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.

 The State Series from husband and wife design duo AHeirloom is a cut above…Iowa. 

Now you can dice, chop, mince and show some home state pride. These butcher blocks are made from 100% renewable bamboo, care of Plyboo, by Brooklyn-based design duo A.Heirloom. As part of the State Series, seen here in its Pacific Northwest glory (that would be Alaska and Washington State), these cutting/cheese boards were designed with 3D software and CNC routed on a 3 axis mill.

Price is $40 per state, including Delaware.

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

Image: AHeirloom

The post Lustables: A.Heirloom’s Stateside Plyboo Cutting Boards appeared first on EcoSalon.

When devising ways to save energy, lessen footprints and lower bills, thinking outside the box, or inside the house, in this case, is a good place to start. Clever and multi-functional mixed with a dose of sustainable offers the designer any number of creative combinations.

From this premise, product designer Judy Hoysak dreamt up a collection of Vegetable Furniture that functions as, well, furniture, in addition to a space to grow a garden of edible greens.

The Bean Screen is a room divider, provided the seeds sprout and the vines grow upward along the Plyboo Strand structure toward the top. The result is a lovely, semi-private layer of greens, in addition to a side dish for dinner.

Her Vege Table (top) grows lettuce in the same way the Bean Screen grows beans. The base of the table functions as the planter, while the glass top lets us see our salad as we eat it. Interesting.

Each piece is made using ready-made self-watering planters, fluorescent plant grow lights and Plyboo Strand, a 100% bamboo sustainable material.

Clever, don’t you think?

– via dornob

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