West Elm - Fall Collection

I didn't know my love for West Elm could grow more - but it has! Introducing:

West Elm - Fall 2010

I love all of the neutral colors, artwork, and new fabrics!! Thank you West Elm for then inspiration... If only they had a store in Boise, ID.

Creative & Useful Nightstands

Nightsands today have evolved into not only a design element but also to serve a purpose. These new designs are now considered side tables for other uses than the bedroom. Home-Designing has found several side tables across the globe that keep us intrigued and inspired. These designs encompass the use of glass, wood, steel, plastic, and many other materials. This first side table even has a waterproof surface.

Stephane de Sousa's minimalist bedside table has a waterproof surface, a book shelf and an innovative bookmark: -via-

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M_A_T_E_R_I_A_L_I_T_Y_____ x 1

Each week we're going to start highlighting 10 new products that we've come across in our research.

eco by Consentino
75% post consumer recycled mirror, glass, porcelain, and stone scraps with corn oil derived binder. Sold through Home Depot and Lowe's for around $70-$80 per square foot. 10 color options with two textures. Slab size is 63"x128".











ABR

Wall curtain panels that can fold up like bi-fold doors made of industrial felt (90% wool, 10% other fiber material) with aluminum structure. Two color options and two pattern options. Designed and manufactured in Spain (customization available)











LZF Lamps

Lighting company that introduced this wooden wall screen at the 2010 ICFF. Other veneer color options available.











Brent Comber Lighting and Furniture

Vancouver based design studio that designs Northwest inspired pieces from reclaimed/sustainable sources. Wood is sourced locally from Vancouver area from fallen trees, cast offs at mills, and the only waste generated is sawdust that is composted.













Emeco 111 Navy Chair

Partnership between Emeco and Coca Cola. Made of 111 recycled plastic bottles (65% recycled material, 35% pigment, glass fiber and fire inhibitor). Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, as well as, commercial. Made in the US and sold through Design Within Reach for $230/chair. 6 colors available.












Corona Solar Light
These light fixtures are currently conceptual but were displayed at the 2007 ICFF that staff member, Tara, attended. These are amazing and we can't wait to see them hit the market. Be sure to sign up on their website to be notified when they are available for sale.







Rainwater Hog
Rainwater catchment tanks manufactured in US and Australia. For above ground use but compact design allows for going under decks or standing upright against house, etc. Made of food grade plastic and is 100% recyclable. Each tank holds 51 gallons.












Coverings, Etc.
Carry a variety of products: 100% recycled glass countertops, terrazo flooring and countertops, fiber cement panels and tiles, porcelain tile, and 100% recycled aluminum panels and tiles comprised from aircraft parts.






Parasoleil
16 oz, 3'x8', +90% recycled content copper paneling with laser cut patterns. There are 5 standard patterns and 3 patina options. Capability for custom patterns, material, and patinas available at additional charge.

Company located in Boulder, CO and all materials and manufacturing is located in the United States.






Building Dashboard

Perfect application for education component in LEED building. Is an easy to read system that breaks down a building's energy/water/consumption/etc. Allows ability to join online network to "compete" with other companies. Can set goals, break down by floor, upload specific green features of building to be highlighted on kiosks, provides green tips, and on and on.





If you know of a sustainable product that you'd like to share, please email Tara at tara@kiefferdesigngroup.com so that she can highlight it in the next post!

Nama Rococo

Oh My Goodness! This wallcovering is so fabulous you could literally use it as artwork if you so desire...

Nama Rococo wallcoverings are all hand-painted and hand-screened on acid-free French Paper. They have a variety of color choices and all of the designs are based on their love of old fashioned beauty. The wallcoverings have a feel of antique romance with a splash of contemporary design and the colors, they say, come from music.

They are sold in sheets for artwork or you can seamlessly cover an entire room.

For more designs, check out their website here.

Creative Inspiration

Experiencing writer’s block? Not sure what to paint? Bored?



Keri Smith has a series of books perfect for sparking your inner imagination and creativity. While some might argue these books are for kids, we would like to disagree. In How to be an Explorer of the World you will investigate the beauty around you that is often overlooked. The goal by the end is to have created a series of artwork that you could display in your own private art gallery—creating art from found objects on your route home, finding objects in nature that match the random paints chips you may have lying around, or documentation of patterns you find around you. In Guerilla Art Kit you will learn about temporary art—infusing artwork in public spaces (that disappear obviously—no vandalism charges desired!). Perhaps you’ll craft Keri’s seed bombs and throw them into the nearby landfill or educate others with sidewalk chalk on a busy sidewalk. It provides recipes for temporary mediums to relay the message on whatever you might be passionate about.



About Keri Smith:

Keri Smith is an author/illustrator turned guerilla artist. She is the author of several bestselling books about creativity including the bestselling Wreck this Journal (2007 Perigee), How to be an Explorer of the World –the Portable Life/Art Museum, ( 2008 Perigee), The Guerilla Art Kit (2007 Princeton Architectural Press), Living Out Loud –Activities to Fuel a Creative Life (published 2003 by Chronicle Books), and Tear up this Book! :The Sticker, Stencil, Stationery, Games, Crafts, Doodle, And Journal Book For Girls!, (2005 American Girl). Her newest book, This is Not a Book will be released fall 2009 by Penguin Books. She is the author of the popular weblog the Wish Jar which attracts over 10,000 readers daily, and writes on occasion for a variety of magazines (including How Magazine). Keri spends her days playing with her husband and son, and divides her time between upstate New York, and the countryside of Canada.

As a free lance illustrator she has worked for a wide variety of clientsworldwide. Most recently Random House, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Ford Motor Co., the Boston Globe, Galison/Mudpuppy Press, and Hallmark. In the last few years she has given lectures and workshops on a variety of topics for The Learning, Arts & the Brain Summit at Johns Hopkins University, the How Design Conference, the OntarioGraphic Artist’s Assocation, UC Davis, and schools across North America.She has been featured in How, Step by Step, Print, Bust, Wired and many more.