Visiting Terrain

I had the good fortune of attending a wedding at Terrain on a beautiful sunny day a few weekends ago.  Having never been to the garden center and home goods store, I asked a few of my friends who had visited to tell me a little bit about the place.  They said to expect a lot of gardening tools, pots, urns, plants, flowers, greenhouses, a cafe and much, much more.  With this in mind I made sure I had a camera so that I could photograph Terrain’s many offerings for those of you who have never visited.

My main concern that day, however, was the family wedding, but with a few moments to spare before the occasion, I took a small tour of the adjacent center.  What struck me as I wound my way past a small gate was the number of tasteful and unique items for the home that were carefully arranged around the store, both inside and out.  I took in as much as I could in that twenty minute span.

Fresh Plants & Flowers

Garden Ornaments

Pots, Urns & Furniture

The outdoor areas of Terrain have staged patios, beautifully organized container flowers and greenhouses where one can pick out just the right plant, shrub, chair or other garden ornament.  The urns, tuteurs and pots of flowers alone are absolutely amazing.  That is just the beginning.    

When you step into the actual store, you are immediately taken in by the abundance of home goods.  You can see various pieces of fine furniture, farmhouse-style furniture, mirrors meant to mimic vintage pieces, sconces, frames and linens.  It feels as if one has walked into a barn.  I love the rectangular terrariums displayed on that farmhouse table, because they have copper edging which casts a warm glow under the lights.

While I was there they were having a tag sale!  I wasn't in the market to buy anything, but I did see several items that piqued my interest.

Against this window-paneled wall there are flags, garlands and other festive items.  I love the striped pillows on the garden chairs. These are perfect for that tranquil outdoor space of yours or even a small breakfast area near the kitchen.

Many of the glass terrariums available for purchase can be filled with beautiful succulents located beneath.  Everything you need to create that perfect arrangement is located here.

These linens really caught my eye.  It's always nice to come across 100% linen tablecloths in simple patterns.  To me, the simpler the pattern and the softer the color, the better.

Trays meant to be used underneath planters are located in this area.  Available in copper and galvanized aluminum, they come in many different shapes and sizes.  Those long window planters along the bottom left-hand corner are superb!

The copper trays are beautiful, but those darkened aluminum ones can easily take to some paint.  

A beekeeper's area with primers on beekeeping and various bee-themed items.  Those yellow boxes that you see in the middle contain a Philadelphia specialty: John & Kira's Chocolate Bees.  They are delicious!

Tablewares galore can be found toward the middle of the store.  What I love about this layout is that there is plenty of space to walk around and everything is arranged just so.  A multitude of small plants are scattered throughout the store.  This makes table arrangements quite easy if you're at a loss as to how to create a nice table setting.

I fell in love with those wire garden baskets and the wooden trugs on the shelf.  The wooden ones are quite expensive, so be prepared.

In this area we have American made glassware from Mosser, handwoven picking baskets and even some cookbooks.

If you feel like pampering yourself with spa-type products, visit the bath area.  Natural sea sponges, artisanal soaps, fragrances and even makeup for the ladies can be purchased at Terrain.  Who knew?

Here is more of that Mosser glassware.  Some of it is in jadeite!  How nice to find made in the U.S.A. jadeite that is of high quality and true to the vintage color.  I picked up and inspected those mixing bowls and I have to tell you that they are quite hefty, saturated with color and absolutely beautiful.

These faceted tumbles are also very pretty for summertime drinks or every day sips.  I'm tempted...

As I said, there are outdoor areas which have many garden furniture pieces, such as these teak tables and iron chairs.  The jardiniere chairs lacquered in that soft mint hue are very nice.  I think they were my favorite pieces from their outdoor collection.

A nice venue for 47 guests.

I thought I would share with you the menu from the wedding.  Although everything was delicious, I did have my favorites.  The Maryland blue crabcake sliders were so tender and tasty that I devoured 3 of them while sipping a glass of rosé wine.  The mushroom & dandelion green tartlets were also quite good.  The freshly baked bread in terra-cotta pots with whipped butter was heavenly to say the least.  I also loved the grilled asparagus salad with microgreens and the fresh pappardelle.  The grilled rainbow trout with smoked ratatouille, braised red kale and garden herb puree were cooked to perfection.  The carefully planned menu was befitting of this special occasion.  

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Making my way back to the wedding venue next door, I finally understood what everyone had been talking about regarding Terrain.  It is indeed a wonderful place.  With two locations, one at Glenn Mills in Pennsylvania and one in Westport, Connecticut, you really ought to visit if you are ever in either of these areas.  For those of you who plan on having a celebration for a crowd in the near future and need a location, visit Terrain and book a private event.  If you can't personally visit these stores, I do recommend going to their website.  Look for the tag sales that pop up!