Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has created a cutlery set made from plastic bottles. The set, called Found, is made by plating the plastic first in copper and then in tin. The spoon, fork, and knife, have all been made from parts of existing bottles found at the local supermarket. The parts were selected so the cutlery is easy to pick up from the table and performs like any other cutlery.
The design process starts on the supermarket were the bottles are selected by their curves. The use of those available shapes, allows a small batch production without the need any mould. Each set is unique due to the hand-cut nature of each piece.
(via Dezeen)
I’m loving this! Pick up Wood by Belgium designer Alain Berteau is a simple hanger hook that requires you to take a walk in the woods and pick up a fallen branch to complete the object and turn it into a hanger. The project was designed for the brussels based non-profit organisation Les Petits Riens, which provides social reinsertion via the collecting and selling of second-hand clothes and used furniture.
(via Swissmiss)
A long time ago when I justed started this blog I posted about Christien Meindertsma’s giant knitwork. I just found this picture (via Les Carnets du Design) of a piece Christien created for the exhibit Design for a Living World, which just opened at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. The exhibit aims to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design. Christien used wool sourced from a sustainable sheep ranch in Idaho to create a large scale knit rug a “flock” of smaller components, each one made from 3.5 pounds of wool, the yield of a single sheep. Then she sewed them all together to make one giant rug.
I received an email from Bianca Black from South Africa in which she introduces Trees with a Conscience. After 10 years in the picture framing and art business, Bianca decided to take a step back and get out the rat race . Her husband introduced her to a forestry concession in Mozambique, Africa, that was FSC certified. They both saw an opportunity in the décor market in supplying wood from well managed forest. At that moment the “forest debris” project was born.
Most of the wood comes from so called debris of offcuts at the sawmill, logs that were in fires, poaching or have been felled in a controlled reforestation program. They are then recycled into beautiful pieces of furniture or home accessories. The concession goes through a viguorous annual audit, by FSC (FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL) which is a non profit organisation that monitors the forests of the world, assuring consumers that the source of their wood is sustainable.both to the land and people who live there (www.fsc.org). For more information about these beautiful objects you can contact Bianca at biancablack@vodamail.co.za.
Unfortunately these beautiful disposable products are currently only available in Japan. Wasara has created an elegant line of disposable paper products. By replacing wood pulp with non-wood materials such as bagasse and reeds, resources can be used efficiently.
About Wasara: “Underlying the concept of Wasara is the legacy of the Japanese aesthetic and value sense. Japan has a tradition of good manufacturing backed by excellent skills and techniques, one of the most refined food cultures in the world, and a spirit of hospitality and courtesy. These are essential for days of spiritual fulfillment.”
Aren’t these barn-wood frames beautiful? The solid wood frames are handcrafted by Etsy seller Paradise Hill Designs from aged barn wood which are collected from falling down barns, cabins and fences in the area. Most of them are of old pine, some of old fir. They are built to last, held together by hidden screws, the holes filled with solid wood doweling. The frames have been carefully sanded but are otherwise left natural, showing off the wonderful patina of the wood, ranging from weathered greys to warm, sun-burnt browns. Click here to go to this Etsy shop.
I forgot to include these chairs in last week’s post about bamboo furniture and home accessories. The chairs are gorgeous and deserve to be mentioned! The one in the top image is from Dutch designer Remy Veenhuizen.
And this chair is from another talented Dutch designer, Lotte van Laatum.
There are a lot of bamboo products on the market these days. As said in yesterday’s post bamboo is a great alternative to wood as it grows very quickly and is more eco friendly than timber. The beautiful lights in the image above are made from bamboo by Propellor Design.
Clockwise:veneerware plates and cutlery from Branch, bamboo bowl from dandi, bamboo plates from re:modern, sushi table from Legnoart, bamboo Spring chair from Modern Bamboo, bamboo nestings baskets from re:modern.
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The Becca stool (above) from Modern Bamboo is 100% made from bamboo. The stool is available from Design Public in various colours (natural, ebony and cherry).
The case of Asus’ Ecobook (above) is covered in bamboo. And of the plastic used for this laptop is labeled and recyclable; it is lined with cardboard; there are no paints, sprays or even electroplating used on its components. Not only environmental friendly but gorgeous looking as well!
PS: if you would like to do a good deed today, please visit this website and read Matthew’s story. I know that there are lots of similar touching stories out there, this one crabbed my attention today.
