My Urban Garden Deco Guide

He had promised a launch in May ... and it came earlier: the first truly ' design' personal wind turbines have been launched by Parmac with the inspired help of Philippe Starck. They come in two models with varying energy outputs.

The smaller version is at approx 2500 euros and the larger is priced around 3500.

More here

 

Re-Leaf, rain collectors by Teracrea http://www.teracrea.com/it/index.html
With water being such an issue, this clever device really brings home the message that every drop matters!
Inspiring and useful ...

French duo created BACSAC. A textile bag that has it all: resists freezing temperatures, UVA and UVB, made in a textile that makes water air and earth work together. And to find plants and flowers for your Bacsac check out:

Designer: Gaston Zahr & Merav Eitan (Israel)
Manufacturer: O*GE Interactive Gallery (Israel)
Inspired By: Nature
Material: Solar Energy, LED'd, Aluminum mesh, Steel plates and tubes
Colours: at daytime: silver / white at nightime: RGB
Dimension: Lotus: 4.2m, Tulip: 2.1m, Dew drop flower: 1.2m

It has taken me a while to get an image -if not a picture of this great new design seen at Maison et Objet 09:


Is it a kitchen in a garden?
Is it a garden in a kitchen? 

Will the distinction still be around in 20 years?


'Cuis'in Nature" by Matali Crasset and Frederick e. Grasser-Hermé is  a domestic vegetable garden, including  a fruit- and vegetable-pantry, and naturally a kitchen to prepare and share  the production! .
.

A qualified architect and active promoter of sustainable living, Paulina Wojciechoska created Earth Hands to further this project by developing earth made homes. And I love her tub - a great option if the full Monty option is a bit out of touch!

 

 

From Ask the experts:

Paulina Wojciechowska was born in Poland and spent her formative years in Afghanistan and India. She became fascinated by age-old architecture created by artisan builders. After studying architecture in Great Britain, she traveled to the United States and Mexico to study natural, alternative and indigenous building methods. She apprenticed with Nader Khalili at Cal-Earth, as well as with strawbale building pioneers Athena and Bill Steen at the Canelo Project. Out of this experience, she has written the book below which is the first book published on the emerging methods of earthbag building. Paulina has established a nonprofit trust, "Earth, Hands & Houses," which supports building projects that empower indigenous people around the world to build their own shelter from natural materials that are available locally. She would be happy to consult on any project that would employ her broad range of training and skills.

It seems Michelle Obama has created a veg patch at the White House.
I guess that says a lot about the Hipness of the Grow your Own trend.

Urban space is rare and that can hamper ones real life ambitions in the food growing department.

But good news: this planter seems a very good solution . Get it at http://www.urbangarden.bz/
'We have created a unique design of a 100% organic raised western red cedar planter that allows one to grow approx. 50 to 55 vegetables, herbs, and plants all within a 3x4 footprint of space.  We also have a small herb garden design of the same organic construction.'
' The Urban Garden addresses the two major issues that keep most people from growing their own produce. Time and space.!'

The micro organic garden design allows for low maintenance.

The three foot by four foot footprint allows apartment and condominium owners to have a garden on most balconies. Fresh organic produce awaits you with your purchase of the Urban Garden.'

http://www.urbangarden.bz/
 

 

Discovered Metalco  and love this high spec outdoor shower by designers Staubach & Kuckertz.

Available in orange , white and beige.

 

Clever budget find by Not Cot : ' Just noticed at MoCoLoCo that the new IKEA Summer 09 collection is on its way~ and after some IKEA site searching found all the new summer pieces here and all of the solar lights here! One nice thing about the IKEA selections, they all run on replaceable rechargeable batteries and use LEDs!'

[And I agree that  the other summer pieces are very good too!

Greenmeme.com is an edgy design company ..or rather a team of conceptual design innovators.
I love their Live within skin creation that they describe as follows:

'A modular vertical garden, water jet cut screens combine CAD manufacturing techniques with plants.
These walls can be pro-actively used to address issues of air quality, storm water runoff, thermal insulation, and sound attenuation.
Live Within Skin can serve both interior and exterior applications and may be adapted to most environmental conditions through plant selection, integrated irrigation, and lighting. We encourage the use of rainwater harvesting and catchment systems or other techniques of water reuse when possible.'

ABOUT Greenmeme

Started in 2005, Greenmeme is the continuing vision of artists Freya Bardell and Brian Howe, where a collaborative group of artists, ecologists, architects, scientists and builders come together to create sustainable, ecologically focused work which varies in scale, materiality and context. Through these experimental partnerships with experts in other relevant fields, our strategies of representation are in a constant state of research and design. From living walls to interactive installations, our work provides a multi-layered experience of unique urban and natural ecosystems, integrating living, playful sculptures into informative environments