Urban Gardens

Think orchids are delicate and hard to care for? Not true! Like many people, I used to believe this so I steered clear of them. But on a recent visit to Costa Farms, I learned that orchids are the … Read More…

As I learn more about the benefits of indoor plants–such as how they improve air quality by filtering the air and removing toxins–I also contemplate how to integrate them with a room’s design.

I consider these indoor plants much like … Read More…

Through the design of her Zoie Planter, Helen Kontouris expresses her belief that “ecology in design today, rests on the role of the designer as cultural architect, creating products with clear purpose, intelligent material appropriateness and function that arrest you … Read More…

Indoor plants on a New York City windowsill enjoying the view. Photo: mccorvie.net

The days of warm weather are quickly slipping away, now being replaced by cooler temperatures. It’s time to transfer plants from the outdoors to inside for the … Read More…

Green Flow

In its study of the effects of plants on interior air quality and sick air syndrome, NASA pointed out that “if man is to move into closed environments, he must take along nature’s life support system.”

Green … Read More…

Move over Manolo. The creator of  these repurposed stiletto planters, Berkeley, CA-based Rachel Mahlke of Giddy Spinster, said of her used/upcycled shoes, ”The concept is about hard-working women, the increasingly artificial nature of American femininity, and the impossible images … Read More…

It lies at the intersections of wall art, vertical garden, and air purification system–if I understand it correctly. Elements of Nature, a student project submitted to the James Dyson Design competition by Hamit Kuralkan of Monash University, is a … Read More…