Bamboo and you in 2011.

Earlier this year, EcoSalon rightly predicted that bamboo would continue making waves in design. It’s not difficult to see why.

As far as materials go, bamboo is remarkable. It grows and spreads quickly without fertilizers, pesticides, or water. It’s not fussy about climate. It’s 16 percent stronger than maple, one-third lighter than oak, and naturally antimicrobial. It also releases more oxygen into the air than similarly-sized plants.

With such credentials, bamboo has cropped up as quickly in the sustainable design world as in nature. In 2012, we’ll likely be seeing even more of the grass. We can also expect more creative uses of Plyboo, a sustainable bamboo plywood already used heavily in architecture and interior design. Produced in China by Smith & Fong Co., plyboo is available in a wild array of grains, colors, and textures, including some that resemble animal prints.

But before we look forward, let’s take a step back. Here’s a look at eight of our favorite featured bamboo products from the past year.

AHeirloom’s Stateside Plyboo Cutting Boards

Pick your state.

Bamboo iPhone Case

With a carving of the iconic Leica M1, this iPhone case is a smart mash-up of high and low tech.

Bamboo Wood Cutlery

Abstract-Modern Bamboo Vase

Clever and vibrant.

Bamboo Bath Scale

A modern alternative to clunky white plastic.

Plywerk Bamboo Photo Mounts

These photo mounts from Plywerk are an elegant new way to showcase favorite snapshots and works of art. Upload your image to their website for a custom mount job, or purchase blank ones for do-it-yourself projects.

The Magistral Cabinet

Designer Sebastian Errazuriz’s Magistral Cabinet, which showed at the Cristina Grajales Gallery this spring, is actually made from bamboo skewers.

VivaTerra Patterned Bamboo Plates

With spring colors and retro-chic patterns, these bamboo plates from VivaTerra are a bright idea in bamboo design.

Image: Pjan Vandaele

The post 8 Bamboo Designs We Loved This Year appeared first on EcoSalon.

You may have noticed that the New Year has inspired in us a whole lot of starting fresh and cleaning slate. The time is right for ridding our lives of the old and irrelevant, and making room for only the essentials.

So it’s as good a time as any to talk about a not so stylish and slightly sensitive subject – your dirty laundry. I’m referring to your clothes and a place to put them prior to washing.

If last year’s hamper or laundry basket is Rubber Maid or something similar, please listen up. There are alternatives – stylish containers for soiled garments that don’t need to be hidden away in the closet or under the bed.

Here are some of the hippest hampers we could round up. Choose wisely.

1. Top image: Woven West African Basket – VivaTerra, $198.

Clockwise from top left:

2. Whitney Wicker Triple Bin Hamper – Urban Clotheslines, $85.

3. Ruffle Laundry Bag – Urban Outfitters, $36.

4. Wire Round Basket – My Sparrow, $36.

5. Crunch Drawstring Round Hamper – Umbra, $25.

6. Image above: dwellstudio Owl Sky Large Storage Bin – fawn & forest $80.

Clockwise from top left:

7. Ferm Living Laundry Bag – 2Modern, $80.

8. Crunch Can Natural – Umbra, $20.

9. Bag Caddie – Steele Canvas Basket Corporation, $70.

10. Square Carry Basket – Steele Canvas Basket Corporation, $65.

Above from left:

11. Sedona Hamper w/ Liner – Crate&Barrel, $99.95.

12. Bamboo Hamper w/ Liner – Crate&Barrel, $99.95

The post Dirty Laundry Never Looked So Good appeared first on EcoSalon.

Lately, mail order catalogs have been delivering a pleasant surprise; the pages that were once filled with disregard are making room for a dose of green. Consumer demand and retail desire steer the content of these glossy muses, so pat yourself on the back. Companies like CB2, West Elm, and Crate & Barrel are getting earth conscious.

The Chop Chop Side Table ($199) by CB2 is a geometric dream. These ash wood beauties are created from urban forest “˜casualties’ in the Chicago area. Ash trees that succumb to wind, damage, and age are gathered and carved into rectangular logs and enveloped with a wax finish.

The Organic Plisse Blanket (starting at $54.99) is a weave of luxurious silky soft organic cotton.  The Solid Silk Handloomed Pillow Cover ($29) is handspun tasar silk made in rural India as part of the Aid to Artisans organization.

Crate & Barrel offers the Azure Sofa ($1799) wrapped in steel linen and speckled with tufts. The gentle curves are filled with soy-based polyfoam and rest on a certified sustainable wood frame.

The recent notice of the environment is a step (or push?) in the right direction, but I look forward to the day my mailbox is empty and my inbox is full of paper-free catalogs and every page is innately sustainable.

Speaking of catalogs, don’t forget to check out our sister company – Vivaterra!

The post Mail Order Reform appeared first on EcoSalon.