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Fatboy Waterwall Stores Rain in Your Fence
If you live in a drought state as I do, you start to really pay attention to rain. If it ever happens. Here’s a terrific solution for storing rainwater in something other than a circular barrel which can take up space: a wall of rain storage around your property. A really fat wall.
Each of these [...] -
Solar Thermal Warms Hot Lava Pool in Hawaii
Here’s an original idea. The Hawaiian pool builder PacificGunite makes molds of real lava into poolside decking, then incorporates passive solar thermal heating elements into the thermal mass created by the concrete to soak up the heat of the sun and transfer it into the pool.
Passive solar thermal is the best way to heat your [...] -
Glass Lasts Forever – Wood or Coal Burns Up
A company in Paso Robles, California makes FireCrystals® – processed tempered glass chunks that with an accompanying burner system and hearth hardware, are intended for use with a natural gas flame. Natural gas has about half the carbon footprint of coal, and saves forests that would be destroyed by burning wood.
So these chunky, indestructible tempered [...] -
Maia, the Luxurious Resort Deep in the Heart of the Seychelles
An amazing retreat on the secluded beach of Anse Louis deep in the heart of the Seychelles, Maia is a real sanctuary that stretches along a pristine beachfront washed by the Indian Ocean. With 30 thatched villas, each with its own infinity pool and amazing ocean views, the lush resort is only surrounded by Jungle Book-style [...]
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Kid-Friendly Holiday House for Swimmers
Here’s a house designed to tumble you right into the pool!
Felipe Assadi and Francisca Pulido of Assadi & Pulido Architects, have created a kids paradise – the perfect setting from which to enjoy the view and the outdoors.
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Consider A New Measure of Carbon Footprint
It’s the new pig on the block. We have the carsoffthe road. We have the lightbulbsreplaced. Next we will look at apartment pools and see them as a similar measure of pigginess. Worse in some ways, as the solution is simple.
Apartment pools should be covered at night. It’s the climate-friendly thing to do.
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WAVE hammock – on the wave of bliss
Remember the lazy summer afternoons in the backyard when you were lying on a hammock under the shade of the trees you hung it on? The WAVE Hammock by Erik Nyberg and Gustav Strom recreates that blissful feeling with a single difference – you no longer need trees for your hammock. The secret of its [...]
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De Blacam and Meagher’s new white refuge for Ibiza’s white nights
From the very heart of Europe’s biggest party place – Ibiza, here is the new outstanding villa by De Blacam and Meagher. Located near Morna Valley, the house is lavishly surrounded by greenery and lies on the largest terrace in the site. Built by reinforced concrete, the villa has 2 stages, based on 3.6m [...]
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Negative edge swimming pool: For those who live off the edge!
It is not too hard to understand why the visually awesome Negative Edge swimming pool bagged the prestigious ASLA 2008 Residential Design Honor Award. Borrowing from the principles of modern design, the pool uses elegant, straight lines along with highly polished surfaces to create a spectacular panorama that forces you to believe this is the [...]
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7 Truly Beautiful Outdoor Rooms
7 Truly Beautiful Outdoor Rooms
Outdoor rooms are at their most effective when they combine beautiful scenery, fantastic climate, and expertly designed furniture: perfect for relaxing, eating, and enjoying the surroundings. These outdoor areas certainly add another room to any house or villa and, weather permitting, these are the ‘rooms’ where people will probably spend most [...]



