Weight Vases by designer Decha Archjananun of Thinkk Studio are a collection of minimal vases with cast concrete bases and laser-cut steel frames that support the flower stems. The dichotomy of the heavy bases with the lightness of the steel upper frames becomes even more brilliant when flowers and other natural things are placed in the very mechanical vases. The vases were designed while Archjananun was studying at the University of Art and Design Lausanne.
I’m a big fan of most things Poketo and these two small-scale plant holders are just another reason to love them. The Three-Ring and A-Frame planters work both indoors and out and and look at home in any environment.
The Three-Ring plant holder comes in galvanized silver or white and in both a wall mounted style as well as a table-top version. The A-Frame hanging plant holder is a plank of solid Ipe wood hung with military cotton strapping & bronze hardware. They range from $25.00 to $78.00 an are available on the Poketo website right now.
These beautiful “Garden Tools” by Israeli designer Itay Laniado are part of the 240 short listed entries for this years designboom competition, “Design For All.” The competition is held in collaboration with the Seoul Design Fair 2010 and includes more than 5100 entries. The collection of tools is the culmination of research into the manufacturing process of simple tools as well as the specific forms need for the tools themselves.
The project approaches garden tools from a material, aesthetic, and functional investigative perspective. The bulk of my research focused on the development of a technique of bending and stretching wood into functional forms while maintaining the simplicity, both of the production process and of the working approach of the tools. In addition, I conducted a formal investigation into developing the shape of the blades both in the design and in the bending process. The project includes six final objects: sickle, axe/machete, spade, shovel, scythe and bow saw. Each piece is created from wood (oak) and stainless-steel blades.
Triptyque Architecture has just complete Harmonia 57, an artists studio complex just outside of the city of Vila Madalena. The building features all of the piping that would normally be run through the walls of a traditional structure on the exterior of the building. The piping is part of a larger system that reclaims rain and grey water and uses it to water the green walls that cover the entire structure as well as the landscaping that surrounds it. By putting all the infrastructure on the exterior of the building, the interior spaces are freed from any constraints of wall placement. The sparse, clean, and minimal interiors are opened to the Vila Madelena skyline with large windows and ample use of terraces.
I really love these concrete building shaped planters by Nobuhiro Sato for PUSH+PULL. Truss Planter, Mansion Planter and Cube Planter are all hand made from unsealed concrete allowing them to age and discolor over time.
They can be purchased from Molla Space.
Jose Maria Chofre recently completed a six-story vertical garden in San Vicente, Southern Spain. The vertical garden was built onto the side of the existing children’s library. It consists of a steel structure that houses smaller individual cells. The cells are removable from the rear of the wall and all the watering is done via a built in irrigation system. A hanging scaffold can be lowered from the roof to do any maintenance to the front of the wall.
I’ve been researching outdoor living products lately for a project and I have realized that there are some really cool bird houses and feeders out there. This is a small collection of what I’ve found.
Installed at the Matsuzakaya department store in Nagoya, Japan, Manga Farming is the brain child of artist Koshi Kawachi. This seems like a brilliant solution to the use of old newsprint, magazines, and phone books we all have laying around. When the plant has matured, just pop it in the ground and the paper (as long as its not glossy) will just biodegrade and provide nutrients for the adult plant.
There is a really great story series going on over @ GOOD. The Back Garden Project, one GOOD community member’s effort to turn a neglected corner of the city into a thriving garden.
Read the story here: The Back Garden Project
This story hit home, when I was living in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia I had much the same experiences. I had an urban house with a backyard that had been long neglected. I spent the better part of that spring clearing the trash and rubble, amending the soil, and planting a new lawn. The work was hard but the payoff was enormous.
>I did things like getting old solid oak pallets and broke them down and reassembled them into a deck, I used the rocks found among the rubble to build retaining walls for raised beds, and took old wire found in the dirt to build trellises for climbing Morning Glories. All in all I spent about $300 dollars, most of which was on plant material and seeds.
This is a story worth following for anyone looking to get into urban gardening.
Read the story here: The Back Garden Project
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