If there could be an Olympics for innovating green furniture, Joe Dillon might get the gold for his steel creations that fall into the category of industrial green chic. Scrap has always been useful to Americans (it fed many families during the Depression) and now Dillon shows how to cash in on this valuable resource for sustainable, functional decor.
Working in his home lab is sort of like a game for the Rosemont, Pa. artist, who has won recognition for his rocket projectile sculpture forged of scrap tubing located at yards in Reading. Now, he has turned his focus to hyrdronic furniture (it radiates heat from water flowing inside), which is showcased in a Philladelphia Inquirer article highlighting the energy savings of his unconventional drain storms.
For example, the water conduit in his bathroom isn’t a sink. Instead, the water runs off a stainless steel counter top into a floor drain. Dillon admits it looks slightly "unfinished" but he feels that is part of the allure of his engineering concepts. "Americans are used to flipping a switch and having air conditioning turn on but it costs money and energy to have that luxury," he says.
Dillon broke his neck diving into shallow water at age 21 and the accident apparently limited his mobility and led him on the path to sculpture and design – prior to that he was fixing up cars. His other objects for the home include a hot seat of salvaged steel conveyor belts with radiant heat that flows through the frame and an expansive solar metal counter top made of steel.
While Dillon has yet to produce a line for consumers, he inspires us to think on our heat, and question how we can change our surroundings with more heavy metal and less jazz.
Images: tanakawho, Philladelphia Inquirer