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.

A heart you can step on and not feel guilty!  This heart shaped rug is made of recycled t-shirts by Talking Squid (you just have to love that shop name!).

Simple and sweet, these scrap wood blocks from Uniquely Different Too spell it out for all to see.  And hey, if things don’t work out, you can always switch them around and claim you have an unabashed fondness for voles.

A bit over the top, but maybe that’s why it looks so fun.  This refurbished vanity chair is by Picks4U.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, this is for the narcissist in us all…  Made by Upcountry Design in Hawaii from old, corrugated iron roofing, this mirror can also be fitted with a light kit that really makes it glow.

“My love is like a read, read rose” (my apologies to Robert Burns – well, his ghost anyway).  This pretty, recycled book page rose is by The Mad Recycler.

Lastly, we have this sweet little distressed wood frame by Katie Herman Designs.  Made from reclaimed oak flooring, it has oodles of old fashioned charm.  Yes, I said “oodles”.  We all have our favorite words…

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

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?

Created from discarded and reclaimed materials, the Mood Rocking Bed is suitable for inside and outside use, and can be made in any size, from twin to king.  It can also be allowed to rock in place, or it can be locked in any position using rubber stoppers.

Visit Shiner International’s Etsy store and see more great furniture and lighting creations.

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

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.

Although this may look like a nice, woven fiberglass, it is in fact made of a composite using ramie.  In other words, it is made largely of nettle fibers!

I love that something this sleek and modern in design could be made from one of the oldest fiber crops known to mankind.  The potential for eventually replacing the more problematic fiberglass with a rapidly renewable plant product is also exciting.

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

 Seen on Yanko Design

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.

Check out the modular seating system Lagarta, which can be configured to almost any whim, or the Puf Fup, a free-form seat of strung cork balls reminiscent of a bean bag gone wild.  Other options include the solid, toy-like Corqui and the more traditionally shaped frame chair, Vinco.

Moorish tile inspired another creation which can be used either as a desk or table, along with a matching sideboard.  In fact, the company offers three different sideboards, each with a distinct voice.

The theme can be carried further with cork hot bases for the dinner table, cork candelabras, even a wine frapé formed of cork.

But my favorite thing is the wall covering.  It’s simply beautiful and, through vibrant, is also soothing to the eye.  Other attractions are its natural ability to absorb noise, act as thermal insulation, and – the mom in me loves this – it is washable.  I hope more patterns are forthcoming!

In the US, Corque Design has product available at MoMA Design Store in New York, NY, and at Touch, in Los Angeles, CA.  An online store is in the works but in the meantime go check out Corque Design on the web.

~ Emerald

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…

Are you more country than rock and roll?  There are chairs for you too.

These Shaker style ladder back chairs would work in a modern entrance hall just as well as they would in a traditional breakfast room.

This little oval footrest is so cute, I just want to pinch its cheeks – if it had any.

Leslie also does custom orders, so you can request just the color mix of belts you want.  I’d love to see one done in nothing but 80′s electric blue!  Wonder if I still have any of those lying around here,…

You can check out her other creations in her Etsy store, or on her website.

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

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.

Once upon a time the steam bending of wood was vital to the production of weapons, tools, and water vessels, among other items necessary to daily life.  As technology progressed, the ancient practice was largely abandoned.  With dedication and practice, Mr. Raffield developed his own tools and methods of using steam, which reinvented the traditional process and transformed it into something new.  He can twist and bend wood as freely as other artists draw with pencils.

But let’s talk about his works.  The lighting and furniture is crafted of locally-sourced, sustainably-managed English wood, of which the timber is left either unseasoned, green, or is air-dried (an alternative to the energy-intensive process of kiln drying).  As the main means of production steam bending uses no toxic chemicals, only water, is a low energy method of manufacturing, and produces little waste.

Mr. Raffield takes care to use local manufacturers and suppliers whenever possible, which has the added benefit of directly supporting his community.  Everything from his workshop is handcrafted and meant to last generations.

A variety of timber is utilized.  Oak, ash, sycamore, and walnut are used to varying effects, all of which take full advantage of the beauty of the wood. 

Some of the lighting designs are startling and seemingly chaotic, but then the design draws you in, and you perceive order, purpose, and beauty.

There’s whimsy to the furniture, which swoops and curves and bends in ways that are both unexpected and soothing.  It’s brilliant.

But don’t take my word for it.  Trundle over to Mr. Raffield’s site and look around for yourself.  Have fun!

~ Emerald

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.

Bamboo, a fast-growing, imminently sustainable crop, grows in diverse climates and after treatment is strong, durable, yet lightweight.  Discoveries of its usefulness and applications continue to expand.

“In the United States and France,” Mao said, “It is possible to get houses made entirely of bamboo, which are earthquake and cyclone-resistant and internationally certified.”

Her own work with the material is on a more modest scale, consisting of beautiful furniture crafted from bamboo and tropical wood.

Mao has recently turned her attention to a problem local to Montreal: unwanted furniture abandoned on the city streets.  As though collecting lost puppies, she rescues the unloved, discarded furniture and gathers it in her workshop, where it waits to be transformed.

“I walk around my workshop and try to mix and match,” she explained.  “To repair or repurpose old things with more old things.  To be able to sell my pieces at a reasonable price, I try to buy as little new material as possible, which means I need to be really creative and reuse as much as possible.”

This pastime blossomed in 2010 with the Scrap Project, an exhibition of Mao-transformed furniture, the second edition of which took place this past August.  The positive feedback from the show’s first run freed her this year to explore new techniques and let herself slip into the creative process.  And what are her plans for 2012?

“My Montréal’s workshop is full of amazing abandoned pieces of furniture and I can’t wait to start working on them next summer,” the artist said.  “I still have a lot of concepts in my head that I haven’t had time to bring to life, so that’s what the Scrap project 2012 will be about: making it real.”

For Mao, new is overrated.

“It makes me so angry to see how much stuff people in the first world are throwing away,” she said.  “It’s unbelievable how much a human can buy and send to the dump every year.  I wanted to do my part and feel better about the issue.”

Despite that anger – or perhaps as a salve upon it – there is a deliberate lightness to her work, which is full of opposites and contradictions, whimsical robots, clean lines next to old textures.  The unexpected often brings a smile, and it is that smile that opens doors in the mind to new ideas, like sustainability.

More information about Scrap Project 2011 is available on Mao’s blog.

~ Emerald

~Henry David Thoreau

"Seconds Count" by Jason Wilbur

In the face of natural disaster, where others see devastation, Joy Feuer – and the many artists & volunteers who work with her – see opportunity for transformation and renewal.  Life is often about new beginnings.  Since 2008 Joy’s non-profit organization, ART From the Ashes, has been helping communities and individuals rebuild from the ashes of their former lives.

The concept for ART From the Ashes came to life autumn of 2007, during one of the most destructive fire seasons in the history of California.  AFTA was created to use the cathartic properties of art as a means of supporting the renewal of lives devastated by wildfire.  Members travel to a disaster site and from it reclaim materials – burnt wood, ruined household goods, architectural elements, anything that inspires – to be transformed into works of art and later sold at an exhibition-auction benefitting the effected community.

Joy Feuer, photo by James Carbone

The process is deeply meaningful for Joy.

“We have seen up close and personal the powerful connection and healing properties that our art programming has on communities in Southern and Central California,” she said.  “In the wake of disaster…watching what occurs to people and places, in that moment, you are there as well.  Its human nature to want to help in any way possible. In the actions of ART from the ashes, we can provide resource and support to communities in need.  Art provides a connection, provokes inspiration and invites hope.  There are no boundaries geographically or creatively.  Our desire is to honor this and expand our mission to help as many people as possible.”

Since its founding, AFTA has held exhibitions on behalf of META (Making Education the Answer), the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Deukmejian Wilderness Park, and the Japan Society Earthquake Relief Fund.

Currently it is involved with local Texas artists, residents, businesses and community organizations in planning art-based fundraising initiatives designed to benefit those affected by the Bastrop County Complex Fire.  (This series of wildfires has destroyed over 34,000 acres of land, 1,649 homes, and claimed two lives.)  The effort involves more than a hundred artists and will include a benefit exhibition to be held March 2012 in Austin, Texas.  Proceeds will be used to aid the community of Bastrop and support the volunteer firefighters which battled the blazes.

The use and re-use of what lies at hand epitomizes the philosophy of sustainability.  In its work AFTA embraces that ideal, not only using reclaimed items for the foundation of art but also using repurposed materials in the creation of each chosen exhibition space.

"Dreamland" by Jennifer Davis

“We seek out reclaimed wood, glass, fabric, corrugated metal, windows and furnishings for design elements so the gallery environment supports the body of works…and also rings true with AFTA’s philosophy of practice (waste not, have more),” said Joy.  “The complimentary energy between art and the environment of the space,  seems to resonate as people usually remain at our exhibitions for hours on end, it seems to beckon interaction.”

As a non-profit the organization has championed opportunities for artists, including media exposure and private & public commission work.  Joy hopes to continue to break new ground in this respect.  She would also like to broaden AFTA’s geographical impact, ideally by enabling additional “chapters” to form as they are needed for community disaster relief.

To learn more, including how to help, please visit the ART From the Ashes website.

~ Emerald

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.

Without hiding the history and character of the wood, Holdren manages to give it new life and new form.  Here, the desk top is made from 100 year old heart pine floorboards, salvaged from an old New Orleans shotgun house.  Imagine the dancing and toe tapping that must have gone in that jazz soaked atmosphere!  I think this desk would be the perfect inspiration for a writer.

I love the rich color of the heart pine coupled with the light green patina of the trim and beadboard drawer fronts.  Oh, and check out those drawer pulls!  You’ll often see them in the attics of old homes (like mine), with electrical wire strung between them.  Yep, those are the knobs from “knob and tube” wiring.  Terrific re-use idea!

Despite being made of salvaged materials, the desk itself is nicely detailed, right down to the contrasting color plugs on the legs.  Lovely!

To see more of Matthew Holdren’s terrific work visit his Etsy shop.

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

If you are in the SoCal area in November, you couldn’t find a better thing to do than go see The Dunnage Show at Inheritance.  A collaboration of all the members of L.A. Box Collective, the exhibit will showcase what happened to 12 tons of dunnage – headed to the landfill – when this creative group of master woodworkers got hold of it.  Expect amazing pieces of furniture and accessories, if their previous work is anything to go by!

Place:  Inheritance – 8055 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048-4517  ph (323) 658-6756

Date: Opening reception November 3rd, 2011 from 7-10PM

RSVP: BoxCoEvents@gmail.com