The birth of the Versailles Planter took place at the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.  This beautifully functional planter was designed by Andre Le Notre, the architect of the garden and was used by Louis XIV’s gardeners to move orange trees out of the cold into the Orangery each winter.  The design featured removable sides and cast iron bands, posts and hinges to access the roots of the plant for trimming and to add soil.  Today we see many modern variations on this iconic square planter and Eye of the Day offers many different versions, from  American concrete square planters to Italian terracotta squares.   Our custom square redwood planters have proven to be extremely popular AND versatile.  These planters  can be finished in any color with the highest quality exterior high gloss or satin oil-based paint for longevity and can be fitted with an optional galvanized or copper insert.  Obviously, a logical plant for this container would be a citrus tree or a boxwood topiary, in fact the square planter is interchangeably referred to as a Citrus Planter, Topiary Planter and a Topiary Square.  Whichever square planter you choose, you will know that Louis XIV would approve.

North, East, West, South…That’s NEWS!  And the NEWS is Eye of the Day is honing our expertise in shipping our beautiful pieces to points around the country. As many of our collections are unavailable or scarce in most places, we find ourselves shipping more and more frequently.

 
In May we sent a variety of items to the Hudson Valley in New York, to Water Mill, New York, Houston Texas, Baltimore Md. and Portland, Oregon. Our shipments have been so successful that we are hoping to pack, label and ship Italian terracotta to Terre Haute, French Anduze to Anchorage, Greek Pithari to Pittsburgh and Gladding McBean to Grand Rapids, carved stone fountains from Provence to Lake Pontchartrain…you see WHERE we’re going with this?  EVERYWHERE!  And just a tip (Terre Haute may know something many cities do not) our terracotta is frost-proof to minus 15 degrees.

If you need some reassurance that we can get it there and get it there on time, just ask Madderlake Designs of Brooklyn, New York,  Graham Landscape Architecture in Annapolis, Md., Smoketree Landscape Architects in  Louisiana.  We are always happy to provide references to our performance here at Eye of the Day.

There is a small oasis within the oasis of Eye of the Day.  Across the driveway from our main building in Carpinteria is our “Annex”.  The Annex has been home to small, designed gardens, Italian terracotta overstock, American concrete pots and fountains, an English gazebo, a curious 17th century stone church façade once belonging to William Randolph Hearst, well, you get the idea…

During the last few months there has been a lot of activity on our Annex.  Scott Taylor of Green Care/Land Dynamics, a landscape contractor and client of Eye of the Day has designed and constructed a 2500 square foot permanent patio/plaza using materials supplied by Thompson Building Supply of Camarillo.  Antique Greek terracotta vessels are now nestled among the Doric columns and the two levels provide a perfect display area for fountains, Italian terracotta planted with manicured topiaries  and an Italian terracotta table and bench set.  The plaza itself is designed from natural stone and multi-colored manufactured paving stones and features a central, circular design.

We will be updating and changing the display throughout the year.  It makes a perfect place for sitting and contemplating the universe that is Eye of the Day.

Eye of the Day is proud to have been part of this exciting project.  On display were many of the products available at our Santa Barbara retail showroom, including Gladding McBean pottery, concrete benches, Italian terracotta pottery and American Concrete planters.  Imagine the home of the future: a smart house that takes advantage of integrated design elements, advanced technologies, and intelligent systems to enhance the home’s performance. Indoor and outdoor living spaces are nurturing and comfortable. Durable green products keep the home healthy and safe. The house is regenerative, returning energy to the grid, adding value to its neighborhood, and replenishing its surrounding natural environment. This home of the future lends itself to joyful, connected, sustainable living.
Green Builder Media has partnered with builder and developer, Structure Home, to bring this home of the future to life in the VISION House® Los Angeles. Structure Home delivers beautiful, custom designed homes that are sensitive to neighborhood and environmental concerns, employing the latest computer aided design software, at predictable prices within defined timelines. Located in the high-profile neighborhood of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, CA, the VISION House project will blend the vital aspects of green building and home performance with warm, contemporary design.                

Hort Couture® is excited to formally debut our 2012 fashion photo shoot from the Eye of the Day Garden Design Center showroom in Carpinteria, California.  At the Hort Couture® fashion week held at California Spring trials this past March, we were able to get our beautiful plants some quality time in front of the camera.  We were fortunate to be able to do it at one of the largest collections of its kind in the country.  Eye of the Day has two showroom locations located in Carpinteria and San Rafael, California.  They carry an extensive selection of beautiful handmade Italian, French and Greek terracotta pieces.  The selection at Eye of the Day was enough to stimulate our senses and give us the finest backdrop for our new plants.  If you thought planters and pots was the end of the road for Eye of the Day you are sadly mistaken. You can easily spend a day wandering through the greenhouse and garden oasis feasting your eyes on the unique statuary, birdbaths, pedestals and columns, garden furniture and listen to the steady stream of the peaceful fountains.  We thank Eye of the Day for allowing us into their showroom and we are eager to work with them again in the future. Eye of the Day ships to the finest IGC’s and landscape architects nationwide.

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The theme of the twenty-fourth annual “…into the garden” Tour,  held at the historic Virginia Robinson Estate and Gardens in Beverly Hills, was “California Dreamin’ “.  Eye of the Day is proud to have sold several of our products to the Foundation for permanent display in theirgarden.  Christopher Bysshe of CBL Landscapes designed one of five extraordinary private gardens  and many of our pieces, including French Anduze vases, Greek Terracotta and Terrecotte San Rocco pottery were intrinsic in his design.  In addition to viewing these private gardens, guests were welcomed to revel in what many consider Los Angeles’ garden party of the year,  and Eye of the Day’s authentic garden products made this event even more fantastic. 
The crown jewel of the Garden Benefit was the special tour of the Robinson Gardens estate.  Bestowed upon the death of Virginia Robinson, the estate is presently part of the Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks and Recreation, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 
Friends of Robinson Gardens, a volunteer nonprofit organization, has the unique task of helping to preserve one of the most beautiful estates in Beverly Hills.  It was a fantastic promotional event for             Eye of the Day!