eco-chic design

the ultimate eco-luxury in bedding that’s effortlessly chic

My last highlights from NYIGF were the incredibly luxurious and sustainable throws by Sefte. Their gorgeous knits are hand-crocheted by artisans in the high Andes of Peru made from organic yarns that include alpaca, baby alpaca, merino wool and cotton. The whole collection looked stunning and felt incredibly soft to the touch. My two favorite designs, the hand-crocheted Paya throw in cream and charcoal and the Kimsa throw in 5 different colorways are both made of 100% baby alpaca. In case you didn’t know like myself baby alpaca does not refer to the age of the animal but to the diameter of the hair. The fiber might come from the first clip of the shearling alpaca or the softest part of the adult alpaca, the chest. No wonder it’s so rare and high-end looking. The pigments used to dye the throws are environmentally friendly and Oeko-Tex certified to ensure the absence of harmful substances to human health.

What made me appreciate the elegant designs even more was to learn that the yarn for the throws is purchased through the Mirasol project in Peru. The Mirasol project is based on fair-trade to ensure that the Andean alpaca shepherds receive a better price for their yarn. It covers the cost of sustainable production plus an extra premium that’s invested in social or economic development projects. The Mirasol project encourages the continuation of ancient weaving traditions. And I can easily see any of Sefte's eco-chic throws become a family heirloom as well.

sustainable pillows designed around communities at NYIGF

One of my favorite products at NYIGF this week were the Geo Spiral Embroidery Alpaca Blend Pillows by Carpenter + Company. I discovered them through the sustainability display since I loved the modern design combined with high-quality and natural materials. Once I met the designer and founder Patti Carpenter I was really impressed by the company’s mission. She mentioned that the nesting circles on the pillows are inspired by their reoccurring theme within indigenous embroidery but also represent a sense of community. And that’s what her work is all about.   

Carpenter + Company helps to conserve, sustain, and support traditional craftsmanship in Bolivia and Guatemala by encouraging younger generations to continue the skills through fair trade wages that are set by the artisans themselves. It enables indigenous men to stay with their families instead of seeking migrant work. In the case of the Geo Spiral Embroidery Alpaca Blend Collection the designer works with artisans from the Alto Plano regions of Bolivia. They use centuries-old indigenous techniques like pedal loom weaving and hand embroidery to create the beautiful pillows. Alpaca is a natural and sustainable fiber and gives those eco-modern pillows a very luxurious, almost silky look and feel. It has no lanolin which makes it hypoallergenic. There’s also a matching throw in the same color combination. My favorite pillow though was the same design in heather grey with light green stitching. It looks very chic and is something to look forward to for fall.

making the case for greener homes at the LOHAS Forum

Many speakers at the LOHAS Forum in Boulder last week stressed the relationship between health and sustainability that starts at home. One of the panelists about “Healthy Homes” mentioned that according to the EPA pollutant levels can be 2-5 times higher indoors than outdoors. That’s one scary fact and that’s why I like stores like Ellie’s that we visited during our LOHAS Insight Tour.

Ellie’s is a spacious eco-home store in Boulder that offers everything you can imagine to create a modern eco-friendly home. At the center of the store are all types of eco-friendly building materials ranging from natural cork flooring, bamboo plywoods to non-toxic paints and finishes. What I loved the most about the interior design of the store were the walls made out of the rapidly renewable resource Kirei and the refilling stations for non-toxic cleaners. I also like that Ellie’s teams up with local designers such as Bare Earth Design. The local family run business had one of their platform beds on display made of domestic walnut and Kirei using low VOC, non-toxic finishes. Another product that caught my eye was the natural soy crayons box by local company clementine art. The packaging looks beautiful and is made of 80% post consumer recycled and reusable materials. One common theme at the LOHAS Forum was that the future is now and you’re never too young or too old to start envisioning it. Maybe those colorful non-toxic crayons can help you with that.

recycled paper transformed into eco-modern home accessories

Last week at ICFF the colorful cushions made out of recycled paper by Japanese company Qurz Inc. caught my attention since they were surprisingly soft. I couldn’t believe that they were made of recycled paper. It turned out that the structured looking paper cushions are made by weaving together recycled twisted paper after a softening process. The smooth surface looks very unique and almost feels like paper with a satin sheen. 

Qurz Inc. was founded by the Japanese designer Takumi Shimamura in 2005 after he spent some time as a car designer at Subaru. The recycled cushions are part of his product line cuiora. All cuiora products are made from woven bands of 100% recycled paper that traditionally were used for carrying heavy rice bags in Japan. Now these sturdy bands are skillfully used to create contemporary home accessories such as paper cushions, striped fruit bowls and striped lampshades. The eco-friendly fruit bowls and lampshades are made by firmly rolling the paper bands into a spiral shape. In both cases I was amazed that post-consumer recycled paper can look this beautiful. Especially since I’m quite guilty myself of creating paper waste on a daily basis. It’s great to see a company value recycled paper by artfully turning it into useful everyday objects.

organic baby bedding for sustainable baby showers

This weekend I’ll be at a baby shower and I was thrilled to see that the parents mostly picked eco-modern gifts for their registry. Since they are very popular parents most of the items were already taken. But I was able to secure some super-cute crib sheets made of 100% organic cotton by Q Collection Junior in Roxy. They combine my love for sustainability with great design through their contemporary elephant parade pattern. Q Collection Junior is the latest addition to the family tree of Q Collection and has the same sustainable values. As it so happens with younger members of the family they are simply much cuter. Q Collection Junior offers an entire line of eco-modern children's furniture and bedding that are safe for people and the planet. Each of their products is made from non-toxic materials and manufactured in a sustainable manner. Their children’s furniture uses only zero or low VOC, formaldehyde-free materials as well as water-based, non-toxic glues. The baby bedding is only made of organic cotton printed with low-impact, non-toxic fabric dyes. All this is especially important since babies spend most of their time close to ground surfaces. With this knowledge I hope that the soon-to-be parents will be able to get some sleep. Well, most likely that won’t happen with their new eco-chic baby.

closing the organic loop

Part of my green shopping tour by FIT last week was a stop at the third floor of ABC Carpet & Home. The incredibly knowledgeable sales staff of their Home & Planet section introduced me to Loop’s organic towels and bedding.

I absolutely adore the name of the company, which stands for its belief that everything on earth exists in a closed-loop system. Their organic cotton sheets and towels are made of certified organic cotton and processed without harsh chemicals. Instead hydrogen peroxide is used for whitening and even the low-impact dyes for colors are certified organic to reduce the impact on the environment. I love the simplicity and no-frill elegance of their signature 250 thread count organic cotton sateen sheets. The handmade birch accent pillows in chocolate, blue or orange use a water-based screen printing process on soft hemp linen and look amazing. OK, finally I feel I’m back in the loop of organic shopping.

for tiny treehuggers

Baby in a Blanket's selection of cute t-shirts made out of 100% certified cotton proves that raising an eco-conscious baby or toddler doesn’t have to be boring. The adorable graphic art on these eco-tees is printed with all natural vegetable based-ink and comes in 4 fun designs. My personal favorites are “hippo love” and “don’t pick on me.” I wish I had the latter one when I was little.

The designer Desiree Maldonado Garcia founded her company in 2003 with the goal to design blankets, accessories and clothing that are stylish yet eco-friendly. Most of her designs are colorful, but I especially love the simplicity of her organic blanket and pillow collection that comes with simple outlines in the shape of a penguin, elephant or bunny. The lining of the baby blanket is made out of natural bamboo and organic cotton. It doesn't get much cuter than that.

eco-fabulous fabrics

The owner and designer behind the brand-new company Rubie Green named after a fictitious muse is Michelle Adams. At the age of 25 she struck out on her own with an eco-friendly line of upholstery fabrics after a short tenure at Domino Magazine. That’s quite impressive. 

Her product line on the website features 9 fabrics that are classic by design, but I love her more modern patterns like Tillinghast in yellow and her Zebra prints Mary in black or natural. All fabrics are made of peroxide-whitened organic cotton and printed with water-based inks. They are finished with heat and pressure instead of chemicals. The process uses minimal water consumption and the fabrics are only printed when ordered to reduce waste. I can’t wait for her bedding designs to come out in late summer!

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.

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.