Wow those around you by transforming any old household object into a lamp with this “LED Pin” by Korean designer Sungho Lee. To create this subtle, yet awe-inspiring illuminating accent Lee stylized and whitewashed the form of a traditional clothespin. The refreshing take on a familiar design successfully turns the object’s dollar-store stigma into a museum store find, but it’s the techy twist that makes it even more notable.
As Inhabitat’s fashion editor, I spend a lot of time (yes, a tad bit little longer than is required for my job) perusing through seriously crave-worthy fashions, from the frilly and ethereal, to the haunting and hardcore. That being said, looking at all of these beautiful clothes can be very bittersweet when you’re working with a less than rockstar budget. In fact, one of the biggest complaints I hear about ethical and eco-conscious fashion is that it is just too expensive! I definitely acknowledge the fact that buying a lot of these labels is not cheap, but you have to admit that it makes sense that clothing using the latest and most innovative fabrics and paying fair wages to local people would be more pricey. I try my best to save up and buy my favorite eco-chic pieces when they go on sale to support the cause, but who says you need to spend big bucks to rock a look that is both green and cutting edge? Here are 5 easy and supercheap ways to green your wardrobe by using your noggin instead of your benjamins.
Have you ever thought to yourself while riding a bike “Gee, I sure wish that I could cross that river.” Well now here’s your chance! Li Wieguo has come up with a relatively cheap and practical DIY project that lets you modify your bike to make it float and work on water. Sure beats taking a boat.
Spring has sprung, the votes have been cast, and we’re excited to announce the winners of our Spring Greening DIY Design Contest! We feel fortunate to have such an incredibly talented reader base – you guys wowed us with some truly impressive examples of DIY design. Thanks to everyone for submitting their incredible Spring Greening projects, and to all our readers for supporting them throughout the voting process… read on for our winners…
We were glad to see that we’re not the only ones that, upon unpackaging our shiny new macbook, thought it was such a shame to use such a lovely case just for packaging material. Rather than ditching or storing the quite useful cardboard box, Spring Greening finalist Alison Cromie decided to cover it with fabric and turn it into a case for crafting supplies. We loved her simple act of turning future garbage into a …
Another inspiring finalist in our Spring Greening Contest is Kumvana Gomani, who created this beautiful little bird brooch from recycled aluminum. To make it she took an aluminum can, flattened it, cut out the shape, sanded the aluminum and finally attached a pin or hair clasp. Gomani is based in Sweden, and her creative use of recycled materials makes for some adorable jewelry – check out her crystalized leaf necklace made from recycled plastic bottles as well. Our polls close today, so make sure you vote now for your favorite DIY Design!
SPRING GREENING CLOSES TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT!
Our Spring Greening Design Contest closes at midnight tonight, which makes this your LAST CHANCE to cast your vote for your favorite DIY design! As our fifteen incredible finalists enter the final round of voting the competition is thick and we currently have several stunning projects closing in on our grand prize of a $200 gift certificate to the Inhabitat Shop in addition to all of the fame and fortune of being showcased on Inhabitat. We’ll also be selecting three runner-ups to receive an eggling of their choice, so be sure cast your vote today in support of your favorite example of DIY design, and stay tuned for the reveal of our grand prize winner this week!
One of fifteen finalists in our Spring Greening DIY Design Contest, Nibha Jain and Srikanth Jalasutram’s “Orange” dish drying rack puts wet dishes to work by using their droplets to water a mini herb garden. Clothes pins attached to one side hold flatware and smaller items while the built in rack is suitable for anything you can throw at it (but the kitchen sink!). The tray has an inclined base which funnels water drips towards a small plant of your choosing, making this an ingenious invention for keeping cooking herbs close at hand. If you agree, be sure to vote for it in our Spring Greening Contest!
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SPRING GREENING DESIGN >
San Francisco’s James Sampayan offers up a bright idea for the Spring Greening DIY Contest that combines old and new to create a lovely pendant lamp that gives the lowly light bulb a second life during which to “live long and prosper.” James’ design snaps ten standard bulbs between two acrylic plates along with a single CFL bulb that illuminates the rest. Simply crafted using bulbs, scrap acrylic, and miscellaneous Ace Hardware bits and bobs, this pendant is functional and economical. If you’re a fan of this design, be sure to vote for it in our contest post!
CONTEST EXTENDED UNTIL TUESDAY, APRIL 14th at MIDNIGHT
We’ve received a tremendous response to our Spring Greening DIY Design Contest, and the competition is so close that due to popular demand we’re going to let the voting run for a few more days! We want to make sure that everyone involved in the DIY design competition has …
Think humankind discovering fire was revolutionary? How about a cardboard box that uses the sun’s rays to cook without burning firewood? That’s precisely what the Kyoto Box, a cardboard solar cooker, can do. Made out of basic, 5th-grade-science-experiment type materials, the Kyoto box solar cooker offers a life-altering solution for thousands of people: the ability to cook and heat water without burning wood. So how does it work? Inventor John Bohmer says the box uses “the greenhouse effect for something good.”
We tend to run through umbrella’s pretty quickly in New York and there isn’t much to be done with them when they die. But Taryn Zychal, a Philidelphia-based industrial designer, is taking broken-down umbrellas and making raincoats for dogs out of them. These super cute coats are made from stripped-down umbrellas, scraps of fabric, thrift store buttons, and contrasting stitching. Taryn’s pugs, Betty and Hurley, love their cozy raincoats, which are both stylish and functional. Her submission to our DIY Spring Greening competition is inspiring and fun, and you should vote on it now.
Looking for another inspired reuse for all of those egg-cartons left empty after Easter? New York designer Fanny Chen’s “Chesta Egg Carton Vase” gives them a creative second life. The cartons that make up the vase are broken into sheets of intersecting polygons. Pieces of symmetrically-arranged carton are connected with hand stitches, and a coat of varnish makes the vase extra-tough. Chen says that her project is inspired by the overlooked beauty in everyday objects as well as a desire to highlight our environmental problems. We think that she has succeeded in turning trash into industrial-chic treasure – if you agree, be sure to vote for her project in our Spring Greening Contest!
With Easter on its way, those of us who engaged in egg-dying festivities are likely to have lots of empty egg crates lying around. Rather than tossing them in the trash (or compost bin!), why not follow Federico Otero’s example and transform them into elegant examples of DIY design. One of fifteen finalists in our Spring Greening Contest, the Origen lamp is formed from several 30-pack egg crates interlocked around a light bulb that gives off a soft, warm glow. If you’re a fan of this design, be sure to vote for it in our contest post!
After an exciting week of voting our Spring Greening DIY Design Contest is set to close tomorrow at midnight and the competition is fierce! We asked our contestants asked to clean out their closets and repurpose household items into functional examples of DIY design, and they wowed us with an incredible set of entries. Our fifteen finalists have received over 1,700 votes, and with less than two days left several stunning projects are neck-and-neck. We need your help to select a winner to receive fortune, fame, and a $200 gift certificate to the Inhabitat Shop, so if you haven’t voted yet today read on and support your favorite entry!
Ben Light’s namesake shines through in this brilliant lamp born from his resolve to salvage his grandfather’s old Electrolux vacuum cleaner. One of fifteen finalists in our Spring Greening Contest the project is based upon the original casing and retains the vacuum’s automatic cord return while providing an extra cool retro vibe to any interior space. The remainder of the wood is built from oak scraps from a variety of his old woodworking projects. If you’re a fan of the Vacuum light, be sure to vote for it in our contest post!
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SPRING GREENING DESIGN >
One of our fifteen finalists in our Spring Greening Design Competition, this clever DIY project takes two types of plungers and transforms them into a stylish table lamp. To create it, New Jersey-based industrial designer Michael Andrulewich wired a normal black rubber plunger with an electrical socket and then added an accordion style plunger on top to act as a shade. If you love this plunger lamp as much as we do, vote for it now in our DIY Spring Greening Competition!
Designer and inventor extraordinaire Knut Karlsen recently unveiled an inspired approach to portable power that can’t be beat for its elegant simplicity: a prototype battery capable of charging itself when exposed to sunshine. His slick set of SunCat C-cells are wrapped in flexible photovoltaic panels and will slowly recharge when left to bask in the sun – just like a cat.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!Looking for some last minute Valentines treat ideas? Nothing shows you care more than homemade gifts, and if you are looking for some crafty V-day fun today, there’s still time to make some sweet stuff for your sweeties. Inhabitots has some fun ideas for you, from home-made chocolate truffles to personalized custom t-shirts and cards…READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >
To many, the idea of making your own cleaning products out of household items may sound a little crunchy — but if you really stop and think about it, it makes good economic, environmental and health sense. Not only are homemade cleaning agents much safer and healthier for everyone in your family than harsh store bought cleaners, but they can save …
toy car made from an old milk carton
If the souring economy’s got you down this holiday season, here’s something that will help put things in perspective and remind you how lucky you really are. In many parts of the world, people are too poor to purchase toys for their kids (much less shoes and socks). Kids, however, need …
Many of our readers have already switched out their incandescent light bulbs in favor of energy-efficient CFLs, and for this we applaud you! However for those out there who have not made the switch, it may be due to concerns over the bright glare that these bulbs emit. Enter the Bright Idea Shade, a beautiful open-source bulb shade composed of interlocking polygonal pieces. It was created at the Eyebeam OpenLab, an art and technology center in New York that encourages creative thinking and open-source designs.
This year, Americans will drink more than 30 billion single-serving bottles of water. To raise awareness of the alarming problem of plastic waste, Jasmine Zimmerman created the Bottle House – an open-roofed greenhouse made from hundreds of recycled plastic bottles. It’s an excellent example of repurposing a harmful and overlooked material into one that will grow vegetation, and Jasmine plans to exhibit the greenhouse in empty lots, rooftops, parks, and vacant buildings to help spread the word. We caught up with the structure in Seattle at Bumbershoot 2008, where it was joined by a number of socially and environmentally charged installations and performances.
Our crafty eco mom writer Andrea over at Inhabitots put together this great HOW-TO step-by-step guide to creating a customized green silhouette T-shirt. For a fun and fashionable way to memorialize the favorite people in your life, this DIY fashion project can’t be beat. Check it out here >
Talk about bringing solar power to the palm of your hand! The World’s Smallest Solar Racing Car is a tiny, fully-functional solar powered vehicle topped with a minuscule photovoltaic panel. The Select Solar Mini Racer measures in at a mere 33×22x14 mm – about the size of a quarter – but can zoom around with the best of them.
There’s a lot of talk about indoor air quality and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) these days, and if you’ve been paying attention, you may know that paint can play a large part in contributing to poor indoor air quality. So what to do if you are moving or want to give your space a fresh coat of paint? The answer is to look for low or no-VOC paints. Almost every major paint brand produces ‘Low-VOC’ paints these days, but despite the wide variety of options available, not all ‘eco paints’ are created equal.
Sometimes sustainability comes in the form of adaptability, making objects able to accommodate evolving styles or tastes. Polish design studio Emocja had transformation in mind when creating the Bufet Filcowy sideboard. A sleek black panel creates a canvas of some 4000 holes laid out dot-matrix style. Felt pegs of any hue (not unlike cigarette filters) can be arranged into infinite patterns.
Behold the mowercycle! Is this an awesome DIY design or what? This ingenious bicycle-lawnmower fashioned by an unknown suburban lawn owner out of an old bicycle and a broken lawnmower, is a testament to the creativity of the human spirit. Spotted in dot dream’s flickr stream, we have no idea who the original photographer was, nor do we know anything about the owner/designer of the MOWERCYCLE. All we know is that it is awesome and should be an inspiration to sustainable design fans and DIY tinkerers everywhere.
This lightweight, portable cardboard table aims to assist on-the-go creative types like designers and students, who are often limited to work on low desks or floors. Made by Sruli Recht from flatpack cardboard pieces, this lightweight, sturdy design offers creatives an ergonomic plane on which to cut, fold, draft or design. Adding even more appeal to this smart and useful design, the table is biodegradable and can easily be folded up to pack into a portable carrier.
One of our favorite finds at this year’s green-themed Salone Satellite was the work of ascendent Swiss “redesigner” Fethi Atakol. His design debut would do Duchamp proud, as it showcased a wonderful assortment of “functional artworks” made from found objects. Atakol’s designs are funky and fun, joining together a disparate set of everyday items to extraordinary effect.
One part origami, one part architecture, pure genius, the brand new Bloxes system makes 2-dimensional pieces of interlocking cardboard come to life as expandable and continually adaptable structures. Because they’re so masterfully designed, Bloxes create structures strong enough to stand on, all assembled without tools. So they’re not just for room separating anymore- build a bench, a table, a wall, or even a full room!
Sometimes ‘it’s not easy being green’, and a little help is needed to make our living space or office cubicle greener and cleaner without much maintenance. Enter the ‘techno-organic’ Grobal planter, a super-stylish self-watering planter that is a foolproof way to grow plants and flowers without day-to-day watering or green-thumb know-how. Invented by Treg Bradley and designed with the high-gloss biomorphism of superstar Karim Rashid, Grobal is ideal for cultivating house plants, flowers, herbs, orchids, and succulents. Let the internal ‘grow chamber’ do the work, and you can sit back and nurture yourself and your plants in self-sufficient, eco-style.
Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies is the perfect holiday gift for those of us who are interested in green building, but need a little expert help. Admittedly, the For Dummies® books are a smart start for anyone wanting to pick up a new trade or just learn the overall basics on any particular subject. With more than 150 million books in print and over 1000 topics, this new release by Eric Corey Freed of Organic Architect may be the best evidence out there that green is mainstream.
Ever wished that you could simply whip up a fabulous outfit for yourself, ‘in no time’, with ready made objects and reclaimed bits and pieces from your domestic lair? Swedish fashion designer, Sandra Backlund, is a wizard at sculpting hand-crafted garments that celebrate the everyday form in a most unusual and resourceful manner. Her latest, ‘In No Time Collection’, celebrates the best of sustainable risk-taking in design and fashion with a twist of haute-couture know how and DIY craftiness.
Bringing graphic design back to its roots and creativity, Princeton Architectural Press launched D.I.Y. Kids in October 2007, a book by twin sister design-duo Ellen and Julia Lupton, founders of Design Your Life. Beautifully illustrated with “real artwork by real children”, D.I.Y. Kids engages young people to create from existing things, from binding their own books, sewing their own clothes, making stickers, logos, clothespin dolls, box buildings, graffiti furniture, ribbon accessories, and many more projects. What a fab way to get those creative juices flowing while recycling!!
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
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