Archive for September, 2008
Greener Lifestyles Sustainable Furniture
I finally found it! I have been looking for a company that creates sustainable and/or eco-friendly furniture for quite a while now, and I finally found it! Success. The company is called Greener Lifestyle and it specializes in designing and manufacturing upholstered furniture using eco-friendly and sustainable materials. They are an American company based in Seattle, Washington who believe that, “customers don’t have to sacrifice good design to have a healthy home”.
I love their furniture. Additionally, I love that their products are created using all natural materials such as: FSC-Certified Wood, Natural Latex Foam, Recycled Polyester Fabric, Organic Hemp, Cotton, & Wool Fabric. Now, I am not sure if they would ship out to England, or if they would even ship to other parts of America. Nevertheless, I do recommend giving their site a view.
Animal House Toucan Can Opener
I was strolling through downtown Brighton yesterday by Churchill Square, trying to avoid the Fat Boy Slim Concert area since I didn’t have a ticket, when I came upon this funky looking store called Octopus. It was full of really fun and colorful gifts. I think I spent 30 minutes in there just browsing their funky collection. I usually spend 3 minutes in a store when I am window browsing, but this one just caught my reeled me in and kept my attention.
One of the products in there was this toucan can opener. I just hadn’t really seen something like that before. It is fabulous product design.
Chronophage By Dr. John Taylor
Dr John Taylor from Corpus Christi College Cambridge along with Professor Stephen Hawking unveiled a 1 million pound clock that paid tribute to John Harrison, one of the worlds greatest clock makers, on the 19th of September. Dr. Taylor calls it a ‘Chronophage’ (time-eater) – “a fearsome beast which drives the clock, literally “eating away time”.
Dr. Taylor suggests the Chronophage “hypnotises the watcher with its perpetual motion, punctuated by an extraordinary repertoire of slow blinks, jaw-snaps and stings from its tail”. The Corpus Clock has no hands, and is wound up by an electrical motor. It tells time by a series of blue LED lights arranged behind slits on the machine. When the escape wheel moves, a series of lights runs in circles to mark the passage of seconds, minutes and hours. It is truly fascinating to watch. It is a fabulous re-design of the clock. For more information check out the Telegraph.
Paper Sculptures By Peter Callesen
I have been trying to find his site for a while now. I remembered his artwork from a while back, but I just didn’t remember the name of the artist. I finally found his site today, and I have to say I am as amazed with his work as I was the first time I saw it. I certainly recommend giving his site a view. Some of my favorites are the ones below, but he has so many fabulous folds and cut outs.
5 Beautiful Origami By Robert J. Lang
I don’t think I need to explain this too much. Mr. Lang is a fabulous artist, and his folds are precise, beautiful, and quite frankly astonishing. These are a few examples of his extraordinary work.
Melissa Plastic Dreams: Eco-Friendly Shoes
I am quite curious about these shoes. I just heard about them today, and decided to learn a little bit about them. Apparently, the Brazilian company, Melissa Plastic Dreams, designs and manufactures beautiful shoes and boots made from recycled plastic. The patented plastic is called MelFlex and the company claims it is hypoallergenic and has no scent. I have heard that these shoes are then scented with a bubble gum smell, but I have not had a chance to smell some.
These shoes are beautiful, and they are a fantastic example of great design. I do wonder if they are comfortable to wear, and if they allow your foot to breath. After all, the shoe might not have a scent, but I am sure your foot will if there is no ventilation.
Heat Sensitive Wallpaper
This invention is amazing. Designer Shi Yuan created a wallpaper that reacts when you touch it, or the temperature of the room changes. This particular example shows vines that bloom beautiful red flowers after the wall is touched. This effect is created with heat sensitive paint.
I love this idea, but I am not to fond of this particular wall paper. I can certainly see the wonderful potential in this idea.
Jen Stark: Paper Sculptures
I love Jen Stark’s paper sculptures. She uses different types and colors of construction paper to create these vivid and beautiful works of art. I am just amazed at the precision used to create such beautiful works of art. I think I like them so much because they use an array of vivid colors, her pieces are three dimensional and they use paper. The use of paper in art and design is a medium I have grown to adore throughout the years.
Anti-Theft Lunch Bags
This is absolutely hilarious! I love these lunch bags. I have never really had my lunch stolen at work or anywhere else. Well, there was that one time a hungry little seagull baby conned me out of the last bit of ice cream cone I had.