20+ Green Design Ideas Inspired By Nature

Living in an urban environment certainly has many advantages, but most city folk still pine for the great outdoors. And if weekend or vacation outings aren’t enough, many designers have created ingenious green design that brings tiny little pieces of nature into our homes and urban settings.

Some innovative home products mimic nature cleverly, but some are the real deal. Whether it’s moss or grass planted onto a moist and nutrient-rich sponge or a clever arrangement of soil and grass, these products and design elements are sure to help save your desire for nature until your next vacation or weekend trip into the great outdoors. After all, the feel of a plastic plant can’t compare to that of a natural, living, and breathing one.

01. Picnic Table

Designer: Haiko Cosnelissen

02. Ivy Bike Lock

Why does our bicycle need to be connected to light poles by chains like a criminal in prison? Inspired by nature, the design of this cable wire lock is a mimicry of ivy. It is unified in our daily scene and promotes protecting the environment. It is soft and feels natural. ‘Ivy’ is a plug to awaken the relationship between you and society. (Designer: Sono Mocci)

03. A Wearable Planter

Why should your plants stay at home? They help clean the air you breathe, are beautiful, and create an excellent conversation starter. Carry a sprout, a succulent, or a flower you found on your morning walk. (Designer: Colleen Jordan)

04. Living Moss Bath Mat

Constructed of a decay-resistant foam called Plastazote, this bath mat is a nursery for three varieties of living moss: ball mass, island moss, and forest moss. The bathroom humidity and the drops flow from the body water the mosses. A great feeling to your feet is guaranteed! (Designer: Nguyen La Chanh)

05. Pooleaf Pen – Clever Desktop Plant Is Pens

If you like having plants on your desk but don’t have the greenest thumb, then check out this clever design by Korean-based Zeup. While it may appear to be a simple pot filled with grass, each blade is a pen created from silicon. The Pooleae pens come in three different natural colors and run $5 a piece. While filling an entire pot may seem expensive, it’s sure to be a functional and whimsical addition to your office.

06. Cat Grass Table

Emily Wettstein used reclaimed walnut and steel to craft this beautifully organic table. (link)

07. LED Mushroom Lamps

Lifelike glowing mushrooms made of glass, wood, and led lights. (link)

08. Grass Flip-Flops

Take a walk in the grass wherever you are! (link)

09. Leaf T-Shirts

Designer: Dave Rittinger

10. Leaf-It Sticky Notes

Designer: Appree

11. Flower Pots

“The trick is that we liked that flower pot and a person’s face have a similar shape, which contributes to their visual association; the effect is complete and pretty funny.” (Designer: GOOD!)

12. Green Umbrella Stand

This elegant new-age umbrella stand uses rainwater from your umbrella to feed thirsty grass and adds a fun spot of green to your foyer. (Designer: Simon Enever)

13. Waterdrop Magnets

Designer: Appree

14. Dilston Grove

Through the application of clay, germinating grass seed, water, and natural light, the boundary between growth and decay, reverie and renewal, were exposed within this repository of spiritual memory. The artists regarded the architectural structure as, in some sense, being inert, brooding, and boarded up, no longer functioning in the community. Bringing memory to the surface, the living skin of grass drew life back within the fabric of the church. A momentary resurrection. (Designers: Ackroyd & Harvey)

15. Greenhouse Lamp

Designr: Kristyna Pojerova

16. Green Bed

Image credits: cepolina.com

17. Growing Jewelry

The collection of this hand jewelry is designed for people in metropolitan cities and is an experiment in drawing nature toward man, as nature is the presupposition of life. (Designer: Hafsteinn Juliusson)