sustainable design.

30 September 2012 // design

Find Your Happy Upcycled Baskets

Sarah is a designer living in New South Wales. She is Find Your Happy. Sarah creates these wonderful baskets—the first are from a series called ‘Roped in Neon’. They are made with natural cotton rope and nylon brickies line. The other series, ‘Waste Paper Baskets’ are made from recycled junk mail. She uses various pages of junk mail twisted and stitched into form. Sarah hand sews all of her baskets from found materials and coil them into unique shapes. No two baskets are the same. She says “I have a keen interest in sustainability and utilizing found materials in my work. Every one of my designs are hand made with love.” Shake it Sarah.

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29 August 2012 // design

Genbyg (recycled) Design

Genbyg Design (recycled design) specializes in making furniture from upcycled building materials. In their Copenhagen workshop they create unique, functional pieces with the emphasis on sustainable design. This piece is one of my favorites, a desk made from old filing drawers and salvaged Oregon pine. Shake it.

via the aviary

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12 July 2012 // design

Tribeca Bookcase

How great is this bookcase?! Brooklyn’s Ari Mossiyov designs and builds custom furniture and workspaces from reclaimed wood. You actually get to choose not only the dimensions of your piece but select the wood from reclaimed stock. The Tribeca Bookcase is a reclaimed pine wood wall system supported by steel pipes. Shake it.

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6 June 2012 // cycles

Freitag – From Truck To Bag

In 1993, two design students in Switzerland constructed a weatherproof messenger bag out of used truck tarps, used car seat belts and used inner tubing of bicycle tires. Pleased with the result, they turned this idea into a business (Freitag which means Friday) and are now selling their bags all over the world. They come in a never ending wealth of colors and patterns, as they are all cut by hand from different truck tarps—hence each bag is one of a kind. Shake it Freitag!

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28 May 2012 // bottlecaps

Chalkboard Tablets – Peg and Awl

Husband and Wife team Margaux and Walter Kent are the owners of Peg and Awl a wonderful little shop that uses reclaimed materials to create treasures for the home. Their trio of chalkboard tablets is my favorite. The perfect list-sized tablet will replace any number of scraps on desktops, refrigerators or bedside tables. They are made from reclaimed oak, the bleachers from Liberty Highschool built in 1918 Philadelphia, reclaimed black leather (WWII Spats, WWII Gun Holster, Early 1900′s purse etc) chalkboard paint and a Koh-I-Noor chalk pencil. It’s been a while since I have gotten to say… everything that is old is new again. Shake it Peg and Awl.

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17 February 2012 // bottlecaps

Vintage Camera Night Lights

Tonight I happened upon Jayfish’s Vintage Camera Night lights, I said out loud “YES!” Totally awesome. Jayfish converts old cameras from the 50′s and 60′s into nightlights. What’s cool is that he doesn’t modify cameras if they are in pristine condition, or are rare. He says he would rather those stay usable. The cameras he has chosen are lightweight plastic, produced in huge numbers and easily found for sale at flea markets, garage sales or ebay. Go on and Shake it Jayfish.

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31 January 2012 // design

Council Periodic Table

Ok…I couldn’t help myself, the low occasional table, Periodic by Council. It has an oxidized natural silver finish over reclaimed wood timbers. The finish allows the natural grain to show. With a footprint of 44″ square by 12″ high, It is a slice of sparkle to swoon over. Hold on to your hats, it’s $42,000! But I’m thinking an inspiration piece for the ambitious DIY designer—Now that would be shakin it.

via iheartmies

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6 January 2012 // design

We Do Wood – Denmark

Danish cabinetmakers and designers Henrik Thygesen and Sebastian Jørgensen founded We Do Wood in 2006. They began with a series of specially designed kitchens. But a small, and simply designed chair built for Sebastian daughter, who was two at the time, became the basis of their furniture. The line now consists of a dining table, a lounge chair, a dining chair, a shelving system, and a desk with matching chair for their children—all produced using bamboo. In their words…

“We do Wood believe that functionality is the key, and that the product must be able to fit smoothly into people’s everyday lives. We do Wood is furniture created with respect for the environment all the way through. We do Wood is not just about furniture – it is also about attitudes, changes and common sense.” Shake it.

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3 January 2012 // design

James Plumb Suitcase Chests

Aha! You know how I love vintage beauty with unique, eco-conscious, upcycling. These charming cases can be stacked in various configurations or can be made as single units. It’s wonderful to think about the travels of each piece and yet with James Plumb‘s craftsmanship they are able to take on a second life. Plumb says…

“A selection of old suitcases are housed individually in antiqued steel and wood cases that have been tailor made in Somerset. Each set is unique with the metal framework customized to thesuitcase’s varied dimensions. Every case is carefully and painstakingly repaired and re-purposed – relined in Swedish linen ready to receive their new contents. Stacks of different numbers and different widths are available and can be commissioned.”

And now I get to say—everything that is old is new again. Shake it.

via trendland

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29 December 2011 // design

NottyPooch – Recycled Billboard Banner Awesomeness

Huey and Wah are Notty Pooch and they live in Penang, Malaysia. They make laptop sleeves, storage bins, wallets, and my favorite, planters out of recycled billboard banners. They ship them flat and then you put your own pot in the planter. Water will drain from the stitches and corners. They come with short jute handles but you can always replace them with longer strands if you want to hang them. Of course each piece is unique, and yes, NottyPooch is full of awesomeness. Shake it.