eco-chic design

safe playdates for modern eco-kids

As a big fan of bamboo and modern eco-friendly design it was great to see the Kumo Friends organic pillows from Jaya Love's Tekeko at the sustainable display at NYIGF this summer. I’ve always loved the designs, but was surprised how soft these eco-modern pillows were even that I knew that bamboo fiber can be super soft and similar to silk and cashmere. The benefits of the rapidly renewable bamboo fiber are endless since it’s also highly breathable, antimicrobial, hypoallergenic and biodegradable.

But it’s really the fun and whimsical designs that makes these pillows great companions for eco-modern kids and cool home décor for eco-conscious parents. You don’t even need kids as an excuse to keep these eco-fabulous pillows around. The assortment of characters includes professor acorn, eggboy, hedgehog, leafgirl, owlie and raindrop. Every single one makes the perfect green house guest. I love their names as much as the hand-drawn quality of their designs. The colorful pillows are made of organic bamboo and organic cotton, printed with non toxic, waterbased inks and stuffed with a kapok insert. In case you didn’t know what kapok is like myself: it’s a natural vegetable based fiber that’s very sustainable and a great green alternative to down. And last you might rest more peacefully knowing that Jaya Love's Tekeko donates a portion of their sales to Planting Peace that provides sustainable initiatives for the protection of the environment and humanity.

a rebel approach to green design

You have to be a little rebellious to be a part of the new green revolution and Rebel Green certainly gets that with their edgy eco-friendly designs of their reusable bag system. Their retro-inspired graphics created by hip design company Wink are a big departure from traditional green granola designs.

Green Rebel makes packing your own eco-lunch or bringing your own produce bag to the grocery store look cool. Their designs are sophisticated yet edgy and I love that you can get the lunch bags in black as well as pink. But most importantly all their products are made in the US to cut back on unnecessary carbon emissions and are specifically designed to minimize waste. The eco-friendly bags are made from 100 percent certified organic cotton and printed using low impact inks. Green Rebel’s mission is to create a shift in awareness to buy locally but think globally. The company donates a percentage of their sales to clean water initiatives and the fight against hunger to such organizations like Charity Water, Great Lakes Water Institute and Growing Power. Their apparel line appeals to small and big green rebels alike as with their eco-friendly bibs. It makes it so much easier to get your eco-kids to eat their green veggies if they can feel rebellious while eating something that’s actually good for them.

the ultimate eco-modern dollhouse

One of my favorite designs at NYIGF this week is the Bamboo Sunshine House by HaPe that’s also part of the sustainable display at the show. Not only is it made out of the rapidly renewable resource bamboo but it actually features a working solar rooftop panel to teach kids about alternative energy in a fun and entertaining way. The eco-modern dollhouse comes with fully operational solar panels that absorb light energy and transfer it to four rechargeable batteries through wiring in the walls. It has a red button on the orange wall of the second floor that can be pushed by eco-chic kids to light three LED lights in the media room and two on the first floor. How genius is that. It’s a really fun and interactive way to teach your kids about renewable sources of energy at an early age.

The design of the Bamboo Sunshine House is sleek and modern with its bamboo flooring, contemporary furniture and freestanding staircase. I love how the natural look of the bamboo is accentuated with the brightly colored walls and furnishings. And in case you want to educate your kids about sustainable farming it even comes with a Bamboo Greenhouse that includes four hydroponic water trays for growing real herbs. It makes for a fantastic toy to teach your eco-modern kids about a healthy green life-style.

imaginative eco-furniture for kids

Greenplay’s caterpillar activity bench extension peeked my interest at ICFF last week right away with its playful approach to green design. In fact it was hard to ignore the two eyes starring right at me. It’s part of the Group Loop series and designed by Joe Fiacchino for Skyline Design. The eco-friendly children table is a creative introduction to nature for budding treehuggers. It comes in different configurations to match the size of your family or green living space and is available with or without eyes. I love the bright green color of the tabletops. But I love even more that they are made of post-consumer recycled plastic (HDPE) such as detergent bottles that are chipped up and heat-pressed to form sheets of material. The base is constructed from urea formaldehyde-free MDF with FSC-certified birch veneer. It contains no or low VOC finishes. Another favorite of mine was the submarine activity station with its big round windows that are easy to climb through for adventurous eco-kids. It’s great for future explorers or aspiring marine scientists that might help to preserve our oceans one day. The tabletops are made from 100% post-consumer composite wood. All Greenplay items are shipped flat to reduce their carbon footprint and all packaging is 30-40% post consumer recycled.

eco-friendly cars for all ages

As a big fan of great design I’m thrilled that Playsam has an eco-friendly version of the Streamliner Classic Car designed by Ulf Hanses. The design has long been recognized as a Swedish design classic by the Swedish National Museum for its innovative look and sleek surface. The Streamliner Classic Organic is made from German beech wood with a natural finish of non-toxic lacquer. It comes in an award winning packaging made from 100% recycled fiber. The Streamliner Organic Series comes in 4 different styles. It’s a great eco-toy for kids and grown-ups alike. You can take the Streamliner Classic Organic for a virtual spin on your work desk as an energy-efficient mode of transportation. Or you can fantasize about taking a trip to the beach in the convertible while being on a boring conference call. Or maybe you favor the not so environmentally friendly one-seater. After all it’s just a toy. I wish the Streamliner Organic Cars would use sustainably harvested wood to make them even greener. But they are still a great modern hybrid of wooden eco-toy cars. And yes, they look gorgeous with their lime-green wheels and bright red drivers.

eco-modern cardboard design

The seating entitled “FlexibleLove” distributed by Cardboardesign was a true showstopper at the Go Green Expo in NY last weekend despite that it has been around for a while. It has an accordion-like mechanism that quickly allows you to accommodate from one to as many as sixteen people. I had always admired Cardboardesign’s liquid cardboard vase designs outside their store in Soho during the summer and the flexible love-seat seems a perfect match. Both designs are called liquid cardboard design since one shape can easily morph into another one. What I love about the vases is that each item can easily change from a flower vase to a bowl, platter or candleholder. This multi-functionality makes them perfect for small apartments plus it reduces excessive waste.  

All liquid cardboard designs are made out of a unique honeycomb cell structure that is manufactured with high percentages of secondary fiber including old corrugated boards, kraft paper, old newspaper and even straw. The glues contain no harsh chemicals or animal products and the end result is fully recyclable. Make sure to also check out Cardboardesign’s cat scratch post, which is part of this month’s generation green selection at target.

eco-friendly hangers for toddlers

I’ve declared my love for monkeys once before, so that I was super excited to see these Apehangers by Our Children’s Gorilla for modern eco-toddlers. They are fun to look at and teach your kids to hang up their clothes in an entertaining way while respecting the environment.

Our Children’s Gorilla was founded in 2002 in Sweden with the goal to produce timeless classics with a good sense of humor for home accessories, children’s deco and toys. It would say mission accomplished, since the Apehangers made me instantly smile. These cute Apehangers are functional yet decorative and come in red, black, brown and yellow. They are made of the wood fiber board Valchromat that is made of waste from other manufacturers and thin, otherwise useless, pine branches. Valchromat is environmentally friendly, with no water waste or dangerous fumes. It is dyed with eco-friendly organic dyes and fully recyclable. All products by Our Children’s Gorilla are produced locally, preferably by businesses with green ethics close to Stockholm. The packaging facility works with people in rehabilitation programs on their way back into employment.

animated green toy design

The other day I discovered these adorable wooden toys in a store window and they instantly cheered me up. I couldn’t resist the animated personalities of these gorgeous wooden Anamalz toys. What cheered me up even more is the fact that they are environmentally-friendly.

Anamalz is based in Australia and offers a range of eco-friendly wooden toys made from maple wood that comes from plantation forests. Their manufacturer is FSC approved. The waste wood is used on a farm to grow mushrooms. Each piece is hand painted with waterbased paint and the fabric is azo dye and formaldehyde free. All Anamalz accessories are made from recycled plastic. Where possible the company uses recycled paper for all swing tags and packaging. I absolutely love the Anamalz website with its animated wooden toys that consist of 10 Wild Anamalz, 10 Farm Anamalz, 7 Australian Anamalz and 6 Prehistoric Anamalz. They really come alive. I couldn’t decide between the pig and the lion, but bought the lion in the end. Plus I received a little pouch with animal playing cards. I’ll be back for more especially since one percent of every purchase will be donated to national wildlife organizations.

future-forward hot rods

No doubt the Roddler designed by Kid Kustoms is expensive, but even eco-chic moms and dads are allowed to dream. Joe Iacono and Jamie Coblentz founded the company with the goal to reinvent juvenile products like the traditional stroller. Their background is in the automotive and apparel industry.

The design and name of the Roddler is inspired by classic hot rods and looks incredibly cool with its retro inspired fenders. But that’s not all. What makes the Roddler eco-smart is that you can expand the life-cycle of a stroller by converting it into a tricycle once your kid outgrows it with the trike conversion kit. I love any type of multifunctional product especially if it looks this chic while saving material and space. In addition Kid Kustoms donates 1% to the planet.

the next generation of baby bottles

You can never start too early to live eco-friendly. In this case 0-3 months might do, thanks to Babylife’s mini wee-go bottles. They are the younger siblings to the original classic wee-go bottle, which has a modern silicone sleeve (patent pending) and is free of plastics and 100% non-toxic.

It comes in adorable colors like pink, raspberry, orange, yellow, sky and ocean and is easy to grip. The silicone nipple is latex-free and non-toxic and the bottle itself is bisphenol A, phthalate, PVC and polycarbonate-free. The plastic ring, plug and cap contain no polycarbonates and are food grade, FDA approved and recyclable. It’s great to see what can happen if a doctor teams up with a designer. Babylife was founded by the pediatric physical therapist Pam Marcus and the integrative designer Daren Edward Joy with the goal to make developmentally-appropriate and eco-friendly baby products. No wonder they are sold at the MoMA and sported by the coolest babies and toddlers.