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The Design Inspirationalist

~ Inspiring Ideas | Spectacular Creations

The Design Inspirationalist

Tag Archives: moss

Open Your Door to Spring

29 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, The Great Outdoors, The Home

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brick, concrete, curb appeal, exterior, grass, greenery, home, moss, nature, plants, rocks, spring, stone, trees

Open Your Door to Spring

Soon the cool weather will be gone and before you know it, spring will be knocking at your door. Now is the time to start thinking of how to welcome the season in your home as well as showcasing its beauty on the outside. Curb appeal is an important thing to consider when you have a home. Creating an inviting entrance and beautiful exterior can make all the difference sometimes.

There are many easy and affordable ways to jazz up the exterior of your home. Most of all, you want to complement the architecture and design of the house. You can do this by considering its colors, size, details, and all the elements that stand out. Nature is not only a huge inspiration, it is what will give your home sweet home a fantastic makeover.  Flowers, shrubs, trees, and other natural materials like brick, stone, and wood, are all great examples of what to use.

Here are some great inspirations to get you moving. Enjoy!

The brick pattern in the pathway adds interest to the path and the open feel of this entrance way is clean, organized, and inviting.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens

Giving shape to the landscaping helps build interest around the whole house. Suddenly, lines and patterns appear, which help the eye move with a unique perspective and help the architecture stand out more.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Laurie Heredia

The use of gray and black really adds a nice contrast to the earthy greens that surround the entrance of this home. The lush feel is vibrant and fresh.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens

Have fun with gardening and plant lots of different kinds of greenery. Mix and match colors that complement each other and play with texture. For some tips, you can always ask your local nursery for some suggestions.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Garden Design Inc.

Just by updating hardware or adding a planter box filled with colorful plants can revive an entrance in no time.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens

Dress up your driveway and backyard with large potted plants and fresh greenery.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens

Get creative when it comes to your driveway and pathway. Concrete isn’t the only material you can use. Explore your options with other natural elements like stone, brick, rocks, and even grass and moss.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Down to Earth Landscapes

Landscaping can make all the difference in creating an overall finished look for your home. You want to create an environment where the structure of the house looks as if it was always meant to be there.
Open Your Door to Spring
Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens

Inspiration Photo Friday: Earthy Green

21 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Inspiration Photo Friday, The Home

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CT, earth, green, home, interior design, moss, neutral, plants, trees, vines, vintage

I was in CT when I took this photo. I loved how this area was all green, even the building has vines and moss growing on it. Although it was a little damp and dreary, the Earthiness of the scene inspired me. These neutral colors are some of my favorite of them all.

It made me think of a space I could have in my home one day. Somewhat like a conservatory room, with plants and moss covered urns. Lots of vintage clay pots and a few comfy soft chairs. A perfect place to enjoy being with nature and reading a book. I hope to convert our porch into this Earthy escape one day. Until then, a girl can dream, can’t she?

Inspiration Photo Friday: Earthy Green - © Melissa O'Connor-Arena

Inspiration Photo Friday: The Blue

12 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Inspiration Photo Friday

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blue, color, earth, gray, interior design, moss, natural, nature, new jersey, palette, photography, raritan, rocks, stream, water

I always liked this photo because it was serene. The delicate water resting against the earthbound rocks set a nice canvas for nature to shine. The fantastic blue of the sky showing its reflection oh so beautifully in the water makes me smile. The moss slightly peeks out among the stream. Earth is truly a main character here.

I shot this in Raritan, New Jersey about 6 years ago. I remember that quiet March day being nice and cool and the setting where I was taking photographs was calm. No one was around which left me and my subjects at ease. No distractions. No unnecessary noise. Just me and the blue.

The color scheme from this photo is a great inspiration for interior spaces as well as events. I have this palette throughout my own home because it is soothing, earthy and adrogynous. It allows for many accent colors to come into play as well. Think of it as a natural background for endless possibilities.

Inspiration Photo Friday: The Blue - © Melissa O'Connor-Arena

 

Inspiration Photo Friday: The Blue

Historic Series: Mount Misery

28 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Historic Places

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driftwood day camp, forest, ghost stories, ghosts, haunted, haunted places, history, huntington, leaves, long island, moss, mount misery, nature, new york, park, stories, tales, trees

Long Island certainly has its history and with this comes a number of ghost stories.  Being an explorer I have always been interested in haunted places. Having a love for photography allows me to capture these places and keep them alive. They either get torn down, locked up, or they are left alone. That is where people like me come in.

Exploring the depths of history I took a trip to Huntington’s own Mount Misery. Remembering my past experience with the Mount I was very eager to go back. Being only 16 years old I was freaked out as some friends and I drove through the area. Even though I was in the car with the people I trusted I will admit it was one scary night.

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'ConnorThe north side entrance

Located within the West Hills County Park, Mount Misery is the highest peak of Long Island at 400 feet. It can be accessed by taking the Walt Whitman Trail, named for the famous poet who was born nearby and spent many years wandering in the area. Of the five original Native American tribes that settled in the area some had believed negative forces took over the land. Not many explored the area but the ones who did often found dead and mutilated animals.

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'ConnorThe south side of Mount Misery

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'ConnorThe south side of Mount Misery

Because of its location the land was unsuccessful at growing any kind of crops. This resulted in many people settling in the surrounding areas sparing the Mount the human contact that could have given it life. When the land was purchased from the Indians they warned the settlers about the evil spirits that called Mount Misery home. There were also stories of strange lights seen in the sky and a creature that roamed the hills.  The Indians asked that the new owners of the land stay away.

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'ConnorLeft: Mount Misery Road

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

Today Mount Misery Road can be found off Old Country Road and Highhold Drive. It’s separated by the Northern State Parkway so unless you travel on foot when the road ends you have to enter on either side. For my visit back in 2010, I decided to explore the north side first. As I came to the end of the road I was greeted by two tree trunks stacked on the ground. Was this a sign telling people to stay away, an act of nature or simply a manmade barricade? I just stood there with my camera, took a photo and moved forward. I entered the woods to the right because it seemed the only way possible. To the left was a driveway that led to someone’s home which I found odd.  Having a house out in the middle of Mount Misery? Interesting.

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

As I started walking I noticed there were three paths to choose from. Since I was closer to the right path I chose that one first. I strolled down the dirt path and looked around.  The natural life forms that grew here were out of the ordinary. The trees seemed broken, old and battered, like they have seen a lifetime of misery. I have been in many parks and wooded areas in my time and I must say that this one did not seem to be full of life. Branches were torn and twisted, moss consumed most areas and the fallen leaves just lay there quiet and still. Once in awhile the wind would rattle a few and the sounds startled me because I was engulfed in the forests’ emptiness. I followed this path until I saw the grounds of West Hills Park and turned around.

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

The middle path was the most haunting. The farther I walked the more intrigued I was and the deeper I traveled the more nervous I got. Even though it was daylight the Mount gave off a gloomy light that seemed to reserve itself for visitors. I knew I was walking through tunnels of time and with each step I took forward I was sinking backwards into the past. At one point I turned back and just saw trees. Although the path was still there I felt as if I have gone too far and decided to turn back. The forest seemed to never end. Besides, I still had one more path to explore.

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

The last path was a quick experience. I honestly did not feel comfortable going deeper into the forest alone. It may sound silly but after some time passed the feelings of anxiety took over and my body told me it was time to go. On the way back to my car I thought of all the stories I read about this place before I came. The weird red faced men in suits, the white haired woman who oddly didn’t exist, both of which paid a visit to the same home. Were the Indians right about the Mount after all?

Historic Series: Mount Misery - Copyright 2012 Melissa O'Connor

There are also a few stories about Sweet Hollow Road that coincide with the Mount Misery tales. Sweet Hollow Road runs parallel to Mount Misery and is located within West Hills Park. Supposedly a couple of people died along this road and they are said to haunt the area. One man, a police officer, was killed by a gunshot to the head. You may find him still pulling cars over. Another woman got hit by a car while changing her flat tire and died as well. This was said to happen by the underpass. It seems as if she is friendly considering she will push your car passed the bridge if you turn it off and put it in neutral. I assume she doesn’t want anyone to suffer like she did.

I also heard of some young boys who hung themselves on the bridge and you can sometimes see them still hanging. All these stories are haunting and if you believe in ghosts like I do, you will be more aware when you are traveling in that area next time.

Of all the stories I read the hospital tales are the most interesting. It is said that during the 1700s an asylum was built in these woods and was burned down by a fire. We all know how people were treated in places like this back then and it was not good. Screams were often heard from the patients there and the employees were said to be mistreated as well. About 10 years later, it burned to the ground and remained an empty forest.

Then during the 1900s the government rebuilt a new hospital to help soldiers from World War II. By the end of the war, the hospital closed down but oddly reopened around 1947. This is when strange things started to happen. It is believed that the government were running secret drug tests on people and personnel to better understand brainwashing techniques. One man shared his experience and stated that after he recovered and left the hospital he remembers seeing a sign that read Area 5. Beyond this information, nothing was found.

I am excited to hopefully explore Mount Misery even more and find more information on the hospital. Some say you can still find the stone steps of the building and fragments of the foundation. I did go back after I wrote this but wasn’t able to find anything. The only way to really explore the area is by foot but I suggest you don’t do it alone. Even when entering on the south side of Mount Misery Road you will come to the end where the Driftwood Day Camp is located.

Whatever you decide to do it is no doubt that this area has been keeping people talking for decades. Generations of stories not only inspire the fearless but keep the investigators wondering. What will become of the famous Mount Misery? Putting history aside and exploring ourselves, we can all capture a new view of this Long Island mystery.

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