Green design for the home is hardly newsbreaking. But a forward-thinking collaborative in Boulder, Colorado, makes  sustainable home furnishings, clothing, and little luxuries accessible to everyone.

As a resident, I feel confident stating that Boulder practically invented the ethos of green living. Yet even amongst the  city’s (third party-certified, controlled wood) forest of eco-chic boutiques; green design firms;  grocery stores and restaurants defined by locally-sourced ingredients;  hybrid automobiles; LEED-certified buildings;  cyclists, and non-profits devoted to planetary salvation, madelife stands out.

Formerly known as factoryMADE (the branding transition is happening as you read), this groovy, green design showroom located just off happening East Pearl Street is a store and collaborative artist space boasting cutting-edge products made from reclaimed or ethically-made, – sourced-and-shipped materials. Eighty percent of the stock is made by Colorado artists, designers, and other creative folk.

Before you start envisioning hand-loomed hemp yoga mats and recycled beer bottle bongs, allow me to explain: madelife’s largely consignment-based inventory is super-stylish, and undeniably cool. The vibe might best be described as “agrarian-urban-mod,” or, perhaps, “etsy-meets-Design Within Reach.” There are trendy threads and funky dining tables made from repurposed basketball court hardwood. Shed antlers are gilded and decorated with beguiling curlicues (Suggested use: hat rack or necklace display.).

Jewelry, both delicate and chunky, is crafted from copper wire, old bike parts, feathers, antler, leather, metal scraps, and other odds and ends. Luscious apothecary goods are chock-full of natural ingredients like beeswax, essential oils, and other botanical goodness. Woodblock-printed pillows accentuate modernist sofas sheathed in nubby fabric; wee woodland dioramas are housed in old cigar boxes. Once, I dropped by and discovered a gloriously refurbished, peony-pink Frigidaire; you never know what kinds of treasure you’ll find at madelife, but the place never fails to inspire or incite desire.

This is why they also offer workshops and events for all ages (The company website states, “We curate + cultivate creative talent, community, and culture;” they also do custom video, music, and design for select clients, and donate 10-percent of their net profits to “underserved young people with creative potential.”).

Kids’ summer camps this year include classes on storybook making and functional art. Big people can try their hand at silversmithing, making beauty products, constructing terrariums, sewing, and reupholstering furniture. Check out the summer schedule and get your craft on.

Images: (top) madelife (All other images) whimseybox

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I have to admit, I love cork – and not just because the source (the Cork Oak tree) bears an uncanny resemblance to my last name. I love the texture, color, and possibilities this humble material offers. I love that a porous material with contrasting rich earthy substance and negative space molds into sheets of two-dimensional strength. Here are just a few reasons for you to love cork, too.

Benjamin Hubert designs a heap of gorgeous products to suspend from your ceiling. The Float pendant (a hand turned Portuguese agglomerate cork lamp) is just one of Mr. Hubert’s creations to covet.

The Phillip Jeffries Java Cork Collection is an inspired wallpaper gathering; Ebony Cork with Gold is a dream of natural cork with a gold metallic underlay. This unexpected partnership of earthy and gleam is absolutely stunning. These Balloon Shakers designed by Japanese architect Masayuki Kurokawa (available at Merchant 4) are a translucent and enlightening way to display salt, pepper, and vivid spices.

The Puf Fup by Corque (designed by Ana Mestre) is envisioned to “challenge the creativity of its user” through a cohesive, continuous string of perfect cork spheres that invites sculpting your perfect (wildly comfortable) seat.

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Ever been smitten with corrugated cardboard? You’re about to be absolutely taken with recycled and scrap corrugation.

The creative gentlemen at Graypants have molded cardboard scraps into an irresistible collection of lights; some are modeled after the four largest moons of Jupiter, some are shaped like beans or bells, some resemble discs, but all are a gorgeous vehicle to cast graphic corrugated shadows across your space.

Desire the exotic allure of a rustic mount, but don’t desire blood on your hands? Hello Cardboard Safari. These elegant contortions of cardboard still require some (simple) assembly, so you will still feel like you earned the pleasure of inviting Billy, Buck, Fred, Eyan, or Robbie to take a perch on your wall (and with lovable names like that – who wouldn’t want to invite these gorgeous gentlemen over?!).

If you prefer the look of cardboard, but with the softness of two hundred thread count cotton and a sweet donation to charity, check this out.

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Each week here at EcoSalon, I beg my favorite bloggers and designers to hand select a beloved green product, whether it’s a finish, furnishing, or accessory. The end result? An endless anthology of aesthetically perfect products for your perusal.

This week we are graced with the presence of Rachel Winokur, founder of eTTa designs; this gracious and talented designer is a qualified wealth of sustainable knowledge (just follow her Facebook for ample and consistently lovely product finds and inspirational industry updates). Ms. Winokur has selected the Acacia Chair from Cisco Brothers‘ Basal Living Collection. This chair is as environmentally friendly “from seed to shelf” as it is gorgeous – with, -¦a beautiful silhouette which adapts to different room styles and is extremely comfortable.” 

If you need a little extra validation, just look how stunning the chair is resting in the Sea Wellness Spa at Hotel Casa del Mar. By the way, this feast of texture and light is the design work of none other than eTTa designs. Don’t miss the great story or blog behind this innovative design firm.

(Photograph courtesy of Schnyggt.)

(Photographs courtesy of Herve Grison and Schnyggt).

If Cisco Brothers still has you swooning, you will drool for these tufted beauties, too.

The post Handpicked: eTTa designs appeared first on EcoSalon.

Each week here at EcoSalon, I beg my favorite bloggers and designers to hand select a beloved green product, whether it’s a finish, furnishing, or accessory. The end result? An endless anthology of aesthetically perfect products for your perusal.

This week Coryanne Ettiene, of Housewife Bliss glory, is here to share her love of Antique Mercury Demijohn Wine Bottles. Coryanne adores how these antiquities are an amalgamation of her three passions – texture, light, and design, “I can see myself enjoying these in every room of the house and never tiring of them.” Coryanne’s lust for these antique wine bottles is woven with her imagination of sunlight and candlelight and gracefully bouncing off the metallic sheen of each curve.

Housewife Bliss is a bundle of domestic knowledge cleverly embellished with the wildly informative and unabashed wit of Mrs. Bliss (as Coryanne is known to Housewife Bliss followers). Don’t let your fear of “˜domestic’ keep you from visiting Housewife Bliss. Housewife I am not, Housewife Bliss follower I am. If you are female – a wife, a mother, or breathing – you will find a little bliss. Devour Mrs.Bliss’ helpful hints on stress management or peruse her store brimming with everyday function. If you have a hankering for acquiring new skills, you will love the tutorial session occurring now on Housewife Bliss (each week an expert gives a light lesson on everything from sewing, herb gardens, décor, needle point, jam making, etc.).

Catch Mrs. Bliss on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter – tell her EcoSalon sent you.

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Decorating your home isn’t a science, but it’s fun to treat it as such. Consider accenting your home with recycled relics from your childhood science class for a unique and whimsical touch, such as test tubes that double as vases, beakers that make for great incense holders and other scientific vessels that can be used as flower pots.

Here are a few images that should inspire you, including a round-up of my favorite science-inspired furniture, accents and storage solutions. You can find items similar to these on Ebay or at flea markets and garage sales, so keep your eyes and mind open!

A word of wisdom; to keep your house from looking like a schoolhouse, go light on this particular theme and be discerning about how many scientific elements you incorporate.

Ceramic test tube hanging vases via Pigeon Toe Ceramics

Air plants via TortoiseLovesDonkey

1. Vintage apothecary bottles via Lost Found Art, 2. Vintage Bunsen Burners via Lost Found Art, 3. Pendant Lamp via The Old Cinema, 4. Turner Barstool via Crate & Barrel, 5. Vintage Bausch and Lomb brass microscope via Ebay, 6.1950s Desk Chair via The Old Cinema, 7. Vintage Filing Cabinet via Pure Green, 8. Angelpoise Lamp via The Old Cinema, 9. Mounted Candy Stripe Swallowtail via Etsy, 10. Vintage Steel Serving Trolley via The Old Cinema

The post Decorating Your Home with a Touch of (Science) Class appeared first on EcoSalon.

Okay, when I threaten to send my daughters to reform school, this is not at all what I’m talking about. This fanciful emporium at 3902 Sunset Blvd. (in the hip L.A. Silverlake neighborhood) is earning major gold stars, not demerits, for its forward thinking and commitment to responsible design.

Most girls would be thrilled to go to this ReForm School, a store and web shop founded by Billie and Tootie (see below) who met in high school and dreamed of opening a retail business focusing on the four R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle and rebel. Call it the Breakfast Club goes organic!

The irreverent duo peddles an artful assortment of hot home decor, including embellished vintage pottery by Esther Derkx, soft rocks and felted birds by Tanya Aguiniga and those hemp pillows we adore by mother-daughter team Shelly and Mary Klein of KStudio.

“Sustainable design is a huge focus for us and green living is important to us, not only in business but in our personal lives as well,” say the owners. “We wanted to be eco-friendly without being too in-your-face about it. The last thing we wanted was to be another shop selling all things hemp and bamboo (not that we don’t love hemp and bamboo).”

Featured Below: Improved Pottery by Esther Derkx, who screenprints quirky images onto vintage crockery in such a perfect manner; Handcrafted felted birds by L.A. artist, Tanya Aguiniga; Rain hemp pillow by KStudio; and a tea towel by Third Drawer Down, entitled Trivia’s Pursuit by Karla Pringle.

I also love the reclaimed wooden objects for home, such as the decorative stools by Zaishu made by various craftspeople around the world, and the seriously stylish retro-inspired Magno Wooden Radio by Singgih Kartono, who sculpts from sustainable wood.

Wait, the bell didn’t ring just yet. Class is not dismissed, you naughty kids! I want to let you know that this site also has some lessons to teach on pretty organic scarves, trinkets, bath products and books.

Just remember to bring your credit cards to class. You have to pay the price for the high quality and original design, but you will see, it is well worth the investment when compared to the cheaply made, mass-produced junk at those other schools. I give ReForm School an “A” for Atta Girl! Keep up the good work.

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