Design & Architecture

The Wall Street Journal tells us that "after a decade of catering to Americans' appetite for large living with giant-size sofas, chairs, ottomans and tables, furniture makers are starting to think small." Furniture maker Montauk bucks the Less is More trend with oversized sofas. In others you can lose your change between the cushions; in a Montauk you can lose your children.

However, they know how to build them; in Azure they are advertising: "Our commitment to limiting our environmental footprint is factored into all aspects of the manufacture and distribution of our products. By switching to natural and recycled raw materials with no oil-based products or contaminants we are opting for a clean alternative in the construction and deconstruction processes that constitute the natural life cycle of our sofas."

Good design and a strong green message. That is how you compete against imports. ::Montauk

Design & Architecture

Most people know that computers and appliances are often rated Energy Star compliant, but how many of us consider our own home audio systems? You might be surprised to know that according to Energy Star "Americans spend more money to power home audio products when turned off than when actually in use."

Design & Architecture

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.”

Design & Architecture

We've admired the work of the Brothers Dressler before; the Toronto-based design duo (and, yep, they're actually twin brothers) really get it right when it comes to designing with sustainability and the environment in mind. Take the Bare Sofa, pictured above, for example; using 100% recycled fabric and FSC-certified solid walnut, they've created a wonderfully minimal piece that purposefully shows its inner beauty.

The Brothers say, "We have brought the skeleton to the outside to expose the structure and use tactile fabric to invite the contact of skin." We like the way the two elements work together, and like the thoughtful way it's put together even more; it's constructed so that at the end of its useful life, it can be disassembled into its components for re-use or recycle. Like much of their craft-level work, the sofa is available on a made-to-order basis, available in select fabrics with recycled content and can be customized by size and configuration. Contact them for more details. ::Brothers Dressler via ::Design Milk

See also: ::BuyGreen: Sofas and Loveseats

Design & Architecture

Here’s a new shop paradigm for you: Shop according to the revealed ingredients of every object. Because those ingredients sure look yummy with a range of products made from sustainable wood, cork, bamboo, organic and recycled materials. Monica Potvin in Barcelona and Anu Suominen in Finland have joined forces and created ‘a new version shop presenting a collection of objects for living made as sustainable as possible’. Matteriashop is finally a shop that guarantees eco-smartness as well as fabulous design.

Through close collaboration with designers all over the globe, the Matteriashop offers a unique transparency and behind-the-scene information on each carefully selected product, taking into account its entire lifecycle. Monica Potvin explains:

Recent Comment by Jensen : "Not targeted for US at the moment (must email them for a US shipping quote)..." [read]

Design & Architecture

Transforming from svelte sofa to sleek sleeper "by means of a simple gesture," "Book" from the Italian designers at Flou offers up its interpretation of the ideal boundary between day and night. During the day, it is an elegant, modern, linear sofa and elegant; at night, it transforms into a comfortable double-size bed with a slatted mattress support. Fitted with a folding orthopedic sprung mattress or with a Memoform mattress, it can be made in three versions: with a reclining head-board and with rectangular or roller backhead and armrests.

A great option for adding sleeping space for guests, or as a do-it-all piece in a studio apartment or other small living space. Hit the jump to see several versions of "Book," and drool over what your living room could look like with one in it. ::Flou via ::Azure

Design & Architecture

Candles and an open fireplace are the hallmarks of holiday coziness, 'tis true, but not only are they inefficient, CO2 and particulate emissions are also unfortunate byproducts - about 15 grams of CO2 for each completely burned candle, and 3.3 kilograms of CO2 for one hour of open fireplace. Paraffin candle fumes can also contain benzene, formaldehyde and toulene, oh my! Last week we wrote about Swedish efforts to eco-certify candles and get consumers to switch to those.

But how to get the open fireplace feeling without the open fire? Ethanol fireplaces or glassfires as they are sometimes called are becoming increasingly popular in Europe where more people live in smallish apartments without any chimneys or hearths. In all shapes and sizes, wall-mounted or freestanding bio-fuel burning glassfires give off only water vapor and a small amount of CO2 - the fuel makers rather cryptically say "in proportions similar to...air exhaled by humans" - and without any smoke or particulate action. Chestnut roasting probably not an option. While in the pictures the fireplaces can look almost as cheesy as those TV-screen fires, in real life biofuel fireplaces do add the cheery atmosphere, without as much off-gassing. A liter of the biofuel burns about 1 - 4 hours at about 4 Euros ($5.75) a liter. Via ::Art Deco Kamin Design (Swedish) and Planika for U.S. available glassfires, including new design by Christopher Pillet.

Design & Architecture

We featured plants that improve indoor air quality before but these modern looking objects, designed by Parisian designer Mathieu Lehanneur, take air-filtering a step further. Bel-Air is ‘a domestic spacecraft’ whose live plant absorb the toxic compounds in the air. Dirty air is sucked in, filtered by the plant and out comes purified air.