Gardens Are For Living: Design Inspiration for Outdoor Spaces - Hardcover

"To make a garden truly sing, start from the ground up...landscape designer Judy Kameon shows how to make each part of your yard fully and delightfully user-friendly." -Martha Stewart Living ..".Throughout the lavish gardens photographed for this book are handy ideas that could inspire us to carve warm, witty living space out of our own gardens..." -Chicago Tribune "Landscape designer Judy Kameon's beautiful book of work, Gardens Are For Living, belies the author's sixties childhood...It is a verdant tour of lush gardens that toes the line between wildness and urbanity, which has become the designer's signature trademark...Kameon conveys a sense of place, and a colorful, modern optimism that is never saccharine--or predictable. As the title suggests, Kameon makes (and proves) her case that your outdoor space can be as important as your indoor--brilliantly landscaped outdoor amphitheaters, treehouses, and Secret Garden-like pathways are places for community, artistic expression, entertainment, and, perhaps most importantly, play. And while the photography of her work is obviously transportive, so is her lovely way of telling stories and doling out practical tips for novice gardeners...the warmer days are en route--[and] you best not waste them indoors." -Vogue.com "Over the past two decades, Judy Kameon, the founder of the design firm Elysian Landscapes, has created some of Southern California's most inviting outdoor spaces. She focuses primarily on residential gardens for clients like Sofia Coppola but has also completed some notable commercial commissions, including the grounds of the Parker Palm Springs, a project on which she worked closely with Jonathan Adler, who designed the hotel's interiors. Kameon's gardens have a casual, naturalistic feel but are marvels of precise botanical pairing, ingenious layout, and smart furniture and accessory selection." -Architectural Digest "Landscape designer Judy Kameon's first book, Gardens Are for Living: Design Inspiration for Outdoor Spaces, with a foreword by design maestro Jonathan Adler, is a densely packed, playful, and easy-to-penetrate read. Kameon's generously shared with the world what she's been sharing with her friends and clients for years: how she does it, what her process is, and where she gets her inspiration. There's nothing one dimensional about the way Kameon thinks, lives her life or plans her gardens, which are layered and carefully constructed to make the most out of a space. Consideration is given to comfortable seating, lighting--whether it be from fire pits or Moroccan lanterns hanging from the trees to extend the time in the garden--, and landscaping materials that add interest and define spaces. She thinks the same way an interior designer does, adding accessories that make a "room" feel inviting: a colorful Bauer pot to ignite a table, striped throw cushions, even vintage finds like playful ceramic parrots or Foo Dogs to give the garden character." -Gardenista.com "Get your Post-its ready for Gardens Are For Living. With imagery ranging from midcentury Slim Aarons to her painted illustrations and client projects, so-very-Californian Elysian Landscapes designer Judy Kameon shows that "being outside is often the better choice." -C California Style "Judy Kameon, began her career in landscape design 20 years ago, transforming an empty lot next to her Elysian Park bungalow into an urban oasis. Her firm Elysian Landscapes was born from the project and has since acquired a reputation for creating lush yet comfortable outdoor living spaces. This month marks the release of her book Gardens Are for Living: Design Inspiration for Outdoor Spaces...a gorgeous compilation." -Los Angeles Magazine "If the idea of actually reading on a lazy spring weekend seems a bit too ambitious and what you really crave is some creative inspiration, unwind your way through Gardens Are for Living: Design Inspiration for Outdoor Spaces, a gorgeous book showcasing outdoor living spaces, with a foreword by design guru Jonathan Adler." -Indulge "In her sublime new book, Gardens Are For Living, Kameon offers practical advice for creating welcoming gardens and outdoor living areas that maximize your living space." -Los Angeles Times "Inspiration Central. Dig into this tome of ideas before creating your outdoor plan this year. It could spark something you never considered." -San Diego Home Garden ..".Judy Kameon is a wizard at conjuring up California in all its breezy pop and pizazz. Gardens Are For Living made me want to head for the temperate West Coast sunshine. Kameon's tome is warm, gracious and informative." -New York Times "A new book from Los Angles landscape designer Judy Kameon captures the daydream-including gardens she's created...while offering reams of practical tips for creating--and actually using--beautiful outdoor spaces." -1stdibs "Chock full of ideas to jump-start the imagination, Kameon's book promotes the philosophy that gardens should be spaces for entertaining, gather, and most importantly, relaxation. The book features a valuable resource section and there is something for every garden space and climate." -Array

Gardens should be spaces that invite gathering, entertaining, and relaxing. Gardens are for living. This is the philosophy behind Judy Kameon's design, and it reflects a shift in the way people today relate to the areas around their homes. Kameon has developed a unique style of creating rooms outside. By extending interior design to the exterior, she shows how to effectively expand the space of the home. What's more, gardens provide opportunities to engage with our surroundings and with each other in new ways. Here Kameon shares insights for making dynamic outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and useable. Inspired by the midcentury modern ethos that introduced the idea of everyday outdoor living, she explains how to construct complete environments - not just what to look for when choosing the paths, walls, and plants but also the lighting, furniture, and accessories. The goal is to create a linked series of warm settings for different purposes to suit different occasions - whether it's a patio for cocktails around the fire pit, a large table for dinner parties, or a cozy hangout nook for curling up with a book. Use elements like mats, pillows, benches, lanterns, and benches to carve out individual retreats. It's an inspiring lifestyle with deep roots in California, but one that can be created anywhere.