I’m a sucker for pretty, sparkly things – like this…

These chandeliers are made by Etsy seller Metamorphosi out of recycled wine and water bottles.

Apparently Calcata, the small Italian town where these are made, is known for being quite the artists colony.  In fact, the New York Times said, “This may be the grooviest village in Italy, home to a wacky community of about 100 artists, bohemians, aging hippies and New Age types.”  These chandeliers look like they would fit right in. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Friday!!!  And we are in the middle of the nominating process for Apartment Therapy’s The Homies 2011!  Want to help us reach the final cut?  Click here, and then leave the following comment:

Name: theinteriorevolution
URL: http://www.theinteriorevolution.com

We’d love to be in the final 6 blogs for voting.  It’s a great way to reach new readers, so we can keep getting the word out that green interiors are the way to go!

OK, now that that little bit of business is taken care of, on to some of the fun stuff I’ve been clicking on this week:

1.  Non-toxic dyes from agricultural waste seem to be the next new thing.  Here is a program developing in Argentina.  (Treehugger)

2.  Inhabitat is launching a Green Home Expert series.  Sigh.  They didn’t ask me… (LOL)  However, they do seem to have a roster of amazing talented people!  Definitely something to watch.  (Inhabitat)

3.  I love the concept behind this uber modular shelving.  Constantly convertible, and a lovely organic form as well. (Yanko Design)

4.  This tiny house built of pallets is so charming!  And only costs about $500 to build. (Lloyd’s Blog)

5.  I die for this beautiful upcycled doily lamp.  Seriously, you have to look at this thing.  Makes me want to run out and invest in doilies (did I just type that???) (reMade USA)

6.  These gorgeous, modern glass and cork vases and lamps are reason #1,378,632 for why I wish I could attend Maison&Objet in Paris right now. (Dezeen)

7.  These adorable, organic cotton pillows are, well,… adorable.  They remind me of the Richard Scarry books I had as a child.  So sweet.  (Green Your Decor)

Well, that’s it for now.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

I’ll admit it.  Although I love the look of driftwood on its own, most of the time it just comes across as a bit trite when it is used in sustainable design.

But Bleu Nature, a design studio located in Northern France, has found a way to turn the trite into the sublime with their Kiinau collection of lighting.

By contrasting driftwood they collect along the French shoreline, with chrome or frosted glass shades and a stainless steel base, Bleu Nature gives the driftwood a sophisticated modernity that I find quite compelling.

Read the rest of this entry »

Glass is one of my favorite green materials, because its endless recyclability means that we can reuse existing material over and over again, with minimal need for new raw materials.  Although there is a not insignificant energy use involved in making glass products, recycled glass takes less energy to process than new glass, and the resulting material is, of course, inert (no nasty chemicals or off gassing).

The folks at TryCycle love recycled glass too.  In fact, after noticing the beautiful green tinge of the wine glasses at so many of the restaurants in Europe, they found out they were the product of a thriving, 100% post consumer recycled glass industry there, and so they decided to go into business bringing the wonderful items to the U.S..

How cute would these storage jars look with a little chalkboard paint label on each?  And best of all?  TryCycle’s items are all very affordable.  The large jar in the picture above, measuring 6.5″ H x 5″ W, is only $8!

Read the rest of this entry »

Etsy is a cornucopia of the recycled, re-purposed, handmade and artisan crafted, so it seems only fitting to add a weekly post focused just on the marvelous items one can find there.  Case in point?

These terrific little repurposed glass insulator pendant lights by RizBerry.

Glass insulators have been around since the days of the telegraph, and are still in use today throughout the world.  Because glass is such a poor conductor of electricity, as well as fairly cheap material, it was a natural choice to insulate the lines from the poles they were supported by.  Many glass insulators, especially older versions, are quite decorative looking, despite their utilitarian function.  These particular insulators date from somewhere between the 1920′s and ’50′s. Read the rest of this entry »

Do your walls seem sad, bored, and uninspired?

Why not give them a little Liberty then?  Recently making its debut at Cersaie in Italy, the Liberty Collection is the newest post-consumer recycled glass mosaic tile line from Trend USA.  It’s so shiny and glittery, I can feel my inner magpie taking hold.

Its sparkling personality is due to the 24K gold leaf applied to the back of a portion of the mosaic’s tiles, an addition which provides both shine and a sense of depth to the mix.  The variation in surface texture also plays into the impression of movement as light reflects off of the glass. Read the rest of this entry »

The world is awash in wine bottles.  And whiskey bottles, vodka bottles, beer bottles,… and – for those of you teetotalers – sparkling water bottles.  Even with the economy in the slumps, or perhaps because of it, we sure go through a lot of bottles.  So what can we do about it?

Well, Trend USA has decided to turn wine (bottles) into wallpaper!

Read the rest of this entry »

In many parts of the world, radiators are still the heating source of choice.  There are a lot of good reasons to use them, including avoiding the indoor air quality issues associated with forced air heating.  However, radiators have one little problem,…

they usually look like this. Hmmm…  not the most inspiring look for a room, is it?

Now this is a bit more like it!  Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

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…

Elegant curves define this beautiful folding chair from Whit McLeod.  Made from used oak wine barrels – many of them decades old – this chair is surprisingly comfortable and very chic. Read the rest of this entry »