Harry and Sal's Design Blog

MEREDITH: I was inspired by Sal's bedding posts to share this with you. It's the GREEN CRADLE. It is cardboard, recyclable, and just plain cool. Those of us parents know that a bassinet is such an ephemeral purchase, and it can be quite a costly one. This is the most wonderful option. It can also act as a sweet little toy holder once the babe is in his/her crib. Sadly, I have no use for it so I hope you will.

Labels: BedBath, Gifts, Green, Kids, Meredith, Storage

posted by Meredith Alexander at 3/08/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: Here's a good 'reuse' object. Liz Grotyohann, is a New Jersey-based graphic designer uses old magazines to create these classic vases. She lines them with resin so they are watertight. I also came across Chilean designer Rodrigo Alonso Schramm's N+ew stool on treehugger He has taken electronic waste and created a stool. I'm not sure I like the look of it but I love the idea.

Labels: Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/20/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: I am always forgetting to bring my various bags to the supermarket. But Envirosax can fix that. They've bundled five bags together and folded them up into a handy pouch that fits in the glove compartment of the car (or a large-ish handbag). I figure buy 2 packs - one will always be in the car. And they come in great colours and patterns including a new organic cotton, hemp and linen range.

Labels: Green, Harry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 1/10/2008 0 Comments

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SAL: well it's good to be back! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and got a little bit of a break! The New Year of course brings all these pieces in the design sections about trends for 08. One which specifically resonates with me brings back ideals of a simpler aesthetic using old and vintage pieces to spruce up your rooms. I've always been a big fan of flea markets and in the drive to reuse, reduce, recycle, finding new uses for old things seems especially relevant. The LA Times had a great piece on this last week that's a good jumping off point for inspiration. Else you can kick off your search with a browse through Etsy's new vintage section. Some lovely finds in there.

Labels: 2008, Green, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 1/06/2008 0 Comments

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SAL: As Harry would say, this is just a quick one :) One of my New Year's resolutions is to try and filter my life through more of a green, rather than a rose-tinted lens. We've talked about this before, I'm not an evangelist, but I do know that I personally want to make the changes in my own life to be more environmentally responsible about the resources I use and the products I consume. Did that sound preachy? I hope not! We still want to keep it beautiful of course and with that in mind - take a moment to enjoy blossom creations from Australia - stationery with a conscience.

Labels: Green, Sal, Stationery

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 12/18/2007 0 Comments

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Eco-marketplace Evo launched today as a one-stop shop for environmentally sustainable shopping. They do a good job of bringing together a range of merchants according to their proscribed "Evo-criteria". Every merchant is rated and editorially selected, the result being there is a sensibility to the products they choose, not just from an environmental perspective, but also from a stylistic one. Categories include, clothes, toys, body, autos, solar, travel and money. Go on, have yourself some guilt-free fun.

Labels: Gifts, Green

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/29/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: There's a lot of hooplah in the press right now about having a green Christmas - see the NYT article Jolly Green Christmas about the green evangelists set to sabotage the joy of giving for all and sundry. I'm thinking green this Christmas for sure, but I'm also not going to be dogmatic about it - show by example rather than by tirade is my motto. So with that in mind I've been saving all my Anthropologie tissue to use as wrapping paper, I'm avoiding vacuum-packed toys, and I'm on the lookout for gifts that are green and cool. Vivavi is run by the Josh Dorfman who many of you may know as the author of The Lazy Environmentalist. They have a lovely range of eco-friendly furniture that's really beautiful. Perhaps a bit pricey for Christmas gifts, but there are some home accessories that are reasonable - such as these hemp Birch Accent Pillows for $100 from Loop Organic.

Labels: Gifts, Green, Sal, Textiles

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/26/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: My friend Liane sent me a link to ecorazzi. It's a fantastic blog...kind of like Who Weekly for people interested in all things green. I love it. They posted these cool bags from Gooc made from recycled canvas tarps. Clever. Stylish. Good Christmas gift...

Labels: Bags, Christmas, Gifts, Green, Harry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 11/22/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: If you're in LA this week and you're interested in architecture, I strongly suggest you take advantage and go on a tour of the Ray Kappe designed Wired Home, currently on the market for a cool $4 million. It's open to the public until Sunday - you can buy tickets online at Wired's website.

Some of you may already be familiar with Kappe through his work with the Living Homes prefab folks. I like his style - modernism with warmth. In this house, fly ash concrete floors combined with cedar ceilings, bring a rich inviting feel, despite being very contemporary.

Wired mag have done a great job of the website, you can browse by category or room, and find out where to buy many of the products from the home. The kid's bedroom (below) I loved. Great wallpaper - although of course I can't find that listed!!

Labels: 711, Architecture, Green, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/13/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I love wallpaper and I love to do what I can to be responsible about the resources I use. It hasn't always been the case, but now, I reuse and recycle where I can, I think about what goes in the trash and I think about the origins of what I buy. So I was pleased to see when reading one of my favorite blogs Jetson Green, that wallpaper company Graham & Brown now pride themselves, not only in making fabulous wallpaper, but also in making about 50% of their product from renewable resources - all their papers carry the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) logo to show that the paper comes from sustainably managed forests. Graham & Brown have a detailed Environmental Policy that you can download from their website which details more of their efforts, such as using recycled rainwater, special drainage systems to reduce runoff, and use non-acidic inks and coatings, which are more eco-friendly than conventional methods.

Labels: 711, Green, Sal, Walls

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/06/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Got back from Melbourne feeling very inspired about city living. They really do it so well down south - great cafes, shops and exciting architecture. I was particularly impressed by Federation Square. I'd heard a lot of criticism about the Lab Architecture Studio design - but the scale of the space, the activity it attracts and the building's dynamic forms (see atrium above) all make for a really interesting public arena. So good to see brave public work. We spent quite a bit of time at the Ian Potter Centre which is a branch of the National Gallery and houses a permanent indigenous collection...such beautiful work (see pic below. I forgot to write down the artists name! Hard when you're trying to keep kids from touching the dots). The National Design Centre has a store in the building and are selling great posters from their design competition (see Waiting for a Rainbow by Marie Schultz at bottom). They asked designers to create a poster around the idea of climate change. Timely. And beautiful. They are very graphic and strong. All in all a great trip. Just way too short.

Labels: Architecture, Art, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/29/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: It's dinner time and I've got two hungry grumpy kids so this is a real quick one. Couldn't resist these recycled melamine plates. How cool are they! I love the segmented dinner plates and the simple little tumblers. Perfect for picnics, bbqs or the kids.

Labels: BBQ, Dining, Green, Harry, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 10/28/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I've got my eye out now for stylish recycled products and Target has quite a few. Check out these cool vases made from recycled newspaper. The paper is wrapped around a glass vase. Clever. Looking for other smart vases I came across Frank Kerdil's lovely Noming Vase (below). It's made out of a special material that is paper-based but waterproof. And you can draw on them. Nice touch.

Labels: Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/27/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Project 10 represents the first traditionally built (ie not prefab) LEED platinum-certified house built in California. I went on a tour of it today and was very impressed by the design. It's modern, but warm and very spacious. Although they have opted to build to the max of the setbacks and some of the finish work leads you to think they were running out of time to completion, overall it's impressive. The house can virtually live off the grid, emits no harmful gases and uses the latest in recycled materials from insulation, to the lumber to the steel supports. For more information you can visit the Project710 website.

Labels: Architecture, Green, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/19/2007 1 Comments

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SAL: Every time I go to the supermarket these days I've been cursing myself for not having got around to buying some reusable bags. So today I got moving and bought a couple of these stylish designer totes from SKN now available at Amazon.com. I bought a set for myself and one as a Christmas present for somebody - what a great gift idea! Via Shefinds.

Labels: Bags, Gifts, Green, Sal, Style

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/19/2007 1 Comments

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SAL: How's this for a wonderful idea? Leave this frosted-glass bell jar out in the sunlight for a few hours and thanks to some inner-wizardry, combined with a couple of solar panels and LEDs, you get to keep the sunlight through the night. Designed by Tobi Wong, available through Charles & Marie. Speaking of green wizardry, I combed through the Living Homes site today and listed out some useful green suppliers. So if you're looking for things such as low VOC paint and denim insulation, take a look.

Labels: Green, Lighting, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/18/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm on a green run at the moment. You know, Al Gore wins a Nobel Prize, (check out these letters in the New York Times - some very good points) - there's definitely something going on out there. Artek jumped on board early this year with an elegant line of bamboo furniture. As they say - it's Alvar Aalto meets ethical furniture design. I also noticed that Shigeru Ban did Artek's pavillion this year for Milan Furniture Fair. If you're in Helsinki you can stop by this extraordianry crisp white barn-like building. I love Shigeru Ban's work. When I was involved in Sydney Design Week we brought him out and he spoke at the Powerhouse Museum. He was an intelligent, passionate, humble visionary. I've been following his work ever since. We were lucky enough to visit his temporary gallery in Los Angeles that housed the Ashes and Snow exhibition. Shigeru has been considering the environmental implications of his buildings for years (just look at his amazing structures made from recycled paper tubes like the Paper House on Lake Yamanaka below). And he's just produced a book on Aalto - nice tie back to Artek!

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/15/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Speaking of Living Homes, and Ray Kappe, I toured this prefab Platinum-certified LEED house a few months ago. The first Living Home, unbelievably it was installed in just eight hours. It's located in Venice, CA not far from my home and my future home. If you're interested in prefab, Living Homes is definitely a good place to start - but even if you are just interested in green architecture you should check out Steve Glenn's online tour that goes through his house room by room, with entertaining and informative commentary. The tour provides a great source of ideas and resources for all parts of the house - from low VOC paint to energy-efficient LED lights.

Labels: 711, Architecture, Green, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/11/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm looking for great examples of green architecture for a magazine article I'm working on. I'm actually having a hard time finding local (Sydney) examples. There's quite a bit of green stuff out there but so much of it is really ugly. If anyone has any leads please let me know! I did come across some cool stuff in my search. Check out architect Cracknell & Lonergan reno of an inner city Sydney terrace. I love the floral fomrica in the kitchen. I've no idea if it's green - but it is cool. There's also a real warmth and intelligence to their work. It reminds me of the Queensland firm, Donovan Hill. They did such a beautiful job on another inner city Sydney terrace - Tibet Sydney, a rug shop and residence. Lots of inspiring work on these two sites.

Labels: Architecture, Green, Harry, Kitchen

posted by cerentha harris at 10/07/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: even the most horticulturally challenged amongst us can enjoy this little bonsai. Such a sweet design. Joji Okazaki has created a cardboard tree that you simply slip together. No scissors or glue ... and no watering. For more Joji products check out the online store at Smoggy Mountain Home. Lumen, below, is another no fuss bit of nature for your home. Not as rustic or crafty as the bonsai I do love the shadow this little light throws.

Labels: 94, Green, Harry, Lighting

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/04/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY President Bush and a whole bunch of other world 'leaders' have descended on Sydney for APEC. So we are heading out. I'll be offline until Monday. Before I go I wanted to point to Treehugger's take on Sydney. Liane Rossler from Dinosaur Designs sent me the link. Warren McLaren did do a nice job covering the city from it's birth as a penal colony to today - a city willing to turn off its light to save electricity...at least for a night. And, in case you are missing a design fix - the Opera House has revamped its new store where you can buy all sorts of Sydney things online. We got the wooden harbour bridge puzzle and loved it! You'll also find Lin Utzon's vases (above) - she's the daughter of Joern Utzon, the architect who designed the Opera House.
See you Monday.

Labels: Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 9/05/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY I love the idea of prefab. At it's best it is fast, cheap, green and stylish. I recently came across two prefab systems - thepodsystem by my friend architect Kim Crestani and the Perrinepod by Perrine, by Perth based architects (pictured above). Crestani's system attaches to an exisitng house while the Perrine system is freestanding. Both are well worth a look.

Labels: Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 9/04/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Poor Sal. I know that LA heat and it's not fun at night with hot kids! Sydney is just stuttering out of a dreary winter so we're all embracing the warm days and crisp nights. Now, I know Sal was looking for a bed a while back. In my green search I found Viesso. They make simple elegant furniture that you get to customize, they build pretty fast (3 weeks for this bed before it ships) and they are committed to sourcing green materials from the springs and foam in their chairs to the timbers in their beds and tables (this bed is made from bamboo). A little edgier is Canadian design house Molo - although they have a similar green commitment. Their work is more cutting edge and interesting (from a design point of view). I love their glassware and these stools made from a crisp white fabric. They've got the same designs in paper. Well worth a look.

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 9/02/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY I found a great online store called Unless that is based in New Zealand. They are committed to finding design that is created with sustainability in mind. They've got lights by one of my favourite designers, David Trubridge and also this rather cool chair by a group called Conscious Design . I like that modern line with the old-fashioned fabric. Nana meets Eames.

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 8/30/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY There are moments when I really miss Los Angeles. I certainly miss my friends a lot. But I also miss the shopping. This little table from Urban Outfitters went out of stock very quickly about 6 months ago (when I tried to buy 2 for our living room). I ended up getting one with a different pattern, but this is the one I wanted. It's $29! And damn Urban Outfitters wont ship to Australia...I hate that. For you locals they've got lots of cool new stuff. Check out the DIY coffee table (pictured below) made from green materials and their new wall decals.

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 8/23/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: OK. I can already hear Sal sighing. I know it's hot in LA but this is too good not to post and you guys - it will get chilly again. Plus, you're going to need time to save up for this one. It's around $6000 from a Spanish company called Climalis. Designed by Andrea Crosetta the Bubble Chimney can be wall mounted or hung from the ceiling. Amazingly it made it onto treehugger so it's got the green tick - although they do recommend using a certain kind of log to burn in it. I can definitely see this warming a corner of Sal's new house.

Labels: 94, Fireplace, Green, Harry, Heating

posted by cerentha harris at 8/09/2007 2 Comments

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SAL: Following up on our previous posts about the media frenzy generated by the I'm Not a Plastic Bag, I've been keeping my eye out for some other reusable grocery bag options. Delight.com are currently featuring these super-cute bags by Envirosax (dig the name!). They come in a range of colors and roll up in a handy pouch. Other supermarket bags I've seen just don't seem to be big enough, they assume we are nipping round the corner to the local store rather than hauling the weekly shop from the supermarket. Envirosax come in a set of 5 and each bag holds the equivalent of 2 supermarket bags. Hey - if it's good enough for Cameron!

Labels: Bags, Green, Sal, Style

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 8/03/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I came across this wastepaper basket (Eco) while flicking through the pages of Belle, an Australian design and architecture magazine (Treehugger also covered it ). It's designed by 366cm, a Swedish design compnay known for it's cutting-edge environmentally-friendly products. I really like that Eco is handmade and uses the material it will hold. Turns out 366cm has a lot of cool stuff. And their own online shop. The site is beautifully designed but as far as I can tell it's all in French. If anyone can figure out how to switch it to English please let me know! (I'd like to point to Belle, it is such a beautifully designed magazine, but they don't have a website.)

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 7/28/2007 2 Comments

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SAL: Whole Foods supermarket in Union Sq launched a product today that came with a celebrity-enthused hype not seen since, well, since a couple of weeks ago really and the launch of the IPhone. OK, perhaps I exaggerate, but the fact remains that there has been a lot of buzz about the "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" bag. Whole Food's noble effort/green marketing gimick is designed by accessories designer Anya Hindmarch in collaboration with the We Are What We Do organization. It is a cool bag, and I'd certainly fork over the $15 to make a statement and save a plastic bag or two from the landfill. However, it looks like I'll have to wait for the LA debut, it's only available at select Northeast stores, oh and Ebay.

Update 7/22: Looks like plastic bags as we know it may be on their way out. SF is considering banning their use in supermarkets.

Labels: Bags, Green, Sal, Style

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 7/18/2007 0 Comments

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