Practicality you didn’t even know you needed.

This easy project costs pennies and adds rustic charm to any decor. Hang it in a bathroom or above a dresser in the bedroom to keep your necklaces untangled and organized (also, so you don’t forget to wear them). The piece of wood used in this project was found on the beach. Try taking apart a pallet or sourcing reclaimed wood in your area.

Supplies:

Plank of wood, drill with ¼” bit, knobs (found at Anthropologie for approximately $5.00), hammer and nails.

Step 1. Wipe down the plank with a cloth and some wood soap and remove any old nails.

Step 2. Drill holes where you would like the knobs to be. Make sure your drill bit is the size of the knob screw.

Step 3. Screw the knobs into the plank of wood. If your knob screws are longer than the plank of wood in the back, you will have to saw them off. It depends on the type of knob and thickness of the wood you have.

Step 4.  Attach it to the wall with a hammer and nails. (You won’t have to worry about finding a stud because the jewelry holder is lightweight. (If you are going to hang heavier objects, like jackets, you will need to use screws and find the stud.)

Voila!

ALSO CHECK OUT:

The Perfect DIY Gift: Mason Jar Photo Candles
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The post DIY in 10 Minutes: Reclaimed Wood Jewelry Holder appeared first on EcoSalon.

Another clever device DIY’d out of salvaged wood.

Get yourself back to the dumpster, claim your piece, and get ready to drill. It’s time for another handy woman project. Quite literally, in a small amount of time you can make this makeshift clock, (ten minutes tops). Useful side note to add here: clock bits can be found at craft stores, usually for about $10.

Supplies:

Plank of wood, drill with 3/8” bit, clock parts, spray paint (optional).

Step 1. Wipe down the plank with a cloth and some wood soap and remove any old nails.

Step 2. Drill one hole centered in a position where you would like the clock hands to be.

Step 3. Spray paint the clock hands the color of your choice. The ones seen here were gold, thus not easily discernible against the blue wood. They have been sprayed red.

Step 4. Screw the clock hands on the front to the battery pack on the back.

Step 5. Lean it on a wall.

If you want to hang it, you will have to attach some picture wire to the back.

One of a kind.

ALSO CHECK OUT:

The Perfect DIY Gift: Mason Jar Photo Candles
DIY: A Holder for Sunglasses You Can Make in 10 Minutes
DIY Alternatives to Traditional Gift Tags

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Salvaged wood planks cum awesome home accents.

Your dumpster diving days are not over. A salvaged wood plank, rescued from the detritus of a neighbor’s remodeling project, is exactly what you need to organize your specs.

Flex your handy-woman muscle; this easy project will cost you pennies. If you don’t own a drill, slightly more.

Supplies:

Hammer, plank of wood, nails, leather shoe string, drill with a 1/4″ bit.

Step 1. Wipe down the plank with a cloth and some wood soap and remove any old nails.

Step 2. Drill two holes in the wood approximately 2 inches from the edge using a 1/4″ bit.

Step 3. String the leather through the holes.

Step 4. Pull the leather as tight as possible and tie a knot in the back.

Step 5. Attach to the wall with a hammer and nails (it’s lightweight, so don’t worry about using a stud).

Aren’t you clever?

ALSO CHECK OUT:

The Perfect DIY Gift: Mason Jar Photo Candles
5 DIY Alternatives to Gift Wrap
DIY Alternatives to Traditional Gift Tags 

The post DIY: A Holder for Sunglasses You Can Make in 10 Minutes appeared first on EcoSalon.

One is created from the base of a salvaged tree; the other was salvaged from a local thrift store. 

Someday…

I would love to own a Bryan Nash Gill tree stump relief. He uses a brayer to roll ink onto a Hemlock tree stump. He then laboriously rubs a piece of handcrafted washi paper on top translating the texture onto the paper. The result is a stunningly simple, beautiful piece of art. The tree stump is salvaged from an old mill and would have otherwise been discarded. I will have to save up, though: Bryan’s Hemlock 82 is $4,000 from Ashes and Milk.

Today…

Instead of staring a blank wall, I can adorn it by adding a thrift store portrait transformed into a modern day piece of art. The original frame for this George Washington portrait was gold and dated. Acrylic paint was used to mimic the painting giving it a subtle change that is so clever and stylish that George would be a welcome addition to any hip home. His makeover is care of Tyler Goodro of Plastolux.

Someday/Today is a weekly column that inspires you to dream big for your home, and scale it to your lifestyle, always keeping sustainability of the planet – and your wallet – in mind.

The post Someday/Today: Salvaged Art appeared first on EcoSalon.

seriesA sculptural, formerly forever diamond crafted from salvaged wood.

Artist Ron van der Ende’s extraordinary depiction of the diamond given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton in 1969 is oddly apropos considering Taylor’s recent passing. Taylor was inarguably the epitome of “diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

In 2009, van der Ende used reclaimed timber to build the bas-relief sculpture (image above), entitled Taylor-Burton after the real diamond. It appears three dimensional but actually lies almost flat on the wall. Van der Ende didn’t paint any of the found wood, but painstakingly placed each piece like a mosaic.

The actual 68 carat Taylor-Burton diamond probably inspired awe and envy in many women at that time while today, our evolving values and raised consciousness might just provoke in us a sense of disdain for such excess. For example, the Taylor-Burton diamond, mined in South Africa, is considered conflict rather than forever.

To wit, on the back of van der Ende’s sculpture he pasted an image of a South African diamond mine worker (image below).

A sobering contrast to the high profile jewelry boutique you find the mined rocks in.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

The post The Heart of Art: Formerly Forever Diamond appeared first on EcoSalon.

There’s something delightfully fun and festive about this one-of-a-kind table. Designed and crafted by Brothers Dressler, twin woodworkers in Toronto, Canada, it uses “wooden lasts” salvaged from a Northern Ontario fishing camp, evoking the era of cobblers and handmade shoes.

Interestingly, the lasts were labeled as “firewood for cottagers,” but the Brothers Dressler saw their potential as functional art and created a series of objects that play off this theme. This one is called “Last Place,” but there’s also a table called “Last Waltz,” a light called “Last Light,” a shelf called “Last Frontier,” and a footstool called “Last Dance.”

As grandparents are fond of saying, they sure don’t make things like they used to. Maybe not, the Brothers Dressler have found a clever and (dare we say it) kicky way to breathe new life into these old, tired objects. Grandma would approve!

The post Kick Up Your Heels! This Table Calls for a Party appeared first on EcoSalon.

We try to showcase a range of furniture genres here at EcoSalon, offering an eco-shopping option as well as eye candy galore for all. And I’m usually pretty adept at pegging a style when I see one.

The best way I know to describe the raw, natural and hand-crafted aesthetic of Moe Design Studio, is raw, natural and hand-crafted. Or, I could call it country with a modern twist; rural with a city edge.

Most important, it’s reclaimed.

Andrew Moe opened Moe Design Studio in New York in 2003, after a curious path of personal, spiritual and career exploration. His furniture speaks to a certain maturity and steadfast confidence – this designer has a vision, and it includes the environment.

Moe makes his furniture using wood he’s gathered from abandoned buildings, like tobacco warehouses or textile mills. Each piece is one of a kind, custom-made and can be altered according to a client’s needs.

The 2009 Oslo Collection, Moe’s newest, is made exclusively from hardwood beams salvaged from dismantled buildings around the U.S. Sturdy, sleek and expertly crafted down to the smallest detail, this collection is simple, elegant, and eco-centuries away from the likes of Ikea. Check out the dining table (detail above), chairs (image below) as well as the writing desk, side table (top image) and breakfast table.

The website sums it up best: “Close to a billion board feet of wood are removed from buildings in the U.S. every year. By reusing”¦we reduce the impact on our landfills, eliminate the need to harvest trees, and are reminded of the simple beauty inherent in old wood.”

Saving trees is simply elegant.

Moe Design Studio donates 3% of its annual profits to AIR, The Alliance for International Reforestation.

The post Moe Design Studio: Saving Trees Is Simply Elegant appeared first on EcoSalon.

Not simply an art-infused yoga retreat, this green getaway in a 1910 San Francisco mansion was conceived with the most advanced philosophies circulating in the world of new design: integrate the expertise of eco-minded artisans and foster a sense of well-being in the home and on the planet.

Kevin Hackett and Jessica Weigley of Siol Studios are committed to to an approach that bypasses the old method of sub-contracting various consultants to remodel a space.

“We practice integral design hoping to create one sustainable mind with experts from every realm hired by our firm to work together in the same language and philosophy,” says Hackett, an Irish architect. “It’s happening elsewhere in medicine, business, law and education. ”

It’s also happening in the 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase (April 25-May 25), where the team was given a space in the basement to forge this sustainable retreat.

The designers borrowed the name A Sacred Space to Dwell from a book by Polish ecological philosopher, Henryk Skolimowski.

“He taught us we need to go through a process of frugality to understand space,” says Hackett. “We’re in the midst of that change. We need to understand meditation not just as an individual practice but a global one.”

The major focus of the space was filtered natural light through 5-inch thick pivot walls of fly ash concrete flanking tempered etched glass windows. The walls open and close as needed to allow a delicate diffusion of light for meditation, reading, relaxation or reflection.

The ceiling light is all LED illuminated, as the designers argue conventional fluorescent lights contain mercury and don’t make sense.

“We are pushing the idea that LED is superior because it’s not as blue as in the past and lasts hundreds of hours,” says Hackett. His partner adds that LED is extremely efficient.

“Every light here combined is what is needed to fuel one conventional light bulb,” says Weigley.

Local eco art colors the inventive room, including an acacia carving by Sam Perry of Oakland, a series of paintings on plywood by Rex Ray, and a zen diptych by Max Gimblett, a practicing Buddhist.

Other elements include a Peace Industry felt rug, salvaged pine from old barns for flooring and a vintage Ming table from Hackett’s past.

One aspect less visible is the psychology of the space which is all part of the firm’s modern tact in getting it right.

“We actually have a psychologist on our staff who is the conduit to understanding a client’s demands,” shares Hackett. “We designers coming out of design school don’t have to play that role. You can hire a professional. Some people don’t understand how much that plays into what we do.”

Kevin Hackett and Jessica Weigley of Siol Studios

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It sounds like an oxymoron – Urban Hardwoods, as in city and trees, but it’s actually right on target and accurately describes the Seattle-based company that salvages fallen trees and turns the wood into fabulous furniture.

Not a newbie to the field of green, Urban Hardwoods has been rescuing wood in the Northwest close to their headquarters for more than 10 years. Their wood repertoire includes Douglas Fir, California Redwood, Pacific Madrone and Alaska Yellow Cedar.

And if wood could tell us a story about the good ol’ days, like my Grandpa always could, I’m certain that it would.

Aged wood is higher in quality and shows more character than young wood, making for organic, sexy details. Take a look at the headboard (shown at top), made from California Redwood found in Bow-Edison, Washington. Breathtaking. They also make beautiful dining, coffee (above), console and side tables, desks, benches and even a room divider.

Everything from the milling and sawing to drying and construction happens at the Urban Hardwoods’ Seattle factory. In March, the company opened its second retail showroom, this one in San Francisco’s downtown design district.

Check the website for inventory, pricing and information on the Seattle and San Francisco retail stores.

The post If This Wood Could Tell Us Its Story, It Would appeared first on EcoSalon.

Putting stock in Stockholm’s abandoned dwellings, Swedish designer Katarina Häll embellishes clean, white pine planks with multi-colored boards in her collection called SAVE furniture.

The post Hide and Sleek appeared first on EcoSalon.