Off to the Emerald City we go…
Whether ancient…
or modern, a bright green wall really pops. Read the rest of this entry
Posted February 6th, 2012 by Rachel
Posted January 30th, 2012 by Emerald
“Demolish another building, it just gives us more to work with!”
John Stein is into demolitions, but not in the way one might think. The founder and president of California-based Kirei USA has a knack for finding the possibilities inherent in the unwanted.
This vision shows clearly in every Kirei product, including the newest line, Windfall. These engineered panels are produced in partnership with Windfall Lumber, which takes Douglas & Hemlock Fir from deconstructed buildings in the Pacific Northwest and brings the reclaimed wood to fresh, new life.
“It’s great to reuse demolition material that would otherwise take up space in the landfill,” says Mr. Stein. “Having it become beautiful wood panels is even better. This is old-growth wood that just can’t be found any more, and we get to bring it to designers.”
Windfall is manufactured in the United States using low-VOC adhesives. The reclaimed wood is milled into strips of differing width, which are then randomly stacked to form the panels and cut to size. Panels are available either solid or 3-ply with a NUAF/FSC-certified core. They may come unfinished, with a clear coat that shows off the natural grain, or stained and prefinished in Anthracite, Mocha, Ivory, and Leather colors. The result adds to any interior.
Posted January 11th, 2012 by Emerald
In the depths of winter the primal side of us emerges in a longing for nourishing food, cheerful company, comfort, and the security of warmth. In the past all this often came together before the fireplace. What better than to snuggle up and watch the flames flicker and dance, as the fire turns one’s home into a snug little burrow?
Today, however, the sheer energy-inefficiency of a traditional fireplace can make it a less-than-desirable fixture in one’s household. Yet the allure of captive flame remains. So, how to satisfy that ancient longing?
Why, bypass the fireplace, of course.
Enter Wall Flame I & II, the sleek brain-children of Michael Rösing, managing director of Radius Design, in Brühl, Germany. Gone is the large, surrounding containment structure, gone the flue, gone the chimney. In short, gone is the fireplace itself, and in its place is left a simplicity of flame. Read the rest of this entry
Posted January 5th, 2012 by Emerald
There are modular homes and modular walls and modular floors… but have you seen a modular plant? No? I hadn’t either.
But the clever folks at DIRTT Environmental Solutions looked into their imaginations and saw a vertical garden: rows and ranks of pretty, VOC-absorbing plants marching up any given wall. Then Sustainable Industries looked at Breathe and named it one of the Top Ten Building Products of 2011.
So what is this thing? Read the rest of this entry
Posted January 3rd, 2012 by Rachel
Image courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt
Each New Year is an opportunity to turn over a new leaf.
For me, we are just three days into 2012 and I am already in love with it! This year is lined up to be an amazing one, if I can just rise to the challenges and possibilities awaiting me. New work, new focus, new places to be and experience. Wow!
But I’m not what this post is about. What I really want to use this time for is to find out a little more about YOU, so I thought it might be fun to ask you a few questions this week (along with the usual posting about great new design). Here is the first one…
Which word or phrase best describes to you the concept of designing with consideration for the environment?
Thanks for visiting and Happy New Year!
Rachel
Posted December 12th, 2011 by Emerald
This little jewel is already creating buzz, but, in case you haven’t seen the Plantini yet, be prepared to be charmed.
Okay, so I’m a sucker for the Victorianesque. But isn’t it exquisite? Thanks to the collaboration of Glasgow architectural model makers Finch & Fouracre and the folks at Another Studio for Design in London, U.K., one needn’t have a grand estate in order to own a beautiful Victorian hothouse… in miniature, that is. Read the rest of this entry
Posted December 9th, 2011 by Emerald
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.
Posted November 23rd, 2011 by 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.
Posted November 8th, 2011 by Emerald
I’m excited to announce that Emerald Atkins is joining The InterioREvolution as a regular contributor! She has been writing occasional posts on artisan makers. Now she is going to help me keep up with telling you about all the exciting products out there. Twice a week! Welcome Emerald!
These are luscious floors.
How often does one get the chance to say that about something under one’s feet? Luscious. Yet the creations of DuChateau Floors evoke that word, and in addition serve as a reminder that an environmentally-friendly room does not necessarily preclude classical beauty and – dare we say it? – a gentle opulence.
The secret is in the polish. While polyurethane, acrylic, and aluminum finished floors are prevalent in the United States, DeChateau offers a refreshing alternative: a floor crafted of new FSC-certified European wood that is distressed, finished with hard wax oil, smoked, and brushed to reproduce that wonderful age-old, worn, antique patina that speaks of history. Read the rest of this entry
Posted October 28th, 2011 by Rachel
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.
