The passionate Uhuru design team launched several new products at BKLYN Designs last week. It is hard to select a favorite from all of their sophisticated, yet quirky furniture designs, but we can say that their new stools made us do a double take. All of their work is produced from sustainable materials such as locally reclaimed wood and steel, but it is unexpected and inspiring to see scrap metal look so inviting to sit on. It is commendable that they have made such a mechanical material take on such natural form.

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Post tags: "eco paint", "powder coating", "scrap metal furniture", BKLYN Designs, Brooklyn Designs, uhuru design

How many times have you found yourself saying, “I sure wish I had a hidden drawer to keep all of my top secret documents”? Carpenter and designer extraordinaire Palo Samko must have heard you, because he created just that–an elegant chest of drawers with a cleverly concealed compartment for storing your most treasured possessions. Each bureau is made to order by Samko, who uses reclaimed materials such as plywood, pine and buttery tan leather. This chest and its secret drawer are so sweet, you may want to have a backup location for your valuables because you’ll probably end up showing all your friends!

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Post tags: "green furniture", BKLYN Designs, only men's chest, palo samko, reclaimed wood, recycled furniture, top secret chest, top secret drawer

It’s hard to capture all of the excitement of this year’s BKLYN Designs in words and photos alone – which is why we’re thrilled to bring you a video tour of our favorite green design picks from the show! Follow Inhabitat founder Jill Fehrenbacher and crew as they scout out hot new products and get exclusive interviews with the designers that created them. For more coverage of the stellar show, be sure to check out our BKLYN Designs Editors’ Choice Award Winners and our breaking coverage of this year’s event!

Inhabitat Reports from BKLYN Designs 2009 >

Inhabitat Editors’ Choice Awards @ BKLYN Designs >

BKLYN Designs Photo Gallery >

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Post tags: bklyn designs 2009 video, eco-friendly furniture, energy efficient lighting, green design, sustainable design, sustianable materials

Extraordinary green designers Object Interiors unveiled their new Live Earth collection at this year’s BKLYN Designs, and we were particularly struck by their Coup d’Grace Media Console (such a fitting name!). Made from a formaldehyde and VOC-free MDF shell, the console reflects the mission of the collection “to connect all the raw, natural elements that make up the construction of a finished piece” and provide “a sensory connection with live things reflected in the furniture around you.” Dried grasses are embedded into the console’s front sliding doors, which are translucent panels comprised of 3Form eco-resin. The patented material is constructed using 40 percent post-consumer recycled waste and is an increasingly popular, PVC-free alternative to plastic. Even better, eco-resin can be returned to 3Form for recycling at the end of its lifespan.

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Post tags: "sustainable furniture", 3form, Brooklyn Designs, contemporary furniture, coup de grace table, eco-resin, object interiors, object interiors live earth collection

These wonderful patterned paper lamps from Brooklyn–based Levent & Romme really caught our eye at this year’s BKLYN Designs show. Realized first as pen and ink illustrations, the patterns are then cut into a single sheet of thick watercolor paper. The paper is softly textured and opaque enough to make the designs pop, and the rigidity lends itself to the shades’ intricate cuts. Upping the coolness (and sustainability) quotient, the shade fits together using a tabbed design so that it forms a tube without any fasteners or adhesives.

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Post tags: adhesive-free lamps, anne romme, fiyel levent, Japanese design, levent and romme designs, paper lamps

Some really great designs for kids are debuting at this year’s BKLYN Designs, like this toyChaise by Iglooplay. We think parents will appreciate it even more than the kids though, because of its storage capacity and multiple uses. It’s perfect to play on top of, use as a desk, or lean back and rest on, while the large storage compartment and two drawers provide ample storage space. On top of that, the toyChaise is made from sustainable harvested birch with kid friendly “slow-closing hinges.” But don’t worry, these beautiful benches aren’t just made for kids, Iglooplay also makes adult sized furniture too.

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >

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Post tags: eco baby, eco kids, green kids, green kids furniture, igloo play, Iglooplay toychaise, toy box chaise lounger, toy chair, toy chaise

Most people view bunk beds with fondness and a sense of nostalgia. But when we spied Argington’s awesome new collection of kids’ furniture, which included a one-of-a-kind bamboo version of their Uffizi bunk bed set, our feelings were more adult — and decidedly less becoming: first we felt envy, then longing, until finally, we were just plain impressed and decided to honor Argington’s superior designs with our Editors’ Choice Award for Best Kids Design. Each and every offering–from the mod bunk beds and Sahara crib to the Fuji toy chest and Babylon high chairs–is sleek, sustainable, and utterly classic. Oh, to be young again.

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >

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Post tags: andrew thornington, argington, babylon high chair, bamboo furniture, Brooklyn Designs, contemporary children's furniture, Inhabitots, jenny argie, kid-friendly designs, sahara crib, uffizi bunk beds

Whether you’re an advocate of low-footprint living or a space-restricted city dweller looking to get the most milage out of your dining room, Ecosystems‘ brand new transforming Bada table may be just the piece you’re looking for. Crafted entirely from reclaimed walnut, the slick table features an ingenious design that transforms into a loveseat with a flick of the wrist, saving on both the space and materials consumed by multiple pieces of furniture.

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Post tags: bada table, ecosystems, green design, multifunctional furniture, reclaimed wood, sustainable design, terramai, Transforming Furniture

What do you think of when you think “green design?” Probably not a chair made entirely of recycled tennis balls! This fun and unexpected take on recycling by furniture designer Hugh Hayden is precisely why we named his enormously playful FUNATURE Tennis Ball Chair the winner of our BKLYN Designs Most Innovative Use of Materials Award. Not only is his choice of medium (297 repurposed tennis balls) smart and simple, it’s also fun and engaging. And when it comes to getting people talking about sustainable design, the Tennis Ball Chair is the perfect eco conversation piece.

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Post tags: Architecture, ball pools, Brooklyn Designs, contemporary furniture, cornell, dinner party, eco furniture, environmentally friendly design, funature, hugh hayden

This year the Pratt booth at Bklyn Designs showcased an impressive body of creative work by students, making it clear that the budding designers view sustainability as integral to the development of a design, not as an afterthought to be accounted for later. We were particularly impressed with the Evan Dewhirst’s ergonomic Buoy Chair, and we’re excited to announce that it won our Best Student Design Award! The Buoy Chair is made up of a water buoy, an aluminum body and a cork top, all held together by a harness inside the chair, making it free of glues and epoxies. Sitting upon the stool encourages active balance, upright posture, and is a lot of fun!

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Post tags: brooklyn designs 2009, buoy chair, evan dewhirst, pratt, sustainable design

We viewed dozens of innovative, noteworthy designs at BKLYN Designs last week. In fact, we were so blown away by the caliber of work we encountered that we wondered how we’d EVER single out 5 selections for our Editors’ Choice Awards. When it came time to choose our Best in Show honoree, however, we reached a consensus pretty quickly: EcoSystems. The green-to-the-core design firm’s two newly unveiled offerings — an innovative collection of ready-made furniture and one awesome transforming table — just blew us away.

Read the rest of Ecosystems BADA Table Transforms Into a Love-Seat

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Post tags: BKLYN Designs, contemporary furniture, Design for Health, ecosystems, editors choice awards, snug-it connector system, tool-free furniture, transforming table

DRUMROLL PLEASE…

We are excited to announce the Inhabitat Editor’s Choice Awards for BKLYN Designs 2009! As we walked through the BKLYN Designs show this year we were thrilled to see fresh new faces and established designers alike unveiling an inspired assortment of locally-sourced designs made from recycled materials, elegant energy-efficient lighting solutions, and beautifully crafted furniture of every fit and form. Read on for our picks for the finest trends in future-forward furniture design!

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF MATERIALS: FUNATURE BY HUGH HAYDEN

Hugh Hayden’s fresh new line of FUNature repurposes plastic balls into a bright bunch of furnishing solutions. We were particularly impressed with his tennis ball chair, which is composed entirely of recycled tennis balls that have lost their bounce.

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN: PAPER LAMPS BY LEVENT & ROMME

Levent & Romme’s elegant lamps consist of a single sheet of paper that has been laser-cut to let light shine through in beautiful patterns.

Read the rest of Inhabitat Editors’ Choice Awards @ BKLYN Designs

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Post tags: bklyn designs 2009, energy efficient lighting, green design, green furniture, Recycled Materials, sustainable design

Yesterday morning, the Inhabitat team gathered in DUMBO for the opening of BKLYN Designs our favorite locally-grown furniture design show. In its seventh year, the annual showcase of locally-designed furniture provides visitors with sampling of the best in the borough. We saw lots of our old green BKLYN favorites such as Brave Space and Uhuru as well as plenty of exciting new faces and designs — and were especially excited to see what this year’s Pratt students had in store for us. This year’s show, while smaller than last year, proves once again that functionality, eco-sensitivity and beauty can come together under a smart designer. If you live in New York City, we hope you make it out to DUMBO before the weekend is over, to catch our BKLYN Designs Editors’ Choice Awards – which will be given out on our green design walking tour at 3pm on Sunday. To entice you, here are some of our favorite designs from the show…

And don’t forget to check out our photo album >

Hugh Hayden’s FUNiture Tennis Ball Chair

UHURU Booth 2009

Hugh Hayden showcases his colorful FUNiture

Recycled Sweater Stools by Sara Ebert (at the Pratt booth)

Buoy Chair by Evan Dewhirst (at the Pratt booth)

Read the rest of Inhabitat Reports from BKLYN Designs 2009!

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Post tags: "green furniture", brooklyn designs 2009, eco furniture fair, furniture fair new york, furniture festival, industrial design brooklyn, industrial design new york, industrial design students, inhabitat bklyn designs, inhabitat team, jessica mischner, jill fehrenbacher, local furniture fair, mike chino, olivia chen, yuka yoneda

BKLYN Designs starts today, and we can’t wait to see this sweet Rockabye Storage Rocker from CASAKids. Tots can hop on the eco-friendly bandwagon in this multifunctional rocking chair that features a lift-up seat and doubles as a storage space for books, art supplies and other treasures. Made of Baltic Birch Plywood and non-toxic painted MDF, this rocker for the pint-sized contingency is part of CASAKids aptly named Treasure Collection.

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS>

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BKLYN Designs starts today!

BKLYN Designs starts today and we couldn’t be more excited! Running from May 8-10, this awesome showcase of local furniture design kicks off NY Design Week, and is one of our favorite events of the year. The inhabitat team is here right now, walking around the showroom to try all the fabulous eco-friendly furniture on display, so we can report it back to you guys this weekend.

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Post tags: BKLYN Designs