The same shabby chic design principles of using timeworn furniture and feminine accessories are also popular in gardens. The color scheme usually includes neutral colors with pale accents of pink and blue. And when you step out onto Peggy’s screened-in porch you will find just that. “The oak swing was bought around 10 years ago,” she says. “It was already pink, but I gave it another coat to touch up.” Garden-fresh peonies sit on a side table, and a Boston fern fills a pink antique jardinière. Peggy’s first endeavor into the backyard design was the addition of a split-rail fence and a perennial flower garden. When the maintenance for the garden became too much, she switched to boxwoods and roses.
Peggy didn’t like having a plain yard so she kept adding to it. “There was an unattractive shed so I added lattice and architectural trims to the side,” she explains. “And at the top of the wall is a zinc steeple I bought at an antiques show in Ohio.”
