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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Bring some sci-fi style to your indoor garden with these colourful, tactile, flying saucer-shaped planters.

Perfect for plant lovers that want to bring some greenery inside, but don’t want unmanageable tendrils or overflowing soil, we are loving these micro-plant holders. Everything’s going mini these days and so goes these micro-plant holders in natural, vegetable-y colours – earth grey, carrot orange and artichoke green. Their sharp shape makes a bold style statement as a tabletop statement planter and mini-gardens hybrid.

The pods are made from soft recycled felt and are fully lined. A watering can would cause a biblical flood, so they come with a teeny-weeny water dropper. In any case, they’re best suited to succulents which would prefer you not to water them very much at all. Remember less is more. (Plants not included.)

Image: Flip and tumble

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Santa will gladly stuff this modern and eco-friendly stocking.

Okay, okay. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but we’re going to jump on the Christmas bandwagon and start celebrating (i.e., shopping) early this year. Albeit, guilt-free.

This strong, “ecospun” felt stocking from Rikrak is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Each stocking element is cut and crafted by hand and available in 60 color combinations. Have a sustainable Christmas this year, and hang these stockings from your chimney with care. Santa will reward you kindly.

Available from the artist for $15.

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

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Ferm Living offers this colorful felt pillow with humorous and vibrant tufts (it also comes in blue); lean it in the corner of your couch, let it rest on your favorite chair, embellish your bed, or add a little cushion beneath your derriere next time you lounge on the floor. (Don’t miss this charming yellow knit floor cushion either!)

When you need a place to rest your eggnog or absorb the sloshes from your cranberry martini, utilize these felt coasters from Parkhaus (they make a bevy of alluring felted objects). With a slew of saturated color choices to mark your liquids, you’ll never confuse your apple cider for his whiskey. These gorgeous felt coasters are available here for a bargain price of $4 each (plus, you can soak up a little history about felt while you purchase these beauties).

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Raspberry Fields forever! So say peddlers of fashion accessories for Spring 2010. We say, how about some juicy finds for your crib?

Wee Jubilee from Mod Green Pod serves up a cotton damask weave free of toxic pigments. Buy it by the  $39.75 a yard, or get it already made into a pillow from the new green department at Lotus Bleu.

The LEED waterless urinal in stainless steel with 90% recycled materials makes going kind of fun. From Neo-Metro.

That round table never felt so hot! The Botanica Table Centerpiece in fuchsia from Eco Centric is crafted of 100% wool felt and is free of dyes. The piece is designed by award-winning visionary UK designer, Selina Rose, using cutting-edge technology (biodegradable , too!).

Eye catching ikat lumbar love in pretty peony, from Uzbec Alive, $28.

Sleep walk on the wild side with leaf motif Midsummer wallpaper by green and groovy company, Graham & Brown.

Flor’s Feeling Groovy pink rugs prove it’s hip to be square. Cozy underfoot and made of good stuff.

Hollywood Regency glam comes in pairs, like these hotties from Gustavo Olivieri Antiques at 1stdibs. The circa ’50s set was custom designed by Lewis Mittman Co. for the Weissman family of New York City in French style.

Main Image: Etsy

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Leave those disposable paper napkins in the grocery aisle and get busy adding style to the reusable pile!

Now that we are all invested in organic, reusable cloth (wash in cold, hang dry, of course), spruce up your table and thrill your guests with fun green napkin rings. Calories burned removing them? At least two. More if you juggle a set at the table for your guests.

Where to find ’em? Here are a few highly tactile circles we trust:

Ring around the Rosy! Hand forged iron floral ring, Rain Collection. $38 each.

Stainless Steel appeal, $19 for two  from Velocity.

Ivory organic crochet rings with amber glass bead fasteners, $10 set from Makalewakan.

Tanned Pierced leather rings with red wine ribbons, from Etsy’s Greenbelt, $20 for set.

Spotted Shell Rings, fairly traded from Indonesia, $16.50 from Green with Glamour.

I red the news today, oh boy! Love these recycled newspaper rings, $8 at Ecoist.

Fuzzy Friends encircle your napkins, $15 from Fuz Farm in eco felt or black rubber.

Main Image: Amazon

The post Circle of Trusty Style: Green Your Napkin Rings appeared first on EcoSalon.

The people in my neighborhood really get into Halloween whether they’ve got their own little ghouls and goblins or not, proving the most fun night of the year is for the kid in all of us. You know, that kid who is addicted to Halloween chocolate!

I’m big on using decor to lift my spirits each fall, ideally with the surfeit of tools and supplies stashed in my green storage bins rather than ready-made plastic junk on the shelves of stores.

I found inspiration in Etsy’s Voter Page for the best Handmade Halloween items, from spooky bloodshot eyes (which get my vote) to crocheted spiders and DIY costumes. Go to the site and place your vote.

Here’s a look at some of the amazing crafts whipped up in kitchens across America:

Mister Skully Hand Carved Stamps by Tresijas

These cool articulating jaw motifs were made into stamps (salvaged manzanita, foam and rubber) that you can use to create Halloween art for your windows, doors or other creepy places.

Lost Zombie Brooch by CityroadFelt

“I made him using felt from a lovely stripey sweater, along with bits of wool blend felt, & beads & thread – designed by my partner, who is much more into zombies and such things than I – I think he’s quite proud of the end product, too!”

Crocheted Spider Web by Spacestitch

Like the spider web but want to make it yourself? But of course! See the Spider Web Crochet Pattern here.

Gaggle of Spooky  Ghosts Prints by Luminous Dreams Designs

“The ghost was hand drawn, inked then scanned where he was given different grungy digital backgrounds,” explains the artist.

Upcycled Pumpkin Hat by Imogens Garden

“I raided my son’s clean laundry pile to construct this hat from a recently outgrown thermal shirt,” explains the maker. “The flower is created from scraps from my studio, and the button embellishment came from the shirt. No more thermal shirts = a one of a kind garment.”

Main Image: Work of Whimsy

The post Etsy’s Upcycled and Newfangled Halloween Contest: Get Inspired! appeared first on EcoSalon.

For the record, in the US we call them pillows. Not that there’s anything wrong with cushions.

In fact, call them whatever you like. If they’re soft and cozy you have my attention; make them from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles (eco-fi felt), in cool and colorful designs and I’m sold.

These modern, graphic cushions, created by UK-based Annie Hart of Hartfelt Design, are anything but ordinary. The soft texture of the eco-fi felt makes them the perfect throw pillow.

Hart’s commitment to sourcing all things eco is impressive, as well. She uses 100% recycled fibre filling in her cushions; even her labels are recycled or organic. Read more about her green business practices on her website.

She fell into her cushion-making career, but it’s obvious she’s onto something hip and hot.

Choose from any of her designs, like this adorable Dorothy Red Shoes cushion, or contact her directly for custom orders.

via Josh Spear

The post Hartfelt and Fancy Free: Eco-Friendly Felt Cushions appeared first on EcoSalon.

Here are some ripe picks from the groovy grape file:

Fruitful Folds: Designer Dror Benshetrit should take pride in his Peacock chair exhibited at the recent ICFF 2009 in New York. Designed for Cappellini, no weaving, sewing or upholstery glue was applied to the comfortable lounge seat with a price tag too high to mention on our site. Hey, that’s art, kids.

Berry Soft: Avalisa hand-tufted New Zealand wool rugs in animal and abstract patterns: Dog, Wonder and Deer. Available in three sizes.

Grape Explosion: Tree Bomb purple wallpaper from Ferm Living. $115 per roll.

Juicy gems: from VivaTerra, gorgeous tones in on-trend shapes and textures. $98-119.

Purple is the New Black: Nouveau Organic Duvet and Pillows from Pottery Barn Teen, $32-$119 in twin and Queen sizes.

Upcycled Mashup: From Etsy, this felted wool pillow was a 100% cashmere sweater in a former life. $35 for the cover.

The post Fall Color? Still Seeing Purple! appeared first on EcoSalon.

I lean toward the minimalist in all things design and I’m especially drawn to chairs of the modernist period. There’s nothing not to like, in my opinion, and there’s no need to alter any of the classics. That’s why they’re called classics.

But who could object to a softer seat?

Unless your bum is naturally buffered, a lengthy sit on Jacobsen’s 7 or Bertoia’s wire chairs might leave you with a slightly sore tush.

This might be what Parkhaus was considering when they launched Suit for 100 Classics, a collection of over 80 simple seat pads for 100 of the classic chair designs.

The pads are made using eco-friendly, 100% woolfelt fabric and come in two versions and a plethora of hip and slick colors. The simple version is just 5mm or 1/5 of an inch thick; the other is 16mm (almost ½”) and layered with a 10mm foam inlet for extra cushioning.

Another perk to the Parkhaus pads is they’ll protect your old chair from wear and tear and keep it looking better than new.

via if it’s hip, it’s here

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