I had the pleasure last night of being part of a panel discussion on green home remodeling, presented by the Orange County chapter of the USGBC.  My fellow panelists were award winning architect Brion Jeanette, landscape architect and TV personality Dean Hill, and energy efficiency expert Dan Thomson, president and founder of The Building Doctors.

Our moderator was the ever charming Cathy Baranger (with me above), one of the founding members of the USGBC chapter in Orange County.

Our setting was the beautiful Room & Board store at South Coast Plaza Village.  Love those recycled aluminum Emeco chairs.  So sharp!

They really pulled out all the stops to accommodate us, including setting up a terrific room for our panel discussion.

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I’m in the process of trying to catch up on all I’ve missed while I was “enjoying’ my annual Summer cold and laryngitis fest.  As i’ve been plowing through an amazing backlog of design websites, I thought I would share with you one of the trends that really seems to be taking hold – metal origami.

image via Yanko Design

Combining the green design communities love for the efficient use of materials with the energy savings of flatpack design, these three dimensional pieces made of a single sheet of recyclable metal are all the rage.

Here we see the Qbik steel lamp, designed by Enrico Zanolla and Andrea Di FIlippo for Miniforms Spa.  With its boxy form and heat releasing perforated top, this lamp has a very modern industrial feel.  But folded metal can also look a bit softer… Read the rest of this entry »

There is something so wonderfully anthropomorphic about the Link Table Lamp from Room & Board.

This whimsical LED lamp, designed by Pablo Pardo, seems the perfect fit for a child’s room. Read the rest of this entry »

After a week of computer woes and petty jealousy towards all the bloggers that got to go to Milan Design Week (maybe if I start saving my pennies for 2011 now?), not to mention an Earth Day spent scrambling to get caught up on all the work those same computer woes caused me to get behind on, it’s nice to be back to the blog.  Maybe spending a little time telling you about neat stuff I saw on the internet this week will get me back in the groove.

So, here is one of the first things I saw written about from Milan this week.  Tokujin Yoshioka’s “Memory” chair.  Created from recycled aluminum, it changes shape every time someone sits in it. (Inhabitat)

To see more amazing furniture, lighting and products from Milan Design Week, check out Inhabitat’s “Best of” slide show. (Inhabitat)

Here are some cool wildlife portraits made from old topographical maps.  This one is actually from last week, but too lovely not to mention. (BoingBoing)

I love this wallpaper using old newspapers to create a grasscloth look.  Fairly expensive, but for the right room it could be stunning. (Design Green)

Love this rustic yet very modern take on the picnic bench, using brightly colored enameled aluminum and FSC certified redwood. (re-nest)

Recycled gym floor decor – fun! (Green Your Decor)

Finally, is this the greenest bulb of all? (Design Green)

Happy weekend everyone!

The week has flown by.  I was so busy running around looking at all sorts of new design in the showrooms during West Week and Spring Market that I didn’t notice I was getting worn out.  Had to spend Thursday resting and recuperating.  The cat appreciated having me hold still long enough that he could perch on my lap and drool on my computer.  He’s a giver that cat.

I want to thank our wonderful guest blogger this week, Linsi Brownson of Inspired Design Daily!  She wrote beautifully – as always.

So onto this weeks Wrap-up!

Image via Inhabitat

I don’t know why but every time I look at this image, the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind plays round in my head.  These are in fact new energy efficient “Trex” lamps, and they are definitely worth a closer look. (via Inhabitat)

How about aluminum tiles made from retired airplanes?  You can even get them with old rivets and dings left in. (via re-nest)

A good list of 10 water efficient kitchen faucets, priced from high to low. (via re-nest)

Beautiful tile made from the waste by-products of the fishing industry (via The Thread Post)

Cute kids furniture made of cardboard, from Riki Watanabe designs first conceived of in 1965. (via Chictip)

Love this clever chair cut from one piece of plywood. (via Yanko Design)

I always advise people not to get a memory foam mattress. Now you can read why. (via Treehugger)

And lastly, although it’s not really about green interior design, Planet 100’s Top 5 Eco Contradictions is a great way to understand a little more about greenwashing.

Have an amazing weekend all!

New from Lutron’s Ivalo Collection are these lovely LED interior sconces.  Designed to take advantage of the LEDs smaller profile, these slim and trim fixtures easily meet ADA requirements, all while consuming minimal energy.

all images via Lutron

Perhaps the most elegant of Ivalo’s new offerings is the L’ale sconce (above).  With its low profile and gentle curves, it has an air of modern sophistication.  Made of cast aluminum.

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One of  my favorite sources for lamps, mirrors, and vases, Babette Holland Design, has a new series of their lovely, spun aluminum table lamps out.  As though echoing my thoughts, they have named it “I Need a Vacation”!

Made from 75-80% recycled content aluminum, Babette Holland takes care through every part of the process to be as environmentally sensitive as possible, including using a topcoat that allows the aluminum to be recycled afterward.  Although, I can’t imagine that it’s likely these stylish lamps will ever wind up in the recycling heap! Read the rest of this entry »