My Urban Garden Deco Guide

Hot tubs/spas : a great example on arch daily

Outdoor spas/hot tubs are not very attractive design wise.

The trick is to set them up in a way that flatters them.

Spotted this great example : http://www.archdaily.com/4806/dolomites-house-jm-architecture

Black,simple, smart outdoor shower

I just realised that somehow outdoor showers almost all look 'summery' ...and somehow this one looks like a more permanent feature... I love the design and color ,

From OUTSTANDING

SunShower: architectural, trendy and easy to justify

Any woman knows she always has a good pretext to buy a new expensive dress ( it was on sale, it will last for ever..) .Well , if you fall for The SUNSHOWER  it is easy to justify : it is a real feature, it is eco ok, it is durable because of the quality!

'SunShower is a new solar shower designed and custom built to order by New Zealand company s.p.u.d Ltd.

Measuring approx 2.5m wide x 2m high, SunShower is unique in design and function. Architecturally designed using the highest quality materials, SunShower is a permanent installation and operates from a mains pressure water supply. It provides a constant regulated flow of solar heated water. Turn it off, and SunShower stores the water ready for your next shower. Great for the beachhouse, lifestyle block or even downtown poolside. SunShower is a statement in contemporary outdoor living.

Private spas in your garden: it's only the beginning

Gardens and outdoor spaces are adopting new roles : relaxing and escaping the city stress, sharing new 'moments' with friends and family are all getting top of people's agenda as the Economy starts diving, as Eco issues dominate travel temptations. Enjoying the day in the city is seen as key.

This outdoor spa is a good way to achieve that : a lovely cedar Spa Tub  developed for the Ritz Carlton five star hotel in Germany. The spa tub has a set of tubs which offer options for both hot and cold water.Made to order you are looking at $19,750.

Aquacycling: The 800 calorie pool work out now for private homes

Ok Ok I realize all the magazines have recently turned into  bikini bullies encouraging diets sports etc before we appear on the beach... But this is more about regular cardio training from home. I have meant to open an outdoor gym section for a while but there are surprisingly few products available.

I was happy to discover the underwater bikes and treadmills byHydrorider.com who sell such odd inventions from 800 pounds.

Mega exercise in tiny pools: the swimmill

Born Rich - the blog for the fabulously rich- has spotted a great device :

..' a few of us only can afford Olympic-sized swimming pools for the beneficial lap-swimming. We have a solution here. Swimmill is the aquatic version of the treadmill as it lets you swim without changing your position. The water current produced by Swimmill is the one that moves. Swimmill allows you to adjust the speed of the water current to satisfy all kinds of swimmers, from beginners to the most advanced. It makes the length of your pool infinite and allows you to enjoy swimming for any time or distance you choose in your own home. Moreover, it makes possible to avoid those frequent and annoying turns and allows you to focus entirely on your swimming exercise. The Swimmill Standard System comes for a cool $5,900 and the figure escalates as you go for optional features, but that will compensate for the fact that you never have to turn around at the edge of your pool again. '

Solar showers go chic : Emoe ends the era of 'bulky but green'

Love this find by Born Rich .... 'Emoe garden shower that features a teak base and frame. It can be operated by garden hose or plumbed hot and cold directly. Its cylindrical sensor accumulates heat from sunlight and water returns to desired temperature. Its reservoir has a capacity of 25 L, so your whole family can enjoy consecutive showers.'

Solar outdoor showers here to stay ( with a little help from designers!)

Inventorspot posted about a whole set of outdoor solar powered items including this shower. Love the idea of a warm shower after a quick dip ....Not sure the designers could not do one slightly more attractive!

Rain gardens - a 'must have' in your brief to a garden designer

I have already posted on water harvesting with the HOG or oversized planters. A step up from that is actually designing a garden/outdoor space so it is in itself not a consumer of rain but a harvester.

I now believe the time has come when any garden designer offering to create a garden without this feature or not offering to make the garden productive( ie edible) is very 'out of it' ! And no, I am not even a 'green forefront fighter' ...It just is common sense.It seems vain and ...well vulgar to just want a couple of flowers for the show ?

As the image chosen by the Telegraph shows it can be done in style.
Below you will find the very good review by the Telegraph of a book called 'RAIN gardens' by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden which can be a good place to start thinking about the whole issue.

Movable swimming pool floors

Movable swimming pool floors have made it possible to maximise the use of your swimming pool with variable depth and also use the space taken up by the swimming pool for other purposes...which in an urban context always makes sense. It also means that small spaces can use these concealing technologies to be versatile ..and be adapted to the people using the garden ( kids, parents..) Or the time and weather...

With the touch of a button, an entire pool floor is fully adjusted to any water depth or becomes level to pool surround thus serving as a dry deck or dance floor. 

Based on your requirements, a company likeTechnology Pools can engineer a movable swimming pool floor system for a new pool project or retrofit an existing facility. That will give you an outdoor pool into a parking space all at the press of a button.

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