This past weekend, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair came to New York City, showcasing the latest in great product design, with a lot of emphasis on eco-friendly home furnishings. Whether furniture made from recycled materials or furniture that is completely bio-degradable, there were several examples of innovative design. We love seeing each year more and more designers creating products with a green mindset.

This year, one of our favorite exhibitions was a new concept from Urbio, a startup company founded by Beau Oyler and Jared Aller, that grew from humble beginnings on Kickstarter. The concept, “eco-plastic” pots allows anyone to build a simple garden anywhere in their house, all vertically on a wall. While it’s a great concept for small-area urban apartments, the resulting display is both modern and pleasing to the eye and could brighten up any indoor space with a touch of green. While we know the benefits of indoor plants for improving air quality, we have far from a green thumb. Urbio allows anyone who can hang a pot to start their own beautifull-made garden, starting small and growing as space allows.

The pots emulate a ceramic material, and are mounted with neodymium magents to attach to any receptive surface. The entire design process is focused on sustainable design. In addition to creating a lovely garden to fill your walls, Urbio is also creating a line focused on storage. So that magazine holder above your desk can double as a plant holder. The products can be purchased individually for ultimate customization. We think it’s a simple and fun system that would be a great project to make with your kids.