MARVIN GARDENS

The Charm of an English Countryside Courtyard!

2010-09-02T19:26:40Z

At Marvin Gardens, we just love courtyards–they’re beautiful for so many reasons: their green foliage, soft and tunneled lighting and the nook-and-cranny charm they possess simply through being a “hidden” enclave between buildings. COCOCOZY recently featured the lush courtyard of an English hotel that we just had to share. Behold the Lime Wood Hotel. This former country house was recently renovated into a relaxing hotel in the middle of a national forest, COCOCOZY notes. Take a look below for some interesting facts about this landmark structure’s history.

From the Lime Wood Hotel:

Previously a hotel called Parkhill, Lime Wood was purchased by Jim Ratcliffe in 1999. It was closed in October 2004 when work was begun on its transforming renovation. The original building is a Regency country manor house built on the site of an earlier 13^th Century hunting lodge. It subsequently became a prep school for Royalty and aristocracy. The architectural additions that we have made to the site were designed by Charles Morris and Ben Pentreath with interiors by David Collins. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed bringing Lime Wood back to life and are thrilled with how our plans have turned out. We want you to get to know it, to enjoy it and to come back whenever you feel like being spoiled, breathing some fresh forest air, eating delicious food and just getting away.

What do you like about this particular courtyard? Do you have a certain hotel that you like to stay at regularly because of its own quaint courtyard?

Photo Credit: COCOCOZY

Green Curtains That Save Energy?

2010-09-01T12:50:34Z

We talked about Italian architect Gaetano Pesce’s vertical gardens in a post a few weeks ago and about the beneficial impact they have on space maximization but did you know they can also conserve energy? According to recent news from ReNest.com, the Japanese company Kyocera Group decided to attempt to cool off buildings with foliage and thus, the “Green Curtain” was born! ReNest notes that the curtains of leaves, vines and other plant matter blocks the sunlight out and decreases the temperature of the building by as much as 27° F. Who needs air conditioning anyway?!

From ReNest.com:

According to Kyocera, the curtains at their buildings in Japan, Thailand, and Brazil stretch a total length of 725m (2,379ft), covering a total area of 3,043m2 (32,750ft2) — an increase of roughly 4 times the area of last year. Throughout their annual growth cycle, these Green Curtains will absorb an estimated 10,651kg of carbon dioxide (23,481lbs. of CO2), or roughly the same amount as 761 cedar trees. For people who want to try this at home, the company’s website has instructions for preparing the soil, constructing the netting, planting, and maintaining the green curtains. Learn more at Kyocera Group Green Curtain Activities.

Photo Credit: Kyocera

Sharing Your Favorite Posts Has Never Been Easier!

2010-09-01T14:47:50Z

If you’re looking for a simpler way to share Marvin Gardens’ posts without having to copy and paste its links every time, then listen up. There’s now a feature at the bottom of every one of our blog posts that allows you to quickly and simply share it with over 200 social networking sites! Follow the 5 steps below and you’re good to go!

1. Click on the title of the post you wish to share.
2. At the bottom of the post click on or hover your mouse over the share box.
3. Scroll down until you find the application you want to share through, or type in the name in the search box and click the icon.
4. Enter your user name and password for the site.
5. Click enter or send (depending on the site) and you’ve shared our post.

And there you have it!