In the enjoyable, well paced “Made by Hand”, author Mark Frauenfelder, of Make Magazine fame, tells lively DIY tales of chickens, honey, math and espresso.

Oh, and there is a bit in there about cigar box banjos too.

I’ve followed Mark via Make and BoingBoing for several years, and have always found his take on the DIY way of life to be funny and candid.  Much of what he writes about, even the part about the trials and tribulations of building a better hen house, is relevant to what is happening within the larger green design community.  After all, making things ourselves, out of materials close at hand, is surely more sustainable than purchasing a mass produced item from overseas.

With his honest confessions of failure, and spiritual descriptions of success, Frauenfelder gives us inspiration to live a simpler, more connected life.  But reader beware – you just might find yourself googling for instructions to make that cigar box banjo by the time you put down the book.

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.

Stranger Furniture is proof that deeply sustainable can mean deeply beautiful.

When the roughness of bark and the “imperfections” of natural wood are respected and used, when the natural, intricate grain of a board is allowed to shine forth in all its beauty, when the source tree “speaks” for itself, the results are tangible.

William Stranger’s work encompasses not just cabinetry and tables but also humbler creations such as lamps, utensils, and cutting boards.  Each aspect of his work supports a goal of creating zero waste.  Recycling is practiced whenever possible; scrap wood is donated to schools and other artists; even sawdust is used as animal bedding and then composted in order to minimize the shop’s impact.  As the artist explained, these business choices spring from a commitment “to an evolution that will take us beyond sustainability.”

That journey began shortly after the studio’s opening in 1987 with a commitment not to use wood from tropical rain forests.  Later, under the influence of furniture maker George Nakashima and inspired by the Cradle-to-Cradle principals of McDonough and Braungart, William’s work and life both came to reflect a philosophy blending art, deep ecology, and an utter respect for man’s place in the natural world.

He feels strongly that wood is “a precious resource that must be used responsibly.”  Accordingly, his primary source of lumber is urban salvage: trees that are blown over or cut down due to disease or construction, and then milled on site or at the arborist’s yard.  This is important, as otherwise these trees would just be burned or go to clog local landfills.

At the shop based in Pasadena, outside of Los Angeles, CA, William has access to tree species normally found all over the world, including black acacia, claro, walnut, camphor, carob, and elm.  He is also careful to use salvaged and “found” objects, and to use renewable resources such as bamboo.

The wood is carefully chosen and worked with the individual nature of the material in mind.  In the design process William is influenced by the structure of trees, buildings, and animals.  He tries to balance the rough beauty of the raw material with the necessity of shaping it into an intentionally crafted form.  Furniture is made in small batches using as much handwork as possible and held together with strong traditional joinery that allows the pieces to last for generations.  The natural beauty of the wood is preserved and enhanced with a finish of non-toxic linseed or tung oil.

According to William, there is an inherent interdependence between object, designer, maker, and environment, and this belief is clearly evident in his work.  Looking at the latter, one can almost feel the energy of the artist there breathing in tandem with the original spirit of the wood itself.  It is a juxtaposition of nature and artifice. The boundary between art and design is eliminated, and the viewer feels an urge to be still, to attend, to be drawn in by each unique piece.

Of course, that means my son will be bringing home loads and loads of old school papers, most of which we really don’t need to keep.  Perhaps we should get this multifunctional paper shredder/coffee table?  Actually, with the way things are going for BP in the Gulf, they might want to invest in a bunch of them for all their executives soon.  Just sayin’.  (Design Sponge)

Sadly, I point you now to the final installment of the Cardboard Fort Architecture series.  This scholarly set of posts has been full of architectural achievement and analysis the likes of which you rarely see.  OK.  Actually, it’s just damn hilarious – and the kids are SO cute! (Build Blog)

So what do you think about the recent study claiming LEED certification does nothing to ensure the interior environment isn’t still toxic? (re-nest)

I was so happy to see my friends at L.A. Box Collective mentioned on Inhabitat!  If you are in SoCal, you should check out their new show. (Inhabitat)

The new issue of Lonny is here!  Now if I could only get an iPad to read it on, my life would be (almost) complete. (Table Tonic)

And speaking of iPads, if I ever do get one, this is what I’m going to put it in. (Inhabitat)

That’s it for now.  Wishing you a blissful weekend!

That being said, there were still a few cool things to look at, like the work of L.A. Box Collective…

I’m planning on a whole post on this great group of wood artisans soon, so I won’t get into too much detail.  Suffice to say, their exhibit asking you to match which raw, reclaimed wood was the source for which beautiful piece of furniture, was by far the most interesting and fun space at AltBuild.  Thanks Leigh for answering all my questions and showing me how much I still need to learn about wood!

I was also pleased to meet Sarah from Pacific Coast Teak, the U.S. importers of ProTeak, which I posted about a while back.  They had a nice display of some of the beautiful kitchen carts made from the FSC certified teak lumber.  Really lovely.

I’m going to have tot ake a closer look at this Woca oil I ran across.  It looks like a nice line of wood oils and stains that are extremely low odor and non-toxic.  Have any of you, dear readers, tried it before?  I’d love to hear what you thought of it.  I’m especially intrigued by the “color oil” stains.

Here’s an idea.  Take fast growing, FSC certified softwood, and then use a non-toxic technology to give it the properties of more durable hardwood.  That’s what the folks at Accoya have managed to do with their exterior grade product.  I saw a sample, and it really is quite remarkable.

And, last but not least, I give you the EnviroLoo – “a new American-made solar heated evaporative human waste system”!

And you thought I was only going to write about furniture and stuff…

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Brandon, and his wonderful wife Sundeep, for several years now, and I can say without equivocation that he is one of the most gifted furniture designers I know.  I could go on and on about how he came by his design sensibility without any formal training, how that lack of training gives his designs a natural grace and uniqueness that might not otherwise have been possible, or even just how much I dream of owning one of his chairs someday.  But really, nothing is going to say it as well as his work itself, so take a look…

Los Galos chair

Atomic Series No. 1

Glass Series No. 4

I’m so happy that his work is starting to get the recognition it so richly deserves!

The increasing popularity of sustainable and locally made goods has permeated into the design world especially among furniture designers/makers. While the idea of creating furniture locally in a sustainable manner has been around for decades within the furniture community, it is more often than not, a new idea to the everyday person. As more large scale and local furniture manufacturers label their products as being made from sustainably harvest wood, this label has different levels of meaning and can be confusing.

To help you navigate through the terms and make informed decisions about your design purchases, I am including a brief description of terms used to describe sustainably harvested wood commonly associated with furniture making. While all descriptions listed are sustainable, I’ve put them in the order of what I consider to be the most sustainable especially within my personal design processes. Note: as always, the more local the source of sustainably harvested wood, the better.

Salvage

This is wood that has been previously used and most often comes from a dismantled building. Other sources can include shipping pallets, construction waste, old fences, etc. An example of salvaged wood used in one of my designs is the PB Vase. The wood used to make the vases is Alaskan Yellow Cedar and comes from the old UC Berkeley Memorial Stadium benches.

Urban Forested

These are trees from our urban environment such as Los Angeles that are cut down for reasons other than the harvesting of their lumber. The reasons for their removal include disease, public safety, or they fall from natural causes. This is my favorite source because the wood often has a story about its journey from tree to furniture. Horigan Urban Forest Products is a great example of an urban forester whose is “saving the forest one board at a time”.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a third party organization that certifies lumber producers and dealers are selling wood that has been harvested in a sustainable manner. Certification also requires that the harvesting of the forest meet the economic and social needs of the local community. FSC certification costs money and is still a fairly new process. There are other organizations that provide certification but FSC is the most widely known.

Non-Certified Sustainable

Non-certified sustainable means that the wood is not certified by an organization such as FSC but the practices used in harvesting the wood are done in a sustainable manner. The idea of sustainably harvesting wood is not a new idea for some lumber mills and producers. Fortunately these mills and producers have the foresight to manage their forests so they can continue to harvest them in the future. Buying from these sources can require research as there are many mills and producers locally and around the country that practice sustainable harvesting, but do not readily offer this information on their website.  I recently bought some beautiful walnut boards from the FSC approved lumberyard Moore-Newton. The walnut was from the non-FSC mill Pike Lumber. The people at Moore-Newton are very informed about their suppliers and are confident with Pike because they have practiced good forestry for over 100 years and won a recent award for sustainable forest stewardship.

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.

David: Being an independent furniture designer/maker is no easy job. Comparing artisan or locally made furniture to IKEA or the Pottery Barn is like comparing apples and oranges. I often encounter people who question and often frown upon my time consuming methods and prices. We are so used to seeing and buying furniture made by big manufacturers that it becomes hard for one to appreciate quality, hand crafted, heirloom furniture. Rather than reading a blog entry about me defending myself and my craft, I decided to have my wife write a blog about her love of artisan furniture from the perspective of an outsider who is now a big fan of artisan made furniture.

Helen: Before I met David, I had a rudimentary understanding and appreciation for furniture. To me, furniture was something you get at IKEA (if I wanted something new) or from the local thrift store (where I scavenged for 50’s style vintage furniture). Even after I met David, I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the time spent on making a piece of custom furniture or the price. I would tell him that the price he charged for a beautiful, handmade chair could be used to furnish a one bedroom apartment with furniture from the local thrift store or IKEA.

After being with him for 9 years, I’ve managed to learn a great deal of information about wood and furniture. More information than I ever thought I would come to know. I now have a great appreciation for artisan made furniture and want to share with you a few reasons why I think artisan furniture is so worth it.

1. Furniture designers/makers are artists. It takes time, vision and great efforts to design and create a custom piece of furniture. I have come to admire the hard work these artisan furniture designers/makers put into the furniture they create. The subtle details, signature design elements and customization of a piece of artisan furniture is what makes them so special. These are the mark of the artist. Artisan made furniture is unique and different from mass produced furniture. Owning a piece of artisan made furniture is like owning a piece of fine art.

1. Artisan made furniture can be sustainable and locally made. Many furniture designers/makers are now creating furniture that supports the local economy and environment through sustainable practices. Artisan made furniture is also built to last.  Furniture makers expect their pieces to survive for multiple generations and to be passed down like the antiques we have today. Furniture that supports the local economy and has a low impact on the environment is ideal in today’s eco conscious world.

1. As an owner of a piece of artisan made furniture, you can actually say you know the person who made it. From the beginning of the design process to the very end of having the piece of furniture delivered to you, you have established a relationship with the furniture designer/maker. You actually know where the piece of furniture came from. It was actually hand made by someone and not a machine. Each piece is different and often has a story behind its creation. This is the beauty of custom made artisan furniture.

If you are in the Los Angeles area in the next few weeks, and you love artisan furniture as much as I do, you will not want to miss this show at New Puppy Gallery!  Featuring the work of many accomplished local furniture makers, reduxiture is concieved as a place to “see how to responsibly and elegantly furnish your home with reused materials”.

Just look at some of the great pieces that will be there:

Brandon Morrison - Light

William Stranger - Light Gets In table and chair

Nesting Coffee Tables - wood from wine barrels

Maria Chair

There is a free opening reception tonight, October 2nd, from 8-11 PM.  The show will run October 3-25, Wednesday – Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

New Puppy Gallery is at:
2808 Elm Street
Unit 1
Los Angeles, CA 90065

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