Friday Wrap-up – 7/23/10

I’m actually on vacation right now (shhhh!  don’t tell anybody), but I’ve kept my eye out for interesting stuff to share anyway…

image via Shelterrific

Here are some really CUTE pillows from recycled materials, by Alexandra Ferguson. (Shelteriffic)

West Elm’s new line of FSC certified office furniture, designed by students at Pratt. (Inhabitat)

A lovely new kitchen, made of reclaimed materials, that looks absolutely classic. (re-nest)

GE has unveiled their latest technology in super efficient OLED lighting. (Inhabitat)

It takes 5,000 cocoons to provide enough silk for one kimono!  And this guy is raising the caterpillars, spinning the silk, and weaving it all by himself. (BoingBoing)

The first U.S. Certified Passive House, in Louisiana of all places. (Treehugger)

And finally, the most adorable ad, made on a whim by an 11 year old girl, for Harmony Art organic cotton fabrics.  Seriously, somebody hire this girl! (The Journey is the Prize)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

6 Beautiful Reasons to Use Recycled Glass TIle

Remodeling your kitchen?  Designing a fancy new restaurant?  Just looking for something amazing and sustainable?  Here are 6 reasons you should consider recycled glass tile…

Mosaic “wallpaper” by Trend USA

1.  Recycled glass takes only 50% of the energy to produce that virgin glass does.

Oceanside Glasstile

2.  Recycled glass  can be made into any form, color, or shape you can imagine. Read the rest of this entry »

Formspring, Questions, and Me

A while back I signed up for a social media outlet known as Formspring.  The idea behind the site is to allow people to ask questions (which can even be posted anonymously)  of a particular person, and receive an answer that can then be viewed by anyone.  Sort of like a Q&A Twitter, only without the 140 character limit.

The nicest thing for me was that I could put a little widget on our site where people could submit questions, and then my answers would stay available on Formspring for the foreseeable future.  Beats getting emails, because with those I can only reply to one person at a time.

So I thought you might like to see a few of the questions (in bold) I’ve received in the short time it’s been up, and with luck, the answers I gave will make sense.   And please don’t hesitate to submit your own questions anytime.  I’m always happy to help someone with sustainable design! Read the rest of this entry »

What a Relief – Gore Design

Like an extension of the natural world, the irregular topography of Gore Design’s Signature Erosion Sink has a beauty all it’s own. Read the rest of this entry »

Reuse As A Kitchen Design Philosophy – Part 1

We are so pleased to welcome this weeks guest blogger, award winning kitchen and bath designer Susan Serra, of Susan Serra Associates.

I am honored to be a guest blogger for The Interior Revolution, and the area of design that I specialize in is kitchen design. I am especially excited to talk about greening one’s kitchen because there are just so many interesting and innovative ways to create a green kitchen. Today, I’d like to focus on the philosophy of reuse.

I have personal experience designing an entirely new kitchen with a (mostly) reuse philosophy. Reuse, to me, by definition, means thinking creatively, first and foremost. You tap into a part of your brain that may be programmed by default to “buy new”. That IS how most of us are programmed! You change that preprogrammed channel to “reuse”, you open yourself bit by bit to finding useful AND creative solutions for your kitchen design, and miraculously, the solutions appear! Read the rest of this entry »

Friday Wrap-up – 3/12/10

What a week!  Things are really starting to come together here at theinterioRevolution, and I want to thank one and all for being a part of that!  Most especially, I would like to thank this weeks guest blogger, David of Sidecar Furniture, who has done such an amazing job of informing us all about artisan wood furniture!

So here’s what caught our eye this week…

Image via design*sponge

Spied on design*sponge, this set of nesting tables, made of recycled wood and old rebar.  They are really kinda cute, which is not something I usually say about things made of rebar.

Next up, a cozy blanket giveaway and some great sale items seen on Green Your Decor, as well as musings on printed countertops and why existing buildings are greener… Read the rest of this entry »

Mirror, Mirror… – Eco by Cosentino

As every grade school child knows, a broken mirror brings 7 years bad luck,… unless you’re Eco by Cosentino.

Developed by the Spanish multi-national company Cosentino, Eco brand countertops are made of 75% recycled materials.  Those materials include anything from porcelain to stone to glass.  But it’s the three colors, Polar Cap, Crystal Ash and Starlight, which really stand out with their subtle use of broken mirror.  In fact, although not normally a fan of shiny black countertops, I am transfixed by how much the color Starlight lives up to its name.  There is no way to experience what it really looks like except by seeing it in person, but trust me, it’s absolutely lovely.  And shiny.  And sparkly.  And,… I must have been a magpie in another life. Read the rest of this entry »

Seeing the Forest for the Trees – Proteak

The latest thing in countertops is also the oldest thing…  Wood.

Whether it’s due to a backlash against the cold, shiny surface of the ubiquitous granite countertop, or a desire for something with an old-fashioned, great-grandma’s kitchen feel, wood is really seeing a comeback as a countertop surface.

One beautiful option to achieve this look is teak.  Because of it’s density, durability and natural oil content, teak has long been the wood of choice for boats, buildings and outdoor furniture, all of which get a great deal of exposure to the elements.  It’s those same characteristics that are giving it a foothold in the modern kitchen. Read the rest of this entry »

How Do They Make… Vetrazzo Countertops?

Have you ever wondered how Vetrazzo makes something like this…

Vetrazzo "Bistro Green" table top

Vetrazzo "Bistro Green" table top

From something like this… Read the rest of this entry »

6 Sustainable Countertop Solutions

Here are six stylish and sustainable countertops that have it all over granite:

"Floating Blue" by Vetrazzo -  Joel Puliatti, ©2008 Joel Puliatti for Vetrazzo, puliattiphoto@yahoo.com.

"Floating Blue" by Vetrazzo - Joel Puliatti, ©2008 Joel Puliatti for Vetrazzo, puliattiphoto@yahoo.com.

1. Recycled Glass Terrazo – Terrazo is an age old method of creating hard surfaces by combining aggregate, such as marble chips, with concrete.  The resulting material is poured into place and smoothed out using grinders and polishers. Companies such as Vetrazzo, Enviroglass, and Icestone have taken this method and replaced the stone aggregate with pre and post consumer glass chips, creating eye catching surfaces. Read the rest of this entry »