My New Atrium

Some of you have asked to see pics of my new atrium. I had a greenhouse, but I found that in the winter, I just wouldn't venture out in the cold to get to it. So I recyled the plexiglass and bought some landscape timbers on clearance for $1.50 each at Walamart and recently built the atrium myself. Here's a little tour:

This is a picture of my house. This long wall was sooooo boring and I've spent years trying to decide what to do with it. My brother and I built this house several years ago ourselves. He's an architect and I was a construction worker for 6 yrs. So we were able to do just about all of it ourselves. It's nothing fancy, but it's a nice a place for me. On this side, you see will see three windows and one door. I attached the atrium around the last two windows. The door is to my kitchen, so now I can walk right out my kitchen door and into my atrium. I don't have a picture of the wall now that the atrium is attached, but it's a simple lean-to addition with a plexiglass roof. I have temporarily covered the atrium walls with 6 mil plastic. I'm trying to acquire some more used French doors to enclose the atrium with.



Now, if you're standing in the kitchen and you walk out the kitchen door, this is the new scene that will greet you:



The rock path goes from the kitchen door down to the north end of the atrium ending at the little pond I installed. I love water features, and I have several in my gardens, as well as two in my 7 x 23 atrium.





Midway in the atrium is a pair of french doors, donated by my mailman, which lead to outside. Just beyond the atrium will be a large Serenity garden, complete with a 8 x 10 pond eventually and rows of benches and tons of plants with a love/romance theme. I intend to eventually rent this garden out for weddings and other get togethers. I'm hoping the first wedding in the garden will be a family member or a friend's wedding.

Just inside the french doors, in the atrium, are two big wing back black iron chairs I picked up at a yard sale for $20/pair. The wall behind the chairs contains 9 wall planters filled with different house plants and vining plants cascading down the walls. All around the atrium, hanging pots display all kinds of houseplants, succulents and tropicals.

As you make your way back to the kitchen door, you'll be heading towards the Fairy Fountain on the South end of the atrium.







And what's that picture on the wall? Here's a closeup:



The craft is called Marquetry. I didn't know that when I bought the picture at a yard sale for 50 cents. I wasn't actually sure that I even liked the picture. But after posting a picture of it on another site and learning a little about marquetry, I've become quite attached to my 50 cent bargain. It takes a lot of imagination and talent to create marquetry, and I'm proud to display this artwork. I think it suits my little atrium.

My atrium is not just a place to store my tropicals. It's a beautiful slice of tranquil paradise where I can sit and chat with a friend as the sound of water fills the air. I have unique objects of art that make great conversation pieces. A friend of mine does ironwork, and he made the three big heavy wrought iron hanging curly-q planters that hold some of my plants. At a yard sale, I found a "butt man"--a man made of metal pieces. He holds a can of sand to put your cigarette butts in. And there's a beautiful glass top fairy table that sits between the two iron fanback chairs. This room is just great for intriguing the senses and instilling a sense of peace in guests.

Thank you for taking a tour thru my atrium. Now, if you'd like to see it in person, come visit me in June. I'm hosting a Butterfly Convention (plant swap) in early June, and the more the merrier!

NancyAnn

Why didn't my pictures come through? What'd I do wrong? I post pics on other forums using HTML codes. Why didn't they work here?

Well, here's a link to my album so you can see the pictures:

http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid5785485

NancyAnn

This message was edited Nov 23, 2004 9:30 AM

WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Judy

You have made yourself such a nice little restful area Nancy Ann...! and it sounds like you did it quite inexpensively as well...Great!

NancyAnn, That is a beautiful addition, congratulations! Joelle

Nancy Ann, This is great I know you love it. Just not having to go out to get to greenhouse is a big plus, but more then that, you have made a beautiful, restful area. I love it and I'll think about it everytime I have to freeze to get to the greenhouse.

Peg

Oh if mine greenhouse looks even half that good i will live in it . thanks for pictures made my day DH&DS are working on mine as we speak or type ?

wow that is great! patting you on the back-great job!

Excellent job of landscaping, building and plants plus your water ponds.

Now you almost make me wish I would convice DH to build one on our house, but logs wouldn't be easy to go around.
Heating in Wisc. during the winter wouldn't be cost efficient either.

wish I could come to your plant sale or exchange.

Maxine

Thank you all! You are all welcome to come here in June for the Plant Exchange I'm hosting. The more the merrier!

I do love my little atrium. I'm hoping to eventually acquire enough French doors to enclose the whole thing. And then maybe I can convince my brother to run some heat and air out there and it will be so cozy year round! Like a sunroom with plant growing right in the ground! Can it get any better than that?

My next project is a wedding garden. I've been gather plants with a love theme for the past year. The wedding garden will be right outside the atrium. A big pond and waterfall will be the main attraction, with the themed plants I've been gathering along with lots of pinks and white. I want to build a little wedding chapel with wisteria or some other vines growing around it. Don't have all the details yet and it's a massive project. Will take a year or two to build the garden. But by then, my son will probably be ready to get married. LOL

And of course, y'all will be welcome to come and have your weddings here too. I think it will be a great place for a plant exchange as well, don't you?

NancyAnn

Nancyann, great slide program. You have made a wonderful place to enjoy. My ideal would be an atrium but don't think that will ever be possible. so I will continue to take the short about 30 feet walk to my little attached to garage greenhouse. Thanks for the tour. Donna

Oh that looks so inviting, I would be out there 3/4 of the time with a magizine and cup of coffee.

You've brought your tropical paradise inside. What a clever idea and it turned out just beautiful!! It looks like you'll be spending quite a lot of time in there just sitting and enjoying it, I know I would!