I love challenges! People who work with me in my different projects also take new endeavors with enthusiasm! One thing they always comment on is the fact that one project hardly ever is like any other.
Whenever I take on a decorating project I always make sure my client and I are both in the same line of thought. This is truly important since most of the times I am hired to create something that does not exist, only in our minds!
I have designed mostly private homes and, every once in a while restaurants, businesses and offices, I have designed terraces and outdoor spaces for both residential and hospitality needs. However I hadn’t designed an artificial desert botanical garden yet!
Not until recently…A longtime customer and friend came by my office on Old Cholla road and threw some ideas at me. She asked me if I could get high quality silks to create a garden on a covered terrace, what the chances would be for the wind and weather not to ruin it, if once created how this botanical garden would be protected.
This conversation led to many other questions and more conversations with my suppliers, they also wanted to see how I would approach the project, they made some suggestions but at the end I would be the only responsible in creating this garden.
You have to keep in mind that for someone loving plants and flowers but only coming to Peñasco from the Northwest of the United States three times a year, having a conventional garden is not a choice. If you could see her place here in Rocky Point you would understand her long for greenery, she has pictures of beautiful scenery, silk plants and flower arrangements all over!
My client had over the years collected several pots in various shapes and sizes, I suspect she had toyed with this idea for quite some time. It took time to get the assortment of plants and greenery. I ordered agaves, aloe vera, germephraims, succulent sprays, sedum hanging pick, water grass, leucorpermum and so forth!
The pots were finally dressed beautifully, they made that terrace overlooking the Sea of Cortes lucious and more welcoming; yet the issue of protecting these arrangements was very real! Extreme sun and winds would tear everything apart! Some smart covers were designed out of Sunbrella® material to protect the plants, these covers had to be light enough to not ruin the arrangements and hard enough to stand harsh weather conditions.
I am happy to see the end results of a dream made true, thanks to my creative staff and to our always demanding customers!
Do you have a challenging project for us? please stop by our store to pick our brains, we will be honest with you tell you if it is something possible or if it will just take us a little longer in case it is almost impossible!
Please keep also in mind my hours at the store. Besides teaching at the local university and manning the store, I have joined some friends in a new venture. Three friends and I have opened a restaurant, specializing in Sonoran cuisine with a delicious twist. We have added this twist, Bacanora, to most of our dishes. (For those who do not know Bacanora is the equivalent to Tequila made in Sonora from the agave plant, it can be smokier and stronger than some tequilas!)
So, half my day and half my week is spent at Diseños Casa y Jardín and the other half at Bacanora Grill in the marina area, right in front of the docks on the left of the huge oil Pemex tanks on the way to Old Port.
Remember you can always call the store to find out if I am in, or make an appointment 383-8633 or (602) 324-9328. The store is open 7 days a week.
Bacanora Grill on the other hand is open from Thursday to Monday from 1 to 9 p.m. You can call for reservations at (638) 690-7777 (this is a new local Rocky Point landline). Come and enjoy the best steaks, seafood and soups made with Bacanora!
