Irene Turner "Little Bits of Beauty™"

Here we are, 40 years after the very first Earth Day, and I have a dilemma…

As a designer I am torn on the subject of water features as a design element.   With the evidence of the water crisis continuing to mount it seems irresponsible as a professional to propagate this issue.  Yet…I love the sound of trickling water, the feel of water in the environment, the visual beauty of water walls, and am guilty of having designed them!  However, I think there is an option.

Vertical Gardens.  Yes, a green wall, instead of a blue one.  We’ve seen them…mostly on the outside of buildings or on roof tops.   Patrick Blanc has been touted as the inventor of the concept of a vertical garden and is famous for his many large scale installations.  You can see his work in the video below.  But, on a smaller scale, in the home or office?  Yes, it can be done there too, and quite beautifully.

Think of these lush green walls or table tops as both practical and as living art.  Plant a living picture by framing them, or…

grow your favorite cooking herbs in them (by the way, this helps your whole kitchen smell good too),

create a feature wall

hide an ugly balcony wall…

There are many creative ideas and ways to incorporate them in the inside and outside of a living space!  Not only are they visually exciting, garden walls also help purify the air, and in dry climates help keep the humidity up.  They are also quite easy to make with the help of planting panels.   So get creative yourself…and to get inspired…take a look at some of Patrick Blanc’s beautiful work!