eco-chic design

amenity includes: organic bedding

Since I love any type of design that brings the outdoor into your home in a modern way I inevitably had to feature amenity based in downtown LA.

The company was founded in 2004 by the two graphic designers Nicole Chiala and Kristina de Corpo. Both are passionate about nature and modern design. It’s great to see a company that draws its inspiration from nature commit to preserving it with their new 2008 spring collection which is completely organic. I love the bold modern take on nature in their silhouette designs combined with sophisticated colors that range from earth tones to metallic.

Even that the company was committed to conscientious manufacturing from the beginning they now offer their entire line including organic bedding, hemp/linen pillows and flat prints exclusively in organic or sustainable materials. My favorite is the cove cream and cocoa organic duvet cover printed with non-toxic, water-based, eco-friendly dyes. Amenity or necessity? You decide.

modern tea leaves reading

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea, that in some cultures people practice reading tea leaves to predict their future.

Joey Roth's Sorapot has a new take on looking at tea leaves by letting the viewer watch their unfurling in the glass cylinder while water is turned into tea. This is quite beautiful to watch and I’m not even a tea drinker. It’s no surprise that Joey Roth wanted to be a storyteller before becoming an industrial designer.

The actual design of Sorapot looks more like a sculpture than a pot and its glass and metal parts are fully recyclable. This high-tech looking product stands in a stark contrast to the low-tech packaging, which is made out of post-consumer recycled cardboard and molded pulp. That’s the same material being used for egg cartons. This juxtaposition makes me appreciate the product even more. Who knows, Sorapot might be a peek into the future of modern tea making after all.

clean earth day

Thanks to earth day I’ve been bombarded with earth-friendly products all day long. I get my daily fix on chic through daily candy and I was delighted to see that their newsletter offered a discount on Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, which will coincide perfectly with my spring cleaning this weekend.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day offers environmentally friendly, biodegradable cleaning products that are aromatherapeutic. The line includes general household cleaners, pet products, and laundry detergents. What I love most is that you can shop these products by fragrance on their website ranging from basil, lavender, lemon verbena, rhubarb, and geranium to baby blossom. Once you look up basil, which is supposed to give you an extra burst of energy several products will come up ranging from dish soap to laundry detergent. What a great concept!

The packaging was designed by werner design werks in Minneapolis and feels retro-modern. It reflects the same no-nonsense attitude as the actual products, which are affordable and hardworking. Just like the founder’s mother who raised nine children and is of course the original Mrs. Meyers.

green greetings

I’m glad I finally discovered the company behind these lovely greeting cards, since I’ve been buying them for years at a store on the Upper West Side without noticing that they were actually printed on recycled paper. Instead I simply loved the modern design inspired by nature with their fun and whimsical greetings.

Anna Cote is the designer and owner of Modern Printed Matter, which is a stationary and graphic arts studio based in Rhode Island. Her designs are inspired by nature, color and modern design of all genres. Unfortunately not all her printed materials are eco-friendly but I love the cards that are entitled thanks a bunch, hugs hugs + more hugs, you’re amazing, congratulations, good luck, or simply hello which pretty much cover me for all occasions in my life. These cards are gocco/screen printed by hand on 100% recycled paper and paired with a 100% recycled brown kraft envelope. Once you visit her designs on etsy please make sure to check out her coasters that are made out of cork and inspired by modern furniture design.

design uncorked

Last week I watched The Green on the Sundance Channel for the first time even that the series is already in its second season. I was really impressed by the Brooklyn based designer Daniel Michalik in the episode big ideas for a small planet.

He’s a self-proclaimed ‘cork dork’ and transforms leftovers from the wine stopper industry into beautiful furniture that’s renewable, recyclable and waterproof like his Cortiça Chaise Lounge. I didn’t know until this show that a wine stopper is simply a little piece of tree bark which will grow back eventually.

During the episode it was fun to watch the designer unwrap his first mass manufactured cork bowl out of a cardboard box at Amorim Industrial Solutions, which helped him to develop his cork bowls in a responsible way. It’s great to see how eco-chic design is able to go mass which means more people will have access to it.

for budding treehuggers

Strangely enough I learned about DwellStudio while reading about Jessica Alba'€™s baby shower in people magazine. The article mentioned the eco-friendly store The Little Seed, which sells their baby blankets. I love the modern design of the whimsical pattern for the stroller blanket gio in aqua for young zoologists or the blanket alphabet in pale blue for young writers. The latter happens to come in my favorite color combination chocolate brown and light blue. Both are made of 100% combed cotton.

Dwell Home Furnishings launched DwellStudio in November 2007 to combine the existing Dwell, Dwellbaby, Dwellkids and Dwelltables lines into one brand. Originally Dwell was mostly known for its contemporary prints and pattern in bedding which is no surprise since their creative director used to be the design director at portico New York and a fashion designer at Isaac Mizrahi. All of their products use low impact dyes that are formaldehyde-free.

green for all ages

I stumbled upon inmodern through their eco-friendly children furniture for ecotots, which offers project tables and stools, art time easels, and hang ten coat racks. They come in child-friendly colors like fire, natural, leaf or cocoa that you can freely mix and match.

All products are environmentally friendly, made from real wood with eco-friendly UV finishes. Another added bonus to the project table and stool is that the stools slide underneath the table, which can be a huge space saver. It'€™s smart eco-friendly design that'€™s easy to assemble and disassemble without the use of screws, bolts, nuts or glue.

For a more grown-up version visit inmodern which is a brand of The Simple Furniture Company. Their furniture is equally playful in terms of design. You'€™ll find products for the whole family: the eco-mom, eco-dad, eco-teen and of course the eco-tot. My personal favorite is the intown coffee table in slate or the surfin magazine rag in fire. This seems like a company that never stops growing.

the perfect fit

I can’t wait until the opening of the new Muji store at the midtown headquarters of The New York Times building in spring 2008, since it’s only 3 blocks away from my office. You’ll know where to find me pretty soon during my lunch hour looking for their aluminum business card cases or environmentally friendly cardboard speakers.

Muji couldn’t have picked a better location than the light and transparent architecture of the new environmentally advanced NYT building designed by Renzo Piano. The design of their products is beautifully reflected in the clean architecture of the building with its energy-efficient features. The name Muji comes from the Japanese phrase “Mujirushi Ryohin”, which roughly translates to "no brand, quality goods.” The no-frills products are minimal yet very functional with the environment in mind. The company has been reducing waste for example through limiting production materials and packaging.

a smart alternative

Last sunday I spotted my first smart fortwo in Manhattan on the Upper West Side while watching two doormen ask the owner about its fuel consumption. Since I go back to Germany on a regular basis I’ve been familiar with the innovative and cute design for years, but I still took a double take to see it here in New York City.

I’ve always loved the Swatch inspired look, but now I was curious to see how energy efficient this tiny vehicle really is. I learned through smartusa that the smart fortwo is only 8.8 feet long and 5.1 feet wide and has a low fuel consumption with 33 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. This is not surprising due to its small size. As the name suggests the smart fortwo is a two-seater and perfect for driving in a space-starved city like Manhattan. It is available in three different models, including this adorable little convertible.