Summertime is fun, but can be tiring — and all you need sometimes is to sit your tush down on some nice, comfy seating. And if you are like us, you want to be locating yourself on a nice bench or stool that is sustainably sourced and constructed. There is certainly no shortage of functional and eco-friendly furniture to be found out there, and this is what we noticed this week in the blog-o-sphere.

Notcot features a modular and biodegradable lounging chair made of plywood, and a stool made of chopsticks and steamer trays.

Core77 tells us about a hand-woven aluminum chair.

Re-nest is highlighting chairs made from recycled whiskey barrels.

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Post tags: "green furniture", eco friendly chairs, eco-friendly furniture, eco-friendly seating, green furniture, recycled furniture, Seating

We’ve seen designers recycle airplane parts to create desks, tropical eco-hotels and a hostel, and now we can add couches and beds to the lofty collection! MotoArt is a team of designers who transform airplane parts into sleek, highly polished modern pieces of furniture. Based in Los Angeles, the 6 person design crew creates an impressive line-up of upcycled furnishings, sure to please every airplane enthusiast’s flight of fancy.

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Post tags: airplane, airplane parts, eco furniture, green furniture, recycled, recycled furniture, upcycled

We’ve all heard of pieces of furniture that act as conversation pieces, but how about a table that not only starts conversations but actually looks like a giant speech bubble? Brilliant! Constructed entirely of scrap pieces of cardboard, Leo Kempf’s conversation table is sturdy, witty, and an excellent option if you’re looking for a coffee table that will get your guests talking every time they come over.

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Post tags: 360 see gallery, cardboard furniture, cardboard shelf, conversation table, corrugated cardboard, leo kempf, recycled furniture, speech bubble table

Designed by Mario Bellini for Meritalia, an Italian furniture maker, the Via Lattea furniture line looks like a collection of homemade marshmallows. Light as air, these chairs and couches are made from steel mesh combined with recycled fiber sacks formerly used to transport grain, stones, and sugar. Bellini and Meritalia showed their new line this year at the Milan Furniture Fair and we’re fascinated by the glowing chairs and air-filled sacs.
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Post tags: air-filled chairs and couches, contemporary green furniture, eco-friendly furniture, Mario Bellini, meritalia furniture, recycled furniture, sustainable furniture design, via lattea line

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

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.

Read the rest of MILAN: Our Top Picks From Zona Tortona

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Post tags: cardboard chairs, cardboard furniture, cardboard shelving units, contemporary furniture, eco friendly chairs, eco friendly shelving units, eco-friendly lighting, green architecture, milan furniture fair 2009, recycled cardboard, recycled furniture, recycled materials chairs, recycled materials shelving units, resource conservation furniture, restored furniture, sustainable lighting, wood conservation, zona tortona

Architect Greg Lynn may be best know as the king of ‘Blobitecture’ – creating blobby biomorphic structures using computer-aided-design and mathematical equations. Now the blob-loving architect is taking a turn for the green with an interesting new project to turn recycled old toys into high-end, artistic pieces of furniture. Recently winning a Venice Biennale Golden Lion for this work, Lynn uses the same method of algorithmic design that punctuates all of his work to piece recycled toys together into works of art.

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Post tags: blobby furniture, campana, campana brothers, greg lynn form, Greg lynn furniture, plush toy chair, recycled furniture, recycled kids furniture, recycled toy furniture, recycled toys

Young British design graduate Zoe Murphy is a rising star we discovered at this month’s TENT London design exhibit. Inspired by her seaside home of Margate, Zoe has created a collection of fabulous bespoke furniture and textile pieces. Zoe exhibited her ‘Margate Collection’ during this year’s London Design Festival, at ‘talentzone’and TENT London and was chosen as one of Dezeen’s most talented design graduates of 2008.

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Post tags: recycled furniture, TENT London, upcycled furniture, Zoe Murphy

Dusty old furnishings often receive a second life with fresh upholstery and a new coat of paint, but rarely do we have the patience or skill to repurpose parts and fashion an entirely new piece of furniture. Jamie Ward, a design student in Manchester, England, takes cast off chairs and tables, deconstructs them, and rebuilds them into exceptional examples of functional art.


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Post tags: furniture art, jamie ward, recycled furniture, Recycled Materials, recycled table, second hand furniture

We’ve long been fans of Brooklyn green furniture team Uhuru Design. Every year at BKLYN Designs we eagerly look forward to seeing Uhuru’s latest work, from the beautiful recycled scrap wood Stoolen series that we spotted in 2006, to the clever Cutoffs Table from 2007, both of which utilize reclaimed wood as the main design concept. In fact, Uhuru’s most recognizable style seems to be their unique sensibility in finding innovative ways to turn old wood scraps into stunning pieces of contemporary furniture. So, what are we keeping an eye on for 2008? The answer is Bourbon Barrel Furniture. Uhuru will be launching a brand new line of furniture at BKLYN Designs 2008, featuring a chair, bench, table and stool, all made from reclaimed bourbon barrels.

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Post tags: BKLYN Designs, Bourbon barrel furniture, Brooklyn sustainable design, recycled bourbon barrel chair, recycled bourbon barrel. reclaimed bourbon barrel, recycled furniture, recycled materials furniture, sustainable design furniture, Uhuru BKLYN Designs, uhuru design, Uhuru furniture design, Uhuru furniture makers

Fernando and Humberto Campana, the Brazilian brother design duo, have long been known for their unique combination of craft-meets-contemporary, recycled-meets-high design furniture. This past summer, they debuted their latest creations, called TransPlastic, at London’s Albion Gallery, which showcased their wicker and plastic crafty yet modern furniture designs. We love the super-cool take on a vernacular form, made hip and new using traditional materials in a cocoon-like encasing technique.


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Post tags: campana brothers, craft furniture, humberto fernando campana, Reclaimed Materials, recycled design, recycled furniture, transfurniture

Bathtubs are places for relaxation, and here’s a new interpretation- turn your tub into a sofa! This clever design by Max McMurdo breathes life into an antique fixture, and turns what was headed for landfill into a smart, provocative, and comfy conversation starter. Founded by UK product designer Max McMurdo, Reestore is a line of green products based on the recycling of old home products. Taking everyday waste objects and turning them into charming yet functional pieces of furniture and accessories, Reestore attempts to “avoid traditional eco materials in favor of contemporary finishes, fabrics, and, above all, style.”


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Post tags: "green furniture", eestore, green design, london design, Reclaimed Materials, recycled design, recycled furniture, repurposed design

Ever wondered what could be done with a 1,200 foot spool of rope? Designer Josh Urso answers the question with this marvelous innovation in table design: KNOOP (Dutch for “knot”) is his latest line of table designs, which uses resin-impregnated military-grade rope to deliver wonderful inspiration to often discarded materials.


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Post tags: every day materials, green materials, Josh Urso, knoopbrown, reclaimed design, reclaimed furniture, Reclaimed Materials, recycled furniture, resin furniture, rope furniture

Inspired by London’s heaps of discarded furniture and usable timber, Ryan Frank’s Strata line turns deconstructed old office furniture and FSC wood into new, sleek chairs and tables. Following the success of his other recylcled-chic designs like Inkuku, made from recycled plastic bags, and the Hackney Shelf, Ryan has once again proved that trash can be treasure.


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Post tags: FSC chairs, FSC wood furniture, London Design Week, recycled chairs, recycled furniture, Ryan Frank, Strata chairs, strata furniture

Claire Danthois wowed us with her chair made from a recycled door at the [re]design stand at 100% Design this year- her Once A Door chair turns a reclaimed door into sculptural chaise that is as environmentally friendly as it is thought-provoking. Driven by an interest in people and their relationship with the world around them, Claire is fascinated with the story embedded in reclaimed materials, and custom makes all of her pieces for a specific individuals, using materials found in that person’s life.

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Post tags: Claire Danthois, London Design Festival, Once A Door, reclaimed doors, reclaimed furniture, reclaimed materials in design, recycled design, Recycled doors, recycled furniture, repurposed design, reused materials