Speaking of houses with grass roofs…this peculiar boat-house is not only floating on the water but also has a green lawn backyard on the roof. It is located in Amsterdam and is a living example of the hippie times that swept through Holland in 60’s-80’s as one Dutch friend of mine pointed out.  Not only you are not wasting any fertile soil for the ground of your house, but also multiplying the amount of oxygen released by greens by growing them on the roof. Some will argue with me that this is not too hippie. Then, how about the house below?  I believe the owner is growing some very important kinds of weeds….

January 24, 2009

I love Trailer Park furniture, accessories and home furnishings! Mostly Trailer Park carries handcrafted Amish and vintage (1950s-1970s) furniture.
Trailer Park’s Amish collection includes tables, kitchen hutches, bookcases, dressers, sideboards, desks, benches and more. Each piece is handcrafted using recycled wood from old barns! Amish furniture from recycled wood is made without electric tools, mostly by using hand-tools.

January 04, 2009

Reform School is a store, web shop and collective based in Los Angeles, CA. 
Billie and Tootie write about their store:  “We definitely wanted to talk about how sustainable design is a huge focus for us, and that green living is important to us, not only in business but in our personal lives as well. We wanted to be eco-friendly without being too in-your-face about it. The last thing we wanted was to be another shop selling all things hemp & bamboo ( not that we don’t love hemp & bamboo)”
To visit: Reform School.

December 30, 2008

Me and Paul did not want to buy a salt and pepper shaker and decided to do-it-yourself one.  We thought it would be an interesting idea to make salt and pepper shakers out of soda bottles.  We used a bottle from ALE 8 1 (pronouncedA LATE ONE) - authentic Kentucky soda available only in Kentucky and JARRITOS - mandarin flavored Mexican soda from the deli in Brooklyn.

December 29, 2008

Chest of drawers by Wis Design made out of discarded drawers rescued from flea markets.

December 23, 2008

I saw this photograph on Sandbox Studio website.  I really like the idea of using wooden shipping platforms and crates as a support for a mattress and as a bed frame.  I always see thrown out shipping pallets and crates in industrial neighborhoods and construction sites and have been wondering about ways of reusing them. 

What is so special about Russian furnace?  Answer: You can not only cook in it, warm the house with it, but also sleep on top of it! There is space on top specifically designed as a place for sleep. All the heat from furnace rises to the top of the house and furnace -bed becomes the warmest place in the house. 

December 20, 2008

Yeni Mao is an artist currently living and working in New York City. He works in painting, drawing, sculpture and installation. Yeni created ceramic vase that is two siamese birds with no heads.  This is a weird and extremely beautiful object that changes meaning when flowers are put into the vase. 

December 08, 2008

REPLAYGROUND makes journal notepads from cereal boxes.  They are packed with blank pages of recycled paper and the cover is a reclaimed cereal box cardboard.

December 07, 2008

It is fun making furniture out of found logs.  Logs can be found on the beach, with the driftwood and alongside streets where old trees have been cut down.  It is important not to take logs from sick trees , since those logs can carry on disease to your healthy backyard trees. The Log Song from Ren & Stimpy:
It’s Log, Log, it’s big, it’s heavy, it’s wood.
It’s Log, Log, it’s better than bad, it’s good!
Everyone wants a log! You’re gonna love it, Log!
Come on and get your log! Everyone needs a Log!”

December 06, 2008

How green is IKEA?  Last time I went to IKEA, I bought a giant bag of swedish meatballs and sauce.  I cooked them at home and they were delicious - for some weird reason I could not stop eating them. Hm, I thought.  I looked at the ingredients on the bag of sauce and it read: monosodium glutamate.  I was surprised that IKEA, a big swedish company would use MSG in their meatballs. Do they have MSG meatballs in all IKEA stores or just U.S? Maybe they think MSG is good for you?
I remembered that when I was buying meatballs in IKEAnext to them I saw big containers full of bright yellow and blue reusable IKEA bags. IKEA stopped using plastic bags but instead you can buy IKEA’s big reusable plastic bag for $59c. Lots of IKEA furniture is made from natural, untreated wood, free of phtahaltes, lead; their kitchen furniture is free of formaldehyde. IKEA supports the use of environmentally friendly, sustainable and recycled materials as well.

November 30, 2008

This pillow is made out of vintage cotton handkerchiefs.  I found it on Etsy and it is by an artist and designer Flyingrhymes. Have you ever wondered why nobody uses colorful handkerchiefs anymore?  When I was growing up in Russia there was no Kleenex.  I don’t know whether it was better or worse. 

November 25, 2008

This is the most stylish EV I’ve seen! This car is called Myers Motors NmG (NmG stands for “No more Gas,” haha.  It gets 30 miles to the charge and goes over 70 mph. sadly, you will have to charge batteries for 3-5 hours and it costs twenty five thousand dollars.

Great way to restore old chairs!
&MADE is one of the UKs freshest consultancies for ethically conscious contemporary design. Located in a former mid 20th Century doss house overlooking a tributary of the River Thames, they have grown from their birth in 2005 into an award winning studio, working in product, furniture and spatial design. With an extensive knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes and a background of new technologies and engineering , &made demonstrate a unique creative process, with a commitment to conscious design. One that has been recognised by the Design Museum, MoMA and Terrence Conran.

November 23, 2008

Brooklyn-based designer Sarah Cihat scours garage sales and thrift shops, looking for ceramics that she can give a second life to. She takes the discarded dishware and reglazes it, turning old and frumpy cast-offs into fun, funky, artful dishes. Fond of the silhouette, most of her work features animals, people and things like anchors and skull-n-crossbones in colorful contrast the ceramics’ new glaze; says the designer, “Each piece represents a rejection of more brand new products filling shelves and storage closets. Rehabilitated Dishware is a subtle statement of the importance of recycling and the renewed value of unwanted things.” - from Treehugger

November 18, 2008

I love the Rebecca and Drew new website and sustainability mission.
You can reuse this bag as many times you want as well as draw your own design on it and fill in the words in the statement!

November 17, 2008

Me and Paul have been fond of PERCH bird feeder and planter that are made of white earthenware. 
P.S (Their website is so cute!!)

November 10, 2008

I found this juicer design on Design Boom blog.  The design is composed of a ceramic teapot used as a citrus squeezer/drinks pitcher. - Design Boom

August 19, 2008

Saved by the Sun is an educational film/program that probes how innovative technologies, new business models, increasing financial incentives, and a growing grassroots commitment to solving the climate crisis are driving a renaissance in solar energy around the world. The film is about an hour long and is divided into six chapters.  For ex, chapter four is about Germany’s renewable energy through financial incentives.
Watch Saved by the Sun here:  Saved by the Sun. 
Watch chapter four of the film by clicking the image below:

December 01, 2007

Beautiful laundry arrangement drying in the sun in Brooklyn near Cortelyou Rd station, Q line.

November 01, 2007

November 01, 2005

From Emmas Blog

August 04, 2003