Valentine’s Day is on its way folks, so i’ve put together a little selection of fun, sustainable gifts you can still snag in time for the holiday,… if you act fast!

Metal wall art, made from recycled aluminum cans by Transcendant Treasure.  These pin up onto the wall in any configuration you want.

Love Pillow sewn from recycled plastic bottle felt by Personal Pillow.  The heart is a pocket you can hide a little note or treat in.

Light a torch in your loved one’s heart with this red current scented, 100% soy wax candle from Torch Illumination.

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Usefulness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Jacob Ruch has a knack for bringing out both characteristics in his work.  Curbside cast-offs, salvage yard finds, construction refuse – all find a place at Reason Furniture Design, where the proverbial sow’s ear is transformed into… you know.

The company is named for Jacob’s great-uncle, Reason Ruch, who was, according to the artist, “extremely independent and self-sufficient, an excellent craftsman who could make wonderful things with very limited resources.”  Jacob strives to make his business emulate those qualities. Read the rest of this entry »

While the name and the concept seem pure ’70s (if this bed’s a rockin’…),

the execution is most definitely not!   This is the Mood Rocking Bed by Shiner International, and it has style!

I just have to say, I don’t know whether it’s the pastoral setting, the pretty draping of the netting above, or simply that I need a nap, but that bed looks awfully tempting, don’t you think?

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Todays’ post is brought to you by the letter h.

Kidding.  It’s a chair.  Shocking for a design blog to write about a chair, right?

But this isn’t just any chair.  It’s the Katra Chair by Aparte Studio of France, and it is made from a very interesting material. Read the rest of this entry »

Funky.  Crazy.  Creative.

The work of Corque Design is all of these and more.

This Portuguese company offers an interesting range of furniture & accessories, all crafted with cork taken from the Sobreiro (cork oak indigenous to the southern regions of Portugal).  Unlike wood, the harvesting of cork does not involve felling but merely the periodic gleaning of bark from the trees, which are left to continue growing in good health.  In addition to being a renewable resource, cork is recyclable, non-toxic and durable.  The bark is extracted manually, which involves no damage to the living tree, while the proceeding manufacturing process involves little waste and a low usage of resources.

But what really sets Corque Design apart from many environmentally-conscious companies is the sheer whimsy and versatility of its product line. Designers have lots of room to play.

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Now, you just have to love someone who calls themselves “The Crazy Belt Lady“, don’t you think?

And just as the name implies, Leslie Dickinson is crazy about belts.  Lots and lots of old belts – all woven together to form the seating for chairs she has refurbished.

I swear I see one of the of the funky black leather belts I used to wear back in college… Read the rest of this entry »

Occasionally I run across something that defies description and leaves me grappling with words as one grapples with wet soap in the tub.  Look at this chair:

It’s a piece of furniture.  It’s a work of art.  So lovely!

But do you describe it?  For that matter, how do you describe much of what Tom Raffield produces in his workshop in Cornwall, England?  The gentleman’s website modestly labels his product “steam bent lighting and furniture,” but there’s more to the story than that.

This is art.

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The little wooden robot sits there, head cocked, arms outstretched, vacant drilled eyes staring into space.  Its expression is puzzled and innocent.  It looks like it wants a hug.  It’s cute.

Sometimes, in the earnest seriousness of striving to live green, we forget our sense of humor.  Marjolaine Poulin of M Design hasn’t forgotten… and she loves nothing better than to make other people smile, hence the little army of wooden robots marching out of her workshop in El Salvador.

Marjolaine (“Mao”) has taken scrap wood & discarded furniture and raised them both into art.

A native of Quebec, Canada, Mao splits her time between Montreal and El Salvador, always looking for inspiration.  Her introduction to woodworking came in 2004 in Guatemala, where she learned classical bamboo carpentry from a Taiwanese master.  Shortly afterward she began crafting her own designs hoping to promote bamboo’s many advantages as a building material in Central America.

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Although it isn’t a strict policy, I try not to feature Etsy sellers more than once.   I’m glad I’m not strict about it, because if I was, I couldn’t show you this little gem…

Crafted in New Orleans by Matthew Holdren – whose gorgeous beds I featured back in May – the Kerlerec Desk is a pitch perfect piece of salvaged wood furniture.

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For me, colder weather brings thoughts of cozy mornings by the fire, wool sweaters, and hot cups of tea.

This little stool fits into my daydream perfectly.  Created by Etsy seller Hogenbirk Knitwear, this handmade stool, with its knitted wool cover is the epitome of simple, stylish Dutch design.

Sweet, no? Read the rest of this entry »