Inhabitat

TEICH: We Check Out NYC’s Newest Green Boutique

New York Editor Olivia Chen and Storeowner Allison Teich

Teich, a new sustainable fashion boutique, has taken NYC by storm and the Inhabitat fashion team was lucky enough to be on the scene for a trunkshow there last week showcasing eco-fabulous designer Ryann! In addition to the very delectable line of handbags for which the shop is named, there was plenty of eye candy in the form of floaty organic dresses, delicate recycled jewelry and, my personal favorite, exclusive NYC name pendants (see storeowner Allison Teich’s neck in the pic above) that Junkprints custom-made for the store out of old records!

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Top 5 Pieces of Living, Growing Furniture

In the world of green furnishings there are always a few literalists out there looking to push the envelope and create something truly “green”. Growing and thriving with CO2 neutralizing chlorophyll, Inhabitat’s Top 5 Living Furnishings presents a range of items from the practical to the prototypical. Some are bound by man-made restraints while others grow directly from the soil–in any form or fashion, these designs are truly alive!
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Edit’d: An Excellent Example of Eco Fashion

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but fashion has been changing. And I don’t mean changing like fads and trends changing – that’s the old fashion. New fashion has a brain. New fashion has staying power. Not sure what that means? Well Australian designer Helene Ang and her new line Edit’d are the perfect illustration of my point. Helene deconstructs luxe vintage garments and breathes new life into them by slicing and stitching them into contemporary silhouettes. Each piece comes complete with a history of its humble beginnings so that you can daydream about its old life each time you put it on. Pretty powerful considering that we are essentially purchasing a story, an idea and a lifestyle each time we buy a tulip skirt, patterned sundress or aviator sunglasses. And you really get that with Helene’s pieces. So much so that if I had to make a PowerPoint presentation showing what new fashion is, it would be very similar to Edit’d website. In fact, I think I will take a stab at explaining what new fashion is using Edit’d’s summer collection, European Vagabond. Here goes…

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Uhuru Scrap Metal Stoolen

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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Energy 101 INTERVIEW: IBM’s Drew Clark on Future Smart Meters

In last week’s Energy 101 column, we looked at some of the home energy monitoring devices currently available and explored the ways that they can help us live more efficient, eco-conscious lives. But with smart grid technologies rapidly approaching, a new group of energy-tracking devices is emerging. We had the chance to speak with Drew Clark, Director of Strategy for IBM’s Venture Capital Group, about what the future holds for smart meter technology.

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Energy 101: How to Monitor Your Energy

Last week we looked at the smart grid — essentially, a modernization of the transmission and distribution aspects of the electrical grid. This week we’re focusing upon tracking energy usage, since the first step to cutting down on our power consumption is being able to measure it. Smart meters installed as part of smart grid projects will make it extra-easy to monitor home energy use — and while there are numerous smart grid-linked energy monitoring devices coming out soon, there are also are plenty of ways to keep track of your power consumption with an old-fashioned meter.

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Links Roundup of the Week: Going Mainstream

Throughout April, we have been covering a number of design events and trends that seem to increasingly capture the public’s attention. We like that being green doesn’t mean being crunchy. Rather, eco-consciousness is transcending stereotypes and rethinking how we live and relate to our world. As public awareness increases, we see that people are finally understanding that green design is vital and viable. …

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Tono 8 All-Natural Cork Building Blocks

We found these awesome cork building blocks at the Milan Furniture Fair this week and love their simple and beautiful look. Designed by Tetsuo Tonouchi with safety and fun in mind, these lightweight building blocks are made from natural cork and non-toxic paints, and have super-soft edges. While they are a perfect eco-friendly toy for children, we know …

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The Incredible Edible House of the Future

Will the house of the future be centered around growing our own food? That’s part of what the Wall Street Journal attempted to find out this week in their feature, “The Green House of the Future.” Author Alex Frangos asked four well-known architects to design the house of the future, which is energy-efficient and sustainable, but under no budget constraints or restraints on how we currently live. Our favorite design was the “Incredible Edible House,” by LA-based Rios Clementi Hale Studios, which is clearly an out-of-the-box concept for a sustainable 3-story house that doubles as a vertical garden.

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MILAN: Our Top Picks From Zona Tortona

Zona Tortona is regarded as a sister show, or “satellite exhibit,” to the Salone Internazionale del Mobile; however, it was at Zona Tortona that I found some of the most innovative and forward-moving designs this week in Milan. Zona Tortona takes place in a neighborhood where the streets via Zona and via Tortona cross. Historically this neighborhood was an industrial area with rows of compact tenement housing placed in between factories. The transformation from commerce to creative space began in the early 80s when artists and designers were being pushed into the outskirts of the city at the same time that industry started moving further into the countryside. Today, Zona Tortona is known around the world as an art and design district and is universally recognized for the exhibit that runs concurrently with iSaloni.

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KARTON ART DESIGN: Cardboard Furniture

We’ve seen quite a bit of experimentation with cardboard on Inhabitat, but Hungarian husband & wife team Edith Szilvasy (formerly an artist) and Andras (Andrew) Balogh (a carpenter) have taken cardboard building to the next level by inventing a system of constructing furniture that uses only cardboard and ordinary paper clips. The development of the system has taken 3 years, but for Karton Art Design, that time has been time well spent. Andras developed a a method of folding and clipping the cardboard so that their finished products are as strong as wood and as light as paper — and can be integrated with existing wood products. Their work is currently showcasing at the Milan Furniture Fair in La Zona Tortona this week. Karton’s products featured at the fair include: shelving units, chairs, and even a restored hutch (featured below).

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Recycled Eggshell Stationary by Nicolas Cheng

Designer Nicolas Cheng of Studioroom906 is presenting this beautiful set of stationary made from recycled eggshells at the Milan Furniture Fair this week. In his “Childhood Memories” collection, Cheng uses wasted eggshells that undergo a “high pressure technique” to create a new material that utilizes the existing proteins and mineral crystals from the shells. 100 recycled eggshells are used per set which includes a pencil, pencil holder, eraser and A5 paper.

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Reclaimed RE:cover Chairs by Fredrik Färg

In his project RE:cover, Exhibited this week at the Milan Furniture Fair, Fredrik Färg takes the idea of timeless fashion and applies it to furniture to give old chairs a new and glamorous life. Färg purchases old chairs from flea markets, restores them to their original condition, and then fits a new “textile dress/structure” to the frame. His work is classy, elegant and recycled!

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Shigeru Ban’s 10 Unit Modular Furniture System

This week Inhabitat favorite Shigeru Ban will be introducing his ‘10-Unit System’ for Artek at the 2009 Milan Furniture fair. Based completely on L-shaped units, the elegant modular furniture system allows you to bring a bit of your creativity into play to form numerous seating and tables of various sizes and design by the simple crossing and joining of axes. We were thrilled to find that what looks like a simple and straightforward do-it-yourself approach can in fact yield some complex and stunning results.

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Paper Wood Stools Sit Lightly on the Earth

Drill Design is set to unveil these new Paper Wood Stools at this week’s Milan Furniture Fair with the tag line that “off the rack” just will not do. Composed of wood veneer and recycled paper, these stools break the mold by moving away from the one size fits all paradigm. Not only are they light of weight and sturdy in strength but they come in a variety of heights to seat everyone from tiny tots all the way up to the towering Shaquille O’Neals in the crowd.

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Milan Furniture Fair Starts Next Week!

Your favorite furniture fair is about to begin! Starting next week on Earth Day, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile will be in full swing from April 22nd through the 27th. We have a team of European design experts headed there now to bring you full coverage of the great green designs on display – from new chairs and eco-friendly furniture …

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Want to go to The Milan Furniture Fair for Inhabitat?

Calling all European design geeks!
We are looking for a few great writers/photographers/design aficionados who are planning to go to Milan from April 22 – 27 to help us cover 2009’s Milan Furniture Fair for Inhabitat. We had great coverage last year and want to scour this year’s event for the best and brightest in contemporary sustainable design. Planning to go to Milan and want to be an Inhabitat scout? Shoot us an email to editor at inhabitat dot com.

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Eco-conscious interiors by Postfossil Design Collective

Zurich-based Postfossil Design Collective came together to create a platform for exploring how design can influence responsible, and adaptable behavior. Earlier this year, at Milan’s furniture fair, they excused themselves for ‘deviating’ from a focus on the use of sustainable materials and production methods, yet Postfossil presented an impressive eco-conscious collection at Salone Satellite. Their thought-provoking designs garnered the Design Report Award for unique ideas that challenge our post-fossil perception.

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CUTE FOLDING BIKE: Cinelli’s Bootleg Magic Bus Rat

This bizarrely named but beautiful Cinelli Bootleg Magic Bus Rat bike was one of the many highlights of this year’s Well-Tech Awards at Milan Design Week 2008. Folding up in 20 seconds and weighing less than the average trekking bike at 11kg, this little cycle offers a particularly nimble, stylish way to get around town. With a totally sustainable street attitude, high-tech attributes and miles of bike experience behind it from one of cycling’s top stars, the Bus Rat is a tricked out two wheeler we can’t ignore.

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Recycled Leather Rugs by Manon Juliette

When we made our way through the Tuttobene show at the Milan Furniture Fair this year, we initially thought Manon Juliette’s ‘Feliz’ leather rug was simply a delightfully tactile creation. However, closer inspection revealed that sustainability enters the design story at almost every stage of this charming creation. As well as looking at the ecological impacts, the Dutch designer has incorporated social benefits, considering everyone involved in the lifecycle of these decorative pieces.

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EKLA Home’s New Sustainable Sofas Unveiled

A confessed dumpster diver always on the look-out for abandoned treasures and grand-daughter to both a furniture designer and a scrap metal recycler, Emily Kroll was destined to launch EKLA Home. With a fresh new brand of sustainable sofas, Kroll’s green-minded design endeavor takes its eco-mandate very seriously. If you didn’t catch the Los Angeles-based designer’s off-Javits East Coast debut at Design Lush during ICFF, here’s a quick and delicious recap.
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LA FELIZ: Eco-friendly Woven Furniture & Lighting

As continuation of our TOUCH | NY coverage of eco friendly furniture, lighting and accessories design from this inspired Brazilian collective, we were excited to discover the handcrafted work of Patricio Lix Klett and his La Feliz Collection. We love the organic and clean functional vocabulary of his designs, and particularly like that his latest plastic wicker creations now come in a recycled version. Part sculpture, part durable furniture and retro style lighting, La Feliz is an extremely stylish collection with a luminous personal touch.

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Forget the bulb: world’s first illuminating glass

Eco-friendly lightbulbs are an energy efficient step in the right direction, but it could be that the bulb’s days are numbered. First we had light-emitting wallpaper, and now Saazs’ light-emitting glass plates. Using planilum technology, these plates are the world’s first active light-emitting glass. Incorporated into shelves and tables, the technology provides beautiful, understated lighting for homes and offices.

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SEAWEED LAMPS! Julia Lohmann’s Kelp Constructs

We are enchanted by Kelp Constructs, the new work from UK-based designer Julia Lohmann who has been experimenting with kelp, and exploring its potential as a sustainable material. Following an artistic residency at S-AIR in Sapporo Japan, Lohmann was in Milan this year conducting the Kelp Constructs workshop at the Nilufar Gallery. The final products, a collection of wonderfully tactile lighting designs, were on display during the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, bringing this rapidly renewable material into a new design realm.

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VOTE NOW! Stellar Student Design at Milan 2008

The Salone Satellite, an event featuring young talent, is probably one of the most exciting sections of the Milan Furniture Fair. It features some of the most inventive prototypes and pieces, and is a must see for all visitors and furniture lovers. This year, students from the University of Belgrade presented their work made from industrial wood, and we happen to love the designs that these students brought to Milan. It’s been hard to pick our favorite, so we’ve decided not to even try. Instead, we leave the decision to you, which is your favorite piece?

VOTE IN OUR POLL >

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ECO FRANKEN FURNITURE: Jetske de Groot Multiple Family

We never thought the Frankenstein approach would work for eco-design, but Dutch designer Jetske de Groot shows that it works beautifully. A refreshing change to all the super-slick design at the Milan Furniture Fair, de Groot’s chairs and tables are as sustainable as they are appealing. The project, entitled ‘Multiple Family’, is driven by a brilliant, simple approach: take two or more broken chairs or tables, and fuse the non-broken bits together to produce a new, functional and completely unique design.
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MILAN 2008: Green Design Highlights from Milan

We’ve covered many of our favorite designs from Milan Design Week 2008 this past week, but there was lots of intriguing eco design that we still haven’t touched on yet: Steven Burks’ eco-minded ‘Cappellini Love’ tables, lots of LED oriented lighting, waste-diverting floor coverings made from scrap materials, and innovations for portable functional spaces are just a few of the highlights we don’t want to leave out from our Milan Coverage. From Tuttobene, Satellite and around town, here is a selection of great green designs we spotted while out and about in Milan last week.

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Milan 2008: Best of the Well-Tech Awards

One of our favorite stops during Milan Design Week, last week, was at the Well-Tech Exhibition, where we found the Well-Tech organization’s mission in full green design form. Founded to encourage design that focuses on sustainability, inclusiveness and improving quality of life, Well-Tech’s 2008 exhibit featured some of our favorite humanitarian and social design products, such as the Bogo solar light, as well as some innovative new eco-design ideas, like the ‘No More Gas (NmG)’ personal electric vehicle. Read on for our highlights from Well-Tech!

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MILAN 2008: Moroso’s Bouquet Chair by Tokujin Yoshioka

The recent furniture fair in Milan has certainly made us appreciate how some of the simplest furniture pieces, like chairs, can be reinterpreted in any number of ways. Tokujin Yoshioka’s Bouquet chair, part of the Moroso collection at Salone Internazionale del Mobile last week, is an extraordinary example. With a thin, chrome metal tube supporting a simple egg shaped shell, Yoshioka has applied a bouquet of fabric squares to create an incredibly snug, and beautiful, chair. While our sustainable side is a little on the fence, we can’t help but be intrigued by this amazing design, which was easily one of the most talked about innovations in Milan this year.
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MILAN 2008: David Trubridge Spiral Island Collection

David Trubridge, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated green designers, reincarnates natural forms as light fixtures and seating in his latest work, which he presented at Salone Internazionale del Mobile last week. Tracing the curvilinear forms found in the island’s landscape, his Spiral Island collection evokes a sense of natural wonder in viewers, and garnered a line of eager spectators at the Salone show in Milan. Despite their large volume, the lighting fixtures float delicately overhead, giving new emphasis to the Maori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, meaning ‘land of the long white cloud.’ Meanwhile, the colorful ‘Island’ seating will have your rear grounded in comfortable spiral bliss, mimicking the organic forms of the island in eco-sensitive style.

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MILAN 2008: Droog Design ‘A Touch of Green’

Celebrated Dutch design collective Droog Design pushed green design ideas to the forefront this year with their ‘A Touch of Green’ presentation in Milan. Echoing this Inhabitant’s focus on the boundaries of sustainable design, Droog brought together a whole host of designers – some new, some familiar – to showcase a range of approaches in an effortlessly curated, but typically stylish show complete with a buzzing 48 hour shop. Among our favorites are Tejo Remy’s furniture made from collected components, SMAQ’s take on thermal comfort and Jens Praet’s functional, waste-diverting pieces, but the Droog show offered exciting new design perspectives at every turn. Read on for more highlights!

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MILAN 2008: Photoreactive Sun Canopy by Christoph Klemmt

Visitors to this year’s Salone del Mobile were in for a treat when they strolled through Zona Tortona into a quaint, Italian courtyard on Milan’s Via Borgospesso to encounter Christoph Klemmt’s stunning vortex-shaped OR installation. Composed out of polygonal, photoreactive segments which respond to ultra-violet light, OR’s captivating powers lie in its capacity to correspond its appearance to changes in weather and daylight. Its ’skin’ emits flourishing hues of blue and green when exposed to sunlight and maintains a subtle translucency when the installation is overcome by shade. Best of all, OR’s effects are not limited to daytime – at night, it generates ample atmosphere by becoming a ‘chandelier’ which lavishly floods its surrounding areas with a dramatic dispersement of light.
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MILAN 2008: FUORI SALONE in Zona Tortona

With blue skies and sunshine to greet us, this past weekend in Milan took us to the Zona Tortona, an area in Milan outside the fair. We started the Zona Tortona journey with a brilliant, blue, photosensitive sun canopy, and found lots of sustainable design surprises from hand-printed wallpaper (on paper made from responsibly harvested sources) to a new take on eco-burial. From emerging young professionals to innovative design students, our highlights will give a taste of the scene ‘Fuori Salone’ – the off site exhibitions.

CHECK OUT OUR PHOTOS OF MILAN 2008 HERE >

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MILAN 2008: Designersblock Show

Starting last week on April 16th, Milan Design Week, the world’s biggest contemporary furniture event, has drawn to a close, but we still have lots of pics and coverage yet to come! The memories of brilliant Milanese sunshine seem so distant now, with steady rain all day festival goers are starting to wear down after a few too many parties! Nevertheless, your Inhabitants are stopping off for extra espressos every day, to ensure that you get your daily design fix! We attended Designersblock over the weekend, and here were some of our favorite designs.

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World’s First OLED Lamp from Ingo Maurer

It’s an exciting time for OLED technology as it finally begins to integrate into the home and designers start to realize its potential for efficient and inexpensive lighting solutions in a variety of stunning new applications. Resembling a tiny tree blossoming with lucent leaves, Ingo Maurer’s Early Future lamp is the world’s first to pack energy efficient OLED lighting into a tabletop form factor.
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