Fall 2011 continuing education

photo courtesy of The Arnold Arboretum websiteRecommended New England course in tree identification

When moseying New England byways, I often ask my strolling companion to confirm the identities of trees on our path. More often than not, my strolling companion is my husband. More often than not, he looks at me quizzically in response. Not because he can’t identify the trees (He generally can’t.), but because he knows I know he generally can’t, yet I ask anyway. I simply wish to know. Finally, a solution: a free tree-identification workshop. I can think of one person who hopes I’ll sign up.

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

I’ve taken a couple of plant identification courses at The Arnold Arboretum before. Looks like it’s time for a refresher. According to their website, “The Arnold Arboretum's continuing adult education program offers one-day and multisession horticulture, botany, and landscape-related courses for the beginner, avid amateur, and professional.”

The Common Trees of Boston

Instructor: Ajay Sequeira, Arboretum Docent
Saturday: October 1, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Location: Hunnewell Building
Free

“Have you noticed a tree as you walked through the city, wanted to name it, but didn't know where to start? Join us for a walk through the Arboretum landscape. We will learn how to identify some of the trees commonly found in the Boston area. We will note some of the characteristics common to families of trees and learn about the differences that occur between species.”

Class and schedule are subject to change so check program websites for updates.
 
Take a look at my continuing-education posts from previous seasons to get a sense of the many quality continuing education programs operating in the region. Enroll in a workshop, demonstration, or presentation on a lark, and get your creative juices flowing.  Experience continuing-education bliss.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: Slatted shutters sentiment

When fully operable, exterior window shutters can be pragmatic; close them to protect windows from inclement weather (or to protect privacy) and open them to invite daylight and view. But, many find shutters to be nostalgic, unnecessary, and/or difficult to maintain. Naturally, they can be. In fact, some of the best are.

I’ve written before (here) about sizing shutters appropriately, so they fit the windows they serve.  But, until now, I haven’t commented much on shutter design. We tend to think of shutters as having horizontal slats, sloped to shed water while also offering sun and wind protection. Sometimes, they’re paneled, sporting small decorative cut-outs (like here). Other times, such as in this photo, they playfully concede that their purpose is not to protect, but to delight.

Here, white, flat-stock slatted shutters echo the design of the white, slatted fence, bordering part of the yard. Despite there being little reason to close such permeable shutters, they’re sized to fit the windows they serve, which, as you can imagine, I applaud. Also, opting for a single shutter per window is a more dynamic choice than selecting a pair of smaller shutters to flank a window, which is a more static arrangement. Both windows are too close to their respective corners for the shutters to hang corner-side, so they each hang inbound and thus mirror each other. The effect bestows an otherwise simple elevation with the drama of symmetry.

The rose bush below, looking as if it might aspire to climb, invites the viewer to ponder whether the shutter design is somewhat trellis-like, as well. A sunny color palette reinforces the sunny tableau. Yes, these shutters are nostalgic, seemingly unnecessary, and perhaps a mild maintenance nuisance, but they’re also a design delight.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Bruce Irving's New England Icons

cover image courtesy of amazon.comThis is a bit unorthodox; I have neither read nor held a copy of New England Icons by Bruce Irving, so this is more of a reading/viewing wish-list post than a review or commentary.

You may know of Bruce Irving from his 17 years producing This Old House for PBS. He wears many hats: real-estate agent, renovation consultant, writer, editor, speaker, and, now, author. I believe I first learned of Bruce from his Design New England magazine department about icons. His interest in the houses, work buildings, local artifacts and places of New England overlaps to such a degree with mine that I also consider him a web neighbor. Plus, as a Cambridge resident, he's a New England neighbor, too.

With photography by Greg Premru, a forward by Norm Abram, and content including stone walls, sugarhouses, roof walks, skating ponds, icehouses, mills, and lobster boats, New England Icons sounds too promising to miss. Let me know at the KHS Facebook Page if you've had a chance to check out a copy. Happy reading.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: Fence/wall/planter

So which is it? A fence, a wall, or a planter? Fences are generally light-weight, thin, somewhat ephemeral demarcations between property or grounds. Walls tend to be thicker, more solid, and often seemingly permanent dividers. Planters are typically low, decorative, planted containers.

This creative composition successfully blends and morphs the common attributes of all three constructs. Like a fence, it’s built of light-weight wood, and it bounds a property. Like a wall, it has thick mass, demonstrated by its capacity to store lengths of firewood. Like a planter, it brims with decorative plantings.

Using clapboards, a customary exterior wall cladding, as fencing helps this feature blur its function. So, too, does the height of the planter, which is almost roof-like. An opaque door, adjacent to the firewood and beneath the planter, further suggests that the feature is a wall, since the door most likely conceals space constructed to store tools, yard equipment, and/or furnishings. Beyond it and the planter, I suspect the assemblage narrows to a more fence-like thickness, though we can't be sure since its face remains in the plane of the door. Had that portion stepped back to the rear plane of the firewood compartment, it would have disrupted the contiguous fence/wall appearance.

When I’m scouting for “design snapshots”, this type of hybrid, multi-function creation, which also happens to be aesthetically delightful, is one of my favorite kinds of finds.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast