose Marie Brabec, interior design consultant with Design and More (www.designandmore.com).
Pantone researches color trends, art and popular culture around the world before choosing its top color, but Rose Marie says that hue may take a while to become widely incorporated. “The first year everyone just looks. This year at market,” she says of the design trade show she just attended, “we saw a lot of bright orange.” Tangerine
Tango was 2012’s Color of the Year. Today’s greens are popping up as accents. “Using plants is the easiest way to incorporate the color,” Rose Marie says. “We’re spoiled in Tallahassee with all the natural greens, but in Europe, especially in the north, they will nurture a plant — baby it — just to have that one bright spot of color in the
winter.” A native of South Dakota, she recalls doing the same. “I was at the Orsay (Musee d’Orsay, Paris) one winter day with Russ,” she says of her husband and fellow designer, “and it was so gray. I told him, ‘They really need some plants in here!’ ” Since we are lucky enough to live in Tallahassee, our green décor doesn’t stop at windows, Rose Marie points out. “I call it the extended living room. I encourage my clients to add landscaping and plants to pull the eye outdoors. It’s mentally healthy living.” She suggests sculptural containers filled with green at entries. “It’s originally Italian, but all the more elegant places have that now.” Indoors, green plants add oxygen to the air, but silk works in low light. Rose Marie suggests topiary balls in pots, bowls or even on glass candlesticks. For a glossier touch, add touches of green in lamps and pictures. “I just placed an order for the most beautiful brilliant green glass pieces,” says Rose Marie. She suggests placing one on a lighted shelf to let the light filter through it. “Green is often used with its opposite on the color wheel. Its complement is red, but when I say red, it’s everything from burgundy to rust, not Christmas red.” One of the newest designs she’s seen features green with oxblood, a deep, wine color. Where you use it dictates the palette. “In a bedroom, you want it softer, more relaxing. In a living room, you want more contrast, more life.” Lively or soothing, nature’s favorite color adds an organic warmth to room design. And the Wizard of Oz would certainly approve. tallahassee.com/homeanddesign 9
COVER STORY
AS
GOOD AS IT By Marina Brown
GETS
Photos by Glenn Beil
THE MAIDA FAMILY’S HOME COMBINES ELEGANCE & RELAXATION The Maida’s home at 1306 Rachel Lane combines elegance with relaxation for the family. GLENN BEIL/DEMOCRAT
10 Home & Design Magazine | August/September 2013
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G But that wouldn’t be the whole picture. Mary Maida and her husband, attorneyThomas Maida, indeed have fine taste — evidenced by the fact that Mary Maida is the owner of the Signature Gallery on Thomasville Road, known for its contemporary and sought-after artists. But in addition to refined taste, the Maidas also have a blended family of five children — three boys and two girls. “It was 2003 and we had gotten married just before de-
etting to the Maida residence is like making one’s way through multiple layers of Old South exclusivity. First, there is its location, deep within a woody enclave off of Hermitage Boulevard. Next come the winding asphalt paths that lead to a secluded cul de sac of other elegant homes. And finally, behind a towering landscaped roundabout, a stately dawnyellow, two-story brick home that conjures decorum, fine living, and the lift of a pinky on a porcelain cup. ciding to build this house,” says Maida. “The children got to have a lot of input and because we were coming together as a family, we also wanted plenty of space where big groups of us could be together. It couldn’t be too formal.” In seamless intersection the Maidas have brought together the formality they needed for adult entertaining and the casualness they wanted for family living. From the traditional foyer, its dramatic stairway and view
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into a dignified office, the visitor enters the wide open rear of the house where a massive family room, an expansive breakfast space, a commercial-sized kitchen and a cozy “ladies’ room” all wrap around the pool and abundant outdoor space for living and entertaining. Though there is an exclusive, two room “man-cave” on the second floor replete with pool table, media/screening room and a brilliant red sofa for comfortable slouching, it is the
downstairs family room that draws visitors and family alike. Though painted a calming tobacco, the pale ceiling coffers and the 18” crown molding that surrounds the family’s gathering room and also acts as a decorative lintel are eye-stopping. Builder Tom Ertl created flanking fireplace bookcases on which Maida has placed some of her favorite artist’s works in porcelain and wood. From Hessam, a California painter, a brilliant contemporary work
A gorgeous great room, left, a screened outdoor kitchen, above, and a picturesque spa, pool and pergola, below, are features of the home at 1306 Rachel Lane. PHOTOS BY GLENN BEIL/DEMOCRAT
For sale
Custom built in 2003, this 5,358 square-foot home is currently listed with Hill Spooner & Elliot, Inc., 850-907-2051.
tallahassee.com/homeanddesign 13
“The children got to have a lot of input and because we were coming together as a family.”
“It will be hard to leave this place. There’s so much about it I love.” MARY MAIDA Homeowner
MARY MAIDA
Homeowner
A fixture hangs in the pergola, left, a unique light fixture hangs in the downstairs guest bath, above, and a handcrafted handrail leads gusts downstairs, right. PHOTOS BY GLENN BEIL/DEMOCRAT
14 Home & Design Magazine | August/September 2013
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hangs above the fireplace. Perhaps because Maida deals in splashes of primary color much of the day, her own palette is subtle — sofas in subdued khaki tones, walls and rugs in earth tones with hints of berry. Even the kitchen is calming, with expanses of black granite, sophisticated black leather stools and slender crystal illuminating pendants. The breakfast area — really a dance floorsized space joining the kitchen and family room is kept simple but spacious with a glass-topped table sitting beneath a surprisingly ornate chandelier which appears as if bronze had suddenly taken root and grown an arabesque of tendrils. While football season may draw men and boys to the family room, Maida says she has found dual uses for the intimate ladies’ room off the kitchen. As pretty as a parlor, four low, tufted white linen chairs are arranged in a circle. An etched-glass chande-
A so-called “man cave” complete with a pool table, above left, a home bar, above right, and a spacious guest bedroom are amenities offered at the Maida home. PHOTOS BY GLENN BEIL/DEMOCRAT
lier, perhaps inspired by one from Venice, hangs above, while lantern-like crystal tapers are on the walls. “Sometimes for parties, I’ll move the chairs through the French doors onto the patio, and place a buffet table right here in the ladies’ room,” says Maida. “Then it’s like the backyard is part of the house.” An inspired idea since what lies outside is nearly as beautiful as what is in.
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Set on an acre and a half, the 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath home is surrounded by what could be called comfortably elegant landscaping. A grove of palms forms a backdrop for the dark blue mosaic tiles of the pool and its spa. Citrus trees including satumas, Persian limes and lemons share space with arching oaks across the manicured lawn. And Maida, an intrepid gardener, has also hung several Topsy
Turvy containers with their long leafy arms holding peppers, tomatoes and gangly zucchini from the branches of trees. Yet perhaps the most romantic spot on the whole property, the secluded place from where the Maidas can observe the joys of their family taking place all around them, is the verdant pergola overlooking the pool. From its six Doric pillars covered in old world creeping fig, to the elevated fireplace, itself wrapped in leaves, the intimate conversation spot seems to offer, rain or shine, a kind of forest-like protection. “It will be hard to leave this place,” says Mary Maida. “There’s so much about it I love.” But with their family essentially grown, the couple will begin to look for a new haven nearby. When you’re used to this kind of gracious living, it’s hard to stray far. And the Maidas don’t intend to.
A set of high-back chairs await guests in the “ladies’ room,” above, while an open kitchen is perfect for cooking with family and friends. PHOTOS BY GLENN BEIL/DEMOCRAT
More online
See more photos from the Maida family home at Tallahassee.com/MaidaHome
tallahassee.com/homeanddesign 17
FEATURE
Bring the
outdoors in Floral patterns get a chic, modern update
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This year’s fall fabric collections are coming into bloom at Tallahasseearea design stores. After debuting in June, the collections will pop up in area stores in the coming weeks. Playing on nature’s geometry and color themes, several design groups have worked botanicals into exotic and geometrically influenced textiles as an update to perennial floral pieces. “The fabrics follow the trend, just like the clothing market,” said Patsy Scott of Tallahassee Design Fabrics. “You’ll see different trends come and go.” Scott said one such trend features a Europeaninspired design with largescale flowers that take up more than half of the traditional 54-inch fabric width. The design, often computer-generated rather than embroidered or repeated on a smaller scale, lends itself to a graphic feel and complements a minimalist style.
I
One trend features a European-inspired design with large-scale flowers that take up more than half of the traditional 54-inch fabric width. GANNETT
By Meredith Clark
n the same way that runway fashion has evoked the best of the ’80s, today’s interpretation of traditional décor strips down the excess and keeps the best elements of beauty and architecture in fabrics for fall. Florals are making a late-season appearance this year. But gone is the grandeur of cabbage rose prints. The 2013 fall collections are inspired by the outdoors, but highly customizable to reflect modern tastes. tallahassee.com/homeanddesign 19
BRING FALL INTO YOUR HOME, EVEN IF IT’S STILL 85 DEGREES OUTSIDE In North Florida, where temperatures remain in the 80s well into football season, relying on the landscape to dictate a change in seasonal décor means beach prints are still relevant around Thanksgiving. Three local design pros offer these tips for bringing an autumn feel into your home — no matter how green our leaves are come fall.
THINK SMALL-SCALE “I love table scapes,” said Ashley Farrell of Design Unlimited. Mix different pieces, including vases, a glass cloche, muted-gold candles and colored leaves to create the spirit of changing seasons on a hallway or dining table. Farrell said she recreates these miniature scenes in her home based on the season, often updating them to reflect holidays.
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RELY ON TEXTURE Burlap brings in a natural element and is reminiscent of the sacks used for apple-picking and sack races at fall festivals. Susan Hugunin of Chrysalis Fabrics recommends using burlap as a table runner or as a cover for throw pillows to create another dimension in home décor. Texture is often overlooked as a dimension of strong design. A single yard changes the feel of a room.
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FIND NATURAL COLOR INSPIRATION The colors of the season aren’t limited to leaves. Patsy Scott of Tallahassee Decorative Fabrics recommends using pumpkins and gourds for incorporating autumn hues. Rustbased reds and oranges are a transition out of summer’s crisper color pallete.
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Incorporating florals for fall really is all up to the customer, Scott said. Modern interpretations include Suzani patterns, an East Asian style that evokes the angles of flower centers and petals and pairs it with the architecture of graceful vines. True to the bigger-is-better theme previewed in June, many Suzani patterns, including some
rolled out by Kravet, are large scale and use muted jewel tones — such as persimmon, dusky lilac and sienna. Chrysalis Fabrics owner Susan Hugunin said she’s also seen large-scale patterns and geometric elements in the fall collections. “Huge butterflies, huge flowers, huge birds,” she said, ticking
Vivid patterns create eye-popping decor. Ditte sofa in agave ikat, $3,298 at Anthropologie. GANNETT
off some of the major elements she saw in fabrics from collections including Design Legacy. Hugunin said ikat, a softened tribal-style design that gained popularity last year, remains current for fall. Ikat can be considered a mélange of geometry and florals — the color elements, including hot pink and oranges, are evocative of bright, latesummer flowers such as hibiscus. The tribal element toughens up the look, making it a fresh contrast to 80s-era prints. The intricacies of this year’s fabric collections allow designers to customize floral interpretations to meet clients’ tastes. Homes with a traditional feel can bring the outdoors in with a landscape-inspired print; geometric-style floral fabrics create a point of interest in more minimalist and streamlined settings. Fabric patterns aren’t the only place to find natural inspiration for fall décor. Textures, including burlap, are being relied upon to bring an outdoor feel inside during the autumn months. “I’ve noticed a lot of people like the organic nature in fabric,” said Ashley Farrell, a design associate at Design Unlimited in Tallahassee. “Texture is really big.” Hugunin agreed, citing burlap use in everything from table décor to throw pillows to incorporate a natural element.
And Farrell said there’s a simple solution for those who want to bypass this year’s interpretation of the fall trends but still bring the outside in. “We’re opening up drapery and windows to bring the view inside, or bringing plants inside,” she said. For those without green thumbs, Farrell suggested introducing a natural element through artwork — particularly pieces by local artists that evoke the best of the North Florida landscape.
Floral decor in childhood bedroom GETTY IMAGES/GOODSHOOT RF
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FEATURE
Hit the lights From walkways to water features, explore your outdoor lighting options By Andy Lindstrom
I
t’s not for everyone. A fullblown outdoor lighting system can cost $35,000 or more to silhouette foliage, highlight architectural details, accent walkways and gardens, water features, patios and decks.
But for many Tallahassee residents wishing to showcase their home’s exterior character while adding to its security and safety, landscape lighting can also start with less ambitious fixtures that won’t bust the family budget. From origami lanterns and tiki torches to hurricane lamps, paper-bag luminaries and twinkle lights, a number of low-cost solutions make good choices to brighten the night for parties, weddings or personal pleasure. String lighting looks great around the borders of a flower bed. Porch lights illuminate stairs and other potential hazards. Solarpowered globes and garden stakes avoid wiring altogether. Bring a soft glow to your porch with elegant fixtures. GANNETT
Table in yard illuminated by lanterns hanging on tree.
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Solar-powered garden path light. GETTY IMAGES/COMSTOCK IMAGES
PLANNING THE PERFECT LIGHTING ARRANGEMENT Good landscape lighting involves more than a random arrangement of electrical fixtures scattered about the yard and garden. For one thing, it should be artistic as well as functional. Is your goal adequate illumination for outdoor cooking, a fast game of lawn croquet, safe passage along a dark pathway? Or are you more interested in showing off the textured bark of a heritage oak, the rough surface of a granite wall, bubbling water as it falls into a pool? Planning with purpose is key to an effective outcome, say the experts. With that in mind, consider the following questions: » How much light do you need? Ambient lighting emits a soft glow that is both decorative and relaxing; task lights shine brightly on areas that require high-intensity illumination. » Where should fixtures be located for the best effect? Planting lamps in a straight line results in a runway effect. Fewer fixtures strategically placed trump a battery of spotlights that blot out the night. » Have you considered style as well as function? Some lights are designed for a contemporary look, others favor a more formal setting. From whimsical to practical, there are literally dozens of styles to choose from. » Are you handy around electrical wiring? If not, installing 120volt landscape lighting might best be left to the pros. Even a low-voltage system calls for a number of mechanical calculations needed to bring out the natural beauty it’s meant to illuminate.
Most of these setups rely on conventional light sources including the sun, candle power or incandescent electricity. The complete package, says Tallahassee lighting spe-
cialist Carlos Galavis of Illuminations, Inc., involves LED (light emitting diode) fixtures on low-voltage systems. Safer, easier to install and more energy efficient, they’re also far more flexible to manipulate than standard layouts. By using a weatherproof outdoor transformer and special drivers,
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low-voltage systems convert a home’s customary – and potentially shocking – 120 volts of AC power down to the milder 12 DC volts that power an LED fixture. Cables that don’t require burial or splicing connect sockets, thus simplifying future relocation. Another advantage of LED over traditional lighting sys-
tems, Galavis explained, is that it’s rated to last up to 40,000 hours in continuous service and uses 75 percent less energy than a halogen lamp. Its consistent white light is also a major upgrade over past LED applications. “Until recently, color was a problem,” he said. “But new technology has made LED more like natural
Compact fluorescent bulbs generally last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and save 75 percent in lighting energy usage. GNS
24 Home & Design Magazine | August/September 2013
Whether it’s to show off your house, uplight a specimen plant or improve safety and security lighting up the landscape will transform your yard.
light so it no longer distorts the color of the landscape.” Initially, LED fixtures cost about a third more than incandescent bulbs. But with a life span of up to 25 years in a much reduced energy package, Galavis said, they more than pay for themselves over time. For a complete makeover, though, cost definitely enters the picture. “The attraction is for everybody,” he said. “But it is not inexpensive.” A graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in mechanical engineering, Galavis said that since 1995 he’s installed about 1,200 outdoor lighting systems throughout the Southeast and even overseas. In Tallahassee, the majority of his customers live in High Grove, Summerbrooke and similar upscale neighborhoods. As much an artist as an electrician, he considers the aesthetic effect of his work equally critical to such mechanical calculations as power factor, beam spread and light pool. “Investing in an outdoor lighting project is like buying an expensive painting,” Galavis said. “Your payoff is like the beauty of artwork.” Whether it’s to show off your house, uplight a specimen plant or improve safety and security, he promised, lighting up the landscape will transform your yard.
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IN THE GARDEN
There’s yardwork to be done GETTY IMAGES
LATE SUMMER IS TIME FOR PLANNING, PREPPING YOUR LANDSCAPE By Andy Lindstrom
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ure, it’s hot out there. Temperatures hover around the torrid zone, humidity soars like a sauna and our sun-stressed plants are showing definite signs of the Dog Days of Summer dismals. Tallahassee’s sultry late summers that linger well into September may seem a good time to hunker down by the air conditioner with a cool drink and the latest Burpee gardening catalog in hand. Planning ahead is always a wise choice. But fall planting season is just around the corner, and the
garden beds could use a good grooming. From pulling weeds to deadheading spent blooms, landscape maintenance is an ongoing chore. So slather on the sunscreen and break out the long-brimmed cap. There’s much to do. “I’ll be harvesting the last of my warm-season vegetables and tearing out all the nonproducers,” said Lilly AndersonMessec, recently-named manager of Native Nurseries. “As far as maintenance, it’s a good time to trim back hedges that have already flowered and to prepare beds for the fall garden.” Dave Iden, Esposito Garden Center’s garden manager, rec-
ommended using August and September as a cleanup opportunity between growing seasons. “There’s probably not much left from the summer crop to harvest,” he said. “But by the end of September you should have your fall garden in.” The term “deadheading,” he explained, involves snipping blooms that have already put on their show. And while a number of flowering favorites including zinnias and melampodium can stand up to the late summer heat, others such as impatiens, salvia and hydrangias would show new life after a good trim. As soon as daily highs drop into the upper 70s, Iden said, pansies, snapdragons and petunias will thrive in the garden. “Oh, and don’t forget the ornamental cabbage and kale,” he added. “You’ll still be mowing your lawn, but September is the last month to fertilize. And water the grass as needed. It’s way too early for lawns to go dormant.” It also might be a touch early to put out that fall tomato crop. “You’re taking a chance,
because if it’s too hot they’ll flower but won’t set,” warned John Kane, the garden manager at Tallahassee Nurseries. “But it’s not too early to start veggies like okra, beans and eggplant,” said Native Nurserie’s Anderson-Messec. “And basil, definitely basil,” she added, along with purslane for local bees, milkweed to attract migrating monarch butterflies, parsley and fennel that appeal to black swallowtails. Kane called August and September “a real in-between time for transplanting trees and shrubs.” But it’s a last chance to fertilize if you’re trying to promote growth, said former Leon County extension agent David Marshall. Summer-flowering annuals and perennials that are beginning to look a little ragged should be cut back, he added. “But the best choice for this time of year might be to stay indoors with an adult beverage and decide what you’re going to do when it’s cooler,” Kane said. “Up north they make their summer landscaping plans in the winter. Here, it’s the other way around.”
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LATE SUMMER LAWN MAINTENANCE For the most part, Tallahassee’s frequent summer showers make watering a concern only if the rain gauge runs dry. But lawn maintenance in August and September means more than adequate irrigation. Bad mowing habits, over-fertilizing, pests and disease can be equally stressful in your ongoing quest for an awesome spread of turf. In many cases, says David Marshall in his book, “Tallahassee Gardening,” you can save yourself much
grief by following a few easy suggestions. Take mowing, for example. Instead of simply scalping the grass and bagging the clippings, consider a gentler cut — about 3-inch minimum for St. Augustine grass down to half an inch for Bermuda — even higher in the shade or excess heat. And don’t worry about thatch buildup if you fail to bag. Those clippings contain nutrients that shouldn’t be wasted. By late summer, skip the fertilizer if your lawn looks
perky and green. Otherwise, one of the so-called “winterizers” after midSeptember will be adequate preparation for the cold months ahead. Spittlebugs are a common problem in centipede grass at this time of year as are sod webworms which can devastate a patch of lawn overnight. The good news is that most insects in a yard are either harmless or beneficial. As for the bad boys, be sure the insecticide you choose can separate friend from foe.
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glass PROFILE
Made of
By Kati Schardl
Betty Rawsthorne’s work transforms light
I
n the garage studio of her home at Lake Tallavana, Betty Rawsthorne practices artistic alche-
my. With each stained glass work, the Tallahassee native transmutes the intangible — light — into the tangible. Rawsthorne’s larger pieces illuminate homes around town and her suncatchers splash color and life wherever they hang. She caught the fever for stained glass as a teen. “My next door neighbor was an organist at St. John’s Episcopal church,” she says.
“I would go with him when he practiced there and would sit and look at the windows. “I have always loved stained glass church windows.” The creative inclination was already embedded in Rawsthorne’s psyche. As soon as she was old enough to handle a needle and thread, she was embroidering and making doll clothes. In her teens, she worked in ceramics and exhibited at Springtime Tallahassee and other arts and crafts festivals. After
Make a wish upon this hand-crafted wishing star. PHOTOS BY BETTY RAWSTHORNE/SPECIAL TO HOME & DESIGN
A glass panel announces the beginning of a life together.
A white dove ascends. This piece was done for a client who is legally blind. “When I took it to her house, she had to feel it with her hands, said artist Betty Rawsthorne. “She could feel the dove and then could totally visualize the work.”
Butterfly suncatcher. PHOTOS: BETTY RAWSTHORNE
graduating from Florida High in 1972 and attending Tallahassee Community College, she earned her living as a professional seamstress. “I was making all my friends’ bridesmaid and wedding dresses,” she says. “I made men’s suits. I used patterns and created my own patterns. It was a good living.” When her husband Tom’s job moved them to Durham, N.C., she took a stained glass class. It seemed a natural
transition from working with fabric to working with glass. “The textures and colors are so luscious (with both),” Rawsthorne says. “Walking into a glass warehouse is like walking into a fabric store — the materials are so outrageously beautiful. You’re always going to end up buying more than what you came for. “And with glass, like with fabric, you draw up a pattern and can alter it as you like.” tallahassee.com/homeanddesign 29
Wings of a dove
When Rawsthorne is commissioned to make a large stained glass piece, her first step is to take measurements of the space where the glass will be installed. Then she sits down with the client to work on the design. A recent commission for a friend who’s blind was particularly meaningful. “She was very specific about what she wanted,” Rawsthorne says. “She wanted a sidelight for her door picturing a white dove ascending, with an olive branch in its mouth, on a blue background. I couldn’t get the exact blue I wanted and used a blue with white wisps in it — it looked like clouds in a blue sky.
Hummingbird suncatcher.
PHOTOS: BETTY RAWSTHORNE
A dolphin panel hangs at Dorothy B. Oven Park.
Dogwood trees and blossoms are a common motif in Rawthorne’s larger works, and she also creates smaller pieces for craft shows. “Many homes around town have my suncatchers from my 15 years as a vendor at Market Days,” Rawsthorne adds. She has also begun working in mosaics and has two memory benches installed at Dorothy B. Oven Park.
30 Home & Design Magazine | August/September 2013
Scuba window panel.
Dogwood tree entry.
Memorial bench.
PHOTOS: BETTY RAWSTHORNE
“When I took it to her house, she had to feel it with her hands. She could feel the dove and then could totally visualize the work. It was such an experience to make something like that for an unsighted person.” Rawsthorne has made skylights that look like castle windows for a home in Bobbin Brook and she made an entryway ensemble — sidelights and a transom — for a home in Oxbottom Manor that the client loved so much they paid Rawsthorne to take it out and pack it so they could take it with them when they moved to Texas. Dogwood trees and blossoms are a common motif in Rawthorne’s larger works, and she also creates smaller pieces for craft shows. “Many homes around town have my suncatchers from my 15 years as a vendor at Market Days,” Rawsthorne adds. She has also begun working in mosaics and has two memory benches installed at Dorothy B. Oven Park. There are long stretches when Rawsthorne puts aside
the tools and materials of her art. She helps her husband with his home inspection business, rides her 21-year-old Harley Davidson motorcycle and tends the family menagerie of three dogs and 10 cats. She’s active in her church, Lake Jackson United Methodist, where she is the co-chair of the food pantry. But she always comes back to the glass and the art of capturing light and color. “It’s an escape — it’s like a meditation,” she says. “It’s so rewarding, like making a cake for somebody. You make them happy, and that makes me happy.”
CONTACT THE ARTIST Betty Rawsthorne’s studio is called Suncatcher Stained Glass. She produces customdesigned windows, doors, entryways, skylights and other pieces. She will be showing and selling her works at the following shows this fall: Lake Jackson United Methodist Church, Oct. 5; Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Nov. 9; the annual Tallahassee Society of Arts & Crafts show at Dorothy B. Oven Park, Dec. 14; and the annual holiday show at Temple Israel, date to be determined. Contact her by calling 850-539-9537 or by emailing bugs406@ bellsouth.net.
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