Never do we feel more alive than when all five senses are engaged. When we slow down long enough to look, to hear, to smell, to taste and to touch we are present. We are in the moment. And nothing slows us down quite like summer. We escape the shadow of winter by dreaming of summer days but finally, in the glory of summer sunshine, we can live that dream.
Summer seizes. It engulfs. It reconstitutes our joints and slaps our ghostly pallor. It awaits us every balmy weekend like an abandoned and blistered Adirondack beckoning for the pleasure of our embrace.
If summer was a taste it would almost certainly be sweet. It’s a playful cocktail, a yielding peach or a slice of chilled watermelon. If summer was a song, it would sung by a chorus of elusive cicadas in the morning, promising a scorching day. Summer is the caress of a floral dress or the tickle of sand
whisked away by a salty gust. In summer we trade our heavy fragrances for lighter, more refreshing scents that take us back to yesterday’s summers and spark fading memories of holiday romances.
Summer is friends dropping by for a seafood feast where tempting aromas pervade not only our homes but entire neighbourhoods.
Yet despite all its abundance, we remain insatiable. Well you can hardly blame us.
Recent summers have been far too fleeting, too scant, too stingy to reverse the effects of a long and unforgiving winter. But we persist. We float about defiantly in linen dresses and leather sandals well into May. In our homes, you’ll find driftwood bowls glittering with pebbles and sea glass. We’ll clutch our beach towels like security blankets, insisting on; “just one last dip for the year!”. While outside, between the Jacarandas, a hammock relished by more than just the human occupants will sway in the chilly breeze.
We would like to believe that summer days are endless as they’re often described, but we must concede begrudgingly, that at some point we’ll be storing the picnic blanket away until next spring. Or will we?
There are countless ways to enhance and extend our summers beyond the meagre months that are allotted to it. Autumn leaves will drift by blissfully unnoticed when you discover Saarde’s unique range of quality textiles. Produced in small quantities and finished by hand, every piece imparts an imperfect beauty created by the skilled hands of carefully selected makers from small villages located in rural Turkey. Their Jakar square beach blankets are double sized and may be used as a throw or picnic rug. Made from 100% durable Turkish cotton and finished with a knotted edge, these essential towels come in four, versatile colours, Black, Tuscan green, Guava and Sunshine Yellow.
Pop your Saarde blanket along with all your beach day essentials in their Journey, 100% cotton, canvas, tote bags. Dyed to achieve a vintage wash, a process that creates a unique result, these bags are the perfect solution for your picnic, shopping, beach or baby needs and are as practical as they are beautiful.
There’s no longer a need to retreat as soon as temperatures drop! To help yo savour summer’s last days and nights out on the balcony or in the backyard, discover Saarde’s beautiful range of grazing boards and platters. Elevate your humble cheese platter with the Yufka grazing board. A generous 40cm x 72cm this impressive board is sure to become a talking piece at your next gathering. Made from repurposed mango wood, sourced from mango trees past their best fruit-bearing years. This means the wood is given a new lease of life, lessening carbon emissions and creating a sustainable resource
Surround yourself and your guests with the right plants and pots to create the feel of a year-round, tropical holiday inside or out. Start with a glossy Strelizia or fabulous Fan Palm. Pop these into one of our Bhodi baskets or contemporary Aspen pots. They come in three sizes and work well when grouped in a shady spot along with smaller plants like agaves or bromeliads.
When planning your next outdoor dinner party, something that is often overlooked until it’s too late are those annoying uninvited guests. Our range of Yankee Outdoor Candles are the preferred choice for repelling mosquitoes without the acrid and overbearing smell of citronella ruining your barbecues. They burn up to 45 hours and come in a variety of decorative, tin vessels with wooden lids designed to withstand outdoor elements. With six, true-to-life scents to consider, including Wisteria, Lemongrass, Fresh Rain, Tree Blossoms and Ocean Hibiscus, these candles will transform your outdoor gathering while creating a romantic space and adding instant charm to your evening.
For something a little bit special, our Cisco Rattan Lantern, will add that final, summer touch to your home. These come in two sizes and can be hung, placed on table tops to accentuate a theme or around the floor for guests to enjoy a casual evening on the deck or patio. They instantly create a holiday atmosphere and relaxed mood.
If beauty and functionality are more appealing, our Argus Hanging Bowls are available in two sizes and feature jute rope and a plastic lining to protect from moisture. These work best arranged in clusters of varying lengths and are perfectly designed to show off cascading plants like Rhgipsalis, Boston Fern or Devil’s Ivy.
The most poignant memories of summers past are best recalled by their smells. Make them linger for longer with our new Urban Oasis range of home fragrances. Our candles are hand poured in Byron Bay with 100%, vegan friendly, soy wax and have a fifty hour burn time. Their complimenting diffusers will keep your favourite aroma flowing through your rooms without the need to light a flame. Infused in an alcohol free, plant base solution in a choice of four fragrance blends including, Citrus Blossom and Chai, Aromatic Herbs and Sea Salt, Amber, Bourbon and Vanilla and Fragrant Blooms and Oud.
When this summer draws to an end, there’ll be no need to escape. With the right plants, fragrances and accessories, transforming our homes into an urban oasis is not only possible, it’s effortless. We’ll want to stay, and we can, in the here and in the now, for as long as we wish.
Amalia Longin
