This one-of-a-kind iPad stand is made from sustainable or reclaimed Oregon black walnut.

Nothing is as timeless, tactile or naturally beautiful as wood – and when you know a tree hasn’t been sacrificed just for your new iPad, it’s a relief that your eco-conscience can remain clear.

This tablet holder from Block & Sons Co. is simplicity itself: a practical and visually arresting one-piece wooden block which keeps your iPad safe while showing it off. The stand protects your tablet from inevitable beverage spillages but also looks extremely classy.

Each block is a one-off, hewn in Oregon from a single piece of resilient, beautiful hardwood. The wood is sourced from sawmill ends, leftovers from furniture shops, or even from trees felled in Portland city. The blocks are cut and finished by hand and have rubber feet which prevent slippage and provide stability. Each stand is polished and sealed with two coats of beeswax and linseed oil finish to bring out the wood’s grain and also make it water-resistant.

The two men behind the Block & Sons Co. describe it as “the contrast of Mother Nature’s beautifully imperfect engineering with the sleekly perfect tech devices.”

A combination, and a price ($95), which are proving popular.

The post Getting Rustic With a Walnut iPad Holder appeared first on EcoSalon.

Have your gluten free walnut cake and eat it too.

Packed with protein, omega 3s, and antioxidants, walnuts are an excellent source of energy. Their rich flavor also makes them perfect to bake with. And why wouldn’t you want to bake a cake entirely out of walnuts? Enter the Fig and Coconut Walnut Cake.

This dense cake was inspired by a recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appetit, but with a few tweaks it quickly turned into a gluten and dairy free version. Add in figs, coconut and chocolate and you have a cake that’s just as good for breakfast as it is for dessert.

Fig and Coconut Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups raw walnuts
• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup vanilla sugar (place a vanilla bean in a jar of sugar and store in your pantry for easy use)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut + a couple of tablespoons for covering bottom of cake pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put walnuts in food processor and chop coarsely. Remove 1 cup and set aside in a bowl.

Add buckwheat, almond meal, salt and ginger to the remaining walnuts in the food processor and mix until well blended.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar together. Note: if you don’t have vanilla sugar, add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil. Combine with sugar and eggs and mix in coconut milk.

Add in walnut, buckwheat and almond meal mixture along with the shredded coconut and chocolate chips and mix all ingredients together.

Fold in the remaining cup of chopped walnuts.

Put a tablespoon of coconut oil in a cake pan (I use a 9″ quiche dish) and place in oven until coconut oil is melted. Make sure the bottom of dish is completely greased and sprinkle a layer of shredded coconut. Pour in batter and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until edges of cake are lightly browned.

The post Sunday Recipe: Fig and Coconut Walnut Cake appeared first on EcoSalon.

Before branching into bookshelves designed by Oliver Dollé, an old dish-rack will do. 

Someday…

I would love to bring this branch-inspired bookshelf by French designer Oliver Dollé into my studio. It is composed of over 80 pieces of birch plywood and veneered oak wire. Both functional and sculptural, the shelf would add a modern touch to any room. I love how the books perch upon the shelves like birds.

Today…

I can use an old dish rack as a bookshelf. Since I don’t have an antique collection of dishes I want to display, how about books? It is an unpredictable addition to an office. It would look stylish in a modern office, too.

Images: Shells on the Beach

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: Boutique Branches Vs. Repurposed Dishracks appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’ve always identified with the simple beauty of neoplasticism. And, it is this appreciation that has inspired me to embellish my walls with Mondrian, Doesburg and Bolotowsky prints. Well, in my dreams anyway. Fortunately, I can give my pad a geometric makeover with some of the looks from Brave Space Design. These skilled designers hold the corner on modern furniture, and we’ve raved before about their unique Light Block, modish Hollow Dining Chair and colorful Tetrad Shelving. Here’s one more to add to the wishlist: the Prism Stool. Made from repurposed walnut, this sharp piece is a stunning myriad of various shapes and hues. (Available at Brave Space Design for $795.)

The post Whip Your Home into Geometric Shape appeared first on EcoSalon.