Modern Container Gardening

The weather right now in Sacramento is beautiful; everything is growing like crazy, trees are filling up with leaves and flowers are blooming. Days like this have me excited to get off work rush home, make a quick dinner and do lots of yard work. If you caught my Instagram Stories this weekend, then you know we have so much yard work to tackle including cleaning up our patio and getting it ready for Spring. Also on our To-Do list is getting a new lawnmower since ours died.

One of the main reasons this time of the year is my favorite season in Sacramento is fully utilizing our outdoor spaces; it's like our home doubles in size which is a great feeling. One of my goals for our outdoor area is to make it feel like an extension of our home; I love the whole vibe of outdoor living. The thought of dining outside every night, weekend brunches, tending to my veggie garden (we're doing it this year! last year was a bust) and enjoying Spring days gives me all the feels. The past couple of years we’ve been slowly transforming our outdoor patios, adding both lounge and dining furniture. See more our patio transformations: How to Update Patio Furniture, Patio Updates and Our Summer Patio

I love for my outdoor space to feel lush and colorful; I add lots of greenery on my patio with plants everywhere. Planters filled with an array green plants enhance the look of outdoor spaces. I'm all for the more, the merrier! The Past two years, I've gotten really into container gardening, even planting two blueberry bushes in containers! I'm happy to report that 85% of the plants I planted in pots are still living and thriving. In fact, several of the plants I thought for sure were goners came back and looked better than last year brand new from the nursery. Here’s how my patio looked early last Summer, filled with plants galore. I love mixing up the height of the planters I use on my paito and I also love filling my BBQ Grill up with plants. 

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I love using modern planters to layer in color, mixing up the shape, size, and style add a sophisticated modern look in an outdoor setting. The fun thing container gardening is the ability to move plants around, of you, notice one plant needs a shady spot, just move it. I’ve had lots of luck planting various varieties of dwarf lemon citrus in large planters. I have a pink lemonade variegated tree just outside my patio door, and it looks perfect there! Container gardening is also a great solution of small spaces and apartments. 

I also think planters work great in garden beds. I add them to my garden beds to help disguise unsightly elements (like our sprinkler valves and faucets). Plus sometimes I  have better luck with plants in planters vs. the ground. Here are a few of my favorite looks for using containers in a modern way. 

image via The Fresh Exchange
image via Planters Guy 

image via Planters Guy 

Whether your outdoor space is large or limited, container plants are a must for layering color. Below I’ve rounded up some of my favorite Modern Containers including modern hanging planters for outside, a few of them I already own or planning too!

One can never have enough planters #TrustMe. If you’re in need of planter ideas for inside check out this post Oh So Modern Containers; this is one of my most pinned post ever! In need of more outdoor style ideas and DIY Projects, check out my Outdoor Style posts here

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GET THE LOOK: ONE Howell Planters TWO Modernist Planters THREE White Rope Planter FOUR Wall Mount Planter - LOVE! FIVE Juno Planters SIX Lineal Planters SEVEN Texture planter - great for coffee tables EIGHT  Iris Stand NINE Dundee Planter - several sizes TEN White Weave Planter ELEVEN Iris Planter** TWELVLE Lillie Planter THIRTEEN Riverage Planter AND FOURTEEN Grey Hanging Planter - I lvoe filling these up with overflowing flowers or succulents 

** Thoughts on the Iris Planter from West Elm, on the site the it starts outdoor use only - I have three of these planters and use them outdoors (when I purchased mine 2-3 years ago it said indoor/outdoor use), I think it will depend on the climate you have if they're able to stay outside. I do wash the outside of my every year to keep them clean and cover in extreme weather changes. In Sacramento we have very mild weather so it hasn't been an issue. 


Are you also a fan of outdoor container gardening? What are some of your favorite ways to add color on your patio or deck? 

Small Home Style: 1909 Cottage | Southern California Home Tour

Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of Small Home Style, where I share design ideas to help maximize small spaces. One of my favorite topics on my blog is talking about Small Home design solutions. I find so much inspiration when I see how other small home dwellers, live, style and organize their homes.

Each month, I'm showcasing a stylish small home and gaining insight from the home dweller how they make their house work for their family.  Today, I'm sharing a beautiful house tour of a Small 1909 Cottage in Southern, California. I first spotted Meg's home on Instagram and quickly fell in love with her homes vintage stove and lovely molding. Follow along Meg's house & garage renovation into family den / guest bedroom on Instagram @Our1909Cottage

1909 Cottage a Southern California Home Tour

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House Details:

  • House Built in 1909
  • Location: Southern California
  • 937 Square Feet
  • London shares in home with her Husband Ned and three daughters. Yes, five people making it work in 937 Sq Feet!! 
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PLEASE SHARE SOME DETAILS ABOUT YOUR HOME, DOES YOUR HOME HAVE A NICKNAME? 

Our little abode is a 1909 Hipped Roof Cottage. She sits at a humble 937 sq. ft. and is made up of 2 Bedrooms and 1.5 Baths.

 “Labor of Love”, because that’s what it feels like to own a 100+ year old home.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FEATURES ABOUT YOUR HOME AND WHY DO YOU LOVE IT? 

Some of our favorite features would have to be the original wood moldings, doors and floors. Aside from the near finger losses with our girlies slamming the hard wood doors we love all the original aspects our home offers. We look at ourselves as Curators protecting a piece of history and that it is our responsibility as the owners to conserve it for the next generation.

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ANY CHALLENGES YOU'VE FACED LIVING IN A SMALL HOME? 

Living in a small home with three children is an evolving challenge. Our home has gone through countless phases when welcoming a new addition to the brewed. The kids items were sorted and we decided what was a “necessity.” Also, aside from the children, I have an natural lean toward Maximalist Design and I have come to realize that the only way to keep my sanity, in a small home, was to “try” and live like a minimalist.

I started pouring over countless Pinterest posts on Decluttering and Minimalism and grew in appreciation of living with less and re-purposing or rearranging what we already had. Living in a small home is the constant practice of being content.

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WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING SMALL? 

My favorite thing about living small is that it makes you think smarter about how you design your home and what fits most in your aesthetic. Every piece serves a purpose or two and if it doesn’t serve a purpose any longer we send it to the Goodwill or Craigslist it

WHAT'S NEXT ON YOUR HOME PROJECT TO-DO LIST? 

Our up coming project is our back yard remodel and garage restoration. We made the decision years ago that we wouldn’t be moving to a bigger home just to gain bedrooms; being that we have all of the same gender it made this decision easy. We come from big families so sharing of rooms is all we know.

The decision to stay led us to restore our garage into a spare bedroom/den. For a time being we will be moving our one TV out to the garage and determine whether or not we can survive without one in the house.

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BEST SMALL SPACE LIVING TIP? 

Weed out clothes constantly!!!!! If you haven’t worn it in a year; Donate It! 

IF YOU LOVE THIS, PIN IT! 

  " WE LOOK AT OURSELVES AS CURATORS PROTECTING A PIECE OF HISTORY AND THAT IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS OWNERS TO CONSERVE IT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. "    - MEG  

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Meg thank you so much for sharing your home with Katrina Blair readers. I love hearing why you love your home so much and tips on making your sweet 937 square feet cottage work for your family of five! In need of some Small Home design solutions? Check out my blog series Small Home Style dedicated to stylish design ideas for small spaces. 

What are your favorite takeaways from this darling 1909 Hip-Roofed cottage?