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"Nogg" Makes Keeping Chickens Stylish

Filed under: Pets, Green, Architecture & Design

Thanks to the local food movement and that whopper salmonella scare earlier this year keeping chickens has become an increasingly popular alternative for people seeking healthy and safe ways to feed their family. But although backyard chicken coops are popping up in all kinds of traditionally non-farming neighborhoods it's been a tough and slow transition getting them into upscale areas. Traditional chicken coops just don't go with the decor.

Enter the "nogg," a giant egg-shaped designer chicken coop that makes domestic farming possible without ruining your beautiful backyard landscape. Designed to house a small group of just 2-4 chickens, the nogg is made of naturally bacteria-resistant cedar wood and features secure locks to keep the foxes out and a flap door for easy access to fresh eggs every morning. It's the brainchild of furniture designer and engineer Matthew Hayward and Creative Director Nadia Turan and sprung up out of frustration at what an eyesore traditional chicken coops are. Get more info or order a nogg for your backyard here.

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Tags: backyard, chickens, farming, outdoor living, urban farm, urban farmer, urban farmers, urban farming, urban farms, yard

Handpainted Umbrellas for the Garden

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

One of the reasons I love working from home is the fact that I can step outside and enjoy the beautiful summer weather whenever the mood strikes me, and you can bet my patio furniture sees plenty of use. To that end I would love to get one of these Handpainted Garden Umbrellas to sit under once the heat of July and August hits -- they're so artistic and beautiful in earthy tones of parchment, sage, and mahogany. And if you're into evening parties you can get them with a light up under the canopy. $1,599 - $1,999

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Tags: cool summer, CoolSummer, garden, handpainted, outdoors, patio, umbrella, umbrellas, yard

Retractable Roof Pergola Creates an Outdoor Room

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Dining

Plow & Hearth offers some very nice outdoor living items, but this one caught my eye because of the continuing trend of creating outdoor rooms (thank you, HGTV). The Retractable Roof Pergola creates a shady setting for entertaining and outdoor dining on a porch or patio or in a yard. The smooth-moving retractable top lets you control the sun and shade and offers shelter from a passing shower. Powder-coated aluminum and steel frame with an all-weather polyurethane-coated polyester shade. 10' sq. x 84" H. Assembly required. $999.95

Gallery: Retractable Roof Pergola

Tags: outdoor, outdoor dining, outdoor entertaining, OutdoorDining, OutdoorEntertaining, pergola, plow and hearth, PlowAndHearth, summer, yard

Karim Rashid Disk Chair

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

The cool design and home blog Apartment Therapy (AT) always has a fresh idea. I've been reading it periodically for a few years, and every time I do, I vow to completely redo my space. Anyway ... The site recently featured a summertime-appropriate post on the Disk Chair, designed by Karim Rashid and made by Ferlea to look like a "spoon folded." AT noted it would be great for poolside or patio, as it's made of fiberglass over a steel frame, but AT commenters had a good point: seems like a sweatfest waiting to happen on a hot day. I think it looks fun and comfortable, albeit maybe with a cushier seat or a towel. Available in black, yellow or white; includes a single foam and polyester cushion. Owo Italia has it for a bit more than $2,000 (European pricing).

Gallery: Outdoor Armchairs by Ferlea

Tags: chair, Ferlea, karim rashid, KarimRashid, patio, pool, pools, poolside, yard

The Perfect Gift for the Grilling Guy

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Gadgets, Garden

Knowing that I'm on the lookout for luxury items, my friend Cliff told me that I just had to look at Frontgate. So I did! Now that al fresco dining season is here, I decided to peruse Frontgate's grill offerings and came upon this 405-lb. beauty: the Barbeque Grill Island, made with O.W. Lee craftmanship. The wrought iron body has a black suede finish, the feet are cast iron and ceramic briquettes are included. The cooking-related facts:

50,000 BTU and a "Sure Start" electronic ignition
540-inch square grilling area, 200-inch square warming rack
Rojo honed marble countertop with 1,300+ square inches of space
Stainless steel cooking grid and rock grate
Stainless steel barbeque grill w/a 14,000 BTU rotisserie w/motor
Storage cabinet for ingredients or tools
Available in natural gas or propane

Start saving now ($6,667) for the winter gift-giving season, and order early -- shipping takes 8-9 weeks, and the grill is only available online. You might be a little late for Father's Day, but if your grilling guy has a late summer birthday, you might get one in time.

Tags: barbecue, barbeque, bbq, deck, frontgate, grill, grilling, natural gas, NaturalGas, propane, yard

Rotating Sphere Lounger

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Garden

I can't wait until the weather gets warm enough here to start sitting outside with my morning coffee, and maybe if I had one of these Rotating Sphere Loungers that day would come just a little bit sooner. It's kind of a "tent meets gazebo" contraption, plus a healthy dose of contemporary styling. Designed as a large sphere made up of 10 individual half circles, it's advertised as not only a lounging area but also a dining and a sleeping area -- and besides offering a comfortable outdoor living space it's sure to catch the eye of your neighbors. £6850

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Tags: garden, gazebo, outdoors, outside, rotating, rotating lounger, RotatingLounger, sphere, yard

YoYo Elmar Flototto Floor Lamp

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

I seem to be finding all the items with tongue twister names lately, but it's worth the risk of sounding like an idiot when their looks are as fun as their names (plus you guys can't hear me trying to read them out loud). Enter the Yo Yo Elmar Flototto Floor Lamp, which will bring to your home the vibe of a large Yo Yo sitting on the floor. The cord wraps around and forms the "string" for the Yo Yo and allows you to roll the lamp anywhere you might need light. Designed by Caterina von Matern and Lisa Lindstrom, it's suggested as great in the garden (outdoor safe?) or as an art piece indoors. $317.98

Via Luxury Launches

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Tags: floor lamp, FloorLamp, flototto, flottoto, garden, indoor/outdoor, indoors, lamp, light, lighting, outdoors, yard, yo, yo yo, YoYo

The Modern Pinwheel

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

I'm a sucker for accent pieces that find a way to blend the whimsical energy of happy childhood memories with a dose of maturity for the adult I am today. These stainless steel pinwheels from Chiasso take the breezy fun from days past and mix it with a healthy dose of class and durability by creating them of lightweight stainless steel. I think they'd make a fun summertime addition indoors or out, and considering the average plastic pinwheel goes for $2 or less, these are actually a little pricey at $15 each.

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Tags: chiasso, fun, garden, indoor, indoors, outdoor, outdoors, pinwheel, pinwheels, stainless steel, StainlessSteel, steel, whimsical, whimsy, yard

The Waterfall Shower

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas, Garden

There are many nice outdoor showers out there, but this one, the Waterfall Shower by Jane Hamley Wells, is especially appealing to me for some reason. I'm not sure if it's the fact that it gives the feeling of standing under a waterfall in the tropics or the sheer organic simplicity of the design, but I want one. Standing over 7 feet tall, the teak back panel and base platform is accented only by the single cross-style handle. Add in the sheet of cool water cascading down when the shower is in use and I think it's almost pretty enough to just be appreciated as a water feature, whether you use it to clean off and cool down or not.

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Tags: garden, jane hamley wells, JaneHamleyWells, outdoor, outdoors, shower, showering, water, waterfall, wells, yard

Yin Yang Signature Collection Patio Furniture

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

From Dedon comes the Yin Yang Signature Collection outdoor lounge set. The chairs can be positioned separately or nested together to create a classic vision of the symbol for which they are named, fitting to form a perfect circle with contrasting cushions creating the "eyes" on each side -- the arrangement of the seats encouraging communication without being too intimate. Made of a weather resistant fiber material in a balance of platinum and bronze shades, I think they bring a somewhat indoor quality to typical outdoor patio furniture. But I've said it before and I'll say it again...how comfortable are they? They look a little stiff.

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Tags: chair, chairs, dedon, furniture, lounge, outdoors, outside, patio, weather, yang, yard, yin, yin yang, ying, YinYang

Tuuci Razor Shade Platform

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

The summer sun is one of the best parts of the season, but unfortunately also one of the greatest hazards. Staying in the shade isn't always easy, but having a Tuuci Razor Shade Platform might make a difference. Some of the inspiration behind this design from Dougan Clarke came from the idea that sitting under an umbrella can sometimes be frustrating as the sun moves throughout the day and your area of shade gets smaller and smaller. But this tilted assymetrical canopy spins 360 degrees so you can easily keep comfortable all morning and afternoon, and it's built of sturdy materials intended to last through the weather. $1500.

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Tags: clarke, dougan clarke, DouganClarke, lawn, outdoors, platform, razor, shade, summer, sun, tuuci, tuuci razor shade platform, TuuciRazorShadePlatform, umbrella, umbrellas, yard

Artistic Illumination and the Beautiful Outdoors

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

For the passionate and inspired homeowner, and for the estate that needs the perfect final touch, customized landscape lighting could be that extra "something" that's missing. A company called Artistic Illumination out of California is one company that works to make the most out of beautiful homes and beautiful landscaping from the outside in.

Looking at some of the photos on the website they really are beautiful, and even though it definitely doesn't look like an eco-friendly project (perhaps they use energy efficient bulbs?) I think I'd be finding all kinds of late night errands to run -- just so I could pull up to the house in the dark over and over again to appreciate the scenic ambiance!

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Tags: ambiance, ambience, artistic illumination, ArtisticIllumination, estate, landscape, landscaping, light, lighting, outdoor, outdoors, yard

Portable Ice Rink

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

What child wouldn't love to have an ice skating rink in the back yard? Hammacher Schlemmer has a 37-foot portable ice rink that can be set up anywhere and is perfect for practicing for winter sports or just skating for fun. The frame keeps the water in the rink even if the temperatures get too high to sustain the ice, ensuring it will be ready to go whenever the weather gets cold, and the rigid PVC at the bottom protects the rink from skate damage if the ice gets too thin.

If only I had had one of these to put in the yard growing up! Actually, it wouldn't have helped me to become a more accomplished figure skater because, portable though it is, it still needs to be below freezing to properly form the 2.5-inch thick ice layer and that is something you can't necessarily count on in most of California. Price: $700.

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Tags: ice, ice rink, ice skate, outside, sport, sports, toy, winter, yard

Outdoor Tiles Inspired by Nature

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Garden

I love the idea of outdoor tiles that actually interact with the outdoors, as opposed to those that just crush whatever piece of nature they are placed upon. These tiles, which seem to be from Promise Design, actually have grooves in them that allow grass to grow up through the tile, allowing for a styled burst of color that complements the flowers etched in the stone.

It is too bad that fall has set in already. Even though these tiles only need grass to have their full effect and could certainly be put out over the winter, it's hard to think of decorating the yard when you don't really want to spend much time outside.

[via cribcandy]

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Tags: cribcandy, natural, nature, outdoors, stepping stone, tile, yard

Pool Lanterns

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

These floating pool lanterns from Horchow will look equally good on a warm summer night and a cool winter one as they cast ethereal reflections across any water's surface. They have the shape of a "traditional" lamp and a refined look, but each one is a single piece, measuring 9" across rising 9.5" above the water, though the lamps are actually 21.5" long, overall. The lamps get their glow from a rechargeable light bulb, which will glow for up to 8 hours at a time, and can move about freely, unconstrained by wires or another power system. Chargers for the light bulbs are sold separately. Price: $399 each.

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Tags: float, floating, garden, lantern, lanterns, lights, outdoors, pool, pool lanterns, water, yard

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