One of the 2011 shelter trends is the evolution of accessories and objectification of books. As technology takes over and electronic devices contain our libraries of words, there’s a growing nostalgia around the bound beauties we call books.

Bookshelves were an absolute obsession last year, and books will be objectified further in 2011 via wallpaper, classic novels with cleverly decorated covers, porcelain books, and even the classic decorative coffee table book.

Here are five items using the book motif to add to your space:

1. Stacked Paperback Wallpaper – Anthropologie, $198
2. Hardcover Classics – Penguin, $20
3. Distressed Books – My Sparrow, $12
4. Porcelain Book Set – Klein Reid, $198
5. Heart of Darkness – Spineless Classics, £24.99 (The entire book is printed on one page, image below).

Another bound inclination of the upcoming year is the coffee table book. Electronic readers may contain the latest bestselling fiction, but the tangible perusal and visual entertainment of coffee table books cannot be contained in a Kindle. Jump start your coffee table collection with this list of fifteen irresistible reads.

Speaking of irresistible, another of my favorite accessories trends is nature photography. Last year we saw over-sized horses and ostriches grace the pages of Lonny and Vogue. The love of ostriches will carry into this year, where you’ll also see plenty of elephants – prints, sculptures and ephemera.

If objectified books or photographic animal prints aren’t your passion, scroll through the rest of the 2011 shelter trends to find design inspiration and ideas.

The post The Binding Evolution of Accessories appeared first on EcoSalon.

Four materials fit seamlessly with the 2011 slant toward honesty and green accountability – concrete, bamboo, cardboard, and exaggerated wood grain. Look for these surfaces in 2011 because they’ll be showing up everywhere.

CONCRETE: Watch for concrete’s mixture of cement and sand to bring porous grey surfaces into interior spaces. Counters, furniture, tile, lampshades, pendant lighting, floors, and planters will boast an honest, raw industrial aesthetic.

BAMBOO: Last year was crowded with bamboo furniture, flooring, clothing, and even electronics. This fast growing member of the grass family is set to take the stage again in 2011, and will be sprinkled throughout the industry in both wooden and fabric form.

CARDBOARD: Recycled cardboard will be present in large doses of corrugated whimsy. Everything from grandfather clocks to rocking chairs will be created from the fibrous form of cardboard. The malleable material will be a strong presence in lighting and accessories, too.

EXAGGERATED WOOD GRAIN: Exaggerated wood grain will lend itself to furniture, wallpaper, and accessories. The celebration of nature’s intricacies within different wood species will usher in an age of acclaim for imperfect wooden goods. Acacia and olive tree wood are two examples of woods beautifully wrought with inconsistent growth patterns.

Keep an eye out for these materials in 2011 along with the rest of the 2011 shelter trends.

(Images from the portfolio of photographer Ditte Isager.)

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One of the 2011 shelter trends is for light-emitting diodes and bare filaments to take the stage. These two trends will both have a powerful presence this year.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an efficient and effective source of light. Most bulbs have a lifespan of 50,000 hours, which adds up to just under six years of continuous light – and all by emitting just one tenth of the carbon dioxide incandescent bulbs emit. This sort of efficiency gives me goose bumps. As this clever little light source evolves from widespread uses out in the world (such as traffic lights) into our homes, watch for aesthetic versions of LED lights to emerge.

We can look to European designers to satiate our LED craving – they have an incentive to master this light source because the European Union is phasing out incandescent bulbs by 2016. Moooi, headquartered in the Netherlands, has some glamorous and gorgeous fixtures with gleaming LEDs. Moooi’s Raimond pendant is, “a perfect sphere of mathematical ingredients punctuated by tiny LED lights”. This elegant stainless steel globe is analogous to a starry night dangling from the ceiling (and I see traces of the iconic disco ball too. We can only hope lighting designers follow in the design-conscious footsteps of Moooi and offer up more shining LED fixtures.

This year will also bring more exposed lighting filaments on display. Interior electrical sculptures encased in pristine bulbous glass houses will lend an industrial glimmer to spaces. As you know from our previous discussions of 2011 shelter trends, this year design is concerned with honesty and the essential framework of objects – so it seems fitting that the functional components of light bulbs will be on display. Plus, with the undeniable attraction and allure of LED lights, we’ll take this year to visually drool over the incandescent bulb (it may all but flutter away soon). In the past, light fixtures have existed to hide light bulbs, this year, the bulb and filament will proudly shine uninhibited. Industrial chandeliers and utilitarian lights will reign supreme. West Elm is embracing the trend by offering specialty light bulbs, so your exposed filaments can have vintage flair (yes, I admit, I love these bulbs).

Don’t miss the rest of the 2011 shelter trends.

(Thank you to Julie Beun of The Ottawa Citizen for introducing me to Moooi.)

(Images by Nicole Marnati for Moooi.)

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In a twist of acronym irony, it seems that 2011 may be the year that LEED falls behind. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the ubiquitous certification and rating system to encourage, standardize and award sustainable building efforts. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the LEED Rating System, “the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.”

The Cascadia Green Building Council is one of the three original chapters of the USGBC and has been heavily involved with the development and success of LEED in the Pacific Northwest. When Cascadia founded a new green rating system, the world took notice. The new organization is the International Living Building Institute (ILBI) and its mission is an alluring and inspirational string of words:

“To encourage the creation of living buildings, sites, and communities in countries around the world while inspiring, educating and motivating a global audience about the need for fundamental and transformative change.”

The ILBI extended the Living Building Challenge, the most advanced and demanding green building rating system in the world (think net-zero energy and water consumption). The Living Building Challenge poses the question, “What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?” What if indeed. The challenge is designed as an evocative guide, platform, beacon, unified tool, performance based standard, and a visionary path to a restorative future. Does this make you salivate? Or is it just me?

“It’s official: we now have concrete evidence that buildings can benefit the ecosystems they inhabit. Click here to learn more about the three pioneering projects that prove it can be done.”

In an effort of full disclosure, I should note that the USGBC has endorsed the Living Building Challenge. The ILBI claims their standard is in no way meant to compete with LEED, rather to function as an, “additional outlet to promote the goals set by the USGBC…it establishes a vision for a project’s environmental and social responsibilities from a new vantage point.” I have to wonder, if the Living Building Challenge isn’t mean to compete with LEED, is it meant to complete LEED? This would implicate LEED as inherently incomplete.  To be blunt, if LEED was demanding enough, Cascadia wouldn’t have launched ILBI.

I am sincerely looking forward to watching ILBI collect momentum and waiting to see if ILBI and LEED walk into the sunset holding hands, or if ILBI will leave LEED behind.

Catch the rest of our 2011 shelter trends.

(Thank you to JWT Intelligence for calling my attention to ILBI).

(Image of the Omega Center for Sustainable Living from ILBI.)

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Harry Bertoia has had many years of renowned recognition – and 2011 will be no exception. This year will be skeletal, as in obsessed with framework. Design, specifically furniture and accessory design, will be stripped down to wire framework.

Living Etc. predicts the wire frame will be a 2011 shelter trend. I agree. While the authoritative shelter magazine thinks modern versions of wire frames will reign (like this welcoming chair and this structural table), I think the design community will embrace a flood of the classic Bertoia chair (and maybe even a few other vintage wire creations).

Harry Bertoia first created his legendary seating collection in 1952; the confections of industrial rods have been functional sculptures in dining rooms and interior spaces ever since.

“Bertoia was an inventor of form and an enricher of furniture design with his introduction of a new material: he turned industrial wire rods into a design icon.”

The best part about a resurgence of classic design is the potential for vintage finds, though the collection is still manufactured to original specifications by Knoll. If you worry that woven wire won’t provide the most comfortable place to rest your derriere – this clever felt solution will ease your concerns.

Simple, curvy steel frames will be everywhere. Furniture, baker’s racks, storage, kitchen accessories (wine storage and utensils), cake stands, etc. Keep an eye out for wire framework in the eleventh year of the new millennium.

Don’t miss the rest of the 2011 shelter trends either.

(Image via Living Etc.)

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Of all the 2011 shelter trends, this one is near and dear to my heart. There’s something about riads, Marrakech, and Morocco that make me swoon (you can likely blame Casa Blanca). I have long been obsessed with the Kingdom of Morocco. Watching the vivid patterns and geometric shapes of Moroccan culture infiltrate interiors and design is pure bliss.

Here’s an example of a riad (a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden) in Medina that will have you swooning for Moroccan details, too.

The space is exotic and elegant, combining tradition with minimalism. The delicate details and sensual doorways can come live at my house any day. And don’t even get me started on the bed. I want that bed.

Here are five gorgeous products to bring a hint of Marrakech into your own space.

1. Moroccan Hanging Lamp – Viva Terra, $149
2. Kasbah End Table – Anthropologie, $598
3. Facet Glass – Tine K Home, £8
4. Antique Trays – John Derian, Call for pricing
5. Moroccan Leather Pouffe – Graham & Green, £129

Moroccan influence is only the first part of the global eclectic trend I think will take over interiors. The second component is Bohemian style, complete with gypsy ephemera. The vivid colors and patterns of the Bohemian style have graced the pages of EcoSalon several times before. Get inspired by bold colors in Arild or eclectic details in Stockholm – both previous EcoSalon Home Tours from Sweden.

Don’t forget to read about the rest of our 2011 shelter trends.

(Photographs by Paola Miozza for Marie Claire Italy. This riad was spotted at Desire to Inspire.)

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Talk is cheap, and 2010 was full of inexpensive shameful words and labels. As the green movement took hold and stepped into mainstream economic awareness, there was more than an offensive amount of greenwashing (we have already taken to our soapbox about this issue). Greenwashing was everywhere. Everything and every product was eco, recycled, upcycled, biodegradable, etc. The only thing missing from all these widespread environmental claims was honesty.

One of the major 2011 shelter trends is honesty – honest materials and a new era of candid green accountability. After twelve long years of silence, the Federal Trade Commission is releasing an updated Green Guide, this is where the candid green accountability takes place (devour this piece by Scott Adelson for more information on the long overdue FTC update). Products and labels will now have standards to meet and responsibilities to back up their environmental claims. I (unfortunately) doubt this will wash away all greenwashing, but this kind of forward progress is welcome.

Along with the less deceitful labels and products comes a shiny new electronic device to challenge claims and monitor energy management. JWT Intelligence recently shared the cherry on this honestly green sundae – home energy monitors. The age of managing energy consumption within your home, gadgets, and appliances is happening in 2011. I cannot wait to explore this deliciously quantifiable new technology.

Last year we saw the green industry truly take hold of reality, this year we’re refining and quantifying our claims. Lucky for us, not everything from last year is changing this year. Some things still make sense – like modest and modular homes. How can you argue with efficiency of both space and materials combined with stunning design and beautiful geometry?

In 2010 we admired the growing collection of gorgeous modular options (including my favorite muse, the itHouse). This year prefabricated affordability and efficiency will continue to flirt with home owners. Most of our yearnings for small square footage and modules exhibiting effective use of space is attributed to the grave economy. As optimism swells and wallets bulge, let’s not let our egos swell our desire for consumption and square footage (even the dying McMansion is slowly getting smaller). I propose that we continue our love affair with humble space allocation (plus, then we can all drool through more Dwell issues dedicated to prefabricated delights and smaller footprints).

Peruse the rest of our design predictions and 2011 shelter trends.

(Image by Gregg Segal for Dwell. Click here for a full tour of the lovely itHouse).

The post Talk Is Cheap, Modular Is Not appeared first on EcoSalon.

While the New Year has provided the typical fashion media’s pause for reflection, coverage for the sustainable fashion movement is enjoying a few more toasts and moments of celebration.

Champagne Lifestyles. Don’t you think the Golden Globes’ red carpet fashion could have used a little more green? And I’m not talking about the emerald dresses sported by Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Elizabeth Moss. The best news about Colin Firth’s win for the Kings Speech? The spotlight will be more brightly focused on his dedicated green-living wife, Livia Firth, and her Eco Age store which offers sustainable fashion and domestic solutions.

Congrats! Along with mentoring the newly launched Awamaki Lab Initiative, Study NY designer Tara St. James won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for Sustainable Design. Along with seven New York-based designers who will each receive the $25,000 grant towards production of their runway show at February’s New York Fashion Week.

Hitting the big TIME. Discussions about the need for greener fashion are increasingly penetrating the mainstream media. Levi’s Water Less Jeans have garnered a steady stream of discussion-provoking coverage since the advance news of their launch hit the airways culminating in this week’s issue of TIME.

Bottoms up! Three U.K. mass market chains are broadening the reach of ethical fashion. After the well-received upcycled line From Somewhere, the popular supermarket chain Tesco announced the launch of a capsule collection from Goodone, made from factory surplus and off cuts.

Pharrell Williams’s sustainable Fabric company, Bionic Yarn, is teaming up with retailer Topshop to launch a three-piece denim collection with this season’s 70s style detailing. Retailer M&S is also launching a 70s influenced sustainable line, Indigo Green. The 15-piece collection will be made from organic, fair trade and sustainable sourced fabrics.

Image: Matt From London

The post From Niche to Mainstream: A Toast to Sustainable Fashion appeared first on EcoSalon.

Who doesn’t think Jon Hamm is debonair? The last couple of years we have been basking in the Sixties, often attributed to the expansive addiction to Mad Men (and Jon Hamm). Dust off your disco ball, the era of Annie Hall is about to resurface. The Seventies boasts the mark of legends including Led Zeppelin and Louis Kahn. Living Etc predicts the 1970s will be a 2011 shelter trend. I agree. Here’s a glimpse of what to expect.

This 1975 English bungalow belongs to Sheridan Coakley (of Sheridan Coakley Products). The space incorporates dark wood grain, modern geometry, sleek lines, solid brick, and built-in features, all icons of the Seventies.

The reminiscent round up above was featured in the January 2011 issue of Living Etc. Mmmm. Mustard yellow and avocado.

Top products clockwise from top left:

1. Alice Wallpaper (Mustard) – Mini Moderns, £45
2. Lady from Orient Cushion – Room #39, £120
2. Leigh Coffee Cabinet – My Deco, £1787

Psst. Please take note that I made it through an entire post about the 1970s without once using the term “groovy”. I am sincerely hopeful that words like ‘groovy’ (and lava lamps!) will remain anchored in the 1970s – not 2011.

Don’t miss the rest of the 2011 shelter trends.

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Pattern, pattern, pattern. Each year a handful of patterns take hold and coat our pillows, wallpaper, fabrics, notebooks, rugs, and more. Last year we were amused by chevrons, transfixed by Ikat, and enthralled with imperial trellis. It may be time to study geometry again or at least brush up on geometric shapes (what’s the difference between a lozenge and a trapezoid again?), because the upcoming year will be full of geometric shapes and angular and crisp patterns. The appeal of geometric shapes is expansive and this pattern fits seamlessly in a variety of spaces. Different color saturation and schemes combined with variation (angular or curvaceous), mean some form of geometric pattern can exist gorgeously in any interior.

This woven creation of Afghan wool is a glorious conglomeration of rhombi, and may even be the beginning of this flourishing trend. Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec designed this particular rug, inspired by traditional Persian rugs and their mixture of “rusticity and fineness.”

Here’s hoping 2011 is covered with geometry this lovely – it goes well with the rest of the 2011 shelter trends.

(Images from Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, as seen on Design*Sponge.)

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