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.

Here is a synopsis of the first episode of the show, titled “Folding Houses” -

This episode is set at the Cleantech House in Beverly, Mass., a showcase of the latest in energy-saving design. Host Kevin O’Connor visits Blu-Homes, a Waltham, Mass., company that’s trying to deliver on the promise of prefab housing by making buildings that fold up for shipping. Licensed contractor and host Amy Matthews goes to Las Vegas, Nev., to see a Department of Energy project that brings a 1960s home up to net-zero modern standards. Kevin explains energy-recovery ventilators and Amy discovers Accoya, a treated wood that lasts for 50 years without needing paint or stain. Kevin goes to the NuCedar factory in Chicopee, Mass., to sees how PVC siding is made. At the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Amy is off to see a P-trap sink drain that never clogs.

Sounds pretty cool.  I’m familiar with the treated Accoya wood, which is a pretty nifty product, and I’m really curious to find out more about the folding pre-fab houses.  Unfortunately, the DIY Channel is a premium channel on our system, and we’ve never bothered to upgrade since we don’t watch a ton of TV (Yeah, I know that’s kinda green living of us, but in truth, it’s as much about being too busy with work as it is anything more noble).  In any case, if you have a chance to watch it, please let us know what you think in the comments below.  Meanwhile, I’ll see if I can catch up with it some other way.

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.

Here on this Fontenay coffee table, it is easy to see how the type of wine, and the length of time a barrel is used, provide a rich variation in staining.

That beautiful variation is also evident in this richly patterned “barn door” by master furniture maker Cliff Spencer, also made of reclaimed oak from wine barrels.  I so wish I had a place in my house or studio to put one!

And of course, the oak can be used to create a stunning floor, like this custom one, also by Fortenay.

There are other great materials to be reused too.  For instance, wine corks make a terrific flooring, as these sweet round tiles cut from surplus wine corks show. And yes, that’s a picture of a shower floor.  Believe it or not, these tiles install just like regular ceramic tiles, with standard thin set and grout.  The only difference is the water based urethane you finish them with once they are installed.

Yemm & Hart has gone so far as to collect used wine corks, reprocessing them into 3′ x 3′ tiles, that can be applied to floors, walls or even as a surfacing material for furniture.

And of course, no post would be complete without things made from wine bottles.  Now, I could write an entire post on lovely vases, glasses and decorative items made from bottles, and maybe I will someday, but for now I wanted you to see a couple of more unusual applications.

Here are some marvelous color block pendant lamps by Jerry Kott.  Handcut from recycled wine bottles, and then reassembled, they would look striking suspended over a kitchen island, or a stylish wet bar.

Another piece I just love is this sideboard.  Designed and handcrafted by Blue Moon Bottles from recycled steel, glass and wine bottle punts (the bottom end of the bottle), it looks so pretty and yet truly useful at the same time.

To really appreciate how pretty the punts look in this table though, you have to see them with a little light coming through.  It reminds me a bit of the stained glass windows made from cut bottle bottoms that were at a Mexican restaurant I ate at as a kid.  They absolutely fascinated me.  Ah nostalgia… I have a sudden craving for cheese enchiladas now!

So, do you have a favorite piece of furniture, decorative piece, or building material you’ve seen made from the remnants of winemaking (and drinking!)?  Please feel free to share it in the comments below.

Meanwhile, just so you know, I’m on vacation.  Not a “throw all cares to the winds, sipping margaritas by the pool, can’t be reached by cell phone” type of vacation, but a little time off nonetheless. So I hope you won’t mind the brevity of my writing for the next several days.  I have some serious relaxing to do.  Maybe with a glass or two of wine in hand…

Recycled paper, molded into a shade, then fully wired and ready to go!  Created and developed by Polish designer Ania Werner, the Make Your Lamp manages to be both sustainable AND affordable.

But the best part?…You can paint it any color you want!  Lipstick red, lemon yellow, lime green – it’s all up to you.  Polka dots if you’re feeling really ambitious.  You can even cut into the shade if you want.

Every lamp has its own, unique serial number, and comes ready to paint.

Made by hand in Poland, these lamps can be shipped worldwide.  They would make a fantastic project for kids, students, DIY enthusiasts, or just folks wanting to find a lamp in a VERY particular color.  How the Make Your Lamp turns out is completely up to you!

Take for instance this beautiful wooden pendant lamp by Korean designer Kwon Jae Min.  For this piece, he used the natural fissures found in wood to allow the escape of light, creating an intriguingly ethereal design.  Appropriate to it’s form, the piece is named “Crack Bowl Light”, a name which has (most likely unintentional) implications in American culture that can’t help but raise an eyebrow or two.

However, despite a name which may have been lost in translation, the graceful shape and organic pattern of the sustainably harvested wooden shade are truly beautiful in any language.

Not unlike skylights, daylight tubes are designed to bring sunlight through the roof and into the interior environment.  They differ however, in being able to concentrate light, thus utilizing a smaller amount of ceiling space for the same amount of illumination.  Their design also prevents UVA/UVB light from entering, virtually eliminating solar radiation and heat gain.

The new sun tunnel design by Velux takes this concept a step further by providing an additional diffuser which hangs below, allowing daylight to be bounced around a greater area and with softer effect.   Because this is full spectrum light, interior spaces look brighter, and more cheerful.  Studies have also shown a strong link between exposure to daylight and a persons sense of well-being and overall health, making the Sun Tunnel an even more worthy addition to any interior project.

Velux, and Ross Lovegrove (seen above) were recently awarded the Red Dot Design Award – Best of the Best 2010 for their Sun Tunnel design.

I hope their success with this design will encourage Velux to add even more products that combine great design with sustainable living.

image via Yanko Design

Combining the green design communities love for the efficient use of materials with the energy savings of flatpack design, these three dimensional pieces made of a single sheet of recyclable metal are all the rage.

Here we see the Qbik steel lamp, designed by Enrico Zanolla and Andrea Di FIlippo for Miniforms Spa.  With its boxy form and heat releasing perforated top, this lamp has a very modern industrial feel.  But folded metal can also look a bit softer…

Somehow, Los Angeles based designer Brooke Woosley has taken a single sheet of aluminum, and given it lightness of form that belies its heavier nature.  Inspired by origami, the Oru table has a glossy white auto finish top, with a matte blue underside.  The folds are created using a water jet to cut perforated lines along which to bend the metal.

A similar technique of perforation was used to make the folds for the Noshi Stool by Designloop, although here the material is laser cut steel.  Unlike the previous pieces however, this one is in production and available for purchase ($243).  Cute, handy, and very, very durable, the Noshi also comes in grey and black.

Meanwhile, lots o’ pretty interesting stuff spied on the web this week.

image by jewelweeds

I’m entranced by these lovely hand blocked organic cotton linens from Jewelweeds. (mochatini)

Great, ethereal looking Tonic pendant lamp, made of 100% post consumer acrylic. (chictip)

More fun cardboard fort analysis! (BuildBlog)

Grandma’s old National Geographic collection transformed into a shelf. (Craft)

How to design in “Itty Bitty” spaces. (Inspired Design Daily)

Love the colorful glass bottle walls in this post. (re-nest)

Cute task lamp made of recycled egg cartons. (Dezeen)

Wishing everyone a relaxing, restful weekend.  See you Monday!

This whimsical LED lamp, designed by Pablo Pardo, seems the perfect fit for a child’s room.

Flexible yet sturdy, the aluminum Link Table Lamp has splayed “feet” for added stability, which only adds to it’s slightly comical look.  The 15 LED bulbs remain cool to the touch, making it the perfect lamp for little ones who may still be learning the age old “hot – don’t touch” mantra.  And with an expected bulb lifespan of up to 100,000 hours, the lamp they learn to read “Green Eggs and Ham” under may well light their way through their first college chemistry course.

Available in 5 colors, both online and in Room & Board stores.

I mean, how adorable is this Orange Moon lampshade from the Woolroom?  Pretty darn cute don’t you think?  I can just imagine the beautiful, warm glow that moon would give off when the light is on.If adorable isn’t what you are looking for, how about fun and modern?  The Felt Loop shade above has a very Dwell vibe to it.

I love the simplicity of this small pendant Cone shade.  Although it does have a bit of a gnomish quality to it, I’m intrigued with how they have taken advantage of wool being naturally fire retardant in order to create such a close fitting shade.

For those of you who aren’t in the market for new lighting, The Wool Room also has a lovely selection of decorative wool felt pillows, throws and accessories, which they can ship for free within Britain, and for a low cost internationally.

So, here is one of the first things I saw written about from Milan this week.  Tokujin Yoshioka’s “Memory” chair.  Created from recycled aluminum, it changes shape every time someone sits in it. (Inhabitat)

To see more amazing furniture, lighting and products from Milan Design Week, check out Inhabitat’s “Best of” slide show. (Inhabitat)

Here are some cool wildlife portraits made from old topographical maps.  This one is actually from last week, but too lovely not to mention. (BoingBoing)

I love this wallpaper using old newspapers to create a grasscloth look.  Fairly expensive, but for the right room it could be stunning. (Design Green)

Love this rustic yet very modern take on the picnic bench, using brightly colored enameled aluminum and FSC certified redwood. (re-nest)

Recycled gym floor decor – fun! (Green Your Decor)

Finally, is this the greenest bulb of all? (Design Green)

Happy weekend everyone!