My Urban Garden Deco Guide

I am a firm believer that outdoor space is  not just an extension to the home but a space to add new experiences to daily urban life.

This probably explains why I find this Finnish design fabulous. Koe is a concept kitchen  with various elements , designed with a single goal : create a 'kitchen ' that increases social involvement in homes

One element is a low table with integrated fire that allows one to sit, prepare and share food in a rather unique and most certainly inspiring way.

The concept includes a fan and umbrella to manage the wind and leverage the experience through the feel and smell. Finally his vertical garden on a movable U-shaped wall that also serves as a room divider or a screen. The plants grow in earth-filled pots attached to the screen. Bringing the garden inside the apartment gives us a chance to grow our own vegetables.

More here

I received a comment yesterday encouraging me to check out http://www.yourbackyardfarmer.com/
Hiring your own private farmer is for the most urban types - ie those with no time no experience but the will...   a  great solution.
Again you can use designer raised bed, ultra chic over sized planters to keep your design style intact.
It is only conventional thinking that wants us to think in either or
PS:Thx for the lead! 

The swiss miss blog spotted this rather amusing alternative to having pet food bowls (and their general ugliness ) spoiling your outdoor deco ...

OK this is not about urban gardens ...but 'stylish living'.
I wanted to wish a very happy birthday to Little Fashion Gallery - a unique online store for designer clothes and furniture for babies and kids up to 12 years old....
One year already and a great success : and Marie is a great friend : bon anniversaire !!!
LINK www.LittleFashionGallery.com

Great for your presents for babies... for that niece who lives abroad etc...
AND THE SALE STOPS VERY VERY SOON!

Here is a post on a broader subject for those who want to up date their designer A-list.

The french magazine 'L'Express' has compiled a list of names  of the women who are at the forefront of innovative designs.

Many of them are architects turned decorators turned designers... a bit like what is going on in the garden design arena!

Zaha Hadid , Matali Crasset , Patricia Urquiola , Andrée Putman , Hella Jongerius , India Mahdavi , Kiki van Eijk , Front design

© Gautier Deblonde pour L'Express Styles

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Typography is very successfully used in interior design - poems on walls, letter shaped objects, etc...Unsurprisingly it is heading outside:
I love this typographic garden spotted by a very unusual blog: http://paradisexpress.blogspot.com/search/label/jardins.

Yoga decks, lane pools etc ... the smallest of outdoor spaces are now gaining an appeal for the sport addict and the urban escapist.

I found this variation of the traditional rock climbing wall on Inventorspot.
But you don't need to opt for such an  'out there' design, I have seen traditional ones in Notting Hill ...loved them.

Quoting the site: 'Rock climbing is a wonderful form of exercise. It increases your strength, endurance, power, flexibility and balance as well as increases your level of confidence and mental discipline. No wonder a gym in Japan wants to do what it can to encourage the continuance of this form of exercise and has taken the idiom "climbing the walls" to the extreme.

How? Illoiha a designer gym in Japan by Nendo has altered the common indoor rock wall image with picture frames, birdcages, flower vases, mirrors and even deer head. So instead of an indoor wall of fake rocks it is a wall of hard to climb interior design.

What's the purpose? With a less outdoorsy look and a more interior design the creative minds behind this picture frame wall hope to inspire newcomers to the sport of climbing. Call it an old sport with a modern idea. They call it "rock-climbing on Omotesando ". 

Would you climb Omotesando?

I received a mail from Food Map design to tell me about themselves. They are an emerging multi-disciplinary design firm committed to reconnecting residential space and food cultivation.I really liked their new container...
LINK here
I am a firm believer that edible gardens are the only thing that really will make sense in the coming years..and for different reasons.
For some it will be about gaining gourmet chic creds from home grown food, others will come to it by desire to reconnect to a natural instinct... whilst many will do it to sustain themselves.
Whatever the reason, and however limited the space.
 

"Grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs in the modern and green Food Map container. We created a product that enables people with limited outdoor space to grow food at home without having to compromise on design. The container is made from nontoxic High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), which contains post-industrial reused material. The frame is 40-100% recycled steel. The product is manufactured in Los Angeles County and is 100% recyclable. Home-grown foods reduce the need to buy heavily-traveled produce from Supermarkets. The container comes in two sizes: the larger raised container allows for gardening while standing; while the smaller one is great for kids and smaller scale settings. The container has rubber casters for mobility as weather and sunlight conditions change. Food Map design is an emerging multi-disciplinary design firm committed to reconnecting residential space and food cultivation

A while back I posted about the piece at the end of this post.

I stumbled upon a new piece by the same talented designer this morning . Though it is not an outdoor piece I find it stunning and wanted to share it! Remix chaise longue   is carved from laminated plastic, plywood, chipboard and fibreboard - some of which are reclaimed - using CNC machinery.

Previously I wrote:

More and more outdoor furniture is art- like. Just a single piece elevates an outdoor space into an art installation. And top of this new league one will find designs by Tasmanian born Brodie Neill who has been nominated for the Young Designer of the Year Award by Homes & Gardens/V&A, to be announced in March 2008.

E-Turn is the design they are considering.

This young talent is also being featured in the following book which is set to be published on Nov 25th in the UK - he will feature alongside some of the world's main design talents -  a synopsis of which is below.

'Not only an in-depth exploration of contemporary design practice, this book is also a rallying call for a more sustainable approach to product design of every type. Visually stunning and highly informative, "Design Now!" illustrates the latest work by 90 of the world's leading designers and design-led manufacturing companies, while also featuring in-their-own-words statements that give a unique insight into the nature of 3-dimensional design today. Additionally, the editors' introductory essay authoritatively outlines the main issues facing designers, manufacturers and consumers, and offers a perceptive vision for a better way forward that focuses on the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle."Design Now!" is an essential must-have for anyone interested in design and the road towards a greener future.Examples of selected designers and design-led companies featured include: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Ecotricity, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Intelligent Energy, Jonathan Ive (Apple Computer), LOT-EK, Ross Lovegrove, Marine Current Turbines, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, POC, Philips Design, Seymourpowell, and, Tokujin Yoshioka.