eco-chic design

ECO-CHIC NYC: latest 5 eco-finds at ABC Home & Planet

This is my first post as part of a new column entitled "Eco-Chic NYC" that will be highlighting New York City based stores, designers, companies and tradeshows promoting sustainable design. Of course I had to kick it off with abc home & planet. The store is a sustainable design mecca filled with natural, organic, local, fair-trade, handmade, or recycled home and beauty products. I’ve always been impressed by the amazing job the company does as a curator of sustainable design while educating their customers. Throughout abc home & planet’s store and website you’ll find several icons which identify what’s green or sustainable about their product. It so happened during my visit that my eco-chic finds included several local companies such skinnyskinny and Jan Burtz. Both received the local economy icon indicating that their products are made within a 600 miles radius of New York City. They support neighboring community business while minimizing the carbon footprint of their products from transportation. That’s one of the reasons as well that I wanted to start an ongoing column with a local focus on New York City. Hope you enjoy my eco-chic short list. And please let me know what other local stores or designers I should check out.

1. Hand poured natural soy candles from Linnea's Lights. All eco-friendly candles have lead free cotton wicks. They are packaged in recycled materials printed with soy and water based inks.

2. Grapefruit bergamot soap from Level Naturals. The paraben and toxin free soaps are handmade on a carbon negative, organic farm in Hawaii.

3. Organic grapefruit and cardamom dry shampoo from skinnyskinny. Almost all organic bath and body products are locally made in Brooklyn. The company is 100% carbon-neutral.

4. Handmade porcelain by Jan Burtz. The one-of-a-kind designs are locally manufactured exclusively for ABC.

5. Sustainable pouches from Southern Journeys. The eco-friendly designs are made of up-cycled burlap sacks and hand died fabric from Ghana. A percentage of the sales will support SRBW (Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative).

beautiful organic soap packaging turns into fun bathroom art

If you should ever be in New Paltz upstate New York make sure to stop by Mother Earth’s Storehouse. It’s like a family-run Whole Foods with a great selection of natural and organic products in three locations within the Hudson Valley region. Always on the lookout for cool green products I loved the vibrant illustrations on the packaging of LEAP organic bar soaps at their store. I was not surprised that Moxie Sozo created the packaging since I have always admired the Boulder-based design and advertising agency for their green initiatives. For starters Moxie Sozo is certified zero waste, 100% carbon neutral, and 100% renewable-energy powered. The hand-painted illustrations with quirky and powerful lines such as “what we lack in corporate cloud we make up for with our environmental ethos” are reflective of LEAP’s sustainable business practices. LEAP Organic Soaps are certified organic by Oregon Tilth to ensure that all organic ingredients and processes meet USDA’s guidelines. They contain no synthetics, parabens, petroleum, sulfates, GMOs or chemicals of any kind. Instead the eco-chic soaps are made with some of the highest levels of certified organic, fair trade shea butter on the market and smell delicious. I bought the organic lemongrass bar soap that has a blend of 100% certified essential organic oils such as lemongrass, orange, and lime. The fun packaging of the soaps is 100% recyclable, contains 50% post-consumer waste, is FSC-certified and produced with alternative sources of energy. It’s so beautiful that I can easily see it reused as framed bathroom art.

gorgeously green bath and body products handmade in England

During my last stay in Germany I stopped by the recently opened Müller Naturshop in the spa town Bad Kreuznach. The concept is really cool since an entire section within the big department store is dedicated to natural and organic skincare products. It’s the biggest and comprehensive selection I’ve seen so far with a nice mix of German and international brands. I saw some of my eco-chic favorites such as Korres, Primavera, or SantaVerde but also discovered the really, fun and quirky brand Cowshed. What originally caught my attention was the bold design of their soaps. They feature black silhouettes of botanical plants juxtaposed with cheeky names like “Grumpy Cow Uplifting Soap”, “Lazy Cow Soothing soap”, or “Moody Cow Balancing Soap”. Cowshed’s eco-chic soaps are made from organic palm and coconut oils sourced from sustainable plantations. The company’s “no nasties policy” spells out that their products are free of parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, and artificial colors. Instead only organic, wild crafted and fairly traded botanicals from sustainable sources are used. Cowshed products have been around since 1998 for use in the original Cowshed spa at Babington House in England. But it was not until 2008 that the products were re-formulated to include more organic ingredients and higher ratios of essential oils without any harmful ingredients. Their organic face skincare line is hand made in England and uses 80% of certified organic botanicals on average. The delicate graphics on the labels look gorgeous - or may I say udderly gorgeous.

give the gift of giving with a nature-inspired beauty pouch

After a super-soothing massage at my favorite eco-friendly spa in Manhattan I discovered these adorable pouches on my way out. Maybe I was too relaxed thanks to the amazing treatment at Pratima Ayurvedic Skincare Spa but I really loved the nature-inspired designs. I learned that Pratima created the Beauty in Giving Bag in collaboration with The Hunger Project. The eco-chic beauty pouch is made with 100% organic hemp and lined with 100% organic cotton. The graphic pattern uses water-based paints and is naturally dried in the sun. It’s designed by Valentine Viannay and personally hand-silk printed by the artist with the help from a local women-run business in San Diego. The design reflects the pure herbs, roots, and flowers of the Pratima products. Every pouch looks slightly different and 100% of the proceeds from each purchase go towards The Hunger Project Initiative in India.

Pratima Ayurvedic Skincare Spa is LEED-certified with a décor that includes natural cork, bamboo flooring, and flaxseed or hemp carpets. The walls are coated with non-toxic paint or natural earth clay. You can also buy the natural skincare line that uses botanicals from sustainable farms in the US and India. It’s chemical and preservative free. So far I only used the refreshing mint eye gel made of a botanical blend with organic Mint, Aloe, and Triphala but really like it. Since the stressful holidays are approaching quickly I might also try the calming organic bath salts soon. And take a deep breath.

modern eco-dream houses

I’ve been a huge fan of Michelle Kaufmann’s architecture for a while, but I’ve always felt intimidated to write about her since there are so many innovative features that make her homes eco-friendly.  

Her design process is based on 5 ecoprinciples: smart design, eco-materials, energy efficiency, water conservation and healthy environment. She started her company in 2002 with the goal to build sustainable, well-designed homes that are affordable as well. Her company offers several prefab homes that include the Glidehouse™, Sunset Breezehouse™, mkLotus™, and mkSolaire™. Every home includes a sustainable floor plan, energy efficient lighting design and building systems as well as eco-friendly materials and finishes like bamboo or reclaimed wood flooring. Each home is solar ready. I also love that Michelle Kaufmann branched out into designing products like her modern and sustainable lighting vessel that doubles as a vase.

trash it in green style

I always love when two parties come together to create something truly unique like these chic Artala trash cans that are biodegradable.

Umbra was founded in 1979 dedicated to design and manufacture contemporary and affordable objects for the home. For this project the company teamed up with the New York based artist Joshua Davis to create three designs in collaboration with the designer David Quan. The resulting Artala cans come in red, kiwi or ocean and carry the artist’s signature style of patterns that combine computer art and technology yet feel very poetic. To me they look like Jackson Pollack-meets-Emilio Pucci with their bold, brightly colored graphics that seem slightly psychedelic. It’s another example that eco-friendly design doesn’t need to be boring.