Caroline Olsson’s Turn light, inspired by artisan craft in her native Norway.

We’ve often featured Scandinavian creativity on EcoSalon, but it’s usually Danish or Swedish. Now the Norwegians are claiming their portion of the design smörgåsbord.

At this year’s London Design Festival, a whole separate space was dedicated to designers from Norway. One of these was Caroline Olsson, whose pieces are beautiful, simple and functional; modern, but referencing tradition.

Her latest piece, Turn, is a lamp with a screw to switch on and off the light, adjusting the brightness by turning the handle. This twisting dimmer looks like an old-fashioned vice, and Olsson says she was inspired by workbenches used in wood workshops in her native country. Turn is made from untreated birch and hand-blown glass, which gives it a natural, solid feel.

Curious, which won the Blueprint Award for best new product at last year’s London design fair, is a two-in-one light which can be used either as a retractable reading light, or a mood-creating table lamp. When closed inside its box, the shade of the lamp works as the box’s cover, with a soft glow emanating from inside. Olsson got the idea from old wooden pencil boxes.

These are sneak previews of tomorrow’s products: Olsson is looking for a company to manufacture her lights. But with the buzz caused at London’s design show, for a second year in a row, we don’t think we’ll have to wait too long to have them in our houses.

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Grow with the flow in this greened swing by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.

There’s a delicious feeling of freedom one gets from swinging backwards and forwards on the momentum of a swing and as far as garden swings go, this one is a floral, fragrant gem. Called Swing with the Plants, it was designed for Amsterdam-based design collective Droog.

The way it grows is the seat of the swing is filled with soil and seeds are sewn within. As the shoots climb up the ropes, curling around them, it becomes a spot for indoor or outdoor contemplation. Jasmine would be ideal as a scented creeper. Simply add a view, decent weather, and a glass of wine for finishing flourishes.

The designer, Marcel Wanders, was a founding member of Droog. He has since worked with everyone from Target to Swarovski and Baccarat, and has been called the Lady Gaga of the design world.

Available in green or black, price $319.

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Sanitov Studio’s Inachus sustainable floating home sets the standard for the 21st-century houseboat.

Contemporary design, technology and eco-consciousness have never been closely associated with houseboats. Or luxury, indeed. More like canals with murky water and damp, cramped interiors – although admittedly, living on water has become trendier in recent years.

The Inachus arrives like a ship from another planet: a sleek, intelligent vessel which has every possible feature to minimize its impact on the environment. Created by London-based Sanitov Studio, it was launched at the UK capital’s Design Festival earlier this month. Over the summer, the boat formed part of the Danish Olympic pavilion on the Thames; Sanitov says it was influenced by Danish design. They see it as part of a future floating community – a fleet of super-smart ships.

Named after the Greek river god, Inachus is a two-storey houseboat with designer furnishings, a living wall, floor-to-ceiling windows, a rooftop deck with hot-tub, and an intelligent lighting system controlled by smartphone or tablet. Daylight is also used to maximum effect thanks to skylights in the roof.

Its eco-credentials are as gold-plated as its potential occupants. According to Sanitov, Inachus is one of less than 50 homes in the UK with an Energy Level 5 status (meaning it is 100% energy-efficient). The floating structure comes highly insulated with triple-glazed windows and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and shading by horizontal louvres; photovoltaic panels produce off-grid energy – in other words, it is self-sustaining, heating and cooling, with zero emissions. The boat’s environmental credibility extends back to the building process: sustainable and recyclable materials were used, such as fast-growing bamboo, reused industrial wood and recyclable concrete.

Unfortunately for us mere mortals, such luxurious, light-footprint living comes at a very high price: Inachus costs from $1.2 million (though your electricity bills should be non-existent). This prototype is moored at Wandsworth Dock in London, if you want to sneak a peek at how the other half might one day live on water.

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 Jean Nouvel’s So-So chair for Emeco is durable eco-design – made using the same process as chairs for the U.S. Navy.

At Paris Design Week recently, Jean Nouvel previewed his new collection: the So-So for Emeco. With a history of working alongside world-famous architects and designers, the U.S. chair company has previously collaborated with Frank Gehry, Sir Norman Foster and Philippe Starck.

The So-So chairs and stools are made of light, durable hand-brushed aluminum – one of Nouvel’s imperatives was that they weigh as little as possible. But they are also impressively eco: made from 80% recycled material, using both post-industrial and post-consumer waste.

The So-So collection is hand-produced at Emeco’s Hanover, Pennsylvania factory using the same 77-step process as the famous, ultra-hard-wearing 1944 Navy chairs, designed to “withstand water, salt air and sailors.” The collection was first conceived for, and shown at, the Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom, for which Nouvel also designed the building, as well as most of the other furniture. We love the smooth curves and burnished effect – a successful Franco-American alliance.

The post Sit on This! Jean Nouvel’s Eco Emeco Chair appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Sorapot is a transparently beautiful way to serve tea – as long as it’s not made with unsightly bags.

Over the past few years, tea has gone from a drink best known as beloved by the English in the afternoon, and the Japanese and Chinese at ceremonies, to a dizzying array of healthy, invigorating/relaxing/detoxifying infusions: green, yellow, rooibos, jasmine, chai, mint, camomile, ginseng.

And teapots have gone from simple ceramic structures to pieces of contemporary design in themselves. The Sorapot is an architectural shape made of stainless steel and pyrex, a simple form which allows you to watch the age-old brewing process. As the designer, Joey Roth, puts it: “It articulates the ritual of tea making in a thoroughly modern way.”

The Sorapot makes enough tea for two cups, and comes in two versions: brushed and mirrored. The stainless steel used is made by the same process as jet turbine blades and space shuttle components. Its packaging, however, is less high-tech, contrasting with the hard grey metallic object contained inside: the pot comes encased in post-consumer recycled cardboard and moulded pulp, fastened with natural jute rope.

Version II of the Sorapot  is currently being developed, and is sure to be as popular as the original, which is priced at $200 for brushed and $250 for polished – if you’re lucky enough to get a hold of one, as they’re hard to come by. Keep your eyes peeled, and start thinking about the most visually-impressed dried ingredients to showcase in this mesmerizing window.

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Is it plastic? Is it natural fiber? These mini-bins are both – and are handmade by indigenous tribes in the Philippines.

Nature vs. man-made can make for a strange visual juxtaposition, as evidenced by these mini-basket-bins, hybrid trash cans that fuse cutting-edge vision with traditional artisan craft. They’re made for Areaware whose pieces always offer a left-field take on everyday objects (realistic pig sculpture money banks, vases made of coiled rope, banana-bunch fruit bowls) .

Made by the indigenous Aeta people of the Philippines using traditional basket-weaving techniques, they’re trompe l’oeil for the trash. For centuries the rattan used by the Aeta to make their baskets grew in the forests of their tribe’s ancestral domain; now it is cultivated commercially, to protect homelands threatened by loggers and mining companies. The Aeta work is part of a fair-trade program that ensures they are paid reasonable prices for their craft, and protects their well-being.

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Objects of Use features beautifully-crafted vintage-style tools and furniture. Like grandma’s but more chic.

In this technicolor age where every conceivable item in your house and garden, from cleaning to tech gadgets to tools, comes in screamingly loud shades and busy patterns – and often (although, thankfully and increasingly less so) made of plastic – a bit of aesthetic simplicity and craftsmanship solidity come as a soothing tonic.

Whether it’s old-fashioned kitchen scales using weights, 20 different types of brushes (including one for cleaning the radiator and another for the computer), a Japanese planting trowel or a mid-century-style chair, Oxford-based website Objects of Use offers high-quality, highly desirable artisan products. Many are gorgeous and some downright unusual, like a vintage-style French soap dispenser and (below) stoneware berry bowls.

The retailer’s gardening section would impress any green-thumbed friend (yes, Christmas is still months away, but bookmark this site). We heart this exquisite set of five Dutch hand tools, but you might prefer the various shears, sickles, hoes, picks and pruners. Ever heard of a dibber? That’s a pointed stick for making a hole in the ground.

As the name suggests, these are not pointless, purely decorative knick-knacks; each has a specific purpose in mind. All are made using low-impact production methods and locally-sourced, natural materials like wood, bone and jute. You won’t find any plastic here. The useful objects of Objects of Use are built to last, not to throw away.

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Upcycled leather is sexy and eco-conscious, especially when it matches your jacket/boots.

Many products are recycled. Like paper, plastic, concrete and wood; even the Olympic swimsuits worn by the ab-tastic U.S. swim team have been made into dresses. Industry produces leftovers. With fabrics, for example, think about all the scraps that end up in the trash after a pattern’s been cut out. The leather trade is no different.

Looptworks sells cool computer accessories (clothes, too) made from high-quality, hard-wearing but good-looking waste material – neoprene laptop sleeves from offcuts of wetsuit material, as well as seriously buff iPad cases like the Luhu (above) and Shaxi (below). Oprah and Al Gore are both fans of the young Portland company, which aims to eliminate “pre-consumer excess.”

The Shaxi iPad case is made from soft burnished leather, a magnetic closure and folds back to double as a stand. It might match your favorite pair of boots, or cowgirl hat. And, even though it’s a hand-numbered limited-edition piece, will make less of a dent in your wallet than most footwear, at $80.

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The Vertical Garden Kit is your own personally-designed green installation. Trimming optional.

We’re all fans of vertical gardens, but as living art, mounted on a wall inside your house? This green square allows you to create your own piece of live contemporary interior styling. It’s very calming, having shaggy, wall-mounted foliage to gaze at in lieu of a TV. And clipping those stems to keep them neat can be satisfying, too.

The set up is clever: a panel fixed to the wall with screws holding small, removable pots; these are kept moist via a built-in irrigation system whose tank will keep the plants watered for six weeks. The panel is water-tight, preventing moisture from reaching the wall. Just add the leafy stuff of your choice and watch the tendrils descend.

The Vertical Garden Kit contains one 42cm x 40cm wall panel, 16 removable pots, 2 screws and 2 wall-plus (frame shown not included) and costs £49.95 ($78.85). You can also get larger plant pots, for a more dramatic display.

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Protect your table from annoying drink rings with these felt coasters.

Made from soft, strong, double-layer, chemical-free wool felt, these little mats from Desinature are a fun way to look after your tabletop while you sip your morning coffee or tea.

Environmental worthiness is further confirmed by use of eco-friendly inks to dye the felt, as well as their ability to ensure that your table’s lease on life is extended to the full by avoiding unsightly stains.

The “Shadow”coasters come in two shades of grey (smirk) – ash or charcoal (light or dark). £22 ($34) for a set of four.

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