There are modular homes and modular walls and modular floors…  but have you seen a modular plant?  No?  I hadn’t either.

But the clever folks at DIRTT Environmental Solutions looked into their imaginations and saw a vertical garden: rows and ranks of pretty, VOC-absorbing plants marching up any given wall.  Then Sustainable Industries looked at Breathe and named it one of the Top Ten Building Products of 2011.

So what is this thing?

Its parent company calls Breathe a “simple system for incorporating plants into DIRTT walls… to bring nature indoors and beautify and detoxify interior spaces.”  From a home-owner’s perspective, the modular planter looks like a splendid kitchen herb garden… or a sunroom fixture… or an arresting floral display in a well-lit entranceway.  If mounted to the wall about four to six feet upward, it could be a boon for pet owners wishing to keep their house plants safe from marauding cats or dogs.

In addition to easy installment on DIRTT modular units the “living wall” can be mounted to any pre-existing flat, vertical building surface: a desirable treatment for dull, bare concrete or brick walls with nothing cheerful to say otherwise.  Designers could content themselves with the simple statement of a single row of plants or potentially convert an entire wall into a soothing, visually delightful space.

Imagine banks of fragrant herbs or a living patchwork of flowers gracing the walls of a previously bare courtyard or boring employee break room.  Wouldn’t that help company morale?

Imagine a relief of green writ large upon the so-often-uninspiring walls of academic institutions.  A green school: lovely!  Look at the pretties!

There’s a lot of potential for this product just waiting to be tapped.  Take a moment to come see and find out more.

~ Emerald

These chairs look like the perfect place to spend the summer, don’t you think?

And they come in such pretty colors too!

Made by Etsy seller Laughing Creek Productions, they are assembled from reclaimed cedar decking, and then sealed with a long lasting, painted finish.

They can also be purchased with a natural finish.

I think this combination of light blue chairs and a natural finish table feels very South of France.  I could sit myself down there with a cold glass of pastis right now.  Care to join me?

All images - Will and Jane Fowler

Created by Will and Jane Fowler out of used surfboards, and then covered in glass and mirror mosaics, each shower is completely unique.

Combining whimsy and functionality, these surfboard showers are also beautiful works of art.

You really couldn’t find something that evokes summer on a sandy beach more than this.

To find out how to order your own bit of righteous recycling, you can contact Will and Jane Fowler here.