Collective wisdom - Innovators - Hedge Design Collective, Los Angeles, California

Sunset, Oct, 2002 by Jil Peters

L.A.'S HEDGE DESIGN GROUP PROVES THERE'S STRENGTH IN NUMBERS.

Could thinking about a flower arrangement inspire the design of clothing? Could studying traffic flows suggest a great landscape plan? If the firm is the Hedge Collective, the answer is yes.

Hedge has formed an innovative design firm, bringing together architecture, web and graphic design, urban planning, clothing and product design, landscape architecture, and floral design businesses under one very hip roof; the result has L.A. talking and could influence the way design firms structure themselves in the future. Already other collectives are springing up in major U.S. cities.

The eight energetic cohorts of Hedge share not only operating expenses but also the belief that a dynamic group atmosphere like theirs makes them better at their individual disciplines. Architect Michael Rotondi, former director of the famed Southern California institute of Architecture (alma mater of Hedge's core members), says there are certain groups who meld so well that they form one bigger personality. "The Hedge group has that type of synergy."

That synergy has produced fresh looks at everything from seasonal plantings to websites. The accolades have followed, from exhibitions to lectures to design awards.

Although the members of Hedge hope to work on large-scale collaborations in the future just working in the same space-and the discussions that result-pushes the creative boundaries of their individual projects. "They say God is in the details," says Hedge's John Hirsch. "So it is easy to see how a solution in a garment can inform a decision about architecture."

RELATED ARTICLE: Tips from the Hedge

Take a broad view of your own home with these ideas from the Hedge Design Collective.

* Take a leap of faith. There should be at least one thing n that you re not completely comfortable with in your home or garden design before it's implemented: 9 times out of 10 it will become your favorite part of the finished project.

* Create family rituals. Plant a 'Red Baron' peach with your family, and each year hold a spring party to celebrate the tree's fallen blossoms.

* Be creative with your perimeter. Use perimeter plantings to screen unwanted views and frame desirable ones. Establish a perimeter planting a few feet in from your fence to create a great tool storage zone.

* Garden vertically. Think about landscape elements on different levels, not just flat, continuous lawns and borders. Try using edges and built elements to raise plantings closer to eye level.

* Do it yourself. Take one piece of your design (a trellis, light fixture, furniture piece) out of the contractor's bid and build it as a family.