Sage Outdoor Designs » landscape design

The Brooklyn-based Future Green Studio designed this urban garden featuring the creative re-use of salvaged materials like wood from shipping palettes, tin ceiling tiles (see the bottom two images for how these patina over time as their steel backing rusts), mirrors (wrapped in chicken wire so that even if they break they still work in the space), and used cobblestones. The space is a central courtyard in what was once a pillow factory, but is now a hip shopping mall. They call the project “The Loom” and make sure to visit their website and blog to learn more about it and see a few before photos. 

© Kate Wiseman 2010. Want your own waterwise landscape design? Please visit www.sageoutdoordesigns.com for more info.

Okay, yes, this is trendy. And I don’t usually do trendy, but I’m not exactly immune either, and every once in a while something trendy catches my eye and I just have to share it.

These are called Living Pictures by the guys at Succulent Gardens Plants (who sell a nice user friendly kit), but I have also heard them called living walls or vertical gardens. They can be mounted on a wall once the succulents have got an established root system, and they need minimal watering. They are perfect for that really narrow side yard with a nice big kitchen window looking out onto nothing. Now you can have something, and something pretty darn interesting. And trendy. Yah, that, too.

© Kate Wiseman 2010.

Cor-Ten stairs and retaining walls by Andrea Cochran

By their nature, steps and stairs are utilitarian (something around 12″ long and 6″ tall, give or take) but they don’t need to look like it. Here are a few examples of stairs that rise to the level of art:

Elegant stairway and vanishing edge reflecting pool by Joseph Marek

Brick steps with creeping groundcover by Molly Wood

Estate stairs by Mark Rios, photo by Dominique Vorillon

Modern floating steps by Jensen Architects

Sculptural fire bowl by John T. Unger

EcoSmart bulb fire lantern

Go mid-century modern with ModFire

Precast concrete with a very clean line and smooth finish by Solus Decor

With the Wok Fire Pit by Potted you get affordable minimalism

Mesa series fire pit by Raw Urth Designs

Chiminea series blends the line between fireplace and fire pit

© Kate Wiseman 2010.

As a firm believer in using the space you have, I was inspired by this kitchen garden that I came across in Burlingame recently. Like all of uptown San Diego, the amount of land these guys had to work with was limited, so they got creative and used the space between their driveway and their neighbor’s to fit in their herbs, some vegetables, and even a peach tree!

I’d like to call attention to the fact that this is in their front yard, and it looks great! It doesn’t look out of place or odd. So, if you are fretting because you want to grow vegetables but the only sunny part of your property is the front yard… well, stop fretting and grow some veggies!

© Kate Wiseman 2010.