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Category Archives: sustainable furniture
Knitted light shades lend warmth to a room
The "Granny" handwoven wool light shade
This lighting literally adds warmth to a room! Badged “Granny” these pendant light shades takes us back to sitting on a floral lounge learning how to knit one pearl one ….. but with a whole new modern application! The rough thick woollen threads originate from the back of sheep bred in the remote valleys of Tyrol, Austria. The wool is then individually hand knitted by a collective of home based workers in The Netherlands!
Handcrafted loveliness
No fear of these beauties going up in flames either, as each are treated with a natural flame retardant! Do you have the perfect spot for these natural wooly wonders?
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Lighting design uncorked
In the 1970’s – 80’s we used to see cork products everywhere – in wine bottles, coasters, hanging off hats, and even used as flooring. After a lull of sorts for two decades, we are now enjoying its’ resurgence in a range of new applications – including lighting design. In particular, we covet this very cool Float Light by the young, internationally acclaimed British designer Benjamin Hubert.
The Float Light
Hand turned, these Portuguese agglomerate cork lamps are made from waste product derived from wine stopper manufacture. Being made from a natural material, they are also biodegradable and are fire resistant too. We think these lights would look great suspended above a kitchen bench, or hung as a trio (three different sizes available) in a cozy reading corner. The Float lights are available internationally or if in Australia, you can purchase them from Great Dane Furniture.
Reissued breathes a second life into old furniture
What style of furniture do you have in your home? I have a mix of old and new, but it is overwhelming my older refurbished pieces for which I have a particular affinity. They add a certain character and warmth, that is hard to achieve with a room full of brand new pieces. Always on the look out for character filled designs that compliment modern decor, we were struck by Reissued‘s latest range of refurbished furniture (previously interviewed here), which we just had to share!
Be still my heart - Love at first sight!
Jacqui Porter is the talent behind Reissued – She scours op shops, auction houses and ebay for special pieces of furniture that have seen better days, and breathes a bright new extended life into them –And what a life it is! Both early and mid century classics are given a vibrant makeover using vintage and brightly coloured eco wools, screen printed organic hemp/linen/cotton and upholsterers offcuts.
You can find Jacqui’s creations online or in person at Reissued in Melbourne, or head on over to a special Pop Up Shop in Westgarth where some of her range is being featured (details below) – Would love to see one of those stools wrapped with a bow under my tree Xmas morning!
Pop Up shop 1-24 December 2011
122 High St Westgarth, Victoria.
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Unique Reclaimed Timberware from Bonnie and Neil
We have spoken before (here) about Melbourne based design duo Bonnie and Neil, and have long had our eye on their stunning reclaimed timber designs. We have finally bitten the bullet so to speak, and have just received in stock of their brand new flower mats, and a range of their screenprinted shadow boxes.
The Flower Mat by Bonnie and Neil
The flower mats feature red or green screen printed birds upon rustic timber, featuring little brown vintage glass bottles – We think they would look great in the kitchen full of herbs ready to be plucked fresh and thrown into a scrumptious meal. Then again, perhaps the flowers picked on your morning walk would also look great placed on your sideboard console – mmm – If you get one, the dilemma will be yours!
Screenprinted Shadow Boxes
The shadow boxes made from Tasmanian Oak salvaged from houses across Victoria, have SO many uses. Mounted on the wall they can store your CD’s, showcase your special murano glassware, feature a vase of fresh flowers, store your keys, or just simply look beautiful showing off its screen print design …… What would you use it for?
If this timberware from Bonnie and Neil tickles your sense of style, pop on by the State of Green store.
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Vintage furniture finds
Do you own a vintage piece of furniture that you treasure? Did you find it hidden in the corner of a dusty op shop?. Was it passed down through the family? Were you one of those lucky few who found it discarded on someone’s lawn? Whilst I am yet to score an original Featherston Chair (one can only wish), over recent years I have been on a somewhat casual search for some classic pieces that stand the test of time. Today, I want to share with you the two outdoor chairs I came across last year.
I was having a general fossick through a second hand store in Melbourne, when these outdoor chairs perched up high on top of a dusty antique book case caught my eye. Whilst a little rusted, the chairs are strong and sturdy, comfortable – and that design – I’m a sucker for mid century style. It looked great 50 years ago, and still looks great today when paired with modern decor. The fact I do not know their origin or maker does not bother me, though I would LOVE to know their story. If you know more about the origin of the design of these chairs, do please share! But how about you – Do you have a vintage furniture find that you treasure?
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Not just a pretty face–the sustainable timber Grandeliers have a story to tell
How many pieces of furniture/furnishings in your home have a story behind their very being? Did your chair once belong to grandma, or did a dear friend lovingly craft a table for you? When you purchase furniture from a store, do you know what inspired the designer – was it pure commercialism or did a depth of thought and emotion inspire its’ design? Knowing the story behind a product you introduce into your home, attracts a special warmth and meaning to the piece, and today Tasmanian designer Loz Abberton does just that. Visually, her new range of sustainable timber Grandelier lights under the Who Did That label are spectacular. But it is the story Loz shares with us, regailing the inspiration behind their design, that draws out their true beauty.
The Genie 1 & 2
Essentially, Loz says this range draws on her rural background, environmental conscience and long conversations with her dad who stills lives on the land. The first of the new range is the Genie 1 Bump and Genie 2 Bump, which feature smooth organic curves and draws on modernist styling. Hung as a pair they add a highly styled touch to the room. But the story behind their design goes alot deeper;
“My dad is still on the land and a handy water diviner – which sounds like dark arts, but works for him. We talk alot about elements affecting fresh water and arable land (plus my shoe collection). Currently, top of our dance card is dry land salinity and its management in particular. About 2.5 million hectares of land is affected by salinity and there’s industrial-strength landcare needed. The website that gives a good heads-up is saltland genie. Adding some magic to reality, I created the genies -their sultry curves calling on those great water storage trees, the baobabs”.
The Hoop
The spherical curves of The Hoop is quite mesmerising and evokes a sense of calm. The beauty of this piece was recently recognised at Workshopped Sydney 2011 , where it was selected to be part of an exhibition showcasing new and emerging Australian design. The tale behind the Hoop’s design is as compelling as the Genie. Loz says,
“The Hoop was created with a tree’s growth rings in mind – the impact that external forces like drought, fire & lightning have on these annual markers and the cellular chaos that results…a tree producing more than one growth ring in a year. So the hoop records the resolute symmetry of growth and the bedlam nature can bring thru an interference pattern of superimposed ‘rings’.
Both the Hoop and Genie are available in locally sourced and accredited Tasmanian Oak and Blackwood. And now for our exciting news – At State of Green we have received this new range in our online store! Do you have the perfect spot to hang one?
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KARTON release new cardboard furniture to spruce up the office
Earlier this year, KARTON furniture launched their flat pack cardboard furniture range which created quite a buzz around town. Their bedroom and office furniture packages clearly appealed to a range of lifestyles, receiving coverage on TV, in magazines, newspapers and on this blog! Now adding to their office range, they have introduced some practical pieces that will help you get your work space and maybe your home too in order!
The rectangular Coop features adjustable shelves – so whether you need pigeon holes for your filing needs, or wide open spaces for those big lever arch folders – you can adjust the shelves high or low, skinny or wide! We think this would also work well as a bookcase in a study nook for the kids, or for tertiary students – simply recycle (or they can take it with them) when they move out of home!
If you tend to blu-tak or sticky tape inspiration pics or story boards to your wall, the Pinpoint may just make your life SO much easier. Doubling as a room divider, you can pin away to your hearts content without pulling chunks of paint from the wall.
Love a good presentation? The Quickpoint may lift yours to a new level. Easily portable, you can pop it in the back of your car and take it to your next meeting to help drive the point home!
As each piece of KARTON furniture offers up a plain brown palette, you can customise KARTON furniture anyway you please – The screenprinter in you could add an artistic design, stick on a collage, or simply block paint or add your logo.
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Yellow Diva launch attractive and ellen key free flatpack furniture
Have you ever opened a box of flat pack furniture and gone into a cold sweat when reading the vague instructions surrounded by allen keys, screws of varying length, and an instruction manual that requires a huge dose of lateral thinking? Melbourne based design studio, Yellow Diva, has just launched their new 2-3™ range of flat pack furniture, and refreshingly, no tools or glue are required!
In collaboration with emerging designer C K Goff, Yellow Diva have produced a range of sustainable birch plywood furniture that simply slots together, and looks great too! Not only do we love the simplicity of the design, but also the fun and colourful addition of two little cross stitches adds that extra cute punch! The icing on the cake is that each piece has been ingeniously cut from a single sheet of sustainable birch plywood, which significantly cuts down on any waste.
The 2-3™ range currently includes an Adult chair, and Junior Chair and Table set. Plans are afoot to include a bookcase to the range too. Whether you are a parent, design savvy student or first home buyer, we think this range will be enjoyed by a variety of lifestyles. Designer flatpack at its best.
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Jardan’s Annual Sale is sure to send a few hearts fluttering!
STOP PRESS! Xmas may be coming a little early this year for those in the market for a quality sustainably built piece of furniture. If you are in Melbourne, come Saturday morning you may want to get on your bike (literally or figuratively), and head on over to Mt Waverley to score a stunning new piece of furniture for your home at the annual JARDAN factory sale.
We have swooned over Jardan’s range before, and if the moons align we may just be joining the throng and lining up outside Saturday morning with you – rain, hail or shine! Goodluck!
WHAT: JARDAN SALE
WHERE: 66 Ricketts Rd, Mount Waverly
WHEN: 9.30AM-4.30PM: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 October
2011
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