Plantscaping in the Flatiron

A best-in-class commercial building in the heart of New York’s Flatiron District, has attracted a new tenant. The brand new entrance and renovated lobby drew a well-known firm who fit out their new space to the nines, show-casing a clean and ultra-modern feel. The interior plants and containers play a key role in the design, delivering a unique, creative and purposeful feel to the workspace. Bright red containers with simple, sculptural plants create a bold, eye-catching silhouette. Prism containers, clustered together and planted with a mixed foliage palette create a geometric and organic display. The ‘less is more’ approach, with fewer planters deliberately placed, meld seamlessly into the space, visual elements as crucial as lighting, furniture and artwork.

 » Read more about: Plantscaping in the Flatiron  »


Without irrigation, you are DONE FOR!

Plants need water, plain and simple. A ready supply of water is a precursor to the success of each and every garden. In addition to carefully selecting the right plants for a project and amending soil conditions, Blondie’s Designers and Project Managers choose an appropriate irrigation system for each new garden. An automatic irrigation system ensures that each plant receives the proper amount of water, delivered at exactly the right time.  When properly programmed, irrigation systems help gardens to achieve peak efficiency, minimizing wastewater and runoff.

Our designers and technicians have years of experience providing a complete range of irrigation services, including:

 » Read more about: Without irrigation, you are DONE FOR!  »


Thermally modified wood is even better than ipe? – Here’s why

We’re really impressed with the thermally modified ash pavers we just installed at the Durst Organization’s 4 Times Square and 1133 Avenue of the Americas.

 » Read more about: Thermally modified wood is even better than ipe? – Here’s why  »


Upscale Design uses a mix of Faux and Live

The interior plantscaping design for this upscale shopping center relies on both live and faux elements. The durability of the artificial onion grass utilized in the custom planter benches are a reliable option for such high traffic and heavily used area. The same holds true for the artificial topiary boxwood spheres which are placed in unique planters with molded geometric patterning. Live Dracaena plants are placed in modern rectangle planters behind the benches to provide both privacy and and throughout the shopping mall to create an interesting design element. The color palette is kept minimal and fresh relying on metal, wood and light upholstery which provide a neutral backdrop to the bright presence of the  plant material.

 » Read more about: Upscale Design uses a mix of Faux and Live  »


Project | Brooklyn Rooftop

As Brooklyn continues to reach upward, its newest denizens demand an aesthetic which marries the past with the present. For the latest buildings, rooftop spaces are not an after-thought but are carefully engineered and planned early in the design phase, often long before there is a semblance of a space to survey.
The primary challenge with common spaces for residential buildings is to provide some level of individual privacy while developing an overall spatial design which will also foster social interaction between users. In order to achieve this balance, smaller conversational spaces which are defined through the rigid face of the wood-clad planters and accented by hearty plantings and provide a diverse mix of seating types from long benches attached to the face of the planters to moveable chairs and tables allowing for maximum flexibility. The smaller conversational spaces take advantage of the views from the outside edges of the roof while the larger common spaces are defined by plant-softened wood fences.
The materials of the space borrow from the buildings context, reclaiming many of the materials which permeated Brooklyn’s industrial heritage. Concrete, steel, aluminum and various fabrics are some of the elements which help to unite the past with the present. Transferring the feel of the sidewalk planting bed to the rooftop is achieved through the raw steel-edged green-roof garden areas which help define the spaces.

 » Read more about: Project | Brooklyn Rooftop  »