GMG's Friday Find: Window Shutter as Micro Urban Garden

When it comes to urban gardening, there may seem to be limited options. Perhaps there is a nearby community garden or outdoor plot, or maybe you have a small balcony with potted tomatoes and herbs. And if you're like many, you may only have a stoop with room for a single plant. Dense urban neighborhoods and high-rise buildings offer little outdoor space for gardening.


French designers Nicolas Barreau and Jules Charbonnet have a clever project called the 'Volet vegetal' that received top honors in May at a design competition in Paris. It is essentially a window draw bridge that holds trays of plants that can easily be let down during the day to catch sunlight, and then drawn back up in the evening into your interior space.

The design includes a sleek plant rack that will hold the plant trays inside to green up your living space. The project is still under way to determine commercializing, and once on the market will provide urban dwellers with a new option for gardening. What do you think of this drawbridge window shutter? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

~Peggy
Garden Media Group