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November, 2006
 by Renée Labbé
As recently as two years ago, trying to find beauty in green products could prove a difficult task. Thankfully, the designers of the world have stepped up to the sustainability challenge, and today we have hundreds of great green items to choose from. At Voice of Color, we’re in love with all of them, but in love with these 15 a little more than the rest.
SOLAR LAMPION:
Not just great to look at, pretty impressive too. The Solar Lampion sucks up light rays through the day and gives them off at night using the small solar cells that make up the design. At Voice of Color, we also love it because it fits in perfectly with our trend letter Shaping Up.
Damian O’Sullivan www.damianosullivan.com
JERRY KOTT GLASSWARE:
These stunning bottles by Jerry Kott are created by slicing, frosting and fusing pieces of various wine bottles together. The result is purely sleek, and sophisticated.
Jerry Kott www.jerrykott.com
MATERIOUS BONE LAMP:
Not only do these Bone Lamps by Materious create an interesting display of light & shadows, they are also environmentally friendly. You’d never expect they were designed from recycled sewer pipes!
Materious www.materious.com
SOPHIA STORAGE:
San Francisco furniture design company Ohio Design has had a loyal following of fans ever since they began experimenting with prints & phototransfers. This particular side table is made of renewable FSC certified woods, and is printed to look like a log pile.
Ohio Design www.ohiodesign.com
 EL FLUTTER:
Intended as nighlights for children, these butterflies are favorites with adults too. Made of electoluminsescent fabric, the butterlfies - designed by John Wischhusen & Soner Ozenc - emit a soft, calming glow. www.sonerozenc.com
 BAMBOO SLIDE:
For condo owners everywhere, the Bamboo Slide is a the one kitchen piece you shouldn’t live without. Made to fit in compact spaces, the Slide expands so that you not only get extra counter space, but a wine rack, a cutting board, and even some extra storage. Sustainablitiy is a bonus.
Brave Space www.bravespacedesign.com
FLOWER DRUM:
While there is a little bit of design-community debate over whether Heath Nash’s rebirth of milk jugs into beautiful pendant lighting is really eco-friendly, we can’t deny that we’re in favor of anything that keeps those containers away from landfills. Especially when they’re made to look as beautiful as this.
Health Nash www.incapetown.com
CREASE:
Aptly named, the Crease magazine holder by Blue Marmalade is created out of one simple piece of plastic (we love that there’s no manufacturing of extra little pieces) and folded into the final shape. Unfold for easy shipping or storage.
Blue Marmalade www.bluemarmalade.co.uk
 WALL FLATS:
Created by Inhabit founders Jennifer & Mike Tuttle, these paper wall flats are not only a stunning and easy way to update a room, they are also made from 100% bamboo pulp!
Inhabit www.inhabit.com
 THE FOLD:
Of all of the things we’ve seen done with bamboo over the past few years, The Fold is on our list of favorites for it’s solid minimal design. But then again, practically everything from Project Import Export is stunning.
Project Import Export www.projectimportexport.com
 VASO MEDERA:
When the Droog collective comes out with something new, the whole design world takes notice. This simple vase gets our praise for doing not one good deed but two. The plastic insets are recycled from plastic cleaning products, and the wooden outsides are made in Brazilian slums, as part of an attempt to stimulate the local economy.
Droog Design www.droogdesign.nl
 MINI TEMPOS:
We all love the look of bamboo anything, but these little serving dishes from Ekobo really stand out in a crowd. We especially love the tropical hue coatings. What’s even better is Ekobo’s commitment to sustainability and “social equity”. Check out their Ethical Chart on line.
ekobo www.ekobo.org
 COW GLASSES:
Similar to the Jerry Kott bottles, these glasses are made from a variety of recycled glass pieces. The abstract “cow spots” appear in various shades, overlapping and adding surface interest.
btc elements www.btcelements.com
 SIDE TABLE:
While we admit that it’s the trend du jour to mix various woods together, the guys at Scrapile (as their name would suggest) earn a few extra points for making sure all of their materials are either resalvage or recycled.
Scrapile www.scrapile.com
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FINAL FOOD FOR THOUGHT: E-ROPE
The witty invention of 3 Pratt Institute students, E-ropes can be used on their own or joined together to accomodate more plugs. While it doesn’t seem to be in production yet, it gets our green vote for it’s power saving abilities. When straight, power flows freely. When at a 90 degree angle, the power is cut. Now you can keep things like cell phone chargers plugged in without wasting energy. |
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Posted by: Renée Labbé
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