Design Cues from Nature

By Diane Burley

The advance of Autumn doesn't mean Summer lovers should have to relinquish the great outdoors. Here's our take on letting the outside in.

More subtle approach from Viteo.

Wally Pockets puts recyled containers to good use.

Home-grown spice rack?

As the night air cools, residents of Northern climates take part in their Autumnal rituals of saying goodbye to doted on perennials and outdoor comforts. But as we have watched rooms morph into outdoor rooms -- so too are outdoor artifacts making their way in. Both are ways for people to continuously enjoy the serenity of nature -- no matter the season. We caught up with Anne Robert (pronounced roh-bear), owner of TheOutdoorStylist.com, who has been noting this growing trend.

"People who are eco-concious don't want to be limited by climate in order to enjoy the outdoors. So more and more, we are seeing people expand their gardens -- indoors," she explains. Robert and our editors found these 6 items to pull into your ecosystem.

Living Walls

Vertical gardens or living walls are trendy everywhere and now easy to have at home. According to Robert, the most clicked on find in her newsletter was the rustic panel by Smith & Hawkins. Alas, S&H's demise in July 2009, left a void. Then we discovered these vertical panels from ELT Easy Green. The Canadian-based firm knows a thing or two about cabin-fever, and has created panels up to 6' in height. Austria's Viteo has a more delicate and solution for indoor with its haut-couture look of stacked planters. And then there is Garden Beet's Wally Pockets. The London firm has created a series of wall hangings with moisture inserts, made from recycled containers.

Movable Planters

Not sure about a whole wall of plants? Mobile planters are an easy way to bring in the beautiful plants for the winter easily. Dirk Wynants' design for his Belgian company Extremis is so obvious -- why didn't anyone think of this many back-breaking years ago? Colorful planters - with hidden casters.


Two colors, two sizes of indoor/outdoor mobile cannisters.	These platners were made for rolling.

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