Update on the Floral Design Studio
Framing of the Floral Design Studio
As progress is being made on the Floral Design Studio, I thought an update was in order.
I’ve finished building the exterior back wall this week and my friend Kate came over and framed out the side wall where the door will be, and the front wall. She has also started on the floor on the interior.
Like the Potting Shed next door, the Floral Design Studio will have a huge window on the front of the building. The Studio is smaller than the Potting Shed, so the window is pretty much the entire south wall. The upside is the amount of light it will let in; the downside is it will be hot! Depending on how well Posh Cottage does this summer, I’m hoping by the end of the season I can afford to run electricity to the whole building which includes the barn, Shed and Studio. Once I have access to electricity, I can install a mini-split in the Floral Design Studio; this will help counter the heat generated by the window. I am also going to insulate the Studio so that should help with the heating and cooling.
Kate gifted me a door for the Design Studio. Like the door to my current Art Studio, this one also has a large glass panel in the center. So basically, the door also acts like a window. Initially I thought I’d paint the door black, like my Art Studio, but now I’m wondering if perhaps I should go with the green on the front door of the Cottage and the Main house. It’s a happy green and the pop of color might prove a fun addition to the garden courtyard that it will open onto.
Right now, what I’m calling the “garden courtyard” is a dilapidated wooden structure that use to be animal stalls. The first year on the property, Andy and I plus friends took down all the walls and roofing so now what is left is the framing of the stalls. The floor is where I currently harvest my manure compost for the garden. Apparently, the owners of the animals did not like to clean out the stalls so to say we have, or had, a big pile of shit in this area would be an understatement. That said, it does have its advantages in that I’ve not had to buy manure compost for the past three years! However, this will probably be my last year to harvest this “black gold” as I like to call it. Once I’ve finished mining all this amended goodness, the ground will be level, and I can start building the brick courtyard.
I’d like to build the patio floor myself. When I was a child growing up in Jackson Michigan, I remember my mom built a brick patio off the back of our house. I want to create the same pattern she did so that every time I see it I will think of her.
The courtyard will also be another workspace for Posh Gardens only it will be shaded. The central work area in front of the Potting Shed is in full sun, and it gets a wee bit hot by mid-day (and by wee bit I mean a lot).
I am going to plant two sets of grape vines along the outer north wall of the courtyard and train the grapes to grow up and over the top of the wooden structure. These vines are what will provide the shade. Along the East wall, I have two large, raised beds with trellis’. Here I will grow Sweet Peas and other assorted flowers. The Sweet Peas will grow up the trellis’. I’m tossing around the idea of also planting a Lilac bush next to the beds in the far northeast corner so together the beds and the bush will create a natural privacy fence and provide additional shade.
Along the interior I will construct a work bench, more like a floating shelf where I can pot plants or harden off new seedlings. I also plan to move the little bistro table and chairs that are currently in front of the Potting Shed, under this shaded area next to the side door of the Studio. I’m toying with the idea of adding bistro lights that are solar powered. This would make this area a little magical especially as the grape vines grow and clusters of grapes hang down from above. If I do that then the Sweet Peas and Lilac bush will also help shield the brightness of the lights from the Cottage windows. It’s just an idea and there is lots to do before I get to that stage of the build out.
For now, I’m still constructing the Floral Design Studio. With the framing up, I’m going to finish the exterior side and front wall. Once those are finished Kate can install the window, probably with my and maybe our friend Lawerence’s help as that window is huge!
Then it is on to the ceiling. I’m acquiescing that to Kate as I’m just a newbie and construction. Unfortunately, the kind folks who installed the current metal roof, installed it backwards. I purchased black corrugated metal panels so it would match the roof of the Cottage. However, when they installed it, they put the black on the inside and the silver on the outside! Kate will now have to flip the panels, so they are oriented the correct way. Normally I’d maybe not make a big deal and just leave them installed as is, but I paid extra for the black exterior, so they need to be adjusted! At some point, I will replace the Potting Shed and barn roof with the black corrugated metal panels so the whole building complex will have one cohesive look.
Eventually, I will also have Kate enclose the barn stall at the end, while I repair and repaneled the back exterior wall. As part of the enclosure, we will add one or two large barn doors using the same paneling Kate used to construct the Dutch doors for the Potting Shed. Once that is done the whole garden/design complex will have a consistent and cohesive look to it. Then I can do a deep dive into landscaping and gardening around the complex! I even had the delipidated dog kennel that WAS located next to the barn demolished this week! It was such an ugly eye sore, totally not the vibe I’m trying to create in this area of the property. Of course, I discovered after the fact that as unsightly as the kennel was it did serve a purpose in that it hid our neighbor’s animal trailers!
Just one more reason to get some landscape going along the side of the barn! Perhaps this is where I will plant my willow tree I’ve been nurturing all winter long. It was a cutting, gifted to me by the very same neighbor! I’ve been told that willows grow fast and if their tree is any indication of what mine could be then… problem solved!
As will all things at Palisade Posh, there is so much to do to make this overall vision a reality. So stay tuned for more updates!
