Inspiration: Spring is nearly here, and some deeper thoughts on flowers ...

A beautiful spring colour palette from studio choo ...

{studio choo -we like it wild - earthy spring}

"When you are are buying flowers, what exactly are you buying?" This is a beautifully haunting video. I reminds me of how privileged I am to work with flowers, but saddened by the industry itself ... It is always nice to see small glimpses of floral farms and the real people who grow this faceless commodity. It is imperative that we acknowledge and learn to celebrate the seasons and what comes with these seasons, the imperfections and natural characteristics of flowers, and the people, sometimes generations of families, who pour their heart and soul into growing them ...
{video via floret flower farm}

Here is an illustration I finished this evening.


I really wish I could have seen the New Amsterdam Village that was featured in New York City last September.


And it is for this reason:

In addition to the New Amsterdam Village, which represents a more "traditional" version of Holland, a demonstration model of a Dutch greenhouse will be showcased. The Netherlands is a world leader in greenhouse innovations and the Dutch have made great strides in energy saving technologies in this industry. In this special greenhouse visitors can familiarize themselves with flowering lilies, greenhouse vegetables, special micro vegetables and a bumblebee colony. Also a model of the electricity producing greenhouse can be found there, as well as an overview of the latest technologies and research in the Dutch glasshouse construction sector -ny400.org

Oiseaux sells beautiful vintage nameplates, like the one found below.


I love the crafty flower creations of Laurie Cinotto. Pictured below are some of her beautiful paper and fabric boutonnières.


I stumbled on Grant Hanna's website. I really like his painting titled Navigator (My Swampland) pictured below.


Land-Rich's mission is to provide beautiful objects that symbolize the quality, functionality, and sustainability of simpler times. Each quarter they will debut a new edition of products. Below is their Tallow Berry Bulb, now a part of Land-Rich's permanent collection.


Some blogs to take a gander at...

Twig & Thistle Stationary and Crafts
Eat Drink Chic Stationary and Crafts
Treasuring Lovely pattern design by Jessica Gonacha Swift
Tinderbox Dublin-based creative network
Green Wedding Shoes Beautiful and colourful photography of fun-themed weddings

Could this be a glimpse of what could be in our city's future? We're looking forward to visiting PF1 (Public Farm 1 is the official name for the installation), and seeing how the project works when it's in an actual space with actual people and yielding actual vegetables. In other areas of the world vertical or step farming happens in the countrysides where terrain or flat space constraints (mountains) have necessitated this way of growing. These projects begin to show us how we can farm within the landscape constraints of major cities. More and more, people are talking about the need to better utilize our natural resources. These designs attempt to do that as well as bring city people closer to food sources.

matt at apartmenttherapy dot com

WORKac is the architectural firm responsible for the design, inspired by urban vertical gardening concepts. Public Farm 1’s intent is to educate thousands of visitors on sustainable urban farming through the unique medium of contemporary architecture.






The unveiling of Public Farm 1 by WORKac, the winner of MOMA/PS1's annual architectural design competition, took place in June 2008 in PS1's courtyard.

You can view the evolution of construction and planting of the actual Public Farm 1 on the PublicFarm1 website.




And just a few links...

Christien Meindertsma's Urchin Pouf



Canadian Photojournalism...

Jonetsu Photography

Davina + Daniel