Friday, October 24, 2014

Spotted in Berkeley…


Walking down Bancroft Way across from the UC Berkeley Campus I was surprised to see a certain national retailer who’s been facing criticism for some of its questionable choices (and suffering for it) was featuring CMU planter walls in their current displays.

They’re supposed to be cutting edge, ahead of the pack. Don’t they know these things were all over the garden blogs back in 2011? Three years ago!

As I was snapping these photos I had a flashback to criticism I read about these DIY creations, it mentioned their lack of a grounding footing, rebar and mortar – basically indicating they’re an accident waiting to happen.

I wonder if students all across campus are building similar displays in their dorm rooms?

I wonder where they found those concrete cylinders?

I wonder if this is part of the official visual merchandising outline or improvisation with an extra?

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

27 comments:

  1. When I first saw this I thought it was going to be Crate & Barrel. But that last shot into the store had me convinced it was Abercrombie & Fitch. Nope! Guess there's a lot of retail outfits with image problems. I have also heard similar complaints about these concrete block constructions.

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    1. Oh yes, well it could have certainly been Abercrombie & Fitch for all the stupid things they've been up to (please tell me there aren't similar things going on with Crate & Barrel?).

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  2. They do have an urban vibe. The store probably likes the ease of assembling and disassembling these. My guess is they'll be gone in a month.

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    1. Oh yes, I doubt they'd ever leave a display up longer than a month, that would be poor retailing.

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  3. I'm on the fence about these planters. I wouldn't want one myself, but in the grand scheme of things, they're not offensive to me either.

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    1. It was interesting to see Andrew's reaction because they were completely new to him. He thought they were pretty cool.

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  4. These look tacky to me, but when Pam did them, I liked them. Either I am in thrall to her influence or it really does matter who is doing the DYIing.
    Similarly, I've been admiring several uses of bottle borders but am up in the air about the one I've started. R. is firmly in the "tacky" column. I'm thinking it's too soon to tell, but a lot of work if I'm eventually going to tear it out.

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    1. Pam's is in a garden setting, I'm sure that probably has something to do with it? (not to take away from her DIY skills!). Oh I'd love to see an image of your bottle border!

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  5. That one is so tall, with those tempting "steps" for climbing, that I can only hope they secured it to the wall to keep passing kids from climbing on it. Aside from that issue, I like these planter walls, as you know, and have had a low one in my own garden for several years.

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    1. I didn't want to test it (can you imagine being the one who knocked it over?) to hard but I don't think it was secured. (I was going to link to yours in the text but then discovered Annette did and her link had more images so that's why I used hers)

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  6. Too funny. I -just- read in someone's blog that succulents are considered 'old lady' plants by some people in Los Angeles! I've no quarrel with them but I'm not a big fan of concrete anything.

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    1. I bet that was Ivette Soler on Garden Rant? If not I'd love to know about it because that would mean even more people are on the "old lady plant" bandwagon.

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    2. Yes, I think that was where I saw it. I agree with Hoover Boo -- they said that like being an old lady was bad or something.

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  7. I'm on two minds with this one. I don't mind it on certain settings and can look good (painting it can help) but we wouldn't want it for ourselves.

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    1. Ya it doesn't really seem like something that would work in your garden. Funny painting isn't something I'd have thought of!

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  8. I think they have a place and this might just be it. Not Anthropologie? Looks like their kind of decor. They have one of these concrete stacks outside our local Whole Foods.

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    1. No, Urban Outfitters. I wasn't being intentionally coy, I just didn't feel like giving them press. I'd love to see the Whole Foods version!

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  9. Easy to make concrete cylinders. Quik-Tube form, wet cement.

    So, if an old lady likes something, then it's bad?

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    1. I hate HATE working with cement. We've done it twice (footings for the shade pavilion and footings for the trellis) and it's messy icky work. This is one time I would pay extra to not have to DIY it.

      I read the old lady line of thinking/criticism as meaning the thing in question is outdated, not current and cutting edge. Yesterday's trend. The kiss of death for those who must be seen to be hip. Is that bad? Only if you think so.

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  10. They don't do it for me ... too much concrete and not enough plant, but maybe I'm just old school where plant is king ?

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    1. There certainly is line of thinking that puts the hardscape over the plantings, I'm not there either.

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  11. Ouch! That article. Looking at that mountain of concrete (which as you say is an accident waiting to happen) in front of all that glass makes me nervous. That aside, I don't mind them in the right setting.

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    1. Kind of made me wince, thinking of someone leaning on one of the ones in the window...

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  12. Ha! No Urban Otf. here, though there are some trendy versions for various demographics. Not sure how many good settings that close to the San Andreas Fault without some reinforcement, but here with such a low earthquake potential, I could see some UTEP hispters with such planters in their apts, dorms, etc. If I were into those, it would be agaves all the way!

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  13. It's not really my style, but I can see the appeal in the right place. It looks a bit dangerous there, though, as you say--especially with the glass.

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  14. I enjoy working with concrete! Maybe we should have a concrete cylinder making party in your driveway. The planters are cool but I'd like to see some cascading succulents (not like falling over in the earthquake) hanging down as well. How about painting them terra cotta?

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