A round-up of what we’re reading right now. 

Because you should never be without a to-go cup: now you can make your own from a mason jar. Just make sure you use a reusable straw. [Via Fine and Feathered]

It’s back-to-school season, but what does education look like in the rest of the world? This portrait slideshow takes us into classrooms from around the globe. [Via Brain Pickings]

Summer isn’t over until the fall equinox, and this healthy Mint Mojito Smoothie might just be the afternoon reminder that you need to embrace the late season. [Via Well+Good NYC]

Movies can be educational, which is why someone came up with this list of Lifetime movies for Republicans who don’t understand rape. [Via The Cut]

Minimalism is on trend right now. Even for Kuwaitis. [Via Dezeen]

Your drinking habits depend on the shape of your glass. [Via The Atlantic]

Our new dream house? A converted barn in France. [Via The Style Files]

On average, Americans eat 200 pounds of meat a year. That’s not just bad for our health, it’s also fueling the water crisis. [Via Mother Jones]

Trying to figure out how to live better in small spaces? You need the Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Feng Shui. [Via Greatist]

Image: Fine and Feathered

The post Link Love: How to Turn a Mason Jar Into a To-Go Cup, Kuwaiti Minimalism and Movies for Republicans Who Don’t Understand Rape appeared first on EcoSalon.

Casa Areia is completely impractical, but so very awe-inspiring. Floors made of sand?! Absolutely stunning.

This gorgeous cluster of architecture by Aires Mateus Architects is being exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2010). The project is located seaside in Comporta, Portugal, and boasts living room and kitchen floors composed of a nostalgic layer of local sand grains.

These gorgeous photographs by Nelson Garrido have captured the rich textures of the design – perfectly contrasting each grain of sand against crisp white furnishings and linear thatch.

Garrido shares these words about Casa Areia,

“The sand transported to the interior becomes the unifying element between internal and external worlds, making us believe we live in an extension of the natural environment. This particularity transforms the space scale and living in this house becomes more poetic and comfortable. This project, materialized in a sequence of volumes with a minimalism and traditional construction that camouflages modern technology, leaves us feeling that there is something more beyond the simplicity of things.”

Looking for a little more Venice Biennale eye candy? Check out this art installation.

(This coastal delight was spotted at Paonote Room 269 and Dezeen.)

The post Impractical Perfection appeared first on EcoSalon.