Eating in eco-style at the Greenhouse
Home » Blog » Holly Jean Brooker » Eating in eco-style at the GreenhouseThis week Holly Jean checks out the world-renowned Greenhouse, in Perth's CBD.
Photo above by Nate Robert via Flickr. Other phots by Holly Jean Brooker
Yesterday I spent a glorious morning drinking a series of flat whites and, later, a glorious evening drinking New Zealand Riesling at the super-styling Greenhouse in Perth’s CBD.
This place is banging! Throughout this cruisy Tuesday, the place was constantly rocking with hipsters, local businessmen, older couples and young alike, all drinking and chewing the goodness that the Greenhouse has to offer.
Made almost entirely from raw and recycled products, the Greenhouse is casual and cool in its appreciation for the environment, with sustainable living shown as a normal and easy way of life. It doesn't boast about its eco-splendor, nor skite of its green sensibility. It simply walks the talk, leading the way for designers, architects, builders, cafe owners and the like to follow suit.
My visual euphoria was overwhelming as I took in the many different textures, fabrics and styles incorporated in the spaces that make up the Greenhouse. It just feels good to sit in this understated environment, resting in the knowledge that it is made of discarded items, natural and used materials, quality and durable pieces that would have otherwise gone on landfills, re-crafted into something quirky, useable and very cool.
The outside of this building is a sight to behold, its most unique feature being that it is covered almost entirely in ivy. After a solid summer of sweet growth the original strawberry plants have died, recently replaced with pots of ivy, which will again cover the greenhouse in the months to come. The outdoor space in front of this building is drenched in the morning sun, and splattered in furniture consisting of chairs made of old signs, tables with steel bases and used plywood table tops. Trees and shrubs grow in used metal transport containers, dotted around the courtyard.
On entering the Greenhouse, a gardening spade features as the opening door handle, a simple statement of that which will continue beyond the glass door. In the same theme, waitresses fill water glasses from a silver metal watering can, adding to the green saturation. The interior walls and roofs are insulated with hay bales, and a large portrait of this same dried good decorates the main wall on entry. Light shades are cleverly lashed together with fencing wire, tied in a bundle around a single lightbulb.
In the bathroom, the concept of recycled water is shown in action. Here each toilet has a handbasin on top of the cistern. Upon flushing, this tap flows with fresh water to clean hands, which is then reused to fill the cistern for the next patron. Hand-drying comes in the form of re-washable recycled fabric hand towels, roughly hemmed and placed in a tin bucket on the side of the basin, for individual use.
On the roof of this hip inner-city eatery, a flourishing and lovingly tended-to vegetable garden surrounds the roof edge, producing fresh food for use in the open kitchen below. Patrons can sit in the rooftop bar in the evening and enjoy the sounds and sights of the city below, while escaping city chaos by taking in the smells and freshness of the garden surrounding them.
Sitting among so many great sustainable methods that aren’t forced, advertised or pushed onto patrons is inspiring and empowering. Eco-living is engrained in the core of this place, oozing out in a raw and natural manner. The Greenhouse is definitely one of my 10 favourite hot eco-spots in the world, and I would passionately recommend that you add this eatery onto your list of must-sees.
