Urbanature – Product design for a better life in the city.

Less space. More possibilities.

Since 2013, we have been developing products for people who live in urban areas and want to make better use of the space available to them. Back then, urbanisation was one of the major issues. More and more people were moving from the countryside to the city – and with them came the desire to bring a touch of nature and quality of life with them.

Fundamentally, little has changed in this regard. The challenges have simply become more varied today. Housing is scarce and expensive. Balconies and terraces are getting smaller. For many, the bicycle is becoming the most important means of transport in the city. Suddenly, working from home requires space within one’s own home. At the same time, in the face of climate change, there is a growing desire for more green spaces, more conscious consumption and products that do not need to be replaced after just a few years. It is precisely for this reality of modern life that we are developing Urbanature.

Products that take up little space, solve a specific problem and last as long as possible.

“We are drawn to nature. It is in our nature. But we live in cities and feel a longing for the original.”

From the countryside to the city – and a longing for the authentic.

Urbanature was founded in 2013 by Jörg Brachmann, a qualified product designer.

It all started with a simple observation:

Life is increasingly shifting to the city – yet many traditional products have never really been reimagined to suit this new reality. A large garden becomes a balcony. The workshop becomes a storage room. The bicycle suddenly ends up in the hallway. The workplace moves into the living room. And yet we still want to plant, harvest, create, work, store our belongings properly and feel at home. That is precisely why Urbanature develops its products.

Between the city and the countryside. Between limited space and a high quality of life. Between function and design.

Urban gardening was just the beginning for us.

The first Urbanature products focused primarily on one question:

How can we bring nature back into the city when space is limited?

Planting where there isn’t really a garden.

Our urban gardening products create growing space on balconies, terraces, courtyards and walls. Not by simply making traditional gardening products smaller, but by thinking about how the available space can be used differently.

This led to the development of solutions for urban gardening, balconies and patios. Raised beds make efficient use of small spaces. Vertical planting systems turn walls into additional growing space. Planters and accessories help people to garden even where there is no traditional garden. Yet the idea behind Urbanature has always been broader than just urban gardening. After all, limited space doesn’t just affect plants; it affects our entire daily lives.

Making better use of limited space.

Storing your bike where there isn’t really any space.

In many cities, the bicycle is increasingly replacing the car. And for many people, it’s no longer just a simple old bike, but a high-quality cycle – a piece of sports equipment or a family runabout. This raises a surprisingly simple question in everyday life:

Where should I put my expensive bike?

It is particularly in flats, hallways or small entrance areas that a good solution is often lacking. Products such as our Bikeblock are therefore designed according to the same principle as our urban gardening products: making better use of the space available, rather than requiring more and more space.

Working where there isn’t actually an office.

Working from home has changed our homes. For many people, a separate home office is neither available nor affordable. Nevertheless, working to concentration requires a suitable space. Here, too, product design begins for us with a question:

How much of the product does it really take to work properly?

The Urban Desk embodies this very concept. A workspace for rooms where there is no room for a traditional office. Stripped back to the essentials. Functional. Well thought-out. And designed to blend seamlessly into the living space.

Good product design does not begin with the shape.

For us, good product design does not begin with an attractive shape, but with a clearly defined problem.

Once the task has been understood, the in-depth market analysis begins: we explore, compare and examine things closely. What solutions are already available? How do they work? What are their strengths – and, above all, their weaknesses?

After all, a new Urbanature product needs a good reason to exist. It is only when we realise that a problem can be solved more effectively that the actual development begins. This might mean taking up less space, a more intelligent design, improved usability, a more durable material, or a solution that has never existed before. These requirements give rise to function and design – and ultimately to the form.

So we don’t start by designing an attractive shape and then looking for a purpose for it. We start with the problem and develop a solution from there.

Developed in Lützen, near Leipzig.

Quality rather than short-lived compromises.

Very low prices are usually found in the Far East, due to large production volumes, thinner material gauges, cheaper materials and production methods that are designed primarily to keep the unit price as low as possible.

Urbanature has deliberately chosen a different path.

For us, quality means selecting materials and designs in such a way that a product functions reliably over the long term and can be used for as long as possible. This includes robust materials, appropriate material thicknesses, repairable designs, and the availability of spare parts and accessories.

For us, sustainability doesn’t start with a label, but with quality and durability.

Our aim is not to offer the cheapest product – but one that retains its value for many years.