Functional and Beautiful

I first heard of the concept of the functional being beautiful in 1965. I was in New York City with the high school Key Club touring the United Nations. The young lady conducting the tour pointed the the exposed concrete beams in the ceiling of a large auditorium and made a comment that the architect believed that the functional is beautiful and did not need to be hidden behind a decorative facade. That's the only thing I remember about the tour. At the time it was a novel idea that took permanent residence in my memory.

Functionally I need my cisterns downhill from the house below the level of the roof so I can collect rain water. I need them situated above the level of the raised garden beds. I need the garden in an area with adequate sunshine. I need an area where I can build a garden shed and greenhouse without cutting trees. The only area that satisfies these functional requirements is an area just outside the front yard fence.


View of front yard from our deck. (Larger version)

I like this location. I'll be able to to sit on the deck and watch the garden grow. Every time I arrive home the first thing I'll encounter is the garden. It will never be out of site and forgotten.

I like this location. It's functional and adds a sense of beauty to my world.