On the inside, Shanghai Terrace is all 1930s supper club, but on the large, open terrace, the restaurant transitions into a modern garden patio with views of surrounding skyscrapers and Michigan Avenue.

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It even includes those of us with pea patches in our backyards (this modern victory garden is tended by a Seattle area CFO).

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It had recently been renovated by interior designer Studio Sofield with countertops made with the same marble found in the Museum of Modern Art's garden.

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The hotel also has a modern version of a Chinese tea house and sunken garden on street level.

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The 16 rooms are modern in style, and most overlook the pool and cacti garden.

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London has a tradition for redeveloping its historical markets, and Smithfield would be the latest in a line of renovations, including Leadenhall Market and Covent Garden, both of which still stand on their medieval sites and mix original architecture and modern design.

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But the modern movement began in New York in 1973 when the Green Guerilla group transformed a vacant lot into a productive garden.

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Their modular modern home has space for Mr. Turner's studio, the living space the couple desired and a roof garden from which they can survey miles of London's skyline.

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