The DIY Channel’s new show, “This New House” premieres tonight, July 29th, at 8PM/7C. If the trailer for the series is any indication, it should be chock full of innovative, high tech products, many of them geared towards energy savings and other aspects of green living.
One of the projects highlighted in the first three episodes is the Cleantech Teaching Center, a state of the art showcase home located in Beverly, MA. This house features an entirely LED lighting system, rainwater recovery system, geothermal energy, and solar photovoltaic panels. Sustainable materials were used throughout the interior, including Trend USA’s lovely Trend Q recycled glass tile. Cleantech Homes, LLC has applied for LEED PLatinum status for the home. Read the rest of this entry »
I love these colorful, foldable, flat pack steel shelves!
Designed by Matthias Ries, the Piegato One is made of a single sheet of steel, which arrives cut, perforated and ready to fold into a sturdy little shelf.
In Victorian times, it was considered unseemly to snuggle too close to your intended until you were married. So for all those lovesick ladies and gentlemen, the “courting bench“, was invented. Also referred to as a tete a tete, the courting bench consisted of two seats joined together, but facing opposite directions. Very popular amongst worried Victorian parents. Probably not so much for the young men and women required to sit politely in them.
Those prim Victorians definitely wouldn’t have appreciated the sensuous curves of Onyx’s brilliant, and oh so modern, interpretation. Read the rest of this entry »
Wine is a wonderful thing. I should know, because my husband works in the business. Yeah, it’s tough being married to somebody who has to bring home bottle after bottle of delicious wine to taste. I know, I know. Your heart bleeds for me.
Anyway, wine is a multi-billion dollar, global industry, and anything that big generates a LOT of waste. So I thought I would share some of my favorite sustainable goods made from the remnants of the wine making process…
Recycled paper, molded into a shade, then fully wired and ready to go! Created and developed by Polish designer Ania Werner, the Make Your Lamp manages to be both sustainable AND affordable.
This last Sunday, my husband and I took our son to the Annual Origami Festival at the CSULB Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. The normally tranquil space, its large pond filled with jewel colored koi, had been transformed into a bustling garden full of happy, paper folding families. Origami aficionados and amateurs alike were busily creating flowers, boxes, cranes,… hats, brooches, pterodactyls,… whatever their fingers could fold.
I was killing time, wandering around while my son tried to convince a very overstuffed koi fish to take one more piece of fish chow, when I ran across a lovely sight…
A loom! Now, I’m not a weaver, but I did once take a class, and I find the whole process fascinating. As I stood in front of this loom and stared at the work in progress, I wondered what on earth the yarn was made of. I couldn’t figure it out. Was it jute? No, not rough enough. Was it wool? No, no fibers sticking out. Well, what the heck was it?? Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve admired the striking felt designs of Selina Rose for awhile, and thought it was high time I shared them with you too.
Now, I’m not usually a big fan of shocking pink, but this rug is just the sort of cheerful detail that can make a room. Using technology to cut crisp, whimsical designs out of thick wool felt, Selina Rose has taken an ancient material and given it a new, playful edge. Read the rest of this entry »
Here is an interesting interview with Marc Schamburg of Australian design firm Schamburg and Alvisse talking about the big pile of “eWaste” behind him and how it can be turned into the chair he is sitting on.
Click here to find out more about their 050 chair.
The international scope of sustainable design never ceases to amaze and inspire me.
Take for instance this beautiful wooden pendant lamp by Korean designer Kwon Jae Min. For this piece, he used the natural fissures found in wood to allow the escape of light, creating an intriguingly ethereal design. Appropriate to it’s form, the piece is named “Crack Bowl Light”, a name which has (most likely unintentional) implications in American culture that can’t help but raise an eyebrow or two. Read the rest of this entry »
The interioRevolution is a design blog devoted exclusively to sustainable interior design. Through product reviews, guest blogs by experts in their fields, special features and spirited discussion, the interioRevolution provides new knowledge and expands the dialogue on sustainable interior design.
