If you're planning a green home makeover, you've probably looked into the neat, but often pricey, options out there for eco-conscious furniture and decor. But what are those of us on shoestring (or even half a shoestring) budgets to do? Well, if you're in the NYC area, I highly recommend you check out Build It Green, a warehouse in Astoria that's like a Home Depot for environmentalists. BIG is chock full of very reasonably priced lumber, lamps, chairs, toilets, tchotchkes, doors, and pretty much anything else you might need to spruce up your pad and the awesome thing is that they're all reclaimed from places around New York. I was lucky enough to pick up 2 huge panels of frosted plexiglass from an Oscar de la Renta showroom for only $35 each, and next week I'm heading back to try to pick up some carpeted platforms scrapped from the Conan O'Brien Show! Click through the slideshow to see more sweet stuff I encountered on my tour through this trove of
If you're planning a green home makeover, you've probably looked into the neat, but often pricey, options out there for eco-conscious furniture and decor. But what are those of us on shoestring (or even half a shoestring) budgets to do? Well, if you're in the NYC area, I highly recommend you check out Build It Green, a warehouse in Astoria that's like a Home Depot for environmentalists. BIG is chock full of very reasonably priced lumber, lamps, chairs, toilets, tchotchkes, doors, and pretty much anything else you might need to spruce up your pad and the awesome thing is that they're all reclaimed from places around New York. I was lucky enough to pick up 2 huge panels of frosted plexiglass from an Oscar de la Renta showroom for only $35 each, and next week I'm heading back to try to pick up some carpeted platforms scrapped from the Conan O'Brien Show! Click through the slideshow to see more sweet stuff I encountered on my tour through this trove of
Have things gotten a bit cramped in your home since welcoming a new baby? Belkiz Feedaway is the perfect solution to recoup some space. Certainly sturdy enough to support a smiling little guy (or gal!) within its recycled cardboard frame, this portable seating system can also be flat-packed and slipped out of sight whenever things start getting cluttered!
READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >
Check out this tip we received from reader isupereco: “H2O Architects designed an incredible looking wall planter dubbed the “Grass Mirror.” The planter is 43 inches long and 4 inches deep and adds a stunning effect to any room. The “Grass Mirror” is actually made up of highly reflective polished stainless steel which creates a very unique look for your wall.”
Thanks isupereco!
The Local Paper Makes Gorgeous Eco Gift Wrap
by Piper Kujac, 02/02/10
Here’s a source for gift wrap paper that is as beautiful as it is eco-conscious. Known as The Local Paper, these couture coverings are based on unique themes that are inspired by the designers’ travel, nature, and life. Each elegant wrap comes in 24×36 inch sheets that are Forestry Stewardship Council certified, made with papers that are 30% recycled post-consumer fiber. Additionally, all of the packaging used is recycled, recyclable, and biodegradable. You can purchase The Local Paper at the Contemporary Arts Museum Shop in Houston, TX or online.
Upward Bound: LA Designers Create Happy Spaces for Homeless Families
A crowd that included actor/activist Don Cheadle gathered last week to celebrate the completion of the Upward Bound House Family Shelter in Culver City, Los Angeles, what is undeniably one of the prettiest and most cheerful homeless shelters we’ve ever seen. Once the site of a rundown motel with transient tenants, this 18-unit complex received a complete make over by an all-star cast of Los Angeles interior designers. With no budget at all, designers used their creative muscle to transform dark and dreary motel rooms into bright and uplifting spaces for homeless families in need.
World’s Smallest Portable Printer Doesn’t Use Ink
Computing on-the-go couldn’t be easier with the bevvy of smart phones, laptops and netbooks on the market. But printing documents while away from the home or office is a whole ‘nother story — until now. PlanOn’s Printstik PS905ME printer provides completely portable printing power. The lightweight, mobile printer utilizes rechargeable batteries and thermal printing technology so folks can print documents without needing outlets or wasteful ink cartridges.
Amenity Home Sustainable Home Decor for Spring On Sale
As we begin to peel back the multiple layers of winter (or are just starting to feel the chill, depending on what part of the world you’re in), Amenity Home launches their latest collection of nature-inspired bedding reflective of the emerging spring season. Taking their cue from ferns, their latest collection is offered in a vibrant palette of hues fit for the coming months. A modern, sustainable company and favorite to locals on the Inhabitat LA team, the Fern design is available in warm amber, fresh celery, and calming peacock. Inhabitat readers can visit the Amenity Home website before midnight tonight and use the code FERN20 to enjoy 20% off the entire Fern line and take part of their current Green Sale offering 30% off the entire original Amenity Collection (excluding Muir and Fern).
OSUSOWAKE Planting System Lets You Share Your Greenery
Growing and sharing greenery has never been easier or more fun! This OSUSOWAKE (which means sharing in Japanese) planter uses a new lightweight material called Puffcal to grow plants. Once the seedlings sprout, you can cut up and divide the material to distribute to friends and family. It’s a piece of cake, and it looks like one too!
Thanks for the tip …
Fashion4Home Unveils Bamboo Furniture Line, Lets Customers Vote On It
What if manufacturers could poll their consumers before making a product to see if people would want to buy it? It would cut down on surplus supply and the energy and materials needed to produce and ship it. That’s what one company, Fashion4Home.com, thinks, and they’ve implemented just such a voting system on their new website which launched today! We asked Fashion4Home’s co-founder and managing director, Just Beyer, about how the company is building eco-consciousness and waste reduction right into its supply chain and got some pics of their gorgeous and modern bamboo furniture line.
The Best of The Toronto International Design Festival
There have been many design events circling around the big Interior Design Show in Toronto for years, but this is the first time they have all been rolled together into one big festival. The normally snowy January was springlike, without a flake to be seen. This TreeHugger was going to cover it from start to finish, but was completely outclassed by flying squads from Mocoloco and Designboom, so this post will round up the best of all the coverage from the show.
Win an Exclusive Collection of Mama K’s Aromatic Play Clay Valued at $105!
Don’t forget to enter this week’s Inhabitots giveaway to win an exclusive gift pack of yummy smelling Mama K’s Aromatic Play Clay for your tot! Worth $105, this awesome clay kit is kid-safe, 100% natural, gluten free, and biodegradable. Plus it’s the perfect, low-tech way to keep your kid occupied in a creative way that helps develop their tactile skills.
ANDREA Reaches U.S. Houseplants to Filter Air
Hey, why not accelerate the natural ability of plants to filter the air around us? As we reported in November, ANDREA by Le Laboratoire does that. Now, this living air cleaner has entered the North American market, promising “to diminish the amount of toxic gases in your lungs and therefore to breathe more naturally and healthily.” ANDREA encases and enhances …
MIT’s Digital Food Printer Creates Nutritious Meals
Here’s an interesting thought: What if eating greener and more sustainably meant printing your meals? Marcelo Coelho and Amit Zoran, a couple ingenious minds at MIT, have come up with a way to do just that. Hailed as ‘The Cornucopia’, this 3-D printer concept is a personal food factory that fuses the digital world with the realm of cooking by storing, precisely mixing, depositing, and cooking layers of ingredients with no waste.
Design your Own Electric Vehicle With the Trexa EV Platform!
What if designing your own electric vehicle was as simple as picking out the parts and plugging them together? Trexa is aiming to make that dream a reality as they unveil the world’s first fully-electric vehicle development platform. This svelte all-wheel drive platform includes everything you need to make a vehicle go – a battery, driveline, and power electronics. The design of everything else is up to you, and its modular nature means that it can be tailored to virtually any application – from futuristic connected tram systems for commercial fleets, to high-performance hot rods, to neighborhood-friendly EV’s perfect for a jaunt around town.
Makedo Connector System Turns Trash into Treasures
Are you in need of some cool new décor for your barren apartment? For us more fiscally challenged individuals it seems like the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to tack up a poster of our favorite movie or painting. Boring! But don’t let the 2D world get you down, because the clever Aussies at Makedo have created an ingenious new way to breathe some life into our drab living spaces. Their simple DIY connector system lets you get your creativity going while turning your old piles of junk and trash into some funky treasures!
LG Unveils Flexible Electronic Newspaper
Reading the newspaper during your morning commute is about to get a lot more convenient. LG recently unveiled its flexible e-paper, a new type of e-reader designed to mimic the look and feel of a newspaper page. Once commercialized, the revolutionary technology will slim down bulky dailies and hopefully save tons of paper, wastewater and carbon emissions.
READER TIP: How to Put Your LED Holiday Lights to Use Year Round
If you made the switch from traditional energy-sucking holiday lights to efficient LED ones this year, we applaud you. But we also know that they aren’t the cheapest thing in the world. That’s why were were absolutely delighted to receive this clever tip from reader SleepySyrup that lets you leverage your LED …
Reclaimed Wood Eco-Clocks Keep Time in the Urban Jungle
It’s 2010; the beginning of a new decade of great, green design. Rather than counting the days of their lives like sand through the hourglass, eco-minded inhabitants of today’s urban jungle could soon be watching time pass with these gorgeous, artfully laser-printed time pieces. Each one is hewn on re-born pieces of wood by Los Angeles-based design studio se_earch+resQ.
The New California Craftsmen Going Green in Stride
The New California Craftsmen have begun to make a name for themselves on the Los Angeles design scene, thinking up one-of-a-kind creations made from re-purposed scraps and found materials. Collaborators since first meeting in art school years ago, James Cerasani and Justin Murphy pride themselves on their uncanny ability to design just about anything from, well… anything! From bent wood pendent lights to sculptural steel plant walls, their portfolio is chalk full of inventive and inspiring pieces.
Sony Unveils Ultra-Green Vaio W Series Laptop at CES
If you keep up with the latest gadget news, you’ve undoubtedly heard about some of the innovative products coming out of this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. One of our favorites is the Sony Vaio W series “Eco Edition”, an ultra-green mini laptop that even comes in a green-tinted plastic enclosure made from 23% recycled CDs.
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
© Inhabitat.com 2010 | Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Inhabitat, LLC
