Last week Michelle and Erin profiled five winning garden projects; see the verdant victors at Gardenista. And stay tuned for more next week. 

Above: The Best Urban Garden Winner is landscape architect Alexandra Tasker Mark, who spent a decade creating an urban sanctuary in LA to suit her family's needs.

Above: The Best Outdoor Room Winner is Wall Morris Interior Design's Irish workman's cottage near Dublin. 

Above: The Best Architectural Garden Feature Winner is Specht Harpman (members of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory), who created a modern sanctuary in New Canaan, CT, working with Gunn Landscape Architecture.

Above: The Best Indoor Garden Winner is Liz Tan, who writes a bog called Seats Plant House to document her adventures in indoor gardening.

Above: The Best Edible Garden Winner is BaDesign, a multi-disciplinary design studio in Oakland, California, who created a modern, cohesive garden for a young couple in California. 

We're in the throes of summer entertaining (our theme for next week), and we've become addicted to elderflower cordial and anything else that will keep us cool, including big floppy hats. Here's what else is going on:

• We're admiring the colorful graphic Tea Towel offerings from Studio Patro perfect for toting along on a picnic. (Check out the video on 12 ways to use a tea towel—who knew?)
• If you're planning on sitting out in the sun, you might want to read this: Demystifying Sunscreen.

• Whether you are a local or from out of town, NYC's High Line is always worth a visit. For a local's view check out Annik La Farge's Livin' the High Line. Kids in tow? Drop in on their Wild Wednesdays that run through the end of August. Photograph via Goodreads.
• Good news for fans of LivingEtc. (that would be all of us here at RM): Say goodbye to costly overseas subscription rates and sign up for their 12-month Digital Deal on your iPad and iPhone for $19.99.
• Architizer, the site that T Magazine dubbed a hybrid of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Flickr for architects finally gets a makeover. Check out their new look on Monday.

• The enduring appeal of Cargotecture. Sunset rounds up some of the best upcycled Cargo Container Designs around, including this one in the Venice, CA, backyard of designer Jennifer Siegal of Office of Mobile Design.
• We're swinging by SF's Renegade Craft Fair this weekend at Fort Mason in San Francisco to see more than 250 "modern makers," and we'll be returning next weekend for the American Craft Council show (more on that later!).
• East Coasters (well New Yorkers), be sure to swing by West Elm's Dumbo store to check out the Swissmiss (aka Tina Roth Eisenberg) Etsy selections from local Brooklyn and NYC-based Etsy sellers. The Etsy Pop-Up is at the West Elm Market with sellers there in person on Saturday.

• Speaking of the East Coast, Christine admired the white brick texture on this building while she and her son waited 5 1/2 hours to see the Rain Room at MOMA. Worth the wait to be able to control your own weather destiny, if only for ten minutes? Definitely—it's open until midnight on Sunday, the last day.

• After spending a week in an unseasonably humid Southern California, Alexa is longing for other dry, Mediterranean climates like say, Palomba, Italy. Above is a photograph from a visit to the home (formerly a 17th century oil mill) of Italian designers Ludovica and Roberto Palomba; spotted on SF Girl by Bay via French by Design.

• The Designers Are In! David John and Krista Schrock from DISC Interiors are standing by to answer your questions on the Spanish Colonial home they refurbished for Glenn Lawson's (of Lawson Fenning). Ask away, and happy weekend!

I didn't have to get tough on house guests until word got out, a few years back, that I was moving to New York City. When you live in Manhattan, suddenly you become a destination. "I'm coming to you next month," people email, as if you are the Observation Deck on top of the Empire State Building, rather than an old friend from college.

It's not that I don't love my friends. Or my children's friends. Or my children's friends' parents, or their friends. It's just that I don't want to see most of those people at breakfast. Much less cook it for them. I am very much of the "teach a man to fish" school of guest management. I encourage their independence and believe that being a good guest, like everything else in life, is something everyone must learn. It is the host's duty to teach.

Here are my top ten tips for surviving house guests:

 Above: House guest rules, via Scandinavian Deko.

No. 1: If they ask if they can "bring something," say, "Yes, very dry white wine." 

No. 2: Greet them at the door by saying, "Let me put your things in your room," so you can corral all their stuff and keep them from littering their shoes, sunglasses, sweaters, handbags, and car keys around the house.

Above: Photograph by Cade Martin.

No. 3: Show them the coat closet so they will hang up their jackets and fleeces instead of draping them across couches and chair backs. Blame yourself for being a "neat freak" and say you don't expect them to line up their shoes perfectly in the closet, although you do.

No. 4: Tell them the best places in town to walk to for breakfast and say "don't worry that you might wake me—I'll sleep through anything."

Above: Photograph via Paris Parfait. 

No. 5: Give them a street map; circle all the museums, subway stations, and liquor stores where they can buy wine for you. If you live in the country or near the beach, tell your guests, "Feel free to use our bikes."

Above: An outdoor shower by Michaela Scherrer. 

No. 6: Put everything they need in their bedroom so they don't pester you for towels, water glasses, water, shampoo, or a toothbrush. Use this as an opportunity to get rid of all the tiny toiletries you've brought home from hotels. If you have an outdoor shower, encourage your guests to "make it their own." And if you live near the beach, encourage them to bring their own beach towels so you're not left with a pile of damp sandy towels at the end of their stay.

Above: Photograph by Alexa Hotz.

No. 7: Serve cocktails at 5 pm sharp to put everyone in a good mood. Serve a snack—hummus and crackers are filling—to hold them over until dinner.

No. 8: Give them specific jobs. When they ask if they can help with dinner, don't say vaguely, "That would be great." Say: "Thanks, here's a knife and a cutting board you can use to strip the kernels off these eight ears of corn."

Above: Photograph via Ikea Family.

No. 9: If guests are staying for more than 36 hours, invite other friends over for dinner one night so no one gets bored.

No. 10:  If guests are staying for more than 36 hours, ask why.

Are you preparing for summer house guests? Here are 5 Essential Items for Every Guest Room.

Combining the open spaces of modern design with the local gabled vernacular of cedar shingles, New York-based Robert Young Architecture & Interiors pulls off an intimately scaled yet sprawling family compound on Montauk Lake; managing to accommodate a 4,500-square-foot main house with a 50-foot lap pool, an 1,800-square-foot guest house, and a barn.

The architects carefully disguise the bulk of the main house with an aggregate of smaller, informal living spaces, creating a variety of views and experiences that take full advantage of the northern water views and southern sun and breezes. In this compound, it's the sum of the parts that make up the whole.

Photography by Michael Moran via Robert Young Architecture & Interiors. 

Above: The local vernacular of cedar shingles sets the tone.

Above: The compound appears as a series of small buildings. 

Above: Views of the lake preside throughout the compound. 

Above: Exposed structural trusses in the primary living area have been painted white to match the rest of the room.

Above: The interiors have been subdivided into kitchen, dining, and living areas.

Above: The patchwork of stainless steel and white-fronted kitchen units keeps the kitchen from appearing monolithic. 

Above: Driftwood-clad storage units act as partitions and subdivide the open space.

Above: The living room extends seamlessly out onto the deck.

Above: In deference to the exterior views, the white palette of the living area is maintained in the bedrooms as well. 

Above: A large mirror in the bathroom reflects a window to the outside.

Above: A white four-poster bed frames the view to the outside. 

Above: A double bunk helps with overflow guests.

Above: A walk-in shower sits at the end of a narrow bathroom. 

Above: Screened porches are a requirement, given the lakeside setting. 

Above: An outdoor shower and a built-in bench sit on the side of the house. 

Above: The main house and the guest house sit around the 50-foot-long lap pool.

Above: A small barn with a cut-out view to the lake is the first building one sees after entering the gates. 

See Architect Visit: Deborah Berke in Litchfield County, Connecticut for another favorite New England shingle project. 

On a recent July evening, 20 dinner guests gathered for a lamplit mid-summer feast on floating pallets tethered to a riverbank in the middle of Oslo. They felt as if they'd won a lottery—and in a way, they had.

It all started a few weeks earlier, when Oslo-based food events promoter Food Studio mysteriously tweeted "Tickets for sale—if you can follow the clues to find them" before sending a roving bicyclist to several secret destinations, with a handful of tickets. By the cyclist's second stop, the tickets were sold out.

The reason for the excitement: The dinner on the banks of the Akerselva River was a collaboration among Food Studio, 2-Michelin star restaurant Maaemo, and micro coffee roaster Tim Wendelboe, with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Here's what the golden ticket holders saw when they arrived for dinner:

Photographs via Food Studio except where noted.

Above: "A long table had been set up on a pontoon right on the edge of the river. Great orbs of light hung from neighboring trees and a large sail overhead provided shelter," recalls Nordic Nibbler, one of the guests in attendance. "Next to us was an open fire, flickering and crackling and giving off that smell so evocative of open-air cooking."

Above: A five-course dinner was prepared outdoors by Maaemo's chefs.

Above: One course featured langoustines cooked in pine butter over an open fire. "A pine infusion was poured over dry ice, releasing clouds of pine-scented smoke across the table," recalls Nordic Nibbler. Photograph via Luma.

Above: The theme of the evening: a tribute to the forest.

Above: Printed menus and formal place settings greeted the diners.

Above: Wine stayed chilled in the river.

Above: Each course was paired with a different wine or beer. Photograph via Luma.

Above: A 200-pound wild boar was buried in a roasting pit with hot stones. Photograph via Luma.

Above: The meal ended with Kenyan coffee from the Kapsokisio Cooperative, lightly roasted by Tim Wendelboe. 

For more open air entertaining by Food Studio, see Into the Field: A Dinner in an Oslo Greenhouse on Gardenista.

Our friend Scotti Sitz at Garde in LA turned us on to Tim Gledhill, an LA-based Brit and Rug Company alum who launched Huddleson, his line of contemporary table linens, in 2011. "Some of my fondest memories are of meals with friends and family shared over big, beautifully set tables," Gledhill says. "I still believe that during our busy lives it is important to take the time and effort to prepare a meal and set a table for those we care about. To sit down, break bread, and reconnect. Every meal can—and should—be a special occasion. However, when looking for table linens for myself with a contemporary aesthetic and some character, there didn’t seem to be anything available." Spotting a gap in the market, Gledhill created his contemporary design-driven table linens with a collection of, as he notes, "functional pieces of art, digitally printed on beautiful Italian linen. We treat the whole cloth as a canvas."

The tablecloths are available in a selection of shapes (round, oval, square, and rectangular), depending upon the design, and come with accompanying napkins, runners, and placemats. For more, visit Huddleson.

Above: Round Moreton Tablecloth with monochromatic painted brush-strokes that transition from black to gray on white linen. Also available as a placemat and napkin; $195 for a 68-inch round tablecloth and $315 for a 90-inch version.

Above: Gledhill gets his inspiration for the designs from art, nature, architecture, and travel. The Anfa Blue was "inspired by Moroccan tile with a simple subtly irregular design across the body and a border that gives the impression of interlocking chain." The Anfa Blue is available in three sizes, beginning at $345 for a 66-by-105-inch rectangle.

Above: For his Blossom Tablecloth, Gledhill was inspired by the look of scattered flowers and recreated the look by "printing painted cherry blossom flowers and petals across the linens, as though they had blown across the table"; $295 to $450 for a rectangular tablecloth depending on size.

Above: The round Piccadilly was inspired by Damien Hirst's spot paintings, with the dots creating a subtle flower motif; the cloths are available in three sizes, priced from $195 to $450.

Above: Lovebirds Tablecloth with matching napkins, each with a different corner detail. A rectangular tablecloth ranges from $295 to $450, depending on size. Set of eight Napkins; $190.

Above: The Grania Silver white linen tablecloth with gently tumbling feathers in a palette of pale gray and taupe is available in three sizes; prices range from $195 to $450.

Want to make your own tablecloths? See our post on 5 Favorites: Dip Dyed Canvas Tablecloths.

Who better to turn to than the British Colonial Army for inspiration on lightweight, stylish outdoor chairs? Both Kaare Klint and the Carmel Bay Company did when they each designed a leather and wood outdoor chair with an accompanying ottoman.

We admire both pieces for different reasons, but we couldn't help noticing the price difference between the two (a little under $1,800) and wanted to share.

High

Above: Kaare Klint, the son and pupil of architect P. V. Jensen Klint, designed the Safari Chair and Footrest in 1933 from a solid ash frame with a smoked oil finish. The chair is available in canvas for $1,195 or leather (shown) for $2,520, both with adjustable leather straps, from Design Within Reach.

Above: With the spirit of portability in mind, the chair and footrest can be assembled and disassembled entirely without tools.

Low

Above: The Campaign Chair and Ottoman is made from kikar wood and distressed buffalo leather; $445 for the chair and $285 for the ottoman from Carmel Bay Company.

For more pieces at contrasting price points, sift through all of our posts on High/Low Design in our Archive.

The winner of the Best Reader-Submitted Dining Space in our Considered Design Awards is Janna Hymes, who created a Swedish-inspired country dining room with her mother ("I owe my sense of style to her," she says).

When Janna purchased her 1850s house in Rockport, Maine, it was in disrepair and in need of a total renovation. With her mother as her partner in crime, Janna settled on an overall vision, aiming to maintain the integrity and charm of the original home, where she lives with her two sons. "For the dining room, we wanted a Swedish-inspired room with a muted palette and simple furnishings, a look that would be typical for a country house of this type." The mother/daughter team painted the floors and refurbished the antiques that fill the space. Says Janna of the end result: "We accomplished just what we wanted. It is particularly moving for me that I won Remodelista's Considered Design Award as my mom passed away two years ago, and I owe my sense of style to her."

Janna, the orchestral director of the Maine Pro Musica Orchestra and the Williamsburg Symphonia in Virginia, also occasionally runs a booth in an antiques shop in Maine. "As a young girl, I was dragged to antique shops everywhere and grew up to appreciate beautiful things." Though an ear for music doesn't guarantee an eye for good design, Hymes is blessed with both. "I wish I could tell you I have a design degree from RISD," she says, "but it's more simple than that." 

Photography by Janna Hymes. 

Above: Janna bought her six antique farmhouse dining chairs for $75. She repainted them and reupholstered the plastic floral-patterned vinyl seats in linen check. "They turned out great, considering I had no idea what I was doing," she says. Janna has collected vintage iron tools for years, and mounted on the wall they function as art.   

Above: The floors were not in good shape, so Janna and her mother took a cost-effective route and painted them in a checkerboard pattern. The furnishings are all antique, including the dining table, bench (with pillows made from vintage grain sacks), and corner wall cabinet. The chandelier is a relic from a childhood family trip to Portugal; it had been languishing in the attic, but the shades were ruined, so Janna's father, who works on Saturday Night Live, asked one of the set designers to paint new shades for her. 

Above: Janna bought the antique cupboard in Ohio and brought it home to Maine strapped to the roof of her Toyota Corolla. She filled it with her collection of black-and-white transferware as well as pitchers, old mustard jars, and hand-painted cups. 

Above: An antique mirror Janna bought for her "sea captain beau" hangs against walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Linen White. 

Above: The port down the street from Janna's home.

See all 11 winners of the Remodelista Considered Design Awards and watch for their project profiles to publish over the next several weeks. 

We've been enjoying the return of the artisan and craftsman to the design scene for a while now and noting its impact on the way we live. As part of the upcoming American Craft Council's Show in San Francisco, Remodelista is pleased to be sponsoring "Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft,” a showcase where craft and design intersect. Nine local interior designers and architects (several of whom are members of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory), will each take a selected piece of craft from one of the artists featured in the show and incorporate it into an interior setting. Look forward to the works of: E. B. Min, AIA, and Jeffrey L. Day, AIA, of Min|Day; Lauren Geremia of Geremia Design; Nicole Hollis of Nicole Hollis Design; Nicole Socia of Socia Design; Mimi I. Chen, AIA of Three Legged Pig Design; Melina Raissnia of Peace Industry; Steven Miller of Steven Miller Design Studio (and founder of The NWBLK)); and Lisa Bakamis of Lisa Bakamis Interior Design.

The show is at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco from August 2nd through 4th. Hours are Friday, August 2nd, 10am to 8pm; Saturday, August 3rd, 10am to 6pm; and Sunday, August 4th, 11am to 5pm. Tickets are $14 for a one-day pass and $20 for a three-day pass and can be purchased here along with discounted passes.

N.B. Admissions is $5 after 5pm on Friday.

Above: A space created by Lauren Geremia of Geremia Design.

A good knife is hard to come by. Ideally a knife is functional foremost, but I hope you can forgive me when I say that I also want my knives to be pretty. We can't have ugly knives marring our perfectly styled cheeseboards, now can we?

Above: Chelsea Miller, the maker of these beauties, sources the wood from her family's property in Vermont's Northern Kingdom and forges the high carbon steel blades from discarded files and tools.

Above: As the daughter of a blacksmith, Chelsea learned to make knives in her father's shop. You can read the full story on Madesmith.

Above: In a collection made exclusively for Madesmith, Chelsea offers a Small Multipurpose Knife, $135; a Medium Multipurpose Knife, $145; and a Cheese Tool Knife, $125. I'd gladly take all three. 

To watch a short film on Chelsea, head to her website. 

For more tabletop ideas, head here.

Since first admiring photographer and stylist Kara Rosenlund's 19th century worker's cottage, we find ourselves frequently lost in her artful account of daily life on her blog.

That's where we spotted her holiday table, but as an Aussie, Rosenlund's winter holiday has a summery vibe to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Other than the many details to admire (feathers from molting chickens in the yard, olive branches, and place cards taped to plates), we especially like her use of space with a hanging drinks bucket—so much so that we recreated a similar look ourselves.

For more of Rosenlund's home, see In the Kitchen and Beyond with Kara Rosenlund and shop Rosenlund's authentic vintage wares in her store, Travelling Wares.

Above: A woven table runner serves as a platform for walnuts, olive branches, and cloves: "I love the heady fragrance of cloves and rosemary," says Rosenlund. Photograph by Kara Rosenlund.

Above: Rosenlund swaps a traditional floral arrangement for a rosemary chandelier. Photograph by Kara Rosenlund.

Above: Casamidy's Pila Seca Pendant Lamp is made from wrought iron with saddle leather; contact Casamidy for pricing and availability.

Above: The Two-Gallon Galvanized Bucket from Dover Parkersburg is $7.99 from Amazon.

Above: Fog Linen's simple Iron S Hook is £1.99 at Ruby Roost. See more at 5 Quick Fixes: S Hooks with Style. Jute Twine (from $1.89 to $19.99 from Dick Blick) and a pair of Scissors ($12 from Brookfarm General Store).

Above: Rough Linen's Orkney Tablecloth (a 58-inch-square size) and the Smooth Linen Tablecloth (60 inch square) are $130 each. The 24-Inch Square Napkins are made from a blend of Orkney and smooth linen and available in white or natural (shown) for $24 each.

Above: Rosenlund fills vintage mustard pots with feathers in lieu of floral arrangements; we like vintage Lab Lagny pots from France, which are widely available on Etsy (most for under $20). You can source feathers online from the Feather Place.

Above: A vintage Wicker Bottle and Glasses Set is currently on sale for $55 at One Kings Lane.

Above: Anthropologie's Nevin Flatware is made from 18/8 stainless steel with bone handles; $36 for a five-piece set.

Above: The Bexley Wine Glass is $11 from Canvas. Another sturdy wine glass is Canvas' Ash Ball Stem Goblet; $9 each.

Above: West Elm's white earthenware Linen Textured Dinnerware Set is sold in sets of four of each piece (a dinner and salad plate, bowl, and mug); prices range from $24 for four mugs to $40 for dinner plates.

Looking for more tabletop inspiration for your next entertaining event? See our previous Steal This Look posts: A Simple Table Setting from Sue Fisher King, A Parisian Oyster Party, and a Pacific Northwest-Inspired Table Setting.

We've admired Tom Dixon's Beat lamps for some time now, but they come with a rather hefty price tag (the Stout version costs $1,425). Looking for something similar? We've found a twin at a fraction of the price.

HIGH

Above: The white Beat Light is $1,425 from YLighting. The lamp features a spun brass shade with hand-beaten interior and a high gloss white powder coat exterior. 

Above: The Beat Light line comes in four distinct shapes (prices start at $535 at YLighting).

LOW

Above: The Silvia Ball Pendant Lamp is $199 from Crate and Barrel (the interior is hammered brass).

Above: The Silvia comes in three shapes; the Bell, the Ball, and the Drop for $199 each.

See more of our High/Low Design posts: You'll be surprised by some of the price differences. 

Over lunch last week at the very wonderful Honey & Co. in London's Fitzrovia with Julie and Christine, we cooled off with glasses of orange-blossom iced tea. Very sweet, no ice. And delicious, but like a cocktail at noon, there are just so many of these that you can drink before feeling "unusual."

It got us to talking about iced-tea recipes and Julie asked me to share the version I always make. On really hot days like the ones we've been experiencing, my first thoughts in the morning turn toward this tea. The absence of sweetener and caffeine makes my blend all the more quaffable. It works like an icy slow drip throughout the day. 

Photographs by Jim Powell.

Above: Start the morning with a three-teabag infusion, each a different variety of tea. My vital ingredient is red bush tea (also known as rooibos). Made from the leaves of a South African herb, Aspalthus linearis, it's decaf and isn't even related to traditional tea, but serves as a great substitute with a subtly sweet taste and less than half the tannin of regular tea. And unlike wan fruit tea, it still has a kick to it, essential when avoiding caffeine. African red bush tea can be found of late in most supermarkets; Tazo and Celestial Seasonings both offer versions. 

With red bush as a base note, add another strong flavor, such as rose hips tea, for a rosy drink, or ginger tea, which is what I used here.

The third bag can be as flowery or fruity as you like. I chose green tea with cranberry.

Fill a two-quart heavy glass pitcher to about a third with boiling water to make a strong infusion. (You can also use a teapot, of course, but I skip that step by using a pitcher that can stand up to hot water.)

Above: After steeping for long enough to let the liquid cool down (say 20 minutes), fill up the jug with cold water and stir. Then add citrus slices—lemons are fine but limes give more depth. If you are craving some natural sweetness, sliced orange or clementine make a good addition. 

Above: The inclusion of mint is a must, especially if it is dominating the herb bed by the back door. Mint loves a morning trim.

Above: I like ice as much as the next person but feel that the quantities added to drinks in the US waste valuable space in a glass. Like the people at Honey & Co., I prefer my summer tea to be "iced" not "ice." It may be all in the spelling.

For a floral variation on iced tea, see Summer Goddess Sun Tea with Chamomile Syrup.

"A wonderful spread, fabulous friends, sunshine, great conversation, and some lounging on blankets is obviously the recipe for bringing on labor," says Dee Purdy of She Had Us At Hello. She should know, because an hour after returning home from the July baby shower picnic her friends threw in London's Holland Park, her contractions started:

Photographs via She Had Us At Hello.

Above: A sunny afternoon, a shady spot under a tree, and picnic blankets spread on the grass. For more of Dee's photos, see She Had Us At Hello.

Above: Simple arrangements of baby's breath, roses, and poppies in clear glass jars.

Above: The picnic menu leans heavily toward finger foods: cheese and crackers, grapes, prosciutto, and olives.

Above: More jam jar bouquets.

Above: A bunting made of colorful paper streamers tied to a tree. 

Above: "An hour after we got home, my contractions had started and by midnight we had bathed Limi, put her to bed, repacked the hospital bag, pumped up the Swiss ball...and were heading into the hospital," says Dee.

Above: Congratulations, it's a girl!

During the summer months, we're switching out our china and ceramic dinnerware for hard-wearing, unbreakable plates that we can tote to the beach, pack for picnics, and pull out for backyard entertaining. Here are 10 of our favorite plates (in wood and enamel) for longterm use (as opposed to disposable paper and plastic). 

ENAMELWARE

Above: West Elm Market's Enamelware Dinnerware is inspired by vintage enamel plates and made from steel with a porcelain-enamel finish that is shatterproof. The dinner plates, white with a black rim, are $40 for a set of four from West Elm.

Above: From Italian designer Stefania di Petrillo, the Variopinte Enamelware Plate are created by crushing natural pigments and mixing them with glass powder, all applied by hand to the metal before firing. The enamel is nontoxic and dishwasher safe; $26 for the blue and white dinner plate (top) at The Vitrine. See the full line at Variopinte (online ordering available).

Above: At Labour and Wait in the UK, Marble Enamel Plates in red are €8.50 each.

Above: The classic Falcon Enamelware Plates are available with a blue, red, or pigeon gray rim for €24.99 directly at Falcon Enamelware. A similar 10-inch enamelware Vintage White Dinner Plate is $6.29 at Kolorful Kitchen.

Above: Best Made Company's Seamless & Steadfast Enamel Steel Plates are made to be hefty and durable with a rim reinforced with a double dipping of enamel; $35 for two or $90 for 6 from Best Made Co.

WOOD

Above: Christine's favorite outdoor dinnerware are designer Tony Farrell's Wooden Plates. Farrell, a wood turner from Cork, Ireland, hand turns the plates using native Irish ash and finishes them with a natural oil; €22 from Makers & Brothers.

Above: The Tondo 6-Inch Plate (left) is made from acacia harvested in the forests of the Philippines under a local government reforestation program; $4.95 each from Crate & Barrel.

Above: Made from American blonde hickory wood, the Round Wood Cheese Plate can be used as a dinner plate for as a serving platter; currently on sale for $25.50 for the small plate from Canvas.

Above: Raw sculpted 7.5-inch Wood Plates are from Lost & Found in LA (currently unavailable, contact for planned restock dates and more information).

Above: From Colorado-based furniture maker David Rasmussen, Wud Plates in square cafe sizes and longer trays (shown) are $48 each.

Above: Brookfarm General Store's Wooden Plates are made from acacia and finished with nontoxic mineral oil are available in three sizes: small for $12, medium for $17, and large for $22.

Above: Designed by Rino Ono in the Takahashi Kougei wood workshop in Hokkaido, the Cara Wood Plate is made from linden wood and finished with food-grade polyurethane; $55 for the small plate and $90 for the medium size from Muhs Home.

Looking for more beyond outdoor plates? Shop through all the flatware, cups, and dinnerware in Tabletop of our Shop section.

Our friends at Makers & Brothers, Jonathan and Mark Legge, like to keep things in the family. But they've generously shared their mother's recipe for elderflower cordial syrup, the basis for a delicate, old-fashioned floral drink beloved in Europe but little-known in the US. The Legges have also agreed to reveal their secret source for elderflowers (word of warning: you may have to travel to Dublin for the full experience).

"Elderflower cordial has always been a favorite in our family; everybody from our granny to our dad loves the stuff. We learned from our mum, who has been making it for us since we were tiny," the brothers say. "To us it is the taste of carefree, long summer days."

Makers & Brothers' Elderflower Cordial

• 25 flower heads (be sure to use elderflowers; they grow in large clusters and each constitutes a head)*

• 3 lbs cane sugar

• 2 oz lemon juice

• 1 1/4 quarts boiling water

• 2 lemons (zest and slice)

*Elderflowers are white blossoms that bloom in June on elderberry tree shrubs also known as elders. They grow in temperate to subtropical regions, and are commonly found in the UK and Europe, as well as just about all over the US: this USDA map shows where elderberries thrive stateside.

To see how it all comes together, follow the instructions below.

Photos via Makers & Brothers. 

Above: Begin by finding elderflowers in bloom. 

Above: The Legges' source unveiled: "We climb the walls into our local ruined abbey." For more clues, visit the Makers and Brothers' Shed, the Legges' shop in Abbey Court, in Blackrock County, Dublin, and they'll point the way to the abbey.

Above: Elder branches against the blue skies of Dublin. 

Above: The elderberry's flowers grow in large heads; each of the individual flowers has five petals.

Above: An oval willow basket woven by Kathleen McCormick gently holds the elderflowers.

Above: Domino, the Legge family dog, guards the day's pickings.

Above: The ingredients are ready to go.

Above: It's a good idea to shake out the elderflower heads, in case there are any little creatures hiding inside. Base stems can be left in place.

Above: Add sugar and lemon juice to a large mixing bowl, and pour in the boiling water.

Above: Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Above: Drop in the lemon slices and zest.

Above: Add the elderflower heads.

Above: Gently stir it all together with a wooden spoon. Then cover and allow to steep for 24 hours. 

Above: Strain the infusion through a fine sieve and pour the liquid into a decanter—shown here, a Carafe and Glass Set by Jerpoint Glass. To serve, dilute the cordial to taste with flat or sparkling water and lemon slices. Or add to a gin and tonic, a vodka and soda, or even Champagne. Then raise a toast to the delights of summer.

Homemade cordial is, of course, the ideal (as is clambering around ruins to gather the flowers), but you can also buy a 500 ml bottle of Belvoir Elderflower Cordial for $8.50 from Jolly Grub.

We've got more easy summer drinks recipes to try, including a Hibiscus and Lime thirst quencher, Lavender Soda, and Summer Goddess Sun Tea with Chamomile Syrup. 

Stateside, Tama Matsuoka Wong forages for elderflowers, too. See: Foraging for Dessert.

Margaret Howell and Mourne Textiles have produced a small selection of placemats from hand woven cloth, originally designed by midcentury textile designer Gerd Hey-Edie, whose words "for me, out of the past flows the future" speak volumes about design that stands the test of time.

Above: Black and white cotton-linen-wool placemats; £85 for a set of four. Available through Margaret Howell. 

Above: Red and black cotton-linen-wool placemats; £85 for a set of four. Available through Margaret Howell. 

Setting the table? See Tabletop for our handpicked tabletop and dinnerware favorites. 

Aside from Pimm's, what drink could be more Brit than a G & T (local parlance for a gin and tonic)? I spent a few glorious weeks working in London this summer, where I got wind of gin being dispensed from a bike. With a little investigation, I discovered The Traveling Gin Company (TGC).

Ed Godden and Joe Lewis describe their venture as "a pop-up drinks project." The idea came about as a lark: On a cycling trip to Amsterdam, Lewis and his university friends suited up in what Lewis calls "old English gents attire." Lewis, who was pedaling an old butcher's delivery bicycle, attached a spirit optic to the front of the bike's frame and stacked the front basket with—what else—that most English of tipples, gin. When they stopped off for the evenings at various sites, he offered G & T's to his mates, and it accelerated from there.

And accelerated it has. The Traveling Gin Company has been spotted at fashionable venues throughout the city and recently got back from dispensing drinks at the happening Michelberger Hotel in Berlin. Read on for a recipe for their latest concoction: The Foghorn.

Above: Joe and Ed, each sporting aprons from Labour and Wait. Joe in the Waist Apron with Pocket; £28 and Ed in the Bib Apron; £38.

Above: A butcher's bike with basket and a fruit crate on the back for carrying supplies. An enamel utility pail serves as ice bucket.

Above: Gin shots dispensed from a bottle attached to the handlebars. Ed tells us, "We try to mix up our service and use of products as much as possible to keep the concept fresh and interesting; we don't just use Gordon's or Schweppes for our mixers" (the original G & T combi). Their tipple of choice? "Sipsmith is really great, a very popular choice. We've really been getting into the Bathtub Gin from Master Of Malt, which we just served last weekend at Hoxton Square at the London Festival of Architecture—it's made in limited edition batches so we try and get well stocked up." The VL92 is also on their radar.

Above: Slices of lemon and lime are kept in jars with tonic on ice in a metal bucket.

Above: According to Ed and Joe, "The tonic water is as equally important as the gin in our view. A 50:50 mix can often be just right when using the right ingredients. Fentimans make an excellent tonic water."

Above: Their drink of the moment? "Our current favorite alternative to the G & T is a very simple cocktail, but we can't recommend it enough. The Foghorn."

On ice:
Strong 40ml shot of gin
10ml fresh lime juice
Top with ginger ale (ginger beer works nicely, too)
Throw in a lime wedge to finish

Bottoms up!

For more inspiration, see 29 images of Bicycles in our Image Gallery.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on July 23, 2012.

You know how it goes: Just as everyone in the household (from family members to guests) sits down with their drinks in hand to watch the sunset, someone inevitably needs a touch-up, or some ice, or a twist of lime. Save yourself the grief of going back inside with a judiciously stocked outdoor bar. Here are five favorites, including a DIY for extra measure.

Above: Named after the drink (as in Harvey), the Wallbanger sits unobtrusively on the wall until its services are required and the hinged panel door comes down and doubles as a work surface; $399.

Above: The Luxembourg Bar Trolley by Fermob, complete with removable tray, is a stylish and colorful way to entertain outdoors; $932.

Above: Interior design student and blogger at A Life Designed built this bar made from plumbing pipes and wooden shelves for a friend's new home. A few trips to Home Depot and a broken glass later, she lives to tell her DIY tale here. 

Above: Dallas-based upcyclers Lake Highlands Pallet Creations devise a wall mounted bar from a pallet. Image via Lake Highlands Pallet Creations. 

Above: Throwing a party? Consider this DIY drinks cooler via Michaela Rae.

Now that you have the outdoor bar, what are you going to serve? Have a look at Amy Stewart, The Drunken Botanist's South American take on the Gin & Tonic. And if you prefer non-alcoholic thirst quenchers, have a look at our recipes for Lavender Soda, Summer Goddess Sun Tea with Chamomile Syrup, and Elderflower Cordial. 

The winner in our Considered Design Awards, Reader-Submitted Kitchen Space category is Jan Hammock, a design novice who created a spacious and functional kitchen in her family's 1925 Edwardian San Francisco home.

When Jan and her husband purchased their flat in Noe Valley 14 years ago, they liked everything about it—everything, that is, but the kitchen. They delayed renovating it, however, because they weren't sure how long they would be in one place. Several years (and two children) later, they decided it was time to reorganize the space if they were going to make 1,400 square feet work for a family of four.

Jan wanted the kitchen to function as the center of their home, but it was separated from the living and dining rooms. The existing late-1970s kitchen cabinets were missing doors, drawers were missing fronts, and the tile countertop was falling apart. The stove was isolated from the counters and sink, and the refrigerator was smack in the middle of the kitchen, interrupting any useful workflow. 

Jan developed a budget and compiled her team: architect Ben Frombgen of bcooperative, general contractor Greig Neilson, and specialist Adam Vanderwaard from Vanderwaard Custom. The team took the kitchen down to the studs and added clerestory windows to bring light into the space. They removed a load-bearing wall that defined the breakfast nook and incorporated a hallway into the kitchen, opening it up to the living and dining rooms. 

The kitchen is now an airy, functional space that is central to the flow of the home, and the family even managed to stick to their budget. "It provided a framework for prioritizing important aspects of the project and led to some creative problem-solving," Jan says.

Photography by Jan Hammock Photography.

Above: Jan wanted a serene space comprised of clean, modern lines. In her design research, she was drawn to the juxtaposition of dark wood and white. Though she has no design training, Jan worked on the business side of several San Francisco architecture firms when she moved to the city in the 1990s, and gleaned an informal education from the projects. "I try to surround myself with beautiful and well-designed things," she says. 

Above: LED strips on the shelves and LED cans above make the shelves appear to be floating. Frombgen sourced the douglas fir shelving from Leland Stanford's Victorian home on the Stanford University campus ("I love telling that story," she says). 

Above: When it seemed that custom redwood cabinets were too pricey for Hammock's budget, Vanderwaard made it work: He cut the reclaimed boards in half so he could clad the fronts of less expensive ply cabinets using half the quantity of redwood (he also covered both the Leibherr refrigerator and Miele dishwasher). On the left above the counter are Ikea cabinets in glossy white, which were an affordable counterpoint to the custom redwood cabinets. 

Above: The redwood cladding was reclaimed from a hundred-year-old chicken coop. 

Above: Frombgen designed a 26-foot-long shelf mounted above the kitchen island that extends from a load-bearing beam. It visually defines the upper edge of the kitchen while providing extra storage.

Above: Hammock's young son Branch gets credit for the hole in the wall. He wanted to be able to see his brand-new kitchen from his bedroom, so Vanderwaard built a coated-glass window with a peep hole; light from his bedroom glows in the kitchen, and the open cabinet serves as a bar when the family entertains. 

Above: Jan had always wanted to use Heath tile in her home but was priced out. She fell in love with a blue-gray mix and inquired about seconds every week until 20 boxes of her desired color arrived in a larger size. Hammock seized the opportunity and loves how the color mimics the San Francisco weather, be it blue sky or the "inescapable" fog. 

Above: Tearing down the breakfast nook wall opened the kitchen to the dining and living rooms. 

Above: Frombgen designed the nine-foot-long kitchen island, which seats six (to replace the breakfast nook) and also houses the dishwasher. All countertops are Caesarstone and the range is from Bertazzoni with a Zephyr hood.

Above: Before the remodel, the kitchen, dining room, living room, and hallway were all distinct spaces. 

Above: Jan's Nelson pendant light once hung above the breakfast nook and now lives over the kitchen island. The family was reluctant to give up the "much-loved" nook, which limited their ability to change the space (an architect friend finally convinced them to let it go). 

See all 11 winners of the Remodelista Considered Design Awards and watch for individual project profiles as they publish over the next several weeks.