good design : solar, so good

Fireflies in a mason jar; it's like an illusion of a charming evening somewhere in the South. In actual fact it's the brainchild of those crazy British kids from SUCK UK.

I live in the Bay Area - out of the fog bank - so solar power is very appealing, and appropriate. There is not a lot of modern solar design yet, but the designers of these products are changing that. I definitely have the solar house numbers on my wish list - and the boys would have a lot of fun with the helicopter.

Keep up the "good design"!

FEATURING:
+ mason jar solar light, $48, suck uk (available through greenergrassdesign.com)
+ solar helicopter, $32, plastica
+ solar house numbers, $19.99 each, matter inc

good design : mio

When eco-friendly products first came onto the market, the products were limited to unbleached and wholesome. Nowadays independent designers experiment with sustainable materials, textures and colors producing innovative high style design.

A good example of this is the design company MIO, whose work has a fun, futuristic vibe. Molded wool is formed into brightly colored containers and softly glowing lights. Recycled kraft paper is used for their Nomad system and can be configured in a variety of ways from room dividers to office-like cubicle. All of their products give the impression of some happy, avant-garde cartoon world.

And, although, sustainable products can still be quite pricey, the MIO line is very reasonable. The lights are $75, the containers start at $35 and the Nomad system is $56 for a pack of 24.

Available online through the MIO website – www.mioculture.com

blog action day

One of the great things about working with independent designers is that there is a high level of awareness when it comes to environmental and social issues.

Many designers that I have featured use recycled card, bamboo, hemp, reuse fabrics, sweatshop free t-shirts, soy based and eco-friendly inks.

Treating our world and other people with respect is important to me and I am proud that I work with designers who feel the same way.

bamboozled

Bamboo is purely beautiful, and like other pretty weeds, was underestimated for a long time. Now we look past it's propensity to grow into a forest in 42 minutes as a annoyance - it's renewability has turned it into the belle of the eco-ball.

Talk about natural beauty....ow gorgeous is that little red dress??

CLOCKWISE:
+ red dress, panda snack (PS: organic bamboo too!)
+ floating shelf, $880, modernlink available online through 2modern
+ spring chair, $690-$710, modern bamboo available online through design public
+ bamboo a-frame skateboard, $159, sector 9
+ bracelet, bamboo 54