Connie Sandlin, the interior designer/gardener who owns Cullman’s popular, garden-oriented design shop, The Blue Eyed Rabbit, will speak to the Cullman Master Gardeners on Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. The talk, “Interior Design Inspirations from an Alabama Gardener,” is free and open to the public. (Courtesy of Ben Johnson South)
CULLMAN – “Nature is the best design teacher,” said Connie Sandlin, the interior designer/gardener who owns Cullman’s popular, garden-oriented design shop, The Blue Eyed Rabbit. “I have interior design certification and hundreds of hours of study, but no textbook can teach you color, texture, pattern and scale like gardening can.”
“Interior Design Inspirations from an Alabama Gardener,” is the title of the free, open-to-the-public, informative, entertaining talk Sandlin will be sharing with Cullman Master Gardeners and guests on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. (details below).
Here are some insights this delightful designer/gardener will be sharing:
GARDENING AND INTERIORS—A thoughtfully-designed home is a haven from the outside world but should reflect its natural surroundings. I gravitate to soothing elements from nature, calming sky blues and serene, water garden blue-greens, botanical prints and nature-inspired art.
SOUTHERN HOMES AND GARDENS—We like warm, welcoming, hospitable homes with the doors open to porches and breezes. We Southerners treasure our milder climate and often blur the distinction between exterior and interior. I like my clients to capitalize on sunny vistas that cheer us even on gray, midwinter days.
STYLE INFLUENCES—Like most Southerners, I’m a “time weaver.” We are celebrating Alabama’s Bicentennial in 2019 and I very much value architecture and gardens from the 19th and 20th centuries, but I also embrace the innovations of this exciting time in which we are living. You can find me knee-deep in heritage garden mud texting a question to a Master Gardener on my smartphone.
THREE FAVORITE GARDENS—I’m truly amazed by the varieties of vegetables, flowers and fruit in Mr. Jefferson’s gardens at Monticello (Charlottesville, Virginia). Magnolia Plantation (Charleston, South Carolina) for the azaleas, camellias and live oaks. And, some years, my own.
HOLIDAY 2018 DESIGNS—At The Blue Eyed Rabbit, I will be inviting you into an enchanted, winter forest with lots of natural inspirations and whimsical, woodland animals. Expect the delightfully unexpected.
CULLMAN SOURCES I LOVE—The Mustard Seed, locally-owned for years by Rodney and Sandy Walker, for landscaping and planting needs. And, Tre Bellezze, owned by Jennifer Thornton and Deanna Millican, is my favorite clothing boutique. They have great customer service and a selection of stylish, comfortable things I can wear at building and landscaping sites. I’m not going to be wearing stiletto heels and glam finery while slip-sliding through Alabama red dirt.
FREE TALK DETAILS/RESERVATIONS— “Interior Design Inspirations from an Alabama Gardener” with Connie Sandlin and the Cullman Master Gardeners; Thursday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m.-noon; Cullman County Extension Office Conference Room, 402 Arnold St. NE, Ste. G-1, downtown Cullman, 35055—Call for free reservations, 256-737-9386.
