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.

For her 2010 collection, UK based designer Selina Rose has continued her exploration of striking colors and nature inspired designs in new rugs, throws, pillows and even coasters.  The wool felt’s bright colors come from environmentally friendly dyes, making them safe as well as sustainable.

I love the clever butterfly cutouts on these pillows.  They really seem to invite you to peek beneath the wings to see what’s hidden there.So if you need a little cheer around you home, or are just curious to see more of her lovely designs, click here.  All of the products are designed and produced in the UK, but can be shipped worldwide.

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…

They also have this pair made of brightly colored wool felt, or…

these subtlety toned yet whimsical pillows, which look like an homage to the Slinky.

And this linen pillow, with its charming, floral applique in wool felt, is the epitome of Spring decor.

Says Becca, Cushlab founder and creative force -

“I have a great time designing, making and thinking about cushions, and can’t understand when people aren’t as obsessed by them as I am!”

Well Becca, if we could all make cushions as fun as yours, maybe we would be equally obsessed ourselves!

Based in Kent, UK, Cushlab is able to ship internationally, and will even take commissions for custom work.  They use wool felt and linen for the majority of their pillows, donating leftover scrap material to local schools for craft projects.

Uh oh!  I just heard the UPS truck…  Darn, it’s hard to type holding pillows to your ears.  Sigh.

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.

The amazing new Apaya Collection of lighting from Aqua Creations is all that and more.These glowing columns of light look like some ancient form of life on a David Attenborough nature documentary, and yet, they also have a contemporary, sculptural feel to them.

Hand crafted using the felting technique, these beautiful wool light sculptures retain an organic softness in their form.

As the layers are formed, sections of wool are allowed to remain unfelted, providing a glimpse of the material in its original state..

Says Aqua Creations of this collection:

While felt was mainly associated with craft, felt art is recently being culturally revived and acknowledged for its sculptural quality that allows sustainable art. Apaya is the contemporary result of a conscious design process: the combination of the old handcraft techniques with advanced lighting technology creating the very first accommodation of manual felt to contemporary lighting.

I love the creativity and liveliness of the Apaya Collection, and look forward to seeing Aqua Creations continue to experiment with the possibilities of natural wool felting in lighting.

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!

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…

Madder Root

The only commercial scale natural dye production house in the United States, Chicago based Noon Design Studio developed their system for colorful, consistent, large scale natural dyeing while pursuing better dyeing methods for the portable solar bags of sister company Noon Solar.  They now provide their dyeing services to designers around the U.S., and can work on both a yardage or by the piece basis.  Best of all, they dye by weight and are capable of taking jobs as small as 10 pounds.

Cutch wood chips

Says founder Jane Palmer…

“I love naturally dyed textiles because of their unique beauty; they have a presence of hand and luminosity that cannot be created with chemical dyes.  I also love the dyes because of their sustainability with the earth and connection to thousands of years of history.”

Cochineal

Noon Design Studio uses only sustainably harvested natural materials in their dyeing process.  Their materials consist of fruits, woods, roots and even insects.  For example, they use madder root, pomegranate, walnuts, indigo, cochineal bugs, and many other dyestuff to achieve a rainbow of luxurious colors.

Just launched in January, Noon Design Studio may be the beginning of a real revolution in fabric design here in the States.  Certainly many textile, fashion and interior designers will be knocking on their door soon.  Imagine the possibilities!

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!

Hand embroidered by woman in India, these cheerful Fair Trade pillows are made of wool felt with feather inserts.

For those with a desire for something a little more subtle, Bholu also has the “Ziddi” pattern, which was inspired by the textural quality of traditional embroidery.

As with their children’s prints, all wallpapers are printed by Porter’s Paints on paper stock, using their own low to no VOC paints.  A portion of the sales for the Bholu line will be donated to the ‘Bholu Anganwadi Project’, which rebuilds “Anganwadi’s” (preschools) for slum children in under privileged communities in India.

There is such a joy that comes from owning something made with care by human hands, rather than the cold perfection of machines.  Every stitch a moment of time in that person’s life.  And knowing that Fair Trade practices means they are being fairly compensated for their work means your purchase directly contributes to their having a better life.

The Bholu collections can be found in shops all over the world, or ordered directly online.

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!

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

Created using digital fabrication techniques, from thick sheets of industrial wool felt, the Relief Chair is built up layer upon layer.  The precision cut pieces of felt are adhered to the steel frame using non-toxic, water based adhesives.  Once completed, any scrap material remaining is reused for other Mickus Projects pieces, such as the Refill Pillow.

By using thick wool felt, Mickus was able to avoid using upholstery foam, which is saturated in fire retardant and cannot biodegrade.   Add to that the recyclable steel frame and you have a chair with some serious sustainable creed!

Available online from Branch.

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.

Pindler Green’s Mission Statement from their website -

“Pindler & Pindler understands that protecting the environment is not just a trend; it’s a way of life. Our mission is to be a resource to our environmentally aware designers and customers, supplying luxury fabrics woven from high-quality natural, sustainable fibers. We use only certified organic cotton, as well as linen, jute, flax, bamboo, hemp, wool and silk, all renewable and sustainable. Fabrics as nature intended are better for you, your home, and the environment as a whole.

Pindler Green fabrics meet authentic third party certification. They are produced by manufacturers meeting recognized standards for environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing processes. We use specially certified dyers specializing in low impact and non-toxic dyes and finishes that are free of all heavy metals and harmful agents. These sources use low exhaust emissions, and reduce energy consumption through the use of wind power.”

While I applaud Pindler for having a mission statement, as well as providing a good glossary of terms, I do wish they were a bit more specific as far as what certifications each fabric met, as well as showing more images of the patterns and colors available.  With luck I will be able to find out a bit more to share with you when I visit the local showroom next week.