Father’s Day is just around the corner. Check out some gifts dear old Dad might like. Perfect for new dads, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and the other father figures in your life.

Eye of the Day’s Father’s Day Gift Guide 2016:

1. Troutman Rocking Chairs – Made in the USA, these rocking chairs are perfect for that afternoon siesta or catching the game in style
2. Gladding McBean Reclining Nude – Dad an art lover? This classic beauty is made right here in California.
3. Chivas Beer Soap – If you already love the Goat’s Milk soap from Chivas, this line incorporates creamy ales. There might be some fights in the bathroom over these.
4. Succulents – The ladies usually get flowers but dads shouldn’t miss out. Succulents aren’t only beautiful, they’ll last longer too!
5. Tula Palm Hats – A favorite for everyone. These Palm hats are perfect for the dad who likes to garden or just likes to look good in hats.

Happy Father’s Day to all!

Contact us today for pricing and availability! 805-566-6500 or sales@

Elements of Style: The Classic Mediterranean Garden

A classic Mediterranean style garden is typically low-maintenance, drought tolerant and perfect for a climate dry and hot in Summer and warm and moist in Winter. For those of us living in California, this seems a perfect fit. Traveling throughout the Mediterranean region, focused on the landscape and gardens, reminders of California are constant.

The defining characteristics of the Mediterranean style are:

• Focus on hardscapes, with very little or no lawn
• Citrus, olive trees, rosemary and lavender often planted in terracotta pots
• Fountains and water features are key. Water features became popular in the gardens of the Italian Renaissance. They reflect the garden and provide the relaxing elements of sight and sound.  Because of the scarcity of water in the Mediterranean,  many water elements offer a relief from the heat.
• Large and small terracotta pots and urns and statuary. Pottery in many forms has been a part of Mediterranean gardens since their origins in ancient Roman households. From intricate bas-relief to simple and plain, they are quintessential for a European garden.  Statues, urns and planters provide focal points and because their footprints are small, they are particularly useful in a small garden. The Greeks and Romans filled their pots with flowers to add color to their courtyards and pathways without depleting the water supply, or they used them to grow fruit trees that could be moved about  according to the outside temperature.  But pots were also used as beautiful objects on their own – a classic oil jar at the end of an allee, a row of terracotta pots topping a balustrade, or an urn crowning a pedestal.

You don’t have to live in Spain, Greece or Italy to reflect the siren call of the Mediterranean classic garden.  A few carefully chosen garden elements… an antique Greek pithari, a scattering of large terracotta pots and urns and a simple water feature will create your classic otium.  Being water conscious and embracing a rustic, muted look will go a long way toward making your space the place to be.

Eye of the Day Garden Design Center recently welcomed some members of the San Diego district of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. Headed by Koby Hall of Koby’s Garden Alchemy, Inc., the group of landscape designers hit the road for a weekend of visits to major garden influencers throughout the Santa Barbara area.

They stopped by EOTD here in Carpinteria for some tea and tours by owner, Brent Freitas, and sales rep, Mitch Walker who were happy to share information about our company history and an in-depth overview of our various product lines. This included our Italian terracotta from Terrecotte San Rocco and American pottery from Gladding McBean. The APLD group walked our showroom to see our extensive collection of fountains, statuary, and containers. Brent also spoke about our customization services including coloring, aging, and fountain conversions.

We were happy to see some EOTD items find new homes in future San Diego APLD designs. Special thanks to you guys and we’re happy you could visit!

If your group would like a tour of Eye of the Day, please contact us at: trade@

Click the slideshow for more of the San Diego APLD visit at Eye of the Day: