Kellie Smith and Melanie Hönig, co-founders of home decor brand SmithHönig, have different ideas about outdoor decor. When they’re working together in the studio, they see things differently, too. That’s part of what makes their brand so unique – and compelling. Melanie leans towards the classics, viewing the world through a lens of literary references and history. That shows up in her outdoor decor, too. Kellie likes to push both boundaries and buttons, mixing color and texture with strategic abandon and always with an eye to glam things up, inside and out.

Melanie's stone-walled back garden, and her tuxedo cat, Mabel.

Melanie’s garden is an ever-evolving project, filled with cosy living spaces and plants passed down for generations. Her mother was a prolific flower cultivator and her father, a book-loving aficionado of garden techniques and experiments. (Ask her, sometime, about his barley obsession!)

Melanie designed her outdoor spaces herself, and they are always evolving. The front of her landscape is semi-formal, featuring mostly white and green plantings. Color – and wildness – increase as you move into the private backyard and the woodlands beyond. There's a small orchard, and a much-used kitchen garden.

The highlight is the back garden's high stone walls, a carved turquoise gate from India, and masses of climbing pink roses.

Under normal circumstances, Melanie would be entertaining in this outdoor extension of her home. Her outdoor landscape features social areas, private spaces and spots for outdoor games. These days, the yard is used primarily for morning coffee, conference calls and dinner with her husband.

Not one to be held back by a need to match, Melanie adds the things she loves to her outdoor spaces. Each area features unique and disparate outdoor decor, combining Mr. H’s favorite Italian terra cotta urns…

…with a hot tub, indoor pool, totem pole and a life-sized driftwood horse. Are these things meant to go together? It’s an unexpected mix, which makes sense, since that's one of Melanie's favorite things - much like the cross-cultural and surprising patterns Melanie designs. 

At Home with Kellie

When she’s in town, Kellie spends her outdoor time on the wooden deck of her mid-century house, nicknamed Casa de Loco. There are oversized outdoor chairs and an array of colorful accents – as well as her adorable schnorkie, Elsie de Woof.

These days, Kellie’s also spending quality time at her family’s lake house, which is the epitome of cabin chic.

Kellie and the family love to scoot down to the lake for some major unwind time. It's located on a quiet cove on a small lake with deer wandering through the yard.

There are bright orange Adirondack chairs filled with comfy outdoor pillows and an enormous metal fire pit. Sitting out by the dock with the flames flickering in the wind is a great way to soothe the soul.

Of course, there are all the necessary accoutrements for staying active, as well.

Kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and a boat in the dock keep the whole family entertained.