Fully utilizing & enjoying outdoor spaces!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

A Field Trip.....

On a recent Saturday afternoon I dragged my boys on a Field Trip to Laguna Canyon. A current Garden Studio client had told us about a great resource for reclaimed materials called Traditional Reclaimed Materials and we had heard that they were serving wine and appetizers and giving tours of their site. Perfect! What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. My boys weren't thrilled about the idea but when we got there the owners let the them run happily through the grounds. The canyon was beautiful!!! And wow, what a great resource!

The owners travel to Europe yearly to procure these beautiful reclaimed materials. Anything from limestone pavers to gnarled stone troughs to well worn fireplace mantles. Traditional Reclaimed Materials is open to the trade only and Garden Studio is thrilled to have it as a new resource for our clients.


These limestone pavers are a subtle grey.
It can be used for interior and exterior flooring and
Traditional Reclaimed Materials has a lot of it in stock.


These cobbles were pulled out of
European roads and come in many colors.


This architectural floral detail could be built into a
custom fountain backsplash or onto a fireplace.


These 1" x 6" terracotta bricks with a chunky
over-grout give an old world feel.


I love the large the over sized proportions of these vessels.
Even in a small garden the large scale adds drama and interest as a focal point.
Try placing a large vessel in a large planter surrounded by Blue Oat grass.



Helictotrichon sempervirens
Blue Oat Grass


There are so many to choose from.


These simple square trough can be built into a fountain or firepit.

This type of vessel would have been used as a water trough for horses.

This water well would add just the touch to a French Country garden.

Here is an example of the grey pavers set in grout.

These terra cotta bricks add so much texture.
Even if it is just used for detail on a fireplace.

Another limestone trough.

Here is the stone pavers without grout. This is called 'dry stack'.

This reclaimed wood would look beautiful used as beams in an outdoor loggia.

This piece could be incorporated into a fireplace.


We are using this trough for one of our projects that is a
'Balinese Style' home with very simple lines.
This rough limestone trough will be filled to
the brim with various Echervia and Sedums.







Place this vessel in a large planter with a massing of mediterranean plant material.

My boys actually admitted that they liked our outing.

Reclaimed Traditional Materials is located in such a beautiful canyon.
The California Live Oaks are magnificent!


These pieces would make a good base to a fountain.

A shot of the canyon.

These roof tiles have such great texture!

They even have salvaged doors.


More terracotta bricks.

More stone flooring.



I love this terracotta tile done here in a herringbone pattern.



This is a piece that a Garden Studio client
recently fell in love with so we incorporated it into her project.

Here is how it looked once we built it into a fountain feature.
The rustic fountain spout feeds into a limestone trough,
also from Traditional Reclaimed Materials.

Here is another trough from Traditional
Reclaimed Materials that we built into a firepit.
Inside the trough is a birch log set.

This is the built-in seating area on the same project.

Be sure to check back for more new and old materials resources as
Garden Studio Design continues to explore the world of Exterior Design.