eco-chic design

NY NOW 2014: my top 5 sustainable and contemporary designs

At least once a year, I try to visit NY NOW (formerly NYIGF) to check out new sustainable products. My first stop is always the sustainability display near the entrance area. It showcases environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible products and companies. The amount of curated designs seemed smaller than previous years but I noticed that many sustainable products were manufactured in the USA. I hope that this trend will continue since I try to support local designers as much as I can. Buying local cuts back on energy for transportation and supports local economies. As always, it was fascinating to meet the designers and learn about the stories behind their products.

Following are my favorite eco-chic finds:

1. The Giving Bowl - handmade by Lorraine Oerth & Co.

All colorful and cute mini-bowls (about 2” in diameter) are handmade in Virginia of earthenware clay with very little waste. They come in a hand sewn muslin bag that’s printed with low-VOC screen ink and 10% of the profits support animals rescue charities. Every tiny bowl has a word glazed inside like 'breathe', 'thank you', or 'it is what it is' as a way to express a sentiment.

2. Stuffy Historical Figures - created by Late Greats.

A big collection of fun and sustainable pillow dolls features historical figures such as Frida Kahlo, George Washington, or Coco Chanel and is handmade in Massachusetts. The whimsical and super cute illustrations are created by the owner Chen Reichert. They are printed with water-based inks on a cotton/linen fabric and come with a recycled polyester stuffing.

3. Horizon Birchwood Coasters - designed by LUprints.

These modern and bold looking coasters are made from FSC-certified birchwood from Scandinavia. Other eco-friendly Horizon designs by LUprints include contemporary looking pillows, placemats, and teatowels made of 55% linen/45% cotton. The styles are inspired by Scandinavian designs that are then hand screenprinted with eco-friendly inks and sewn in Canada.

4. Nested Hens - crafted by GreenTree Home Candle.

Every charming beeswax candle is hand poured from 100% pure beeswax at the design studio in Central New York and comes with a gift box made of recycled material. Other spring themed candles include sets of eggs in muted colors like robin’s egg blue, celadon, butter cream and caramel. These clean burning candles are part of the vintage inspired collection and add warmth to any home décor.

5. Fantastic Beach Toys - designed by Ceci Gomez and manufactured by Zöe b Organic.

The colorful beachtoys are made in the USA from Mirel bioplastic. If the toys are left on the beach and washed out into the ocean they will fully biodegrade (as you can see in the picture) in 2-3 years. That’s because they are made from plants and not petroleum like conventional plastic. The 5-pieces set includes a bucket, sifter/lid, shovel, and 2 cups and comes in turquoise/lime or pink/orange colors.

celebrate a green Easter with soft organic bunny toys

Last time I was at a christening the parents received some super-cute gifts from Apple Park. The eco-friendly toys came in a pretty red box made of 100% recycled paper printed with soy ink. It had a die cut that revealed Apple Park’s Picnic Pals (Ducky, Lamby, Bunny, Cubby and Monkey) as part of the organic blankie collection. The adorable pals have safety eyes made of recycled and non-toxic plastic and their fur is 100% organic cotton. All eco-friendly toys for babies and children by San Francisco based Apple Park are naturally hypoallergenic, made from 100% certified organic cotton, free from chemicals and carcinogenic materials. Not a small matter when it comes to the health of little ones and our planet. Now with spring season arriving Apple Park  offers the cutest Mommy & Baby Bunny made of soft organic cotton and the Birdie Crawling Critter Teething Toy. The organic bunnies make cuddly companions for all ages. It’s a nice touch that their pink nose and long ears are made of a natural silk and hemp blend. The interactive teething toy has an environmentally friendly rubberwood ring that can be pulled. This in return causes the critter to crawl up the branch towards the silk leaf. And of course Birdie is made of 100% organic cotton and filled with corn fiber. Even that I would prefer that these adorable toys would be manufactured locally, it’s great that Apple Park is China’s first organic soft toy factory certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard).

eco-friendly flashlights that double as toys

Over the holidays I gave my nephew and niece farm and zoo torches by Ecotronic and both were a big hit. I had settled on the pig from the farm collection and the monkey from the zoo collection. Choosing which one was the hardest part. Not only are the hand-powered flashlights incredibly cute but also easy on the environment thanks to their battery free construction.

Here’s how the self-powered flashlights work: you simply squeeze the handle on the adorable zoo or farm animals to power the torch and LED lightbulb. This will also illuminate their nose. It’s a similar mechanism to the dynamo technology on an old bike. The dynamo produces electricity that’s then stored in a rechargeable battery. It’s that simple. And the best thing is that the battery will not run out or need replacing. Instead it just keeps recharging each time the handle is squeezed which means more toxins will be kept out of landfills. The eco-friendly torches are entertaining tools to teach kids (and grown ups) about alternative sources of energy production. They make cool toys as well as great emergency torches for eco-friendly homes or adventure trips. In fact the human-powered flashlights are so cute that you might want to keep an extra one in your backpack or kitchen drawer. Other eco-friendly techno toys by Ecotronic include the Eco Rocket that comes in Gekopak packaging made from recycled and recyclable material. It’s great to see that generating less waste can be more fun.

have a creative and healthy New Year with natural art supplies

During my studies for sustainable design at MCAD last year I was building 3-D models to understand Buckminster Fuller’s philosophies a bit better. To build my models I used bamboo skewers and play dough which led to my discovery of the natural art supply company eco-kids. Their eco-dough is a green alternative to conventional play dough and great for small or big model makers alike. It’s made with plant, fruit and vegetable extracts and has no chemicals, artificial dyes or metals. Each cardboard tube contains five canisters of eco-dough in yellow, green, orange, blue and red. The packaging is super-cute. You can also extend the life span of the all-natural sculpting dough by adding a few drops of olive or flaxseed oil in case you forgot to put it back into its container. The rehydration process only works for the first few days and you still need to knead it like real dough. But this way models can evolve with kids’ growing imagination. Or survive my changing design explorations of course. The containers for the eco-friendly play dough are made from cornstarch and are fully compostable.

Eco-kids is a family-run company and based in Portland, Maine. All products are made with the environment and safe playtime in mind. I can’t wait to check out their Easter egg coloring kit and sidewalk chalks for spring. Here’s to a colorful (including green) and imaginative New Year!

gorgeously green toys made from 100% recycled plastic

Saddened that my favorite Barnes & Noble location closes down I discovered this great recycling truck by Green Toys next to a beautifully designed bamboo plane by Hape on their shelves. I’ve always been surprised how few recycling bins are made of recycled materials and was thrilled that the recycling truck is made of recycled HDPE plastic. Besides that the design is super cool of course. The more plastic we can keep out of landfills the better. And that’s why I love Green Toys’ range of upcycled products made from recycled milk jugs or plastic bags. All Green Toys products are 100% made in California to keep the manufacturing process local including milk container recycling, toy production and assembly. I applaud companies that consider the full supply chain of their products to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The recycling truck teaches eco-kids about recycling through its three compartments that let them sort little scraps of bottles, cans and papers. It has a movable recycling bed and a rear door that swings open. Plus it’s free of BPA, phthalates and lead paint.

Another product I love is the indoor gardening kit that makes a great educational toy for eco-kids or a fun house warming gift for eco-friendly homes. It’s a playful way to grow your own flowers or herbs in your kitchen. And since I enjoy playing frisbee I just found a new eco-toy for myself: the ecosoucer flying disk made from 100% recycled plastic grocery bags.

modern decor for eco-friendly nurseries and homes at NYIGF

You don’t need to have children to fall for Petit Collage’s modern designs with a vintage twist. They make great home accessories for eco-minded kids and grown-ups alike. I’ve always admired the folksy yet modern look of their bamboo mobiles through Branch and was thrilled to see them in person this week. The sustainable mobile designs range from farm animals to owl families and are laser-cut from sustainably harvested bamboo plywood. The latest addition is the forest friends mobile that includes a squirrel, a fox, a deer and a bear with her cub. And of course, bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource. Petit Collage produces additional eco-friendly product lines with  the same playful sensibility. It’s no surprise since the company was founded by San Francisco based artist and designer Lorena Siminovich who has illustrated numerous children’s books. Other products that caught my eye were the collages made from found, vintage, and painted papers applied onto FSC certified maple plywood that’s formaldehyde-free. All designs are limited editions and hand made in her studio. The colorful collages are incredibly charming with simplistic animal characters or nature themes. Then there’s the eco-friendly animal alphabet poster collection printed with soy-based ink on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The posters are a fun way to learn the alphabet and come in multiple color schemes to complement any eco-modern home. And since the designer knows that moms are busy there’s even a key on the bottom that displays the animal names.

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.

mid-century inspired dollhouse with solar rooftop panels

It’s never too early to teach kids about a green life-style. That’s why I liked the Emerson House dollhouse by brinca dada (BREEN-kuh, DAE-duh) at ICFF. I only saw a prototype and not the finished piece but I really loved the modern design combined with its energy saving features such as working solar-powered LED lights. It’s a great educational tool to teach children about their impact on the environment and alternative sources of clean energy. The solar rooftop panels need to be in the sun for about 4 hours to fully charge the rechargeable battery. It powers 23 recessed lights in the modern looking house. All of the stains and paints throughout the Emerson House such as walls or floors are lead-free and non-toxic. The wood is a mixture of birch, CARB-certified plywood and MDF. 

Aesthetically the Emerson House is inspired by Richard Neutra's Kaufmann Desert House created in 1946 and the Gary Cooper house designed by A. Quincy Jones. Both celebrate a connection of architecture to nature in a modernistic way. The space-saving design of the Emerson Dollhouse enables it to open wide during playtime through its clamshell mechanism that also makes it easy to store. It has a large, open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows to allow for year-round sunlight. Now I only wish I could afford a similar home for my own grown-up life.

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.

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.