Chic Multi-Tasking Garden Fountain by Patrick Nadeau

September 30, 2011

Spotted at Maison et Objet in Paris, this combo outdoor fountain/bucket/hose reel is equally at home on a terrace or balcony, in the garden or in a courtyard. French designer Patrick Nadeau’s new colorful line of thermo-lacquered steel fountains for

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Polymorphic Chaise Lounge

September 29, 2011

Polymorphic, a kinetic installation designed and produced by ten architecture students from Columbia University GSAPP, utilizes an innovative design and engineering solution inspired by the simple kinetic action of a see-saw and the reverberating motion of a Slinky.

The … Read More...

Modern Avian Architecture

September 27, 2011

Inspired by legendary architect Mies van der Rohe’s famous Barcelona Pavilion from 1929, designer Monique Engelund has reinterpreted the building as a modern gathering space for birds and a sculptural focal point for the garden. The Bird Pavilion honors van … Read More...

Park Bench for Schmoozing or Snoozing

September 26, 2011

To-gather is a double-sided asymmetrical park bench designed to encourage communication and conversation among people in city environments. Designed by Minsung Lee, a recent graduate of London Metropolitan University, the bench also allows one to simply relax–one side of … Read More...

Gardener’s Sofa and Table

September 25, 2011

You know how much I love designs that do double duty, especially since they are great for optimizing small spaces. Like Swedish designer Eva Schildt’s Gardener’s Sofa and Table that transforms classical outdoor items into lightweight objects that not … Read More...

Walking La Promenade Plantée: French Ancestor of New York City’s High Line Park

September 23, 2011


The view looking down into the park from the entrance above.

The model for its contemporary American cousin, The High Line, Paris’s Promenade Plantée––also known as the Coulée Verte or “Flowing Green”––was the world’s first and only elevated park Read More...

Urban Citizen’s Traffic Island Garden

September 20, 2011

New York City green streets

Last May, when New York City workers were planting a tree on the traffic island in front of the salon where he’s employed, Victor Rueda asked them if he could contribute his own plants, including some sunflowers, to the small Read More...

Off the Beaten Path to Paris Garden Shop

September 18, 2011


Cool idea: love the geometric pattern of the tiles on planted wall in the shop’s parking area.

When I am in a foreign city, I like to do exactly what a tourist might not do..  So when I was in Read More...

From Paris: What’s Trending Indoors and Out

September 11, 2011


Bacsac’s gorgeous displays of its new soft garden container designs. They now offer bright colors.

Oo La La, I’m in Paris, and here is some of what’s trending from the international design fair, Maison et Objet Outdoor/Indoor: The boundaries continue … Read More...

On Loan: Paris Pied-à-Terre With Garden

September 9, 2011

Someone I’d never met offered me her stylish little Paris apartment and who was I to refuse. We were “friends” only on Twitter. The experience proved to me that social media isn’t always impersonal, especially when you take it offline … Read More...

The freshest innovative and eco-friendly designs, trends, and ideas for urban gardens and stylish small places.

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