Giovanni Tomasini‘s Mino Garden Gnome is a much more enterprising dwarf than those past. Despite its jazzy colors, the classic gnome we’ve all come to love is a melancholic figure, condemned to a purely decorative function within a domesticated and artificial environment. In Tomasini’s modern take, the 17th century gnome is given the job of tending to a garden for a season, after which he then disappears, leaving a bounty of plant food in his place. Crafted by hand, each Mino is made from home composted materials that have been packed into a gnome mold and then left to dry.
The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!







Now that they were in the NY Times, is there a way to purchase them, yet?
Hello IvyT!
I hope you can see soon, on store shelves MINO!
We are currently looking for a company wishing to invest in the project, and put it on the market. Children love it, and we are trying to introduce it in Italian schools, like a tool to teach waste’s recycling and composting in a fun way.
Giovanni Tomasini
Where can I purchase one of these little beauties?