Small Scale Design in New York Times

This funny little article just appeared in the New York Times. It's written from the perspective of the owner of a small garden space, and paired with a slide show featuring the designer describing his perspective. To hear the owner describe his budget, goals, and the selection of the designer in contrast to the designer's approach is enlightening and pretty funny. Believe me, its the designers that seem loopy, not the client. There are certainly a few things I would have done differently if this were my project, regardless, its an interesting peek into the design process on a micro scale.

A little Simplicity

The lucky few that have what they need these days, are just that, a lucky few. Everyone is struggling, in big and small ways, and I think its time to remember that living simply, without waste and without apathy can be a true joy.

From time to time, it can seem that working on a garden can be the most frivolous thing in the world. What I've come to realize is that it can also be the most rewarding: whether its building new raised beds, planting a specimen tree, transforming a little bit of pavement into something permeable, or turning an uncared for space into something loved and used.

I'll never stop daydreaming about grand designs and sweeping gestures, and I'm not going to lie, for all their ostentation, chateau gardens take my breath away. But that's not why I got into this field. I think I did it because I love to try to make something out of nothing, to be creative, to work with a whole crazy bunch of constraints, and if

Lighting Ideas

In hunting for a midcentury-appropriate outdoor light, its hard to beat a globe. This light is by Artimede, and I'm thinking it looks even cooler in contrast to this rough, plant covered wall.

And those pots ain't so shabby 'neither.

Designing a landscape for a mid-century ranch has been a lot of fun. As you can imagine, there is no shortage of retro-styled odds and ends on the market. The Architectural Pottery planters reissued by Vessel USA stand out of the crowd, fo sho.

Nice looking' bench you got there

Most benches made from recycled lumber look like something you'd find at a Denny's or a creepy rest stop. I'm pretty impressed with what I've seen from  Loll so far - but do they pass the comfort test...