Last weekend my neighbors invited me to attend a “Swan Lake” themed birthday party for their daughter Sophie’s 4th birthday. As mom to a boy who generally prefers action figure-themed events, I was pretty excited to embrace my inner girly-girl for the afternoon. Yards of white tulle, pastel florals, and classical music are QUITE the welcome change to plastic super heroes and the robotic voice that intones “I AM IRON MAN” on constant repeat in our house. But beyond the general adorableness that is fourteen 4-year old girls in white tutus (and one boy in a blue cape), what I really want to share in this post is the amazing garden setting and decor for Sophie’s party.
Tiny dancers
My neighbor Asele is a landscape designer, and she has put her skills to use in transforming her backyard into a magical place. Lush with old growth trees, flowering bushes and bright flower beds, she’s cultivated a secret garden that feels worlds away from uptown Charlotte. The long, narrow lot is laid out in a series of outdoor rooms ranging from the more public area of the patio to tiny secluded enclaves shrouded in greenery. Starting at the back patio, which is screened in bamboo, you pass through a wrought iron gate and through a dense thicket. The low canopy of trees is so dim and dark there, you can almost imagine yourself in a magical forest inhabited by fairies and mysterious beasts.
A wrought iron gate only hints at the mysteries that lay beyond.
Exiting through an arched arbor, you find yourself in a sunny circular clearing rimmed with flowers and buzzing with hummingbirds. Here in the clearing, Asele had set up two low tables and a colorful assortment of kid-sized chairs.
Both tables were topped with collected pieces and family heirlooms. The yellow and blue table cloth on the far table was actually hand-painted by Sophie’s great-grandmother.
I really loved the way Asele used things that were part of the family’s personal collection (plus a few borrowed chairs) to create a special yet un-fussy look. The result is pretty and coordinated without being too matchy.
This fabulous blue fish bottle filled with pink roses makes such a pretty centerpiece! It is also part of the family’s bottle collection.
A teeny-tiny ballerina twirls inside a bell jar in this centerpiece.
A wooden trellis formed from timber felled on the property marks the portal to the furthest reaches of the garden, a second circular clearing shaded by oaks and graced by a rope swing.
The party guests really enjoyed the rope swing!
Back on the patio, Asele had the ingenious idea to rig up a “stage” using speaker stands and two pretty, embroidered shower curtains.
The young ballerinas had a ball showing off their production of Swan Lake.
What a sweet garden party! It was nice to enjoy an afternoon of “pretty” for a change. I have a feeling my son’s next birthday request will be Angry Birds/Star Wars related, and that it will NOT involve any tulle.
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Tamara Leicester is a licensed interior designer and owner of Tamara Heather Interior Design, LLC. She designs casually elegant interiors with an artistic sensibility, often drawing upon the talent of local artists and craftspeople in her work. Dreaming about updating your space? Learn more at tamaraheatherinteriors.com.