Garden Visit: At Home with Jeweler Kathleen Whitaker in LA - Gardenista
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of LA’s Echo Park neighborhood, jeweler Kathleen Whitaker has created an oasis of calm seclusion. “Living in Southern California is all about bringing the outdoors in–whether it’s the lush surroundings or the beautiful LA light.” From her living room, Whitaker can see her guests coming up the walk from the gate, which has been painted Benjamin Moore Olympus Green. With a view of the entrance gate in the distance, Whitaker takes advantage of the microclimates within her garden and creates a shaded seating area under the cover of oak, pepper, and toyon trees. Whitaker and her cinematographer husband set out the small patio area with existing flagstone pavers and filled it in with pea gravel. The outdoor furniture set is a mix of Ikea chairs (discontinued) and a rattan love seat found on Craigslist, both sprayed with a custom color of saffron yellow, which Whitaker had mixed in her local paint store. “We picked up the coffee table at a local antiques store,” Whitaker says. The property s hillside faces north and receives indirect light which is easy on the plants including a mix... ...of ground covers succulents jade and a large toyon Before laying sod the couple installed an in ground sprinkler system Whitaker places drought-tolerant succulents on the sun deck behind the house, which is unshaded. A stepped terrace is planted with a mix of coleus, heuchera, xanadu philodendron, asparagus fern, star jasmine, and variegated vinca. “With the stepped terrace, we started over and ripped out the existing overgrown mash-up of many plants,” Whitaker says.”Our new plantings bloom beautifully in this climate and will continue to fill in.” A Cotton Hammock from LL Bean made from natural fibers fits seamlessly into the Southern California landscape; $119. Whitaker brings her garden inside with a cutting from her split leaf philodendron, which has been put into a vase by ceramist Bari Ziperstein. Potted plants on the front porch straddle the interior and exterior worlds effortlessly A rubber plant sits in a ceramic planter... ...by local artist and designer Kelly Lamb whose house we also visited in House Call High on a Hill in Los Angeles As inviting as the garden is, Whitaker’s welcoming porch tempts you to tour her house in A Minimal Jewelry Designer Goes Maximal. Whitaker’s sketches out the points of interest in her garden.