Urban Living...In The Woods?

During my travels over the weekend I discovered an apartment that was made to bring your mind out of the boring and monotonous lifestyle that apartment living can cause. I was very impressed with the decor and the attempts to make it more "up north". The apartment indoors is just an apartment...though there are a number of things that make it livable. Some creative lighting, pictures and other wall hangings make the inside feel very homey and comfortable. The deck outside is what I was impressed with. An area of roughly sixty four square feet became an apartment dwellers outdoor escape.

First, the plants cover three of the four walls on the deck. They range from vegetables, grasses, ivies and flowers. All of which were brought in

for a particular reason. The ivies climb the walls against the apartment to get rid of the vinyl look. The vegetables provide wall covering, color and food. The grasses are placed along the exterior railing so there is a camouflaged feel. It really makes a guy feel like you are sitting in a desert oasis! (minus the sand of course!) Second, there is plenty of space for people. The middle of the deck is completely open with a small grill off to the side. You can BBQ and sit back and enjoy the evening in

peace...without bumping elbows. Finally, the attention to the "up north" details is incredible. By "up north" I do not necessarily mean

decorations...but more or less the "feel" that you get when you are sitting next to the camp fire with good people enjoying the food,

company and beverages. So to make

this "feel" come to life, the

apartment dwellers purchased a small citronella burning fireplace.

The thing is probably no more than a six by six by six cube...with a small bowl in the center for burning the fuel. You can burn a non-citronella fuel in it for odor free flame. I did not think to ask what type or brand of fuel they used...so be careful if you find one! As the sun sets and dinner comes to and

end...is there anything better

than a camp fire? I think not. Pour the fuel into the bowl, light it up and there you have it. A camp fire that will burn 2-3 hours when full. You are probably thinking to yourself..."What is a campfire without the smell?" Well, there is an answer for all things...and they have found it. In many rustic style

stores you can find incense that often smells like cedar, pine or another wood. In this case they use the pine incense. They bought a miniaturized version of a pot belly deck stove to burn the incense in. Light that sucker up with the small fuel oil camp fire...along with some "mood lighting" provided by some dim hanging lights...and you have

yourself an "up north" camp fire experience

right outside your deck door! The also have

a small fountain sitting hidden in the plants to provide a trickling stream noise...and down off the deck in the pond there is a large fountain that sounds like a nearby rapids or falls.

I apologize for pushing so many pictures into such a little amount of text. I just wanted to show you what kind of setup they have. It was a lot of fun hanging out on the deck while we were there! I did not have a chance to take evening pictures to show the flame from the "camp fire" or the lights that are hanging behind leaves to provide some evening light. I really try to keep images of people off the site...since I do not want to make anyone mad. The deck was full the night we were there. :)

This is proof that there is hope for those living in apartments. You do not have to feel so urbanized. You can just make a few changes to your environment...as long as your complex allows...and you can really give your place the "feel".

Goodnight from Northern Michigan! (I also apologize for the horrible formatting that Blogger gives this post...I swear it looks good in my posting window!)

-Derek