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65 posts categorized "Eco-chic gardens"

November 30, 2009

Water harvesting

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 ...



September 21, 2009

Planters by Bacsac: hyper flexible and eco friendly

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.
r2-pot-bacsac-ambiance.jpg
r0-jardiniere-14L-bacsac.jpg




July 3, 2009

Flower power meets solar power at design spotter

Romantic find by fellow blog: Designspotter.com:

' a variety of flowers of different sizes & types of illumination, which come alive only at night: Giant Lotus Flowers, intermittently opening & closing, changing colors at a subtle pace; while delicate tulips, illuminated by one color of varying intensities; and masses of gently glowing dewdrop flowers create an poetic ambience of tranquility, sensual beauty & pure serenity. They are made from metal mesh, laser-cut panels and glass spheres, utilizing LEDs & driven entirely by solar energy

009418,29854.jpg

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

June 21, 2009

In/outdoor vegetable garden by Matali Crasset

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?


The design is now on tour to help inspire new ways of seeing 'food' and reconciling urban living and food production. And that in itself is fantastic!

'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! .
VUE01.jpg.

June 18, 2009

Garden / outdoor tub by Organic sculptor Paulina Wojciechoska

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!

Earth tub 

 

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.

March 21, 2009

Follow Michelle Obama and create a veg patch in even tiny spaces

270_PC100111_1_ 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/
 

March 20, 2009

Khepri outdoor shower by Metalco

 

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

Available in orange , white and beige.

 Doccia_Khepri_amb_02

March 17, 2009

Ikea garden solar lights

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!

SOLAR

March 15, 2009

Live Within Skin : extravagant vertical planter and water harvester

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.'About3


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


February 19, 2009

Green roofs already sold in a box: why not at IKEA?

 Green roofs were in vogue a few centuries ago. The practice has recently resurfaced but  in a limited way as only those able to hire talent could afford it because installation was so tricky.

Fldsedum21_3Now London based http://www.urbanroofgardens.com is making it as easy as a mail order click & tick exercise .

One can order a box that will cover 12 square meters for just under 600 hundred pounds. 

ECO NOTE

This democratisation of a valuable eco tool for urban living has started but would be dramatically accelerated by the sale at outlets like IKEA!


ABOUT The UK offer: Urbanroofgardens is proud to present a complete "Green Roof in a Box" - all you need for an instant green roof delivered direct to your door! Easy to install and low maintenance, your environmentally friendly green roof will provide recreational space for you and a habitat for wildlife.  Your pack comes complete with a 4 component system ready for you to lay down: a RoofMat (comprising a root barrier and waterproof membrane), a GreenMat (for insulation, water retention and feeding), a GroLayer (special growth medium) and finally the SedumSpread (fasting rooting macerated sedum plants). We can supply in any quantity, and we're also happy to come and fit it - email us for a quote. Available NOW!

Dimensions: One pack sufficient for 12 square metres

Delivery: 5-10days

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