When it’s time to dream up a new collection of prints for her women’s and children’s clothing line, Baybala, Katie Gaston knows just where to go for inspiration—her mother’s beauty-filled backyard garden in Birmingham, Alabama. “The flowers, the color, and the sense of warmth and hospitality reflect the feeling we always hope to create,” says the designer, whose nostalgic, nature-inspired motifs include “Dahlia Daze” and “Golden Floret.”
It’s no wonder that the garden and its storybook shed also provide ample creative fodder for Katie’s three children and their cousins, who spend hours puttering around the pea gravel with their own budding ideas. It looks as if the family’s love of nature and design will carry on for generations to come.
The Setting:
An Alabama flower and vegetable garden with raised beds framed by meandering pea gravel paths.
The Structure:
A 9-by-9-foot cedar-shake garden shed accented with a lead roof, divided lite windows, and a Dutch door, all salvaged during a renovation of the family’s home.
Sitting Pretty
Out front, a scrolly iron and concrete table provides the perfect perch at any hour of the day, whether for enjoying a quiet cup of coffee in the morning, sipping wine with friends in the evening, or watching children frolic during the time in between.
Weathered Wares
When not serving up drinks for larger backyard gatherings, the teak-topped antique trough functions as a decorative plant stand for a mix of concrete and terra-cotta pots overflowing with geraniums, impatiens, and other seasonal late summer blooms. A petite Adirondack chair echoes the buttercup color of the garden shed’s front door.
Tool Time
Even those with the tiniest green thumbs can tend to imaginative projects throughout the garden—from a tucked-in fairy garden to the latest additions in the lush raised beds—thanks to an assortment of colorful kids’ gardening tools casually hung along the structure’s side wall.
Tour More of the Garden:
