Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Recycled Glass Globe Lamp


I'm crazy about 'vintage green glass'.  My mom has had these old wine goblets made of green glass that I've always loved to use when I'm at home.  This Recycled Glass Globe Lamp from Viva Terra is retro modern with it's up-to-date shade and vintage appeal.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Tape Measure Mat


If your looking for a good gift for someone...me perhaps ;) this Tape Measure Mat is adorable!  Made from eco-friendly plastic and recycled tape measures.  I'm loving the bright colors and unique idea.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Zara Home


I found this store when we were in Italy last year and completely forgot about it until I was rummaging through our souvenirs from our trip and came across their card.  The store reminds me of a Pottery Barn with pizzaz minus the furnishings.  They offer items for the bedroom, bathroom, tableware, and accessories.  I think the ashtray's are hilarious (so Euro).  It's a fun European option but unfortunately it's not available in the US...yet!

I love the blue's and patterns in this Ikat quilt from Zara.  If your in Europe bring us back a treat from Zara!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Upcycled Decor in Habitat

Habitats latest magazine is out and has an article designed by White Canvas Designs featuring "Upcylced Decor" in the Wood River Valley.  It's free on newstands in the Sun Valley area or you can see it online here at 
 Thanks to everyone who lent us items for the shoot, Paulette Phlipot for her beautiful photos, and to Habitat for featuring this necessary design style!

Upside Down House

Sometimes being a designer I think it would be so much easier if the house was literally upside down.

Waaaa- La!  In Germany they would have to agree because they did just that.  The Upside Down House was built inside the grounds of a zoo in Getorff, Gemany.  There is an upside-down kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom.  The 23ft-tall home was built by carpenter Gerhard Mordhorst and his colleagues Gesellse Splettstober and Manfred Kolax.  They described the project as one of the “craziest” they’ve ever been asked to do.  Steel plates and screws were used to hold the furniture in place.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Kolorado Pendant


From Form + Function this four light glass pendant is made by Varaluz almost entirely of recycled materials.
A hand forged frame holds circles of varying sizes filled with brown recycled glass discs that reflect the light in a unique way.  All of the steel used in the iron in the fixtures is 70% or greater recycled content. .
Recycling glass uses less energy than manufacturing glass from sand, lime and soda. Every ton of recycled glass saves 315 kilograms (or about 695 pounds) of carbon dioxide. 



Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Not Neutral


How adorable is this rug from Not Neutral?  Makes me want to decorate a child's bedroom, even though I don't have any kids.  Luckily, a lot of my friends do!  Maybe they'll let me babysit/decorate their little ones abode :)  You can find this rug at Design Public online.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Mr. Wilson


This made me laugh thinking of Tom Hanks stranded on his tropical island with his volleyball in Cast Away.  This design from Dominik Langhammer for Germany’s intriguing Loony Design, is seriously simple and readily available.  Especially with our dog, Lucy!  She can find a tennis ball in any situation!  I mean blizzard conditions, snow banks the size of elephants, and all you see is a tail wagging amongst the snow.  Moments later...a tennis ball appears...ugh!  After two knee surgeries I'm starting to dread seeing these bright yellow little balls but now maybe I can put them to better use for a fun way to hang our towels. 

Monday, March 22, 2010

Frida Glassware


Liven up any table or gathering with these fun and festive tumblers. Hand made from recycled glass, each glass has a unique and fetching personality. You'll be the only one on your block with these one-of-a-kind pieces of art for the table.  Find them at Bambeco.  Sold in sets of 4 for $40.   

Friday, March 19, 2010

Drops Chair

Aaah, the day is almost over and I haven't posted yet!  Oh well, it's Friday after all and I did go skiing at lunch!


Finding this whimsical chair lightened my mood.  It was designed by Camilla Hounsell Halvorsen a Masters student in Design at Oslo National Academy of the Arts.  She specializes in using recycled materials in furniture design.  The "Drops" pouf chair is made of an inner tube covered with recycled upholstery material.  It was inspired by the process behind making tassels (bunching together lots of strips of leftover fabric) and introduces elements of color and fun into the user's everyday life.

I think I will try to sit in this chair over the weekend...Have a good one :)

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Eames Love


I will always use this classic Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair as a design reference.  I love it's simple form and design.  Not to mention they are amazingly comfortable!  You could put one in a room and it would be full of style.  Above it's shown in walnut but you can find them in a variety of resins, stains, or lacquers. 

Interesting History: As noted on the Nest website "Discovery often takes interesting turns. Consider the shapes Charles and Ray Eames made plywood take. Experimenting in the 1940s with thin sheets of wood veneer formed under heat and pressure, they put their genius to work for the war effort making splints, stretchers, and glider shells. After the war, they adapted the technology to furniture making. Sculpting a seat and back to fit the contours of the human body, they designed a truly comfortable chair that’s suitable for businesses and homes. It’s an achievement others have noticed—Time magazine named it the Best Design of the 20th Century.


In their search for a better way, Charles and Ray Eames developed an innovative technique for molding plywood. The process allowed them to bend wood furniture in new directions and give hard materials a soft appearance. This focus on technology wasn’t at the expense of the details."

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

O' Saint Paddy

In honor of leprechauns, shamrocks, and everything Saint Paddy's, I found a traditional Celtic box for your viewing pleasure.  Made from an adaptation of an ancient design from the 'Book of Kells' by Rebecca McKillip, this box will look good year round in your home.  You can find it here at Celtic Viking Furniture


Here's the design drawing and inspiration. 


Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Rescued From Waist to Waste


There is a second use for everything.  Inghua Ting has designed a floor mat that reuses leather belts in her TING Studios in London.  I love the description "This handsome, handmade floor mat is made of artfully assembled vintage leather belts that have been rescued on their way from waist to waste. Its rich tones, textures, and tread-friendly patina evoke the look of a wonderfully worn wood floor, albeit with a decidedly warmer under-foot feel. Each Vintage Belt Floor Mat is a one-of-a-kind creation, and as such, colors and characteristics will vary slightly from those pictured."  Creative and beautifully unique! 

Monday, March 15, 2010

SwedeShop


Have an iPhone?  If not you should get one just to use this new app, called "SwedeShop".  It helps you keep track of anything Ikea so you don't have to be in the store with a golf pencil scribbling down aisle numbers or try to remember what you need when you enter the gigantic blue and yellow wonderland. 


Friday, March 12, 2010

Green Home Guide


You can now find White Canvas Designs listed in the US Green Building Councils professional listings in their Green Home Guide.  This guide is a place to find ideas, advice, and other green home professionals for anything you may be in need of.  

Thursday, March 11, 2010

3form

Have you heard of the "Full-Circle" line from 3form?  Have you heard of 3form?  If not your in luck because this company has something for everyone with an environmentally friendly quality to all their products.  The "Full Circle" line are specific products that reimburses local artisians in different regions to create items for sale and use through 3form.  In turn the artisans are paid for their labors and consumers are rewarded with their unique handiwork's.   


For example this architectural material, "Lattice" was made by young women ages 18-24, who walked six days from their remote village in Solukumbu to join 3form, carefully hand-knot Raffia Palm leaves, fibers from Madagascar, to make the thread. Knitting the lace-like configuration pays for their college education.



And this product called "Sada" was made by artisans that prepared traditional Buddhist "prayer paper" from the lokta bark which grows wild in the Himalayas.  They combine the hand-made paper with high-grade copper strips through age-old Newari weaving techniques. 


Or this product called "Migration" started in a studio founded in the 1940's that connects specially trained African weavers from Northern Swaziland with international textile designers and manufacturers. Weavers use traditional hand looms to create the delicate weave. They then employ manual techniques to finish the design.



These architectural resins can be used in a wide variety of ways from wall partitions, flooring, countertops, table tops, and more.  We used a sheet of reclaimed material for an open window in our bedroom loft.  When the light shines through you have a beautiful pattern of natural artwork aglow, and when dark it provides an equally beautiful privacy to the space. Overall, 3form offers products that benefit the environment, the community, and you!

photos courtesy of 3form

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Kodachrome Curtain


I couldn't resist posting about this curtain I found on Inhabitat.  A great DIY project, all you need is a small drill and aluminum chain-mail rings, and you've got a new artistic shade.  I don't know about you but we have a lot of left over slides in our house that I would love to put to use.  Plus it's a great reminder of all the images that you've been storing in little boxes out of reach forever.  I'm not sure how practical it would be in a highly used traffic area but if you've got the right spot it could be a great artistic way to cover a few windows in a lack luster area.   

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Roost Birdhouses


Spring fever is starting to set in for me and these new birdhouses from Roost are a great way to bring our feathered friends back from winter. 

Monday, March 8, 2010

Gustavian Vintage Bed


On the road again so pardon any grammatical errors...This french neo-
classic bed frame from Vivaterra is built with reclaimed Douglas fir.
The beautiful silhouette on the headboard makes me feel like it's been
a family made treasure.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Ekokook

 
This is pretty radical for most current design tastes but I thought the innovation and thought was worth showing for the functional qualities.  As noted by Inhabitat for the manufacture Faltazi:
"This green Ekokook kitchen by Faltazi design is one of the most well-researched culinary concepts we have seen. Ekokook proposes that in the future, the general public will strive to become self-sufficient in their homes, and they will do so through conservation and reuse. Eco enthusiasts will drool over the abundance of green features and efficient functionality, and the hearts of design aficionados will beat a bit faster when they see the clean lines, polished renderings, and ultra-cool process video.
The Ekokook kitchen is complex and addresses many needs beyond cooking, such as the short-term storage of fresh vegetables, water conservation, container gardening, sorting waste, recycling, and composting. They have even made it simple to break down waste storage into categories of solid, organic, and liquid. There are also accommodations for energy-saving appliances, such as a twin-tier dishwasher, steam oven, and compartmentalized refrigerator."


Pretty cool to think we could someday do all this in the home with little fuss and slick design.  I could see an argument forming for the con's of this kitchen set however, that pioneers and more natural approaches have been doing this for years, just without stainless steel :)


Thursday, March 4, 2010

Hand Painted Tiles

A traditional look that says Anthropologie/Spanish colonial/Vintage to me.  
I love these new tiles from Walker Zanger



When visiting La Quinta, CA last month we saw some beautiful examples
of hand painted tiles surrounding fireplaces, entry ways, stairs, pools, and on and on... 
Tres Magnifique!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Mod Green Pod

Have you heard about this organic fabric/wallpaper company?  
I used their Grand Jubilee fabric on our window seat cushion.
 It's Zach's favorite napping spot.
 
Check it out if you haven't already.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Strandwoven Timber


This is a beautiful example of an environmentally friendly wood product that can be used for paneling/flooring from Sustainable Flooring in Boulder, Co. "Strandwoven Timber, is a post–industrial wood where strand fibers and shavings are combined and compressed into a densified multi–species composite. The grain pattern tends to be the most varied and complex due to the different wood species used together during the compression. The orientation also tends to be lengthwise, running the length of the board.  Made with low-VOC and E1 compliant glues and finishes."
Just another way to make your home beautiful and be green :)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Bookshelf

Finally, somebody has made this word quite literal!
You can find more "bookshelves" on Etsy.
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