Nature's inspiration at Brucemore

Deb Engmark, head gardener at Brucemore, sent the following about using nature as an interior design inspiration and an upcoming program at Brucemore:

It is in the late winter months that the craving to spruce up my home has the strongest pull, a seasonal quest to improve and brighten.  I want to paint walls, rearrange artwork, and shift furniture.  On this home-improvement quest nature is consistently my inspiration.

 Sometimes all it takes to lessen the wintry pall from a room is the forcing of some branches. Forsythia, willow, and redbud do nicely. A bouquet of flowers purchased for myself often helps, too. Nature will often times inspire in unexpected ways. A few years ago I took a single stem of yellow stock from a bunch I had on my dining room table to a local paint supplier and asked them to duplicate its two shades of yellow.  I was intending to use those colors for my kitchen cabinets and walls. Though the colors are perfect, they didn't go over well with my spouse. So, as of yet, the kitchen has not been painted. I have however painted a hallway in sage green which turned out lovely and an upstairs hall in grass green, though that did not turn out well. 

 Using nature as interior design inspiration is not new. Irene Douglas was continually drawn to nature-inspired design elements throughout her tenure as matriarch of the Brucemore estate, a reign that spanned thirty years. From wall coverings to vessels, paintings purchased from local Iowa artisans to sleeping porch decorations, Irene Douglas's interior design choices clearly expressed a love of the land and an appreciation for all things in nature.

 In my quest to learn more about using nature as inspiration, I am planning to attend

Framing Landscape, a tour of the Brucemore mansion focusing on how landscape and the natural world is brought indoors using art; I invite you to attend also. 

Framing Landscape is on Saturday, February 27, 2010,

 at 10:30 a.m.. Tara Marsh, Director of Learning and Collections Care at Brucemore, will lead the tour with wonderful insight into some of the choices made by Mrs. Douglas. Space is limited so reservations are required. Admission is $10.00 per person and $7.00 per Brucemore member.  Please register online,

www.brucemore.org, or by calling (319) 362-7375.