2025 City Living Displays
Inspiring urban dwellers for decades, City Living garden displays, provide practical ideas and push the boundaries of what a patio, balcony, or small city garden can be. Explore artistic designs from the region’s top designers in natural light on the Sky Bridge.
City Living demonstrates just how artistic container plantings can be. These 12 ft x 6 ft masterpieces incorporate intimate outdoor living spaces for relaxing and entertaining while incorporating vertical wall planters, bold plant combinations, lavish textural accents, cozy seating and even water features. These gardens are created by leading retail nurseries and landscape designers in the Pacific Northwest.
Birds: City Migration
To capture the essence of Seattle and the sprawling Pacific Northwest landscapes that surround the city, a massive cityscape collage covers the walls of artists Katy LaReau and Diane Culhane’s display. In addition, an array of handcrafted birds from a variety of textured repurposed materials add an ethereal element showcasing an appreciation of local birds, encircled with beautiful enamel flowers and mindfully selected plants. The space is designed to emphasize passion for art to inspire and renew the soul while showing that you can curate an urban space filled with both natural and artful elements.
Take-home ideas: Celebrate the natural elements and living beings we encounter in nature in the home through design.
Designed by: Katy LaReau & Diane Culhane
Granny's Purrfect Patio
A gorgeous garden “catio” and green space is a cat lover’s dream, this display is “pawsitively purrfect!” Inspired by a Granny’s loving and sweet touch, the centerpiece is a massive cat enclosure that’s a feline fantasy, but visually stunning for humans to enjoy. The cat enclosure is decorated with faded floral prints and pretty pastels and is beautifully surrounded by a massive variety of pet-friendly, colorful blooms. Ivy climbs around the enclosure, while small trees and shrubs add height and depth. Plus, a selection of seasonal flowers such as primrose and tulips add to the spring color palette. As a final practical touch, a set of cute built-in planters double as a cozy seating option.
Take-home ideas: A well-designed, lightweight screen can transform a patio, enhancing safety and privacy without altering the structure.
Designed by: Fischer Homes LLC
Sarah’s Haven
Anyone looking to take a deep breath and relax outdoors after a long day will thrive at “Sarah’s Haven.” Evoking the charm of an English cottage garden and personal potting shed, this cozy retreat is the perfect place to chill out and take in nature’s delights. The setting combines outdoor plantings with a selection of cute indoor house plants for decoration and pollinator-friendly houses for birds and bees inviting the ecosystem to join in and enjoy the tranquil urban atmosphere. Overall, this endearing, livable outdoor space is a realistic and inspirational display for green thumbs and city slickers alike.
Take-home ideas: It’s easy to create a cozy space with simple, easy-to-find elements like local house plants.
Designed by: Lakewold Gardens
Pretty in Pink
Fans of bold, vibrant colors—especially pink—will love the "Pretty in Pink" display! Designed for small spaces, this garden proves that compact areas can be full of energy and charm. Bursting with playful energy, it features a captivating mix of textures and contrasts, creating a dynamic experience that keeps the eye engaged. This elegant yet playful garden is a study in sharp contrast, celebrating all shades of modern femininity. With its fanciful color palette and diverse textures, this design showcases how small gardens can be both striking and delightful, inviting visitors to appreciate the beauty and creativity of compact design.
Take-home ideas: Make even the smallest of spaces vibrant, bold, and intriguing.
Designed by: Ma Petite Gardens
The Book Nook
Welcome to “The Book Nook,” a peaceful retreat where greenery and cozy reading corners combine to create a calm, screen-free escape. Bookshelves surrounded by vibrant plants and subtle garden accents invite visitors to pause and unwind. Tucked-away reading nooks with comfortable seating offer a quiet space to relax and reconnect, imagining the stories that unfold amidst nature’s beauty. Adding a unique touch, fused glass windows by Mad Mosaics—made from upcycled glass and frames—bring light and sustainable artistry to the space. A simple botanical theme ties everything together, offering a balance of nature and comfort. Designed for book lovers and garden enthusiasts alike, this display encourages a moment of rest, reflection, and inspiration.
Take-home ideas: Design elements in this space are achievable for those living in a city with a small garden, who want to maximize the ability to capture a cozy ‘quiet time’ environment.
Designed by: Mad Mosaics
The Library Garden of Curiosities...
Woven from the artistry of two generations, this masterpiece reflects a historical and cultural connection, transforming nature into art and inspiring curiosity. A tribute to the Bloom family’s lasting legacy on the Sterling Library within the Morton Arboretum, this reimagined retreat features a similar collection of plants and botanical and horticultural books. Original art from the arboretum decorates the walls for a personal touch. Unusual and unique sculptural windchimes suspending volcanic obsidian blend the Blooms—old and new, modern and timeless. A serene study spot or a reading refuge, the garden serves as a city-dweller’s oasis.
Take-home ideas: Crafting a sanctuary for reflection and imagination enveloped in nature amidst the cityscape.
Designed by: Obsidian Windchimes
Taking Tea with the Bees
This tranquil display invites attendees to embrace the feeling of “tea time” while stepping into a peaceful retreat that blends physical beauty with tones of relaxation. Experiencing a lovely cup of tea in the garden provides a rejuvenating experience that promotes taking time for oneself, or enjoying the company of friends for a sip and chat. Adorable tea boxes filled with vibrant loose-leaf tea alongside blooming flowers ripe for pollination brighten up this city-living garden space, also allowing an aromatherapy-like experience when matched with the satisfaction of enjoying a hot cup of tea on an (ideally!) sunny Pacific Northwest day.
Take-home ideas: Consider designing your space around your favorite hobbies and activities.
Designed by: Powers that BEE Garden and TEA
Springtime in Paris
Showgoers will feel whisked away to a dreamy French patio with this enchanting display. The scene is brimming with charm, featuring vintage concrete planters, cast iron urns, a cozy bistro table, French artwork, a soothing fountain, a birdbath, antique light fixtures, French enamelware sinks, and other unique architectural salvages. Thoughtfully designed for small spaces, this display perfectly blends functionality and style, offering an ideal spot for a morning café au lait or an evening glass of wine. With a palette of soft, soothing tones, it invites relaxation and inspires a touch of Parisian elegance in everyday city life.
Take-home ideas: Get inspired to build your own mini vacation destination at home.
Designed by: The Brocante Beach House
Entomophiles Studio
Step into a space where art and entomology intertwine, celebrating the beauty of insects and the natural world. This display incorporates creativity with an artist’s tools, such as easels, brushes, and pens, alongside homes for insects and clusters of spring bulbs, yucca, succulents, native vaccinium, and needled evergreens. The space demonstrates that holistic, low-maintenance design can also be nurturing for humans and entomological creatures alike. Themed artwork adds a touch of whimsy, capturing the delicate charm of pollinators. Designed for reflection and creation, this garden is a tribute to the interconnected beauty of art, insects, and humans.
Take-home ideas: How to configure a small outdoor space to provide a play of joy and artistic expression.
Designed by: The Nonesuch LLC
CK Dexter Catio Haven
This cat-centric space is positioned around a larger-than-life “catio,” a safe, screened-in space for pets to enjoy the fresh air, outdoor scenery and potentially chase sought-after wildlife. Bordering the “catio” is stunning, colorful feline-inspired wall art by contemporary folk artist Tonya Gray. Lush, pet-safe greenery adds a vibrant touch, visually elevating the outdoor space for cats and humans alike. This funky area provides an opportunity to relax with pets outdoors, while still being a practical space for adding decorative flair and taking in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest outdoor landscape.
Take-home ideas: Transform your outdoor space to safely accommodate pets to enjoy nature with your fur babies.
Designed by: Tonya Gray Art Works
Magical Victory Garden
Step into a vibrant food forager's paradise inspired by Victory Gardens of yesteryear. A 70's-inspired patio, anchored by a floral chair set, bursts with life amidst brightly colored planters. The Freyr trellis from Seattle Urban Farm Co. adds vertical intrigue, supporting vines and playfully suspending a disco ball alongside hanging baskets. This compact oasis blends edibles with ornamentals: ferns, huckleberries, and grapevines mingle with pollinator-friendly flowers. Columnar fruit trees share containers with strawberries and tulips, while herbs in smaller pots dot the space. A solar-powered water feature invites wildlife to sip and rest, complemented by a cozy bug hotel. This joyful, multi-functional garden proves that even a balcony or small yard can become a year-round haven for foragers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Take-home ideas: Create an edible, wildlife-friendly space in a limited area by using vertical elements and multi-purpose plantings.
Designed by: West Seattle Native Garden LLC
A Dreamy Place to Rest
Step through a portal into a sanctuary of rest, where the busyness of life fades into a space for dreaming, growing, and unwinding. Sensory-friendly design encourages visitors to explore the art of slow living, envisioning their restful patio gardens. Pastel-hued plants, accompanied by mosses, ferns, and streptocarpella invite touch and soothe the senses, while vintage planters add visual interest. An apothecary cabinet filled with dried herbs for teas and tinctures is complemented by scented botanicals filling the air. An artist’s setup features a display of ‘art in progress,’ meant to inspire creativity while emphasizing the beauty of rest and relaxation. This space is a gentle reminder to pause, engage the senses, and reconnect with what truly nurtures you.
Take-home ideas: How to utilize a small space while still incorporating different elements and interests.
Designed by: W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory
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2020 Show Recognized!
2020 Show Recognized As One Of The Best By Better Homes & Gardens Magazine.