artefacts
One of my favorite hidden gems is the Artefact Design + Salvage shop and showroom at the Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma. It is filled with a rich assortment of earthy and visual delights. Created predominantly by reclaimed and locally found materials, the furniture and object designs are simultaneously industrial as well as warm and [...]
sky planting
Defy gravity and reduce watering by 80% through the use of these unique upside-down planters by Boskke. These plants in the Smart Home: Green + Wired at the Museum of Science and Industry show that you can save space (maximize your floorspace), conserve water (potted plants commonly lose water through evaporation and drainage which these [...]
fluid furnishings
Bent wood furniture by Korean designer Bae Sehwa feels good to sit on, snuggle in, lounge around and stare at. His “Steam Works” collection includes a range of individual chairs, long benches and sculptural public seating circles. He uses a range of woods including ash, walnut and white oak as well as a [...]
more eco-beauty at twitter
Today there was new space added to the Twitter HQ, doubling their size. Designed by the lovely and talented Sara Morishige Williams (@sara), the newest spaces are consistent with the philosophy of the existing offices that opened last November (which we wrote about). Sara (and Twitter) wanted to create a healthy environment, so she chose [...]
Smart Home living room: Get the look
Apartment Therapy’s Marketplace recently wrote a piece on the Smart Home living room and outlines where you can find the interior pieces. They write:
Despite the explosion of green products on the market, it’s still hard sometimes to find things that look good and meet high sustainable design standards.
Architect Michelle Kaufmann’s Smart Home has been a [...]
zem’s ecofabulous home
Last week I had the great pleasure to have lunch with friend and eco-fashionista Zem Joaquin at her Bay Area home. Zem not only runs ecofabulous but she is also a board member of Global Green, Healthy Child Healthy World and Teens Turning Green,is actively involved with William McDonough’s Cradle to Cradle, a writer and [...]
the root of the matter
I can’t help it. I love reclaimed wood, especially when the wood’s previous life is left exposed to tell its unique story. So when I saw the Chista tables from Teak tree bases and roots, I got weak in my knees.
Tree bases can be so irregular that they are difficult to make useful lumber. However, [...]
GIY reclaimed wood table
Give old wood a new life in your home: make your own green and gorgeous dining room table.
A big, beautiful wood dining table can be expensive. So why not make your own? All you need is a sturdy base and some reclaimed wood, all of which you can most likely find for less than you [...]
Cozy nesting
Inspired by the surprisingly sturdy construction of bird’s nests, 26-year old Copenhagen designer Nina Bruun created this beautiful NEST chair. She used birch strips in different thicknesses and through the mixture of tension and compression from the weaving, the chair is supported. And it looks pretty comfortable. The elegant use of modest materials reminds me [...]
New life for old bulbs
This lovely chandelier appears grand and luxurious. But what is most interesting is when you look closer and see that it is actually made from bare old re-used incandescent bulbs. These out-dated inefficient bulbs are now being replaced with CFLs or LEDs by people wanting lower energy bills. But rather than having them go to [...]
Luscious Furniture
A client/friend of mine recently turned me on to this amazingly beautiful furniture by BDDW in New York. Each piece has history and tells a story. The “live” edges and irregularities in the wood not only add poetry, make each piece unique, but also greatly reduce waste in the wood. Much of the wood is [...]
New Twitter office / fabulous design by Sara Morishige Williams
Today the Twitter team moved into their new office which has been designed by the super talented Sara Morishige Williams (@sara). She worked with an existing shell of a building in downtown San Francisco. I was able to get a sneak peek last week while she was working on it, and was excited to [...]
New Twitter Office
The fabulous design by Sara Morishige Williams
Today the Twitter team moved into their new office which has been designed by the super talented Sara Morishige Williams (@sara). She worked with an existing shell of a building in downtown San Francisco. I was able to get a sneak peek last week while she was working on [...]
Turning oldies into goodies
Ebay’s green team has joined forces with Zem Joaquin, founder of Ecofabulous, to transform everyday items into stylish must-haves. They have launched a contest with a $5000 prize when you enter your own ideas for transforming an old object into a beautiful new item.
Zem is an eco-fashionista, a friend, and the woman with more energy [...]
A beautiful use of Tyvek
I get excited when I find new artists that I love. This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of spending some time with my dear friends, Glen and Wing, who had a new painting from artist Lea Feinstein in their home (that I designed with them). Their home (photo below) already has the most [...]
The Gift of Building
Some friends of ours recently had a baby. When imagining the perfect gift for our new dear young friend, Kevin and I thought about what we enjoyed most when we were children. We both had the same answer: building blocks. I suppose this is no surprise given that he is a contractor and I am [...]
Design For Zero Waste
Many times we focus on designing systems, dimensions and methods of construction to reduce waste. We also spend time choosing materials with recycled content.
But what would our designs look like if we focused on designing for zero waste?
Matt Gagnon’s “Paper Tables” are one solution. These tables, which are made of recycled paper with oil finish, [...]
furniture friday: box coffee table
What do we love about glass coffee tables? The sleek elegance and waterproof nature of the glass, of course. Unfortunately, they’re not so good for sitting on, which is why we also love wooden coffee tables, right? Sturdy, durable wooden coffee tables are great at supporting rumps, feet, and almost anything else you can throw [...]
furniture friday: beam daybed
Warm weather and daybeds are simply a match made in heaven, so as the days grow longer and hotter, visions of luxuriously comfortable daybeds are dancing through our heads. Perfect example: the Beam Daybed from Shimna. This daybed is a gorgeous minimalist piece made from natural materials. Every piece in the Shimna collection is bench-made [...]
