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!

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!

Question 1

i’m looking for a premixed, precolored japanese style plaster (seen before but don’t know source)

You may be thinking of Eco De Vita, by Shikoku International. I first ran across it a few years ago, but it was only available from a few distributors in the U.S.. Now they are focusing more attention on the U.S. market, and have a division based out here.

I particularly love their Eco De Vita WRK, which has bits of straw in the formula, but they have many other types as well. You can get a pretty good idea from their website – http://www.shikokuinternational.com/index.html

Question 2

Do you have trouble finding green design stuff to write about?

lol! Hardly. My biggest problem is trying to keep up with everything that is out there! That’s why I do the Friday Wrap-up. I want to make sure that people who read the blog are finding out about things as quickly as I am, but I don’t always have time to post about them myself. I already have a backlog of file folders, and bookmarked pages, and samples aplenty – all just waiting for me to find the time to write about them.

I think one of the best things about blogging on design is that it is a constantly changing landscape, full of new ideas and products. There is never a lack of material.

Question 3

Can you help me find porcelian top cabinets or enamel top cabinets?

That’s a tough one. If you are talking about enamel top cabinets like the old Hoosier Cabinets, the only manufacturer I knew of is no longer making them. Of course, antique Hoosiers are not TOO hard to find, so keeping an eye on Ebay or Craigslist might yield something. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier_cabinet

If you are looking for something more like the enamel coated steel cabinets from the 40’s to 50’s, then I highly recommend starting with the blog Retro Renovation. I did a quick search for “enamel countertop” and came up with a bunch of information. – http://retrorenovation.com/?s=enamel+counter

Question 4

What do you think is the best flooring for a bedroom?

Cork, cork and more cork! Cork is so perfect because it has all the advantages of carpet (sound dampening, warmer to the touch that hard flooring) without the disadvantages (dust mites, dirt accumulation, quick wear).

Best of all is that cork is such a sustainable material. It’s just the bark of the cork oak, which is harvested every 7-10 years, without harm to the tree. The forest provide terrific shelter for wildlife, and are mostly undisturbed except when the cork is harvested.

Nowhere I have traveled has the humble toilet been more intriguing.  From the literal hole in the ground at a park rest stop, to the futuristic, captain of the Enterprise, push button laden, wash, blow and style model I was warned not to use at an acquaintances house, the Japanese are the masters of the W.C..

Other than the really comfy, but slightly disconcerting heated seats that seemed fairly ubiquitous, the single most logical thing I saw was the integrated sink.

“Why don’t we have these back home?” I exclaimed.   “What an incredibly sensible way to save space and water!  Where can I get one?”  It took me almost fifteen years to find out.  What was considered a fairly standard item in Japan back then, is only just now capturing the interest of the rest of the world.

The toilet above was recently put on the market by Australian dual flush experts Caroma.  Like all integrated sink set-ups, this one diverts the clean water that normally goes straight into your toilet tank, and sends it through a small spigot where it can be used to wash your hands.  The now soapy water (aka greywater), drains down into the tank to be held there for the next time the toilet is flushed.  Genius!

Image via Dezeen

Here is a modernist take on the idea, by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti.  Stylish, yet somehow not all that comfortable looking.  Still, it uses water wisely!

Think an integrated sink is a great idea, but not terribly interested in ripping out that brand new Toto you just had installed?  You can always get one of Gaiam’s DIY tank top converters, as seen above.  It even has a soap dish.

Image via Yanko Design

However, if you don’t mind waiting awhile, you might want to hold out for this ultra compact, high concept, all in one bathroom design by Dang Jingwei.  Not only does it have an integrated sink, but it even has a mirror, a table/shelf, and a drawer, in case you want to store you toothbrush and toothpaste, um… for those times when you, er… brush your teeth at the t….  On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t wait for this one!  But it is a pretty interesting design, no?

So, survey says…

To look at my furniture it’s obvious that I like Danish Modern.  When we create we can’t help but let our influences show.  Our work is a compilation of what we see and our imaginations.  Certainly as a furniture maker I’m going to be influenced by the aesthetics of the styles of the past but I’m also going to draw upon why these furniture styles can to be.

I went to The College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program, in Mendocino, CA.  The school is known for teaching a high attention to detail and balance and symmetry in design based on the work of James Krenov, Jim, as he’s known to the students.  The program is set up like a European apprentice system where students start with the basics and then make pieces under the watchful eye of the instructors.  Students must have their designs approved by Jim.  Any deviation from his design sense may be dealt with by his sharp criticism.  Rebellion is mild but highly noticed.  It’s funny to look at the pieces I made during school to know that they were controversial at the time.

Before school my influences varied from Art Nouveau to factory made mid-century modern.  I was taking in everything that caught my eye.  I was looking into the origins of Jim’s work and his teacher, Carl Malmsten.  This began my interest in the work that had been coming out of Scandinavia. Especially Danish Modern as expressed by Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl.

Early Modernism had embraced the factory as the way of the future and highlighted the status of the designer.  The founders of Danish Modern eschewed this and began building modern furniture with local craftspeople and local materials.  Being modernists they wanted the furniture to be simple and function based but made to a high level of craftsmanship.  This resonated with me and I began building my furniture with these ideas and continue to build on them.

Today, I’m looking into the work that influenced the Danish masters that I admire as they also looked to the past for inspiration.  Egyptian, Chinese, and Japanese were strong influences on them.  Lately I’ve been looking at Japanese stuff and it’s making itself shown with my use of sliding doors and increased use of woven elements.  Japanese make joinery an art form.  While I like to expose my joinery I’ve been keeping it subtle.  This might change as I’m experimenting with Japanese joinery techniques.

I see my work as building on what the makers before me have done.  As I look at my current work compared to my earliest pieces I’m also building on what I have done.

Japanese carpentry is known for its complex system of joinery, crafted entirely by hand.

The tools used to work the wood are as artful as the furniture they are used to produce.  Unlike western carpentry tools, Japanese saws and planes are designed to cut on the pull stroke, rather than on the push.  One advantage to this is that the saw blades can be thinner, and therefore make finer cuts, but the technique takes quite awhile to master.

Because everything is done by hand, it is a laborious process, and the furniture, interior, and exterior work are priced accordingly.

However, when you consider the incredible amount of skill and knowledge that goes into each and every complex bit of joinery, and the centuries it has taken to perfect these techniques, the cost seems relatively small.

Imagine hand crafting all these individual components, and then putting them all together until you have achieved…

…something this beautiful.  This exquisite mizuya (kitchen) tansu is by Ki Arts.*

Since opening their world to ours in the 19th century, Japan’s amazing carpentry methods have captured the imaginations of western architects and designers.

Image via Gamble House website

From the unique construction and furniture designs of the Craftsman era ‘Gamble House‘ by Greene and Greene,…

Image via Whyrhymer

… to the graceful lines of this modern ‘Orbis’ table by Whyrhymer, the influence of Japanese carpentry is everywhere.

*Thank you to Ki Arts for the generous use of their images to illustrate much of this post.

Image via Japanese Wall

The traditional Japanese home’s interior is made up of an artful blend of wooden floors, tatami mats, shoji screens and natural plaster walls.   Although most modern homes in Japan now use drywall and paint, the call for more sustainable building methods has created a renewed interest in the traditional plasters.

Image via Shikoku

Primarily made from diatomaceous earth, which has air purifying and sound dampening characteristics, Japanese plasters may also contain sand, straw, seaweed, and/or pigment (often in the form of a small amount of paint).  Another style of plaster,  “Shirokabe”, uses lime as the base.

Image via Japanese Wall

Unlike with Venetian plaster, Japanese plaster walls have a fairly uniform color, as well as a soft, textured matte finish that makes a lovely contrast to polished wood.  It is difficult not to feel peaceful in their presence.

There are several companies offering Japanese plasters to the international market.  Japanese Wall has a large range of different natural interior plasters to choose from.  Shikoku International’s Eco De Vita plasters are SCS certified Indoor Advantage Gold for good air quality.  Beautiful, natural lime based plasters may be obtained from Tagawa Sangyo Co., Ltd.

Excuse me while I go Zen out now…

Brought to Japan in 610 AD by Buddhist monks, the art of washi making spread across Japan, till by the late 1800’s, over 100,000 families were employed in the craft.  However, once European mechanical papermaking techniques were introduced, the number of washi makers rapidly declined, until it hit a low of only 479 families in 1983.

Image via Precious Pieces

These remaining families have worked hard to maintain the traditions of their craft, and some artisans are considered to be national treasures of Japan.

It is the beauty of the paper though, that has given washi a new life in the world of interior design.

Image via Precious Pieces

Washi is made of the pulp of a variety of plants, including mulberry, hemp, and rice.  After the fibers have been stripped, pounded, cleaned and stretched, they are mixed with a viscose liquid made from the tororo-aoi, which is a type of sticky mountain potato.  This allows the fibers to adhere both to each other and the bamboo screen which is dipped into the solution.  After a rhythmic set of back and forth motions, with screens anywhere from 1 to 100 feet, the wet paper is removed and allowed to dry.

Above is a short video demonstrating the technique.

Image of "Nori" via Precious Pieces

The end result of the process can be anything from a more traditional style of paper,

Image of "Tako" via Precious Pieces

… to something quite a bit more contemporary.

Washi paper can be laminated between sheets of glass, providing for attractive and unusual room dividers.

Image via Kamism

It can also simply be hung from a wall as artwork.

Image via Kamism

The vast array of colors, textures and patterns available in washi bring a lovely glow to the lighting collection above.

Washi paper is available to the trade through Kamism, and Precious Pieces.  Precious Pieces also has an online store with accessories, lighting and framed washi art.

All images via Kurikan

First in our series is the cloth ware company Kurakin.

After receiving a research offer from the government to see if it could find a way to use food scraps as colorants, the Tsuyakin Kogyo Company, of Ichinomiya, Japan, developed the “nokori dye” method. 

Based on historical dyeing techniques used for centuries, “nokori” utilizes eleven different food items to create soft, rich colors for fabrics.  Colors range from subtle tans and golds, to deeper lavenders and greens, depending on the crop source used, and the time of year in which it was harvested.

Although able to create great dyes from the food sources, the stability of the color over time and exposure to light concerned them, so they did add a small amount of traditional dye to the mix as well.  I’m hoping that with time and additional research they can convert to using 100% natural dye.

Once they had created the cloth, the Tsuyakin Kogyo Co. needed something to do with it.  Founded in 2008, the Kurakin company was put to the task of designing and marketing the delightful cloth baskets and pouches you see above.  Unfortunately, these are currently only available for sale through their Japanese language site.  Of course, there is always Google Translator if you’re feeling really desperate for one of those cute baskets.  I know I am!