Isn't the point of an outdoor chair to keep you off of the grass?

I voted Not, not because I object to sitting on grass, but because sitting under a tree is probably just as comfortable, and provides shade, and isn't all fancy frou-frou.

It looks like a Maya Lin sculpture, which I like. But the thought of sitting on ticks and chiggers makes me want to say, "Not hot."

How do you mow that thing?

I bet that it's super uncomfortable... but it's cool and different. Great conversation piece...

it's weird. It sort of reminds me of a burial mound, and that's certainly no place I'd want to sit and relax.

I like it. There's a long history of earth sculpture in gardens, and I think this is just a twist on that idea. I don't know how long the cardboard would last though, it might decompose and loose shape, but at least it gives you a good frame for molding your topsoil around before growing the grass.

But the fact that i live out west where cool grass is a treat and ticks and chiggers are not a problem may contribute to my liking this as well. I wouldn't use it when I'm in Dutchess county, for sure.

Fun in concept, but seems silly in reality. All I can see is a nice little well for trapping water and hatching mosquitos...

i keep thinking..bugs are gonna crawl up my dress..ewww no thanks!

Yikes... I expected SOME comments that liked the "art installation" poetry of this piece. (I do).

Tough, bug-phobic, practically-bent and half-empty crowd here today.

Bummer.

I just picture it becoming an enormous ant hill. It looks like a big flaw in a perfect lawn. Like a grass zit or something-

Not hot.

SO stupid.

Couldn't agree more patrick.

I kind of like it. I think it'd be nice to have a little group of them in a circle, you could sit out there with a few friends. As far as bugs are concerned, don't people sit on just regular old flat grass? There's just as many bugs there, if you're concerned you can throw a towel over it to sit on.

does it come with instructions on how to avoid becoming a soggy mess and how to compact rock and dirt in properly? probably. i think it would be cool to put in a corner somewhere.

OK, so anyone else think it looks like a toilet?

And the mowing thing would be tedious.

hey Ptoo! See my post 3 above you! I even mention art. :)

Yes, Rachel, you (and Cindy) started at "art". But still (both) went to "chiggers." :)

i think it is awesome. i want a whole grass livingroom set. and build a big grass mound in the middle of it as a collective shared ottoman.

What a bunch of New Yorkers!

"eu...sitting ON GRASS?...the horror"

For the record, AFIK, chiggers live in water, and one of my greatest summer pleasures is laying in the grass with my dog. And I use bar soap now and then, too.

I have wanted a couple of these since I first saw them about four years ago. I think they are completely awesome but I've never been able to justify the price for a few pieces of cardboard. Plus I agree that keeping it tended would be a pain (not to mention installing them) and I'm sure mine would never look as nice as the photo.

*looking at my metrocard* yes...a newyorker at heart.

I dont mind sitting on grass..with a blanket over it..

I guess that the water/rain would run through the grass form matrix and into the surrounding area. It probably gets mowed with a weed wacker, gas or electric or trimmed like hedge sculptures. I like it. It looks like it would take up the bulk of my yard, so it wouldn't be practical. I wonder about longevity as the grass roots would never be in the ground due to the underlying form.

I am too city-fied, I guess. Since I don't have a private outdoor space, when I think of grass, I think of public parks, other people's dogs and various city vermin. Based on that, not hot is still my answer.

VickyA--
Pretty sure that form is filled with soil, so I think the roots are indeed "rooted." As much as they'd be on any hill.

I think p(too) likes this primarily because it's sold by Purves & Purves.

Ha, Anne, you know me too well!

(Truth be told, my fervor is less about the product than it is about combatting the creeping-- and creepy-- negative vibe on here these days...)

Oh, i was only referring to the chiggers because I can see how freaked out people would be by them. My first sumer upstate I was miserable, worrying about Lyme disease and getting these awful chigger bites walking through the grass in flip flops. I couldn't bear to sit down in it.

But out here, in the west, there's nothing in the grass that bothers me, and I don't even LIKE the outside. It's usually dry, and hot, and the grass can sometimes be a saving grace. It seems you could probably make this kind of form on your own as well, and fill it with decent top soil to make sure the grass grows nicely....or you could cover it with creeping thyme or some other 'crushable' herb groundcover - imagine manipulating the shape to be a lounger, planting it with lemon thyme and then surrounding the back and sides with lavender....it'd be an outdoor aromatherapy extravaganza. That would be amazing, laying in the sun with a cool breeze wafting the scents over you.....a lemonade by your side, and the butterflies flitting about.....

Now THAT is art. :)

I like this "lawn chair" better:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/060507ephemeralgarden/8%20lawn%20chair

Original A.

I like it. Grass sitting does not scare me. Good grief, what kind of childhood did you people have? Of course, I don't live in NYC. Maybe the grass there is ultra disgusting? Strange.

rachel, I like your crushable groundcover idea. I also think moss would be gorgeous.

Mr. Green - agree 100%. My thoughts exactly.

I voted hot for anything that makes the outdoors more of a livable space is great in my book. (no outdoor space :-( NYC)

http://www.bobbyberkhome.com

I think that's totally cool, actually. I'm sure the form is filled in with earth - water would drain from the grass chair more quickly that it would drain from the flat ground. I would love a few of those in my (non-existent in reality) yard.

1 greer

Rather than getting soggy the problem would be keeping it moist enough that the grass doesn't dry out. And it's probably not much more of a hassle to cut the grass on than it is to cut around an immobile bench. As for bugs, well, it sounds like you New Yorkers have more bugs in your beds than most places have in their grass...

Ha. Bugs in beds. Now that is funny.

Another point. One would not use a mound of top soil to build this thing. Nothing really grows well in top soil. You would use manure/organic matter/humus (no, not the stuff that goes with pita.) Lawn grasses don't have particularly deep roots, but need regular water (a big downside.)

The lawn chair (get it?) would drain just fine and I would simply use a big scissors or hand trimmers. No reason to use up gasoline or electricity with a weed wacker.

I think the most obvious flaw in the design is that one side of the chair thing will be shaded for the majority of the day...the grass will die. That could look very bad.

On the other hand, you could always plant the backside of the chair with shade tolerant plants (think ferns, vines, or even flowers); that could look even better than the all-grass design.

This is a super cool idea.

Unfortunately, I doubt the company is being truly forthright with the results. Kind of like toy commercials where a little truck jumps a ramp in slow motion and kicks up a big rooster tail of dirt. Sure, with the help of a camera crew. This chair I'm afraid couldn't really support this type of healthy growth in the photo without a little computer tweaking. I know, I'm being presumptuous but there is no way grass could grow on the back of this chair unless it were smeared on like chia pet seeds.

It's a great idea and I want it to work. I love sitting in the grass. Having had experience building a corrugated vertical grower for vegetables I had a problem with the cardboard growing slimy mold. Maybe that won't matter here because the cardboard is supposed to be a form to hold the dirt. But the dirt will not be able to stay sculptured like that, especially after sitting on it. Sounds like an expensive experiment to me.

Um, how come hills have green grass growing on all sides?

I agree with Patrick - why does no one assume this could be more sculpture than 'pottery barn'? I think it's beautiful in a lush (ideally) and haunting way. HOT was my vote.

Somebody please buy this and try it out to put this to rest!

I can't help but feel as though most who have commented on this are city people. I lay in the grass all the time. Sure, I occasionally get a bug crawling on me, but that's par for the course. I know my boyfriend would love this idea. He has a stump out in the woods near the house where he sits to make/listen to music. This would give him a whole new place to get creative and enjoy nature.

Commenting from the tick and chigger infested woods of the buggy. muggy south... I try to ignore the itching welts that steadily spread as the summer progresses. If I stay inside that means the ticks and chiggers have won, though I know two people currently sick with Lyme and I have a menagerie of tick transporters that roam the fields and come back into the house. I check for them constantly.
Chiggers, or redbugs, are in grass, rocks, leaves, everywhere, but not in the water. You can't see them, only the welts they make.
That aside, I like the chair idea. I have tended a mounded dirt/grass sculpture and it did require a lot of attention to keep it looking nice. Over time it wore down from use. The shape looks like it would be useful to sit on. I'd like the chair to be more sculptural, with larger arms.

What's a chigger?!

A chigger is a tiny bug that I've never seen that leaves a mosquito-bite type itchy welt that lasts about a week. You usually don't get just one bite - they come in handfulls.

Here in the midwest, I've never gotten chigger bites or seen ticks in a residential lawn. In my experience, chiggers live in grassy fields that aren't mowed regularly (grass up to your knees or higher). Ticks like the deeper woods.

I like the chair.

Totally hot. Totally awesome looking. Totally not for *@^$87 sitting on! Sheesh. Some furniture has a higher purpose than being "comfortable" and "useful". Philistines!

yeah, kate(nc)! chiggers are an all too common pest here in the south...WAY worse than mosquitoes. and they definitely don't live in the water.