My Urban Garden Deco Guide

It appears that many cities are planning on reducing street lights because of soaring energy bills and climate issues so maybe this is not a very PC find ....but it is all about 'overall' balance. This Cubos lighting is as tall as a person ( 1.76 m) - and somehow makes me think of an iglo!

A link to view how we will live our homes in the future :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7348940.stm

Even though the outdoor part   is right at the end and limited to a cool front door I love this glimpse into a possible future:

The 'Living Tomorrow' project in Brussels has just opened its revamped concept house of the future.

Guide Gemmeke De Jongh shows us around.

And a great video about Wind farms ...needed to produce energy to feed all these clever devices!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7474193.stm

Anne

Cathy Azria was in the front page of one of the top newspapers in the UK.It was well deserved!

A quick extract of her site:

'Fireplaces are no longer just about winter warmth. Now they are year-round focal points in our living spaces.

Sculptor Cathy Azria takes the concept still further - creating totally one-off installations in which fire animates a structural composition. Lit or unlit, they are significant pieces of art.' 

 Vertical planting is entering a new stage. First used to 'blanket cover' walls , creative minds are finding new ways of exploiting the technique developped by French researcher Patrick Blanc.

One such use is to create 'living outdoor pictures' . Before you hop over for the full story : I will let you in on 'the trick ' behind it :"These plants need little water, so they're less heavy than other choices, and their shallow roots require less soil," notes Lehrer ( the owner).

Full story at http://www.pointclickhome.com/gardens_landscapes/articles/live_art

I wrote about Faz ,a french sculptor, last year when I discovered her work . Her latest work is showcased during the whole summer in the garden of the french senate - one of Paris's most beautiful and chic gardens.Her work celebrates femininity and is particularly cheerful this year. 

 Bravo Faz!

http://www.faz-sculpture.com

Philippe Starck has declared that he is giving up design as he knows it . He believes we have entered an entirely new era because of global warming etc and that design has now to participate and produce not just eco friendly products but eco boosting ones, and as many products as it takes to make greener options acceptable to the mainstream... His point could translate to garden design ....is is still appropriate to see a garden as a 'flower pad' or should it be thought of as an eco booster helping to produce energy, boost bio diversity etc?

Surely. I have certainly noticed that the word Garden is used in a variety of ways and covers a wide range of visions and ambitions. I find the research and new developments on rain, roof and vertical gardens very intriguing and I have found these 3 books a good place to start. 

A quick note to highlight a clever article on How to rewire a lamp for outdoor use http://www.dominomag.com/howtos/diy/2008/06/outdoor_plug ...

Costing something like 900 euros online, this is not a regular tent ... I am not sure if it is for the kids, or to have as 'conceptual art' in town, to tap the urban farm trend ...

Anyway I love it!
  

 The benefits of green roofs are now commonly accepted: improved insulation against sound and weather and longer roof lifespan. They also contribute to eco diversity...And are appearing pretty much everywhere.So much so that people are starting to think of them as easy DIY projects.

The guys at Dwell blog have interviewed a top expert in Green roofs and asked if/how this can be done on a  DIY basis. I will let you discover all tips and full story from the blog itself : here.

I saw this on MSNC.com... how to have a great movie evening with very very basic equipement.What you need is a projector ( they suggest borrowing it from the office???) and ... a  white sheet .I will test it with a bunch of kids and if I survive I ll report back !

If you want a little higher end set up then go for the Epson MovieMate 72 with screen etc