I’ve admired the striking felt designs of Selina Rose for awhile, and thought it was high time I shared them with you too.

Now, I’m not usually a big fan of shocking pink, but this rug is just the sort of cheerful detail that can make a room.  Using technology to cut crisp, whimsical designs out of thick wool felt, Selina Rose has taken an ancient material and given it a new, playful edge. Read the rest of this entry »

One thing about trying to write for (at least part of) a living, is that you become very annoyed at certain noises.  Not the sweet song of the little goldfinches at the feeder, or the burbling of the fountain of course, but rather at a certain DOG.  The dog who goes all Cujo when the mail carrier dares to set foot on our porch.  The dog who whines at my feet because she hasn’t yet discovered that I am not the only person who can let her out the backdoor – after 6 years of living here.  The dog who likes to howl at the top of her lungs whenever our geriatric cat gets stuck in a closet, or is otherwise yowling for attention.  You know, that dog.

I think I need to buy these adorable wool pillows by Cushlab, so I can put one over each ear.

And those aren’t the only fun, natural fiber pillows they have… Read the rest of this entry »

I love the resurgence of wool felt in interiors.  Not only is it a sustainable, durable and practical material, but it lends itself to such clever uses.

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s just get the adjectives out of the way – ethereal, luminous, amorphous, primitive, soothing, stunning,…

The amazing new Apaya Collection of lighting from Aqua Creations is all that and more. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, this is a little late.  Almost a Saturday wrap-up really.  What can I say?  It was a busy week!

Image via Treehugger

I find this new take on Tatami mats fascinating. (Treehugger)

A rug made out of cigarette butts?  That might be taking recycling a little far, even for me.  (DesignBoom)

Wild furniture restoration going on at Purpose Restoration – check out the flying knives on the the kitchen cart! (Design Green)

Great flat pack plywood stool design. (3rings)

Nice, simple re-use of old packing crates as drawers.  Hmmm…  I have some old wine crates… (Unplggd)

Charming, wool felt pillows based on science book illustrations. (BoingBoing)

And lastly,…

I thought I would include my own piece for HomePortfolio.com, which started out as a post on cork flooring, but really became a plea for the Iberian Lynx. (HomePortfolio)

Have a marvelous weekend everyone!  See you Monday!

I recently viewed an exhibit of beautiful Silk Road treasures, some of them over 3,800 years old.  It was amazing to see the rich colors and patterns still vivid on so many of the ancient textiles.  The people who created them had no synthetic dyes, yet they accomplished such bright reds, warm yellows and strong blues, all produced from natural materials.

Since 1856, when the first aniline dye was invented by William Henry Perkin, the use of natural dyes has seen a steady decline – supplanted by cheaper and easier to produce synthetics.  It is only recently, with the renewed interest in more sustainable forms of textile production, that the world has started to rediscover how amazing natural dyes can be.

All images by David Handschuh

Even with the renewed interest though, the use of natural dyes in the United States has thus far been on a very small scale.  Really little more than a loose network of dedicated textile artisans and crafters, up to their elbows in vats of tea and berry juice.  Small scale that is, until Noon Design Studio came along… Read the rest of this entry »

I had so much fun writing about Bholu wallpaper for kids yesterday that I never managed to show you the two great patterns for those with more grown-up tastes (plus some pretty pillows too).

I love the exuberant free form swirls of the “Nimboo” pattern.  The bright color and large scale are perfect for bigger spaces.  And wait till you see how fun those swirls are on a pillow! Read the rest of this entry »

I thought it would be nice to do a little series of posts this week on some of the beautiful craft work that comes out of Japan.  Perhaps no other country is so obsessed with both the past and the future at once, so it’s the perfect place to explore when it comes to using historical materials and methods to create more sustainable products.

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.  Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a big fan of wool, as anyone who has ever heard me speak will tell you.  Wool rocks.  It’s renewable, anti-static, resilient, dust mite resistant, won’t go up in a fire ball if exposed to flame (no need for fire retardant), and at the end of it’s usefulness will go back quietly to that good earth from which it came.

So you can imagine how excited I was to see that Mickus Projects has created a chair using only wool and steel.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pindler & Pindler has introduced a new line of luxury fabrics under the name “Pindler Green”.  Focused on natural fibers such as organic cotton and linen, Pindler has created some lovely patterns that are sure to have wide appeal, and not just to the sustainably minded.

I am particularly drawn to their suzani influenced patterns, such as Tybalt, an upholstery damask design, which is woven of 100% organic cotton and  comes in 5 colorways.

Read the rest of this entry »