September 28, 2010

Sculpture on Governor’s Island, New York.

Unconventional artsy birdhouses made from odd objects and milk crates.  I saw them on Reference Library and fell in love with ever since!

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Nature and art in the eyes of Arnar Asgeirsson.

http://www.arnarasgeirsson.com/

September 22, 2010

Pillows from recycled old wool sweaters, jackets or shirts. (Image from Katy Elliott)

Sofa cover from reused jeans fabric. (Image from Design Milk)

September 19, 2010

September 18, 2010

Detail from: A Still Life of Tulips and Other Flowers.
Jacob Marrel
1681, Oil on Canvas

Details from: A Glass of flowers and Orange Twig
Abraham Mignon
1660, Oil on canvas

September 16, 2010

This mug by lenni08 reminds me of where I grew up. There are many birch trees in Russia — it’s considered the national tree.

This necklace made of birch bark by bettula is inspired by the discarded and unusual. You don’t have to think very hard to figure out which tree is my favorite.

When I was growing up, people in Russia did not have a lot of money to buy new wares, so they made belongings out of other objects. To this day I think it is pretty cool to see objects and materials being reused, like this rotating bike wheel pot rack by plaidclad

These beautiful and valuable bits and pieces almost disappeared into the garbage pile forever! Get inspired to recycle by the digit recycled leather necklace by mainichi and shift key typewriter vintage pendant necklace by PreciousPastimes.

This neglected dresser was salvaged and restored by rubyrhino1 and made into a vintage masterpiece.  It reminds me of our summer dacha in Russia.

Read full Design Squish guest Curator post on Etsy:

- Earth Tones: Design Squish’s Eco Picks

Read Richard Louv talk on the importance of tree houses and climbing trees:

- Last Child in the Woods: Schoolhouse in a Tree

- Richard Louv: Let them climb trees

September 14, 2010

Above: Shelving/vase system displaying thistles, dried plants and exotic flowers.

Daniel Goers is a local Brooklyn designer, architect and artist who has a show right now called Scrap Ecology at Brooklyn coffee shop K-Dog in Lefferts Gardens.  All pieces are made from reclaimed materials except some lighting components. Daniel has been collecting scrap materials and remaking them into beautiful designs and sculptures for some time now. His other great project is in collaboration with artist Jennifer Wong called Birdtown. Fifty birdhouses were built from recycled materials and installed in Fort Greene:

http://myrtleavenuebirdtown.com/

Above: Daniel Goers and Jennifer Wong.

Above: Birdhouse from Birdtown.

Scrap Ecology aims to rearrange the raw materials of our urban and natural environments into objects with new meaning and purpose. These materials include abandoned shipping pallets from Red Hook, wood cutoffs from carpentry projects, recycled packaging, discarded architectural samples, donated plant stems and foraged specimens from Prospect Park and the mountains of Harriman State Park.

http://dgoers.com

Why reclaimed materials?

New York is a great place to find raw materials to build with.  every day the streets are filled with “trash” that can be so much more. But maybe the best reason is that material is free. The reclaimed material also tends to have more character.

Do you enjoy living in New York? Would you if you had an opportunity move somewhere where there are more trees and less garbage?

Of course, New York is a great place to be a designer but my sculptures do hint at the desire to be closer to nature.  I would love to live in a barn in the mountains but in the meantime I will work to bring nature to people’s homes here.

Above: Lamp made from glass jar moss terrariums.

Why do you think using reclaimed materials is popular today? 

It’s just marketing for many people. I like to believe that myself and many other designers simply see some intrinsic value and potential in the waste around us. What was once a shipping pallet can become a hundred new things, so why cut down another tree?  More people come to this realization and the ‘green’ movement will become less about marketing & more a part of the collective conscience.

September 10, 2010

I love this painting by Vija Celmins.

September 09, 2010

There are always many fireflies in Upstate New York and New Jersey during summer.
I always try to photograph fireflies but photos never come out as good as these.

September 04, 2010

Did you know that the law protecting NYC’s community gardens from being taken over by developers is about to expire?
City officials are working on new rules to protect the gardens, but unless we speak up, those rules may not be strong enough.
I just signed this petition calling on Mayor Bloomberg and City officials to make sure that the new rules PERMANENTLY PROTECT our community gardens from development. Can you take a moment to sign, too?

SIGN HERE

September 03, 2010

Nature inspired hand printed ants design pillow with organic eco-cotton insert by Bailey Doesn’t Bark.  Not for people who hate ants in their bed or coffee mug:

Wear this if you absolutely love ants:

September 02, 2010