Terrac-oddities

It seems that the subject of terracotta is like an ever-expanding universe. There is a giant store of information at hand just at Eye of the Day alone. When we hear the word “terracotta” most of us imagine a a nice red clay garden pot, maybe planted with a geranium. Oh, how limited our mental vision! The art of the Italian terracotta vessel has progressed far beyond the typical flower pot into flights of fancy. Not only unusual, artistic shapes, but pottery inspired by the organic forms of nature: a single nimbus cloud or a melon.

Imagine. It is possible that exactly what you imagine is available. FREQUENTLY at Eye of the Day we have a customer looking for what they think is the impossible. An Italian terracotta pot shaped lika a giant screw…? A container needn’t be merely functional. It can reflect the personality of the garden, architecture of the home, and whimsy of the owner. One of these unusual terracotta pots, though fully functional as a planter, could easily be used simply as an artistic focal point even with no planting. Made from the finest Italian galestro clay, these pieces will last for generations and carry your imagination well into the future.

Your Garden Dream

Taking a leisurely stroll through Eye of the Day can set the imagination on fire. We see our customers taking that stroll every day. The dreamy look in their eyes, the contemplative slow-walk they do through the terracotta low bowls, trying to decide what to plant in them, the recognition that the blue of that French Anduze vase would be so complimentary to the trim on their home.

Two dynamic designers, both long-time customers of Eye of the Day have transformed an area of our Annex into four distinct garden rooms, allowing imagination to travel into reality. Jennifer Voss of Gardefacts Landscape Design and Arianna Jansma of Dramatically Different Landscape Design, with skill and creativity, have combined beautiful Eye of the Day merchandise with perfectly complimentary plant material to produce a Fantasyland of gardens. The use of lead planters from Belgium, terracotta from Italy, a hand carved French stone table and an antique stone millstone all make imaginative statements in a garden setting.

Whether you are a garden professional or you just want to create your own garden Fantasyland, Eye of the Day will give wings to your dreams.

: Garden Room Display

A touch of history

When we tell our friends and customers that we travel around the world looking for antiques, I’m sure that the first mental image is of armoires and farm tables. We, however, have something else in mind. Our bent is for those antiques particular to the outdoors like garden carts, old wheelbarrows, vineyard wagons. What if we found a cache of old garden we want to ship them off to Carpinteria? Would we take the risk of putting a lovely old garden statue on a container traversing the Atlantic Ocean? And the answer , emphatically! We have been systematically acquiring wagons of various sizes and histories to enhance Eye of the Day and the gardens of our customers. We like to be on the constant lookout for those items that will prove to be the starting point or an addition to an outdoor area.

While driving through the Tuscan countryside, we saw a group of old oil jars, seemingly abandoned in the middle of a dry, golden field. Then another one, alone, being used as a rain collector at a small agriturismo. We are attracted by the warm range of color and the curvy shape of these vessels, used to transport and store olive oil since the Roman Empire. They add constant beauty to Eye of the Day.

Wherever we go and in whatever garden book we find images of older gardens and outdoor areas, our focus is on the elements bring in a touch of history.

It’s the Water

: Hand-carved French Limestone by Eye of the Day

It’s true that we in Santa Barbara are a little spoiled when it comes to weather. We are just getting our first dose of Summer here and we do love our fountains! It’s an amazing time of year at Eye of the Day. When you enter it’s most likely that the first thing you will notice is the variety of fountains and the cooling effect of the water. Originally fountains were used to provide a public place to bathe and to provide drinking water. Now they are mostly used as decorative pieces in public spaces and private gardens, to allow a quick cooling mist to cool us down on a hot day. And are we glad of that! At Eye of the Day we pride ourselves in having or being able to find the fountain each client is wishing forA moss covered French hand carved limestone wall fountain, an Italian terracotta fountain or an Italian carved stone fountain becomes a focal point. We have concrete fountains of myriad styles, sizes, colors and prices. And here’s the great part: if you are wishing for a unique fountain, we will convert any pot we have into a fountain for you. Terracotta pot fountain, concrete pot fountain, Greek pot fountain, even Gladding McBean pot fountain. The possibilities are as vast as your imagination and the wish for the cooling mist and lovely sound of your own fountain.

The Top

Finials. Terracotta finials. Concrete finials. Stone finials. Round finials, flower-basket finials, pinecone, artichoke, urn-shaped finials. Animal finials. The object at the very top of a fountain from which the water flows is called a finial. I suppose any object could be termed a “finial” as long as it sits at the uppermost point on any surface. A finial is an architectural element used to emphasize the top of a roof or corner of a building or to top the pillars at an entry gate. Architectural finials were once believed to act as a deterrent to witches on broomsticks attempting to land on the roof. That’s the best part. Everyone needs a few finials to deter those darned witches. At Eye of the Day we even have a finial with its own finial. This is actually called a “Focus” to be used as the focal point in a landscape. It is made from that “top” quality quality Italian Galestro clay

from Terrecotte San Rocco. One of our customers with excellent taste now owns two of these beauties and features them on pillars flanking his entry gate. Once you become aware of the use of finials in all styles of landscaping you will begin to notice them everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. And once you have your own, you’ll notice all the witches have conveniently disappeared.

Intagliatore di pietra misteriosa

The only research that bore fruit was a call to Luigi Silvestri. The ESTEEMED Luigi Silvestri of A. Silvestri Company in South San Francisco. I interrupted his lunch, but he told me that the sculptor’s name is Alberto Milani, a master Italian stone carver, no longer living. Luigi knows a lot about Italian sculpture and garden accessories. Sadly, the meager research hit a dead end. An Albert(o) Milani worked at a number of marble factories in the U.S. after he moved from Italy at age 14. I don’t think this is the guy, though. Ah, the mystery of beautiful objects! The detailed stone carving on each of these huge, engaging musicians is impeccable. Where in Italy were they carved? What beautiful garden did they once grace? We found them while travelling through Italy along with four smaller carved stone Four Seasons statues. And what about these? Did the veiled Signore Milani take his chisel to these pieces of stone as well?

Finding this beautiful carved stone statuary makes us love our store even more. These are not our only special pieces. Aren’t you intrigued? Carts, A Fantastic Unicorn from another time, A Chinese Wedding Bed, a carved trough with an ancient pump, a beautiful lead boy angel aiming his arrow… But these pipe-playing musicians , oh Alberto Milani, where are you?