Katherine Davis' recycled kitchen in
Leftovers, Yes, but Perfectly Crisp
The rich are different from you and me; they throw away perfectly good $ 90K kitchens. "Whether in new multimillion-dollar condos or in previously owned homes, they have been installing their own visions, tearing out brand-new or almost-new kitchens and getting rid of Sub-Zero refrigerators, Bosch dishwashers and custom-designed Italian cabinetry"
However, the New York Times notes that an industry has sprouted up to recycle the detritus of this gilded age, taking away the kitchens, reselling them, and donating the proceeds to charity.
Green Demolitions is one. Last year they recycled 225 kitchens. Why would people do this? One developer noted “If I’m a $4.5 million buyer, money is not an object. It becomes, Who am I? Do I really want the same cabinets as the $1 million buyer on the second floor?”
::New York Times See also
The Last Owner Only Cooked on Weekends for a list of kitchen recyclers across the States....
The future sure isn't what it used to be. Back in 1967 we were promised computerized kitchens where all the food was prepared and frozen, then microwaved in two minutes to order. Dishes were disposable, everyone got what they wanted and our diets were carefully calibrated for nutrition. But hey, I still have those Thonet dining chairs! Three and a half minutes of what might have been via the wondrous
::Tales of Future Past...
The Finnish family business
Lasistudio reclaims glass bottles and jars without crushing them in order to create new objects. All the products are hand-made in an old barn in Finland. By taking advantage of the original shapes of the waste packages, only 1/4 of the energy needed to shape new objects from melted glass is used, says Jan Torstensson Oy, glassworks specialized in manufacturing items from recycled packaging glass....
Photo on left by: Jennifer Soo
Kylie Kwong is a well known Australian
celebrity chef. What is probably less well known is her passion for the environment. A commitment well demonstrated via her Sydney chinese restaurant,
Billy Kwong.
It prepares meals only with organic and biodynamic fruit and vegetables, poultry, meat and noodles, right down to the Xinjiang-style spiced biodynamic lamb fillets. All the soy sauces, sugar, vinegar and oils they flavour the food with are organic. The tea, coffee and chocolate are Fair Trade. ...
Swedish design company
Hetta’s favourite materials are cork, leather and wool. We particularly like the corky underlays for pots; one has the shape of a
Ladder, and another one is
Long and flexible for you to decorate the table in countless ways.
...
Products like disposable
chopsticks,
disposable diapers and
disposable coffee cups have often drawn TreeHugger's ire for adding more mass to the waste stream, and while
compostable tableware and other
biodegradable kitchen goods are a step in the right direction, you often need a
compost heap to get them to fully break down.
As a solution to this -- a way to cut out the middle man, as it were -- Japanese designer Nobuhiko Arika has created a collection of edible tableware, a set of truly disposable dinnerware that includes a plate, bowl and chopsticks. Made from hardtack, a biscuit dough made from flour, water and salt that has traditionally been used as dry emergency rations at sea, the collection is designed to replace disposable dishware with one twist: you can eat it when you're done....
Take a moment to gaze into the crystal ball at Whirlpool's recently unveiled green kitchen design concept. Taking everything that you need from a kitchen and integrating it into a smart, efficient system, the concept promises to cut way back on waste -- energy, water, and heat all included -- to the tune of increased energy efficiency of up to 70%.
...
Intrigued by the possibility of single-use tableware made
exclusively of pressed, organic fallen leaves (no colors, no binders, and no coating or stabilizers added), we asked Micheal of
VerTerra to share some product table-top shots with us. We'll intersperse them with a few text snippets.
Our entire process is run in concert with nature, which is why we use fallen leaves, and recapture over 80% of the water that we use. Our products are fine for use in a microwave, oven or freezer and bio-degrade in as little as 6 weeks, and they are fully compostable (a much higher standard than biodegradable).
...
Unlike, say,
your favorite blue jeans, china dishware is not often repairable. Sadly, even if a chip or crack appears, there isn't anything you can do, and with little value on the secondhand circuit, it often goes into the trash.
That is, unless designer Joana Meroz gets her hands on it. The Netherlands-based artist/designer reclaims broken dishes and cups and transforms them into "Crackery Tableware," where, by reglazing each crack and chip, she gives them new life and highlights and even celebrates each cups imperfections. What a nice, refreshing way to think about "broken" items. See more after the jump.
::The Ornamented Life via
::Cool Hunting
See also:
Recycled Ceramics and Dishware from Sarah Cihat...
For many of us, the kitchen is one room in the house that can benefit most from design elements that help reduce clutter and create more space; as the focal point and gathering place of many homes, you can never have too much space. That's the idea behind Turkish designer Fevzi Karaman's modular concept: everything you'd need for a small kitchen is there, but neatly folds up and gets out of the way when you don't.
It probably wouldn't serve a family of five very well, but would be a great way to make the most of a small apartment. Hit the jump to see how a stove, sink, recycling bin, dish storage and more all fit in there.
::Fevzi Karaman at Coroflot via
::Unclutterer
See also:
::How to Green Your Kitchen,
Compacta All-in-One Kitchen Island and
::Casulo: An Entire Apartment's Furniture in One Small Box...
After our initial launch, we were thrilled to find Crate & Barrel's
Kona rug. And over the past few years we’ve covered the company's various eco-products, such as their
glass food storage containers, their
Bamboo Bento collection and, in the past year, their
“green sofa.” Nowadays, we’re amazed at what they’ve come up with.
At first, we were skeptical of Crate & Barrel’s most recent e-newsletters, touting their commitment to sustainability, but we’re beginning to see that this might not be a case of your average green washing. “The best place to start making the world a better place is right at home,” reads the introduction to the environmental part of their website. “At Crate & Barrel, green is not a trend. It’s an ongoing mission.”
...
One part cutlery, one part chopstick, and 100%
bamboo, Choplery is a fun dining tool that begs the question "Does
Pad Thai taste the same with a fork?" Created by Brooklyn-based
designGO!, they simultaneously offer options and almost force a choice when eating: knife, fork & spoon, or chopsticks?
Fortunately, it looks like you can have your cake and eat it, too. If you go for chopsticks, the utensils are well-designed enough to remain functional (with the possible exception of the spoon -- see the pic below the fold) after the split. We think they'd be great to
keep at the office for lunches and whatnot, or as
bring your own utensils, a movement that
continues to gain traction. Coming soon from
::designGO! via
::Design Milk...
Danish designer Knud Kapper believes that "a well designed kitchen should simply invite you to cook well and thus enrich your everyday life." Inspired by the work of some of Denmark’s and Europe’s finest chefs, his Hansen Living kitchens are designed with equal parts functionality, beauty and sustainability. His recipe: take beautiful, sustainably-harvested solid wood, add a pinch of classic Danish modern sensibility and top with non-toxic adhesives and finishes.
The result is "living kitchen architecture," as Kapper refers to it. It's not just another room in your house; it helps define your home, is designed to last for decades, and only gets better with age. Now, for the first time, Hansen Living is available here in the States through
Susan Serra in New York. Plans are in the works for showroom display, and they'll be exhibiting at ICFF in May. Until then, learn more about creating an eco-friendly kitchen with our
How to Green Your Kitchen guide and check out more pics of Hansen Living kitchens below the fold.
::The Kitchen Designer and
::Hansen Living via
::Remodelista...
TreeHugger is always looking for ways to get the most from small spaces, which is why we like "
less is more" and
transformer furniture. While not as dramatic as
Aaron Tang's wall stairs or
an entire bedroom in a box, we like the Corner Cutting Board for the same reasons. In the kitchen, where space is always at a premium and there never seems to be enough space, anything that adds counter space without a remodel gets a thumbs up.
The clever, space-creating design is made of solid beech available from
KitchenSource.com ($120) but we also found
this one at eBay for about $50. What else do you do to create extra space in the kitchen? via
::The Kitchn ...
When I first heard that Sub-Zero and Wolf were going Energy Star I thought that this was akin to a hydrogen Hummer, a monster fridge or six burner range that somehow was insulated enough to get a decent Energy Star rating but still too big and too much. But no; in their range of rated green products there is not a five foot wide fridge or six burner range in the fleet. Not only that, they have rated under-counter fridges and drawer fridges, because we know
small fridges make good cities. ...
This French-designed portable espresso maker, which requires hand-pumping to operate, may be just the kind of gimmicky gadget that looks a lot better than it works. At a cost of 100 Euros (about $145) and also needing special (and with their excessive packaging, eco-unfriendly) coffee "pods", the Handpresso has a single shining environmental attribute- that it is human powered. That's not only a plus for camping trips or any other kind of off-grid living, it is also just plain sustainably-minded.
But in spite of the smiling and sexy-looking hikers in the Handpresso
infomercial enjoying what the web site says is "vintage coffee with a delicious aroma and a perfect crema" there's no exact explanation of just how long you'll need to pump to get enough pressure (the infomercial does note "just 16 bars") to produce espresso for two. Plus a source of pretty hot - 80 to 100C degree - water is needed for the Handpresso. Still, the idea of a shot of java anywhere is intriguing...what about the steamed milk? Via
::Handpresso.fr (French and English)
P.S. One organic brand of pods does seem to be available at
podhead.com...but still!...
We've been spotlighting
Design Democracy '08 a lot this week; we love the idea of combining design, technology, mass customization and local manufacturing. The design competition that's looking at reconfiguring the way we consume things is confident enough that their point of view is a hit that they're offering the winning design a showcase at New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair this spring. So far, we've seen some cool
tables and
seating; today is all about accessories.
Pictured above is the
Objectify Fruit Bowl, designed by Adam Moody (who has licensed the design to New Zealand's Vanilla Design Store). The laser-cut bowl is made from sustainably-harvested hoop pine in four nearly-flat pieces in a design sensibility we've seen a lot in the rising tide of hyper-local manufacturing/downloadable designs: a design that can be easily created from flat(ish) pieces, a
CNC router or laser-cutter, and a computer diagram; it's a really smart way to distribute design, localize manufacturing and use resources with frugal efficiency. Though designed as a fruit bowl, we could see this as a more utilitarian catch-all, from mail to magazines, keys and more. ...
Apartment dwellers (and all those who think smaller is better) know that one of the keys to comfortable life in a small space is making it feel as spacious as possible; a few strategies for accomplishing this include
keeping the clutter down, using
individual items that serve multiple purposes and finding things that serve big purposes but have small footprints. Designer Marta Antoszkiewicz's "Kitchenette" collection falls into that last category; it's a cozy kitchen table whose chairs neatly slide away under the table when not in use. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Quite reminiscent of
Hans Olsen's Compact dining set (
IKEA makes one as well, we're told), "Kitchenette" is smaller and replaces the warmth of the wood in Olsen's mid-century style with spare, clean, modern lines and a pop of red color in the seats. Antoszkiewicz, a recent graduate of the Industrial Design program at Carleton University, is looking for a design position to put this and other cool ideas to work. Hit the jump for more pics and see more at
::Marta Antoszkiewicz and
::Coroflot via
::Yanko Design...
The brainchild of designer Patrick Turner, Thout Design's portfolio features a thoughtful collection of clever, space-saving, clutter-clearing designs with a sense of humor. Take "Forked Up," pictured above; part of the UtiliTILE series that frees up valuable kitchen space, it's useful tile for storing your utensils in a fun and space-efficient way. It makes setting the table is as easy as pulling out as many utensils as you need; magnets ensure that the utensils stay up there until you need them.
The rest of the UtiliTILE series is dedicated to the idea that it's nice to have shelves for all the things that otherwise clutter your space, but it's even nicer to have shelves that disappear when they aren't in use. It's a compact, modular, flexible system that offers an easy, elegant way to save space and do more with less. Hit the jump to see more.
::Thout Design...
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the
if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.
When I used to design cottages, I would try to convince clients to wash their dishes by hand and not install dishwashers; the detergent is the last to contain phosphates, which leach into lakes. There are lots of low phosphate or now phosphate detergents on the market, but they used to cost more and did not work as well. Now the State of Washington has booted Cascade and Electrasol off the shelves, blaming them for feeding algae blooms, and when algae die, their decay uses up oxygen, choking lakes and streams, suffocating salmon and other aquatic life. As of July 1st, any dishwasher detergent for residential use must have no more than half a percent phosphorus. No word on why it is still allowed for commercial uses, that go through tons of the stuff. ::Bellingham Herald
![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.treehugger.com/nav-commenters.gif)
We featured 
