My Urban Garden Deco Guide

Priced at 2400 euros, this is certainly an investment piece. Designed as a multi-functional item, the Kyoto works as a kids playhouse as well as a study. The house has a little table which can be used to invite friends in for tea or to study on.

The design comes from SMARTPLAYHOUSE.

See how to build it on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1FwlXBHQg0&list=UUzBUvoinCSD6NsnFzCfJDzQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video

The assembly of the SmartPlayhouse houses is very simple, since they come with the glass, windows and doors pre-installed from the warehouse.
It is not necessary a concrete base, and allow installation on both natural ground and on pavement

Spotted on Trendir :

'The egg – nature’s most perfect form – is the stimulus behind this modern refuge designed for public and private spaces. Japan’s Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio designed the Concrete pod as a modern haven in which to momentarily escape the stresses of the world. “In the dome, because of its minimal scale, it makes us more sensitive and relaxed, like when we are in our traditional tea-house Cha-sitsu.” Exhibited at Concrete Art Museum 2005 in Nagoya, Japan, this contemporary cocoon is constructed of reinforced concrete, with a height of 1700mm and the shell just 15mm thick.

According to the architects, “A minor axis of a hen's egg is about 40mm and thickness is 400 microns, so it means this concrete shell is just like an expansion of a hen's eggshell.” And although this modern structure is “hen's-egg thin,” Concrete pod has the enough strength to support a grown man sitting on top. Speckled with holes, the shell offers a sheltered environment while maintain a connection with the exterior environment. Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio '

via Busyboo

As the X mas season comes closer, the question of gifts creeps up! Unless you are a very fortunate big bonus banker [hmmm] the 'urban tree  house' below may be a bit expensive but it is an idea: why not up the game in the garden and make it a better paradise for the kids? I was at the beautiful LIBERTY store in London over the week-end and saw great books about very accessible treehouses.

This variation seen on Mocoloco.com

'+ The fourx4 playground playscape designed by Nocturnal Design Lab at eye candy. "Conceived as a suburban tree house (where the landscape is often devoid of large trees), four x 4 becomes an abstraction of nature on multiple levels.".'

It seems the shopping era is kindda over. Sad in some ways. But it seems that people are turning to more DYI pleasure.

This very eco poetic option is a winner: thank you Pan Dan! +gerard moline

 I discovered this on LandArtbasics... not sure I am in love with the design but I find the idea innovative so I am sharing it!

'this hut comes with its very own wraparound ecology. Its wooden frame is protected by a steel mesh casing that holds a decorative facade of pebbles and rocks - a self contained abstract garden. The aim has been to produce a building that feels like it belongs to its surroundings - the materials and forms used all reflecting the unique atmosphere of the shoreline. Over time it is hoped that a mutual relationship will come to exist between the two as natural elements play upon the huts surface. The steel mesh helps to protect the hut, being resistant to both vandalism and graffiti, but just as importantly gives the building its main form and expression, reminiscent of waves crashing around a rock or headland. This should be particularly effective with the sunlight glinting off the metal. n.b in actuality the mesh will be wrapped right around the building - here we have cut some of it away in order to reveal the design. Also it will be sealed at the top to prevent detritus collecting inside the casing. Part of the plan though is that sand is blown through the mesh to collect between the rocks and even that the steel itself becomes tarnished, all contributing to the effects described above. The hut itself is plain, in a driftwood style, the roof sloping to deflect rainwater, with large west facing windows that flood the interior with light. '

inhabitat.com have spotted this great outdoor 'yurt' like outdoor room. Easy to set up and bring down, it has an exotic flavor for those staying in town this summer:

'Ecoshack set up shop in 2003 as an experimental design lab based in Joshua tree, CA. Since then it has developed into a collective of architects, designers, artists, and others who are passionate for change. Formulated with the freewheeling mantra of “Lighten Up”, Ecoshack’s designs are inspired by “the ad hoc, indigenous and archetypal typologies typically found at the fringes of society and culture.”

Few designs are more tried and true than the traditional Mongolian yurt, which Ecoshack has spruced up with a beautiful wood platform, a sturdy bamboo structure, and a protective weatherMAX cover. Notcot has some great photos showcasing the Yurt’s perfect balance of sunlight and shade, and it provides for efficient ventilation via an air circulating chimney effect. The versatile structure is eminently portable, measures 120 square feet, and takes about a half hour to set up'

was designed by Philip Simpson who was responsible for the Earth Gallery at the Natural History Museum in London and architect David Miller who designed the Media Centre at Lords' Cricket Ground. They say their target market is: "the design and brand conscious, 20- to 40-something market, most likely urban professionals with a need for more space - whether in their own back gardens or on a rural hilltop." If you prefer something with a literary flavour (which you can also roll), there is increasing interest in shepherd's huts, both original/renovated and newly-built (Helena Bonham-Carter and Tim Burton have just bought one for their London house). Plankbridge (www.plankbridge.com) use local Douglas Fir as well as traditional corrugated iron cladding and hand forged ironmongery. Not all shedworking requires such a sturdy set-up though. For something a little flimsier and less permanent yet still semi-protected and rather chic, how about the Capsule turntable room from Jane Hamley Wells (www.janehamleywells.com) designed by Mark Suensilpong or the Outpost Pod (www.outpostpod.co.uk) which comes with weatherproof screens which zip open and clip neatly to the inside of the portholes. The Shedworking Handbook, a complete guide to working in garden offices, by Alex Johnson will be published by The Friday Project in July 2008. More details at Shedworking (www.shedworking.co.uk). For a free copy of The Shed magazine email alex@splashmedia.co.uk'

I posted a few weeks back on a tipi ( or tepee) for adults by Gandia Blasco . Now I have found one for the family via DWR , Design within reach. It is not exactly cheap -circa 2000 USD, but , hey! what a feeling!