eco-chic design

ivy league furniture

Inspired by topiary art the Italian designer Paola Navone created this stunning line of outdoor furniture for Emu. Her Ivy collection has a metal mesh structure with metal rod frames that are intended to be overgrown by nature. I love the idea of being one with nature, but even more so do I love how the furniture line includes a side table with a solar panel. The result is beautiful ambient lighting at night.

I was familiar with the designers clean-lined rattan furniture through Gervasoni and it’s great to see her take on metal. Emu has been an international symbol for outdoor furniture made in Italy for 50 years and has been famous for their aluminium, Emu wicker, teak metal and metal collections combined with modern design. It’s great to see what can happen when two parties get enmeshed.

feel naturally enlightened

Upcoming labor day weekend signals the end of summer and the discovery of my skin's sun damage for this year. I was actually introduced to Ole Henrikson’s skin care line a few weeks ago while looking for a natural product for sunspots.

The bold and colorful packaging had always caught my eye and I was glad to learn that it’s an all-natural, botanical skin care line and cruelty-free in formulation. The product line was launched four years ago by Los Angeles day spa facialist Ole Henriksen. Originally from Denmark he has a background in cosmetic chemistry and been in the spa business for three decades. His pigment lightening serum contains THC, lactic acid, lemon and mulberry extracts combined with ester-C to reduce pigmentation.The amazing texture of sheer transformation makes me feel lighter already.

a fresh breeze for rattan

Traditionally rattan is used for stodgy furniture despite that it’s a fantastic, renewable resource. It’s great to see that Jasper Startup’s “Wind” fan manufactured by Gervasoni in 1997 in Italy not only redefines the use of rattan but also the look of traditional, high-tech looking fans.

The electric fan is housed in a woven rattan shell and most of the remaining materials can be recycled or composted. I love that it’s a modern take on a very traditional woven material, which already looks airy to begin with. Gervasoni brought this sensibility of contrasting organic elements with high-tech to most of their designs with a focus on craft quality, respect for the environment and a constant search for new materials. It certainly changed my perception on rattan.

clean design for dirty dishes

San Francisco based method was founded by the two partners Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry with the goal to create environmentally friendly cleaning products. In 2002 they teamed up with industrial designer Karim Rashid, known for turning mundane objects into cutting-edge designs to create their signature bottles. Most of his original designs evolved since then, but I still applaud method for adding fun designs to everyday objects.

I’m a big fan of their dish soap in French lavender, which almost looks more like a fragrance bottle that happens to clean dishes while being eco-conscious. It’s naturally derived, biodegradable and ultra-concentrated which is great since it lasts longer. Its manufacturing process uses renewable energy. Other scents include cucumber or pink grapefruit.

modern eco-lighting

Luceplan is an Italian company that has been focused on great design and sustainability for quite some time. Their StarLed Light was developed in cooperation with the designers Alberto Meda and Paolo Rizzatto in 2001. Since then the duo also created the desk lamp Berenice LED which is being used in Renzo Piano’s New York Times Building mentioned in an earlier post.

I love that the StarLed Light is a nod to traditional candlelights with a modern twist. It doesn’t need an electrical wire since it uses three rechargeable batteries to power a single LED that generates a bright white light. This way you’re free to move around which is great for outdoor dining. Fully recharged it allows for about 4 hours of illumination. Reducing energy consumption never looked better.

design from a bird’s eye view

What I like most about these campy planters by Brooklyn based perch! is that they look equally cute for indoor or outdoor plants. They are perfect for gardens or balconies and make a great centerpiece on a table with their clean and colorful design.

These planters and all other products designed by Amy Adams are hand-made using low impact materials and processes with non-toxic finishes and byproducts. Now I just wish I could decide on a color combination. Other products designed by Amy include bird inspired ceramics like her early bird pendant light or her perch birdfeeder made of white earthenware. I like that her designs have a sense of humor about them like her vessel entitled beak, which is a quirky looking ceramic container with a beak and a tail.

for green night owls

With the days getting shorter there’s more of a need for cool outdoor lighting again. I wrote about Ross Lovegrove’s solar trees before and his Solar Buds for lighting manufacturer Luceplan are equally as impressive.

As the master of “organic minimalism” it’s no surprise that his garden lamps look incredibly sleek with their simplistic shapes and natural alluminium finish.

They light any garden, pathway or pool area without wires. Instead you simply stick them in the ground to soak up some sun. Once it gets dark the lamps automatically switch on their solar powered LEDs and make you feel like you’re farsighted for 13 to 15 hours if fully charged.

cold air just got cooler

Over the weekend I rediscovered how great ceiling fans instead of air conditioners are while visiting a friend’s weekend home in Long Island. Not only are they more energy-efficient, but the breeze they generate feels better too. 

Most traditional ceiling fans look dated or have poorly designed gadgets like lights that make them look old-fashioned. I was delighted to discover Ron Rezek’s Cirrus Ceiling Fan created in 1999, which received the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star rating for energy efficiency. It’s perfect for lofts or other high ceilings. Then there’s the Cirrus Hugger, which is more compact for lower ceilings. They are about 50% more efficient than standard models and impress with their sleek design. Both models come in aluminum or glossy white and are available through The Modern Fan Company and Design Within Reach.

for green domestic gods and goddesses

I’ve always loved doing laundry since it makes me feel productive. You take something dirty, put it into the washer and hope it comes out clean. In the future I’ll love it even more since I just discovered eco-friendly The Laundress.

The company was founded by Lindsey Wieber and Gwen Whiting and offers a luxurious detergent and fabric care line with their uniquely formulated scents Cedar, Baby, Lady and Classic. All products are made with biodegradable, non-toxic, plant-based ingredients and are allergen, dye, phthalate, phosphate and paraben free. Who wouldn’t rather have plant-based ingredients instead of petroleum take care of their dirty laundry? The packaging for the detergents looks classy and I love the black and white stripes on some of their other items like The Laundress Dryer Sheets. All products use recyclable plastic, paper and packaging.