bltd

It’s starting to be picnic weather, and I, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

Here’s a perfect gift for a garden loving friend who perhaps only has porch or balcony space.

Imported from France.

If you took a quick look through the few pics of London’s Design Festival 2010, you might have caught a glance at Nina Tolstrup’s Outdoor kitchen. Seeing as the plans are free and available for download, you might want to check it out and see if it’s suitable for your own outdoor area. (Also, in case you’re curious, Nina made the kitchen for the outside deck of her family’s small Beach Chalet, that we did a quick post on back in ’08.)

The clean lines of this barely there shower head would work in any modern garden. The units come with integrated teak bases in the higher priced models or an adapter is included for connection with a standard garden hose.

Stainless Steel construction for outdoor durability.

Yeah, it’s a wheelbarrow. Borrrring, you say. Not so. In fact, the redesigning of commonplace things is really where the excitement begins. We all get used to how things look and function, and sometimes we forget that simple improvements can make a huuuge difference. Case in point, this wheelbarrow.

The metal container is replaced by durable, vinyl-coated canvas. This means you load it from the ground, no repetitive lifting. Just sweep/push/roll whatever you’re moving onto the canvas. If you’ve ever raked leaves or done other yardwork, you’ll know this would make one heck of a difference. The cart’s center of gravity is low, so you lift a smaller portion of weight too. Also, it’s collapsible for easy storage and transport. All this improves the quality of life for those of us moving/gardening/cleaning/etc., which is the whole point of design, isn’t it?

The canvas supports up to 150 lbs.

These “Throw and Grow” flower grenades take guerilla gardening to the next level. Just be careful not to hit anyone; these babies would hurt.

Design by Tony Minh Nguyen and Snowhome for Suck UK
Pack of 3.

Remember the Raised Garden Box Kit? If the DIY aspect put you off, Scout Regalia now has an assembled patio garden option. If you’d rather use some elbow grease to save the $100, the DIY kit is still available as well.

SR Patio Garden (Assembled), $185.00
SR Patio Garden Kit DIY (lumber not included), $95.00

We’ve featured a few birdhouses before, but this will be the first one where you will get the satisfaction of putting it together yourself. No tools are needed either, it snaps (and unsnaps) together in about a minute. Great for kids or ones not so confident in their hand skills.

Measures 10.5″h x 8.5″w x 9.35″d when assembled.

What looks like a small bath tub on wheels is a growing space for an edible garden. It features a special contoured base that drains water quickly and evenly to prevent plants from over-soaking, but also has a central reservoir where a small amount of water collects to keep the soil moist longer. Comes in a Short or Tall configuration, and is priced at $150 and $160 respectively.

Manufactured in Los Angeles County.
Designer: Food Map
(more…)

Has spring officially sprung? I’d say so, and it’s got me daydreaming of afternoons at the park. I’m not a huge person for picnics, but this set by Swedish designer Carina Ahlburg has me reconsidering. Check it: plates, cups, tableware, with one big bowl for storage and/or serving, for four people.

Designer: Carina Ahlburg
Tableware is in stainless steel.
Material: Melamine.
Height 4.3″ (11 cm), 9.4″ dia. (24 cm)

I’ve long been saying that I want to live in an anthracite cube. If only I were bird size I could live in this one.

It’s made with reclaimed milk jugs and richlite (natural wood fiber laminate).

Size – 5.5″ x 5″ x 6.5″

Our first free header spot* goes to Julie Rooney of Blend Design. The Birdbottle was actually first posted on BLTD last August, but we now get a chance to ask Julie a few questions about the design:

What inspired you to create this product?
I was inspired to design the Birdbottle when I was at someone’s home and on their backyard fence they had a replica of the old Williamsburg bird bottle. It struck me as a unique take on a birdhouse and when I researched it more I discovered it had a really great history to go along with it as well. So I thought it would be great to create a modernist version of this once colonial object.

How long did it take to create a final version ready for sale?
The first initial sketch for the Birdbottle was done several years ago but I didn’t actually start working on bringing it to life until my husband and I launched Blend Design which was in early 2008. It then took us about a year to get it to its final version. We did several prototypes until we got to the final end product that we are really happy with.

What were the major hurdles from first inception to final product?
The major hurdle that we encountered with creating the Birdbottle was with the actual manufacturing of the product. Being a small company we couldn’t afford to do large quantities so we struggled with being as cost effective as possible. We also wanted to work with local vendors. But we discovered that many companies don’t want to be bothered with such low quantity orders, which is understandable but frustrating none the less. Fortunately we were able to find some great vendors and our product is entirely manufactured in Pennsylvania.

Thanks Julie for participating in our short q&a.

More about the Birdbottle:

What once was a functional necessity in the 18th century is now a testament to modernist design and simple function. Constructed out of aluminum, the Birdbottle’s tubular profile and slanted entrance roof provide ample security for nesting birds. The polished stainless steel perch welcomes birds home and provides a perfect spot for them to sit outside and watch over the surrounding landscape. Made in the USA

$142.00, Buy it here.

*If you’re a product designer and you’d like your product featured in a free header on BLTD, please read the submission guidelines before emailing us.

This planter has been making the rounds on all the blogs for good reason. The artichoke-like design provides quite a bit of gardening room all within a relatively small footprint. Might be perfect for your balcony or patio.

Nature is a modern ceramic planter intended for growing a variety of herbs and flowers. The form takes inspiration from patterns and shapes found in nature, hence the name. The largest opening at the top can hold plants that need to root deeper. Opening like a blossom, the form allows each pocket to collect water.

The planter is suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
Size: 18″ tall and 22″ wide.

If you’re planning on giving birds a crashpad, why not give them some room to perch as well? Perfect for apartment dwellers or those of you without trees around, this birdhouse provides more than enough room for those feathery friends to chill out and chatter.

This Birdhouse links the balcony to its green surroundings, the inhabitants of apartments to the birds outside. Lacking a garden in her LEGO like apartment building, Emilie Cazin created this Birdhouse in order to attract birds to her balcony and thus stand out from all the piled up apartments with the same windows, same walls, same balconies. The uniform balcony is transformed into a lookout for birdwatchers.
Birdhouse, with a form that refers to, but clearly deviates from the parabolic antennas in the cityscape, is an invitation to the city’s birds to nest close to one’s window.

Designer: Emilie Cazin (Belgium)
Manufacturer: Vlaemsch() (Belgium)

Note: currently to order you can email info@vlaemsch.be, but their store should have the birdhouse up & available very soon.

Hopefully you’ll be enjoying your Labor Day* outside in the sunshine, maybe with some of the usual refreshments, and, if so, perhaps you’ll consider how this picnic set would be ever so much nicer to use than ordinary throw away plates.

Save the planet from one more throway picnic plate! Part of the Urbana series of thoughtfully designed to-go products by Simplicitas in Stockholm, this uber-compact, five-setting picnic set by Wolf Udo Wagner is made of durable, dishwasher-safe ABS. Yet it’s lightweight and ready to move. Each sectioned plate features a cup for hot or cold bevies and an all-purpose flatware triangle–fork, knife and spoon all in one. When not in use, the plates stack and cover the cups and cutlery, which stays locked in place by the screw.

Size: 11″ dia x 3″ thick

$28.00, Buy it here.

*Seeing as it is Labor Day, there’s just one post today. Posts resume tomorrow as usual.