A decade after they designed the canteen within the building, designers Roelof Mulder and Ira Koers returned to come up with a mobile furniture solution that’s also every bit as elegant as the architecture demands (because let’s be honest, folding chairs were never going to cut it). The duo’s mobile bamboo work islands fit together like puzzle pieces and include cutouts for massive potted plants and trees to make full use of the room’s grand scale.

The 12 units are set on wheels so they can easily be rolled into various configurations or out of the space altogether. Once pushed into place, they appear to be one large workspace combining comfortable couch-like upholstered seating with large platforms that can be used as desks. There’s no one correct way to orient them, so the spaces within can be spontaneously created as desired. They’re often arranged symmetrically, with an opening in the center so that users can nestle within the living greenery in chairs or at small café-style tables.

Made of durable bamboo, the mobile work islands are equipped with bumpers so they can be shifted around safely. The same semi-circular cutouts that wrap around the potted plants when they’re placed in the center of the room can also accommodate the giant beams along the perimeter. When the units are pushed to the edges, they maintain seating while offering a large open gathering area in the center.

The greenery adds privacy, dampens sound, and changes the overall mood of the room. What could feel like an overly large space full of echoes becomes intimate and comfortable, creating new vantage points from which to admire the hall’s many brick arches opening to other spaces. Mulder and Koers eliminated some existing curtains and frosted glass in the hall to encourage more open lines of sight and views of the city outside.

Keeping the use of this central hall flexible pays tribute to the building’s long and varied history. First built as a Catholic orphanage in 1780, it was converted into a bank in the 1960s. What was then an open central courtyard was roofed over to create the hall as it is seen today. That same decade, the Maagdenhuis became the administrative center for the University of Amsterdam, the site of historic student protests in 1969.

With Mulder and Koers’ mobile work islands, the Maagdenhuis atrium remains open to evolution, responding to whatever needs the University might have. The design duo recently created a similarly lush planted courtyard effect in the central hall of the in The Netherlands’ Dijklander Hospital, updating the original 1980s design by Jan Tennekes with a modern aesthetic that “resuscitates it with biophilia.”

The post Mobile Bamboo Work Islands Turn This Events Hall into a Co-Working Space first appeared on Dornob.

Appropriately named “Bamboo Bamboo,” the pavilion is made of the same materials by which it’s surrounded. Architecture firm LLLab has succeeded in creating a sensory experience that elicits a sense of anticipation — a sort of pre-performance meditation as guests make their way to the outdoor theater.

The pavilion offers a place to retreat from the sun and frequent rains, stretching out a full 140 meters (459 feet) along the river. Lanterns set at various intervals create a soft, warm glow after dark, and in some areas, cutouts in the roof allow living bamboo to grow unencumbered. Amazingly, this canopy was hand-woven by local craftspeople using a technique that eliminates the need for any glue or nails. The result is remarkably nest-like, with support pillars hidden behind the woven surfaces.

The further visitors travel into the pavilion, the larger the lanterns become, until you’re eventually able to walk right inside them. In the daylight, they appear solid, but at night, they diffuse the light, creating patterns and shadows that add to the drama of the setting.

The firm explains that “currently, the night show entertains guests in two areas, one at either end of the island site. The entry and pagoda where guests arrive, and the main stage, perched at the bank of the Li river at the other end. Between these two points, little interaction takes place. It is here in this middle ground that two new assemblies of architecture are introduced. The first, woven bamboo lantern structures, scattered where guests circulate, whose purpose is to guide and intrigue. Then the other, a stretch of woven canopy amongst clusters of bamboo, providing an area to walk sheltered from regular rainfall. In these, the architecture relies on bamboo not only for its composition but also for its constant referral to parts that constitute the place.”

“In acknowledgment of the theatrical spirit of the Impression Sanjie Liu, moments of performance make its way into many parts of the design: the hand weaving and bamboo playing off the tension of one another. The topography of the canopy ceiling dancing between columns of bamboo as if unsupported. Even the way guests are intended to move from lantern to lantern, in a narrative of interaction. Together these subtle hints encourage a particular frame of mind, readying the guest for the main feature.”

“Impression Sanjie Liu” makes the landscape its backdrop. In fact, this site is considered the world’s largest natural theater, using the waters of the Li River as its stage and the mist-shrouded hills and sky as set dressings. Rain, moonlight, and all the reflections seen in the water play a role in the performance, while the audience stands on viewing terraces. Sound equipment is hidden among the bamboo groves, so it feels like the performance is occurring spontaneously, naturally amplified.

The post Nest-Like Woven Pavilion Built Around Living Bamboo first appeared on Dornob.

Architects Studio WNA designed “Hideout Horizon” with adventurous visitors in mind. Made almost entirely of natural materials, this open-air structure provides a luxurious “glamping” home base divided into different zones for sleeping, lounging, swinging, swimming, and other activities emphasizing relaxation and playfulness.

The wing-shaped roof and large overhang offer a shaded indoor/outdoor space protected from tropical rainstorms, with one side completely open to a private grassy space encircled with palm trees and other plants. The pool serves as a transitional point between indoors and out, while a robust multi-person hammock built as a mezzanine hovers above it.

Inside, a rich palette of natural tones gives the bamboo flooring, structural elements, and roofing both texture and pattern. The rusticity of the materials contrasts beautifully with modern LED lighting. A walkway, doubling as a roof for the couch below, leads from the ground floor up to the nest-like bed surrounded with a canopy of mosquito netting.

“The upper levels cascade into unique sleeping and relaxation spaces for guests,” the architects say. “A large round bed perches on a platform like a nest in the middle of the space, with a secret loft area tucked away at the highest level of the bamboo house. The building is completely open to the serene jungle surroundings. The heated pool is sheltered under the large roof, which provides a safe and comfortable place to relax even when the tropical weather gets wild.”

“The space was purposefully designed to create a fun experience for travelers of all ages. Instead of stairs, a ramp winds through the structure; where some prefer to walk, others prefer to slide. A hanging net above the pool and a bamboo swing downstairs add to the playfulness of Hideout Horizon’s creative yet comfortable character. Guests have an array of spots to relax in after hiking through the surrounding landscape. The bespoke interior design and the bamboo furniture were designed specifically for Hideout Horizon space by the Hideout team in collaboration with Putri Wiwoho.”

With all of Bali’s charms beckoning, including stellar water-based activities and a smorgasbord of delicious cuisine, most guests will just have to find a good balance between their “hideout” and the outside world. But anyone could be forgiven for arriving and deciding not to leave for the duration of their stay.

“Hideout Horizon” is just one of the resort’s all-bamboo homes. “Hideout Falcon” is a larger, fully enclosed guest space, if that’s your preference, while “Hideout Beehive” is a two-level hexagonal structure with some of the resort’s highest vantage points. “Hideout Lightroom” keeps it small and simple (but still luxurious) and has its own spacious soaking tub. You can check out more photos and get info about the Hideout Network on Instagram.

The post All-Bamboo “Hideout Horizon” Offers Tropical Luxury in Bali first appeared on Dornob.

Turning potential waste into usable products is at the very peak of innovation, benefiting the planet by making the most of our natural resources while giving used objects new life in the way of everyday usefulness. One Canadian company called ChopValue has taken this idea and used it to turn post-consumer bamboo chopsticks into a variety of boredom-busting and organizational products in response to the recent coronavirus outbreak, building on their existing line of custom and pre-made items.

ChopValue typically uses the wood from donated chopsticks to make home decor, household, and kitchen items. But when the stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders started hitting the airwaves, the company shifted their focus to designing products that those making the adjustment to copious home time would appreciate. The result is recycled wood smartphone, tablet, and pocket stands, as well as a striking set of building blocks similar to those of the popular Jenga game. One more limited release product is a finger hockey game that acts as a serving tray when flipped to the other side.

In addition to tabletop items is a table itself. Actually a workstation, it offers two patterned designs for the wood top and a durable white metal base. There’s also a smaller steel-base side table that can be pulled up to a couch or chair or used as a side table in your newly-necessitated home office. Each product lists the number of chopsticks used to make it, as well as its overall carbon footprint, not only to keep consumers informed but also to inspire other businesses and individuals to understand that product manufacturing doesn’t have to be detrimental to the planet.Materials donated by those that purchase the zero-waste kit are rewarded with a free product of equal chopstick value. For example, donating 75 chopsticks can net you a 75-chopstick coaster. Plus, donating helps reduce city waste charges as well as the mess caused when chopsticks puncture garbage bags. For some perspective on just how many chopsticks are gathered before heading into the trash, the new basic phone stand is produced from 150 chopsticks, while the work table requires over 10,800.

In addition to the newest line for the stay-at-home set, the company offers a variety of wall decor items and a selection of cutting board options. There’s even a zero waste kit that comes with a cheeseboard, coasters, key chains, toothbrushes, chopsticks, stainless steel straws, straw cleaners, and a box that can be used to return old chopsticks to the company.

Before the pandemic hit, ChopValue was known largely for producing custom furniture and other items. For example, a single Community Table they created for Little Kitchen Academy diverted 33,436 disposable chopsticks from the landfill. Another big project saw the creation of wall paneling, restaurant tables, and entrance flooring for Little Bird Dim Sum that repurposed more than 330,000 disposable chopsticks. According to the company, their efforts have recycled more than 25 million chopsticks to date.

Most recently, ChopValue has created a virtual interactive trade show booth in partnership with WireWax as a result of the many canceled trade shows stemming from the COVID-19 crisis. Check it out here.

The post ChopValue Turns Recycled Chopsticks Into Boredom-Busting Games for Those Staying at Home first appeared on Dornob.

Heart-Shaped Olive Leaf Wreath by Opalhouse at Target

Simple and unfussy, this heart-shaped olive leaf wreath from Target will have people convinced you’ve been hiding a secret talent for casually throwing together elegant floral arrangements. Measuring 17” by 14” and adorned with silk flowers in red, pink, and white, it looks equally at home tacked to your front door or hung over the mantel.

Red Felt Leaf Garland by Mabel Lane Boutique

Wind this bright red leaf garland around the base of some candles, and you’ve got a high-impact centerpiece for your table. Measuring three feet long, it’s hand-crafted with “eco felt,” which is made from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles. Even its leaves are hand-cut and attached to twine with low VOC glue.

Valentine Hearts Table Runner by Crate + Barrel

Who says you have to stick to the traditional Valentine’s Day palette of pink and red? Crate and Barrel gives the ever-present heart motif a bit of a modern update with teal, mustard, black, and peach accents for this pure cotton table runner.

Lucky in Love Heart Bamboo by FTC

This living bamboo plant will definitely outlast your other holiday bouquets. From the florist FTD comes “Lucky in Love” heart bamboo, a gift that requires just a little bit of sun and water to live a long, happy life. It comes in a clear glass planter, measures about 12” high, and includes small stones. It also makes a great non-romantic gift for Moms and other Valentines in your life, and you can have it shipped directly to them.

Valentine’s Garland by JuJuBee Goods

Garlands are an easy way to give any space an instant party atmosphere, and this Valentine’s garland by Etsy seller JuJuBee Goods is no exception. It comes in three different lengths (from four feet to eight feet) to fit the room you have in mind, and it’s made of 100-percent wool felt balls and hearts in white, red, pale pink, and bright bubblegum pink.

Custom Letter Balloons in Rose Gold by Wellin International

Say exactly what you mean with these rose gold custom balloon letters from Wellin. Standing 16” tall, they definitely won’t be shy in declaring your love, or any other message you want to send. Get multiple packs of A-Z balloons to accommodate messages that repeat letters. They’re also available on Amazon Prime, so they’re perfect for last-minute shoppers.

Silk Hydrangea Bouquet by Avivho

Display this silk hydrangea bouquet in a vase on a table, or tuck a few stems under a ribbon to accent your gifts. You get ten stems per bundle for a very affordable price, and this item is also available on Amazon Prime. Does your Valentine prefer other colors over pink? No problem! You can also choose blue, burgundy, white, green, and lots of other shades.

The post Our Favorite Valentine’s Day Decor Pieces first appeared on Dornob.

The Designer’s Vision

Steven Chilton, leader of London’s world-renowned Steven Chilton Architects, was inspired by the Sea of Bamboo national park in nearby Yixing, the largest bamboo rainforest in China, in his design concept for the theater.

Representing an abstract impression of a bamboo forest, Chilton wanted to replicate the feeling of the forest to his audiences experienced as they witnessed the magnificent water show. He explains that he “[hopes] the audience found a connection with the architecture that resonates with them emotionally. Wandering through the Sea of Bamboo forest on the edge of Wuxi will be a common memory for many visitors, and we hope the experience of visiting the theater will [also] prove to be evocative and meaningful.”

Bringing the Elements Together

The circular theater is over 104 feet tall and made up of three key components: the columns, the shade canopy, and the building envelope. The columns are further abstract representations of the bamboo forest, each one painstakingly positioned around the perimeter of the structure to create a screen between the building facades and adjacent landscape.

The columns are topped with an awning of leaves to complete their transformation into forest trees, running around the whole of the building at roof level. This canopy consists of an assortment of triangular bays holding rows of gold-anodized aluminum louvers. The slats are arbitrarily arranged to create a natural pattern of light and shade that dances around the building throughout the day. Each cove of louvers is also positioned at different perspectives to amplify the the illusion of their being a real-life canopy. Every bay of slats is held up by a triangular lattice configuration that supports the tops of the columns and shifts their load onto the main structure of the building.

The shade canopy and columns also serve the eco-friendly purpose of casting a gentle shadow over the building that inertly lowers the structure’s cooling load.

The building envelope is chiefly made up of painted block-work and curtain wall glazing. This glazing extends the total height of the building in and above the entrance hall to afford the greatest all-around views of nearby public areas. White and gold stripes on the envelope lightly illuminate the theater’s full length at night, bringing an added air of magic to the already-spellbinding forest of columns.

The 2000-seat Wuxi Taihu Show Theatre opened on December 22nd, 2019 and is expected to keep showcasing Dragone’s water show for the indefinite future.

The post Magical Wuxi TAIHU Show Theatre Design Inspired by Chinese White Bamboo Forest first appeared on Dornob.

There’s a lot to love in Hoi An, one of Vietnam’s most beautiful traditional towns. For starters, there are its glorious white sand beaches dotted with tropical palm trees. Then there’s the ancient trading port of Old Town Hoi An, which dates back to the 15th century. Even better, this area’s historic architecture is among some of the best-preserved in the entire nation.

Showing influences from countries all around it, including China and Japan, the Old Town is often packed with tourists coming to admire its many charms and multitude of canals. Outside the town, much of the land is still wild and minimally developed.

But to really enjoy Hoi An, you have to be prepared for a bit of extreme weather. The dry season runs from May through September, with temperatures commonly hitting 100°F. The rest of the year is wet, with torrential rains frequently causing floods. So when architecture firm D1 was commissioned to create a duplex villa along the Hoi An River, they knew they’d have to place a high priority on working with the regional climate.

The Vietnam-based studio founded in 2017 by architect Tan Nguyen has quickly gained a reputation for blending modern elements with the local vernacular, employing plenty of organic materials in the process. They believe in creating “responsibly-designed buildings” that are custom-tailored to each site. The key to injecting “soul” into each structure lies in taking cues from the things the surrounding buildings are made from — and of course, from paying local artisans to do much of the work.

M VILLA is the latest hospitality project from the firm to be made with materials like coconut leaves and local stone, wood, and bamboo, taking advantage of the skills and craftsmanship associated with each of those items in the area. But because the duplex is set along the river, it’s especially prone to storms and floods, so it needed a little extra creative thinking to ensure its full protection.

D1 created a large overhanging roof made of layered and overlapped coconut leaves to create a sort of tent over the living areas, simultaneously cooling them and giving them additional protection from the rain. These common spaces are also set along the exterior of each unit to take advantage of the surrounding views, natural daylight, and fresh air. Private spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms are set into the core of the structure, and are decidedly more “reserved for resting.”

The architects add: “At the same time, both spaces are seamlessly connected to the surrounding nature. To effectively take advantage of the beautiful surrounding landscape, the design minimizes walls to the max in order to maximize wide angles. All functions are arranged vertically, leaving the ground floor open, flexible, and easy to move in case [the] water level rises during [the] heavy rainy season.”

“Local materials and skilled craftsmanship are greatly employed [in this project]. This helps create a harmonic integration between the project and its surrounding scenes and landscape. More importantly, this allows for the preservation and promotion of traditional crafting villages amid today’s mass production age in Vietnam.”

A lush “coconut forest” of palm trees along the edge of the river acts as a transitional zone, helping to further alleviate flooding concerns. Elsewhere, high stone walls topped with wooden privacy panels help create backyard oases despite the two tenants living so close to one another. The back side of the duplex meets the street, too, ensuring that the lot is primarily used for respite and recreation.

The post M VILLA: A Tropical Vietnamese Duplex by D1 Architects first appeared on Dornob.

There are so many winners, though, you could easily spend hours upon hours sorting through them all — which is why we’ve chosen nine standout projects for your perusal.

Astron Shape Shifting Rug — Ingrid Kulper

“This rug is designed specifically for countries with warm summers, where a rug is only desired in the cold season like autumn and winter,” says designer Ingrid Kulper. Modular and bright, the Astron shape-shifting rug comes with a storage bench in which the individual panels can be stored when they’re not needed. You can also come up with your own designs according to how you arrange the pieces. This rug tile system won a Gold A’ Design Award in the Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design category.

Tangxing No.5 Residential House — Saiwen Liu

The use of sustainable, renewable bamboo as a primary architectural material doesn’t have to result in a rustic appearance, as proven by the Tangxing No.5 Residential House, a Platinum A’ Design Award winner in the Interior Space & Exhibition Design category. The designers of this project achieved a stunning and luxurious residence with circular windows, built-in lighting, skylights, room screens, and many more elements made of low-cost moso bamboo.

Bandage Sofa — Bogdanova Bureau

Most of us are looking for a soft, comfortable place to rest in a sofa, though that often necessitates moving a bunch of floppy cushions and pillows around. The designers of the Bandage Sofa present a modern and streamlined design with modular bandage-style components, so you can fix the cushions into your ideal position and snap them in place with elastic bands. You can even layer the cushions according to your personal preference, and they’ll stay exactly where you put them. This design won a Platinum A’ Design Award in the Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design category.

Exxeo Luxury Hybrid Piano — iMAN Maghsoudi

Winner of the Platinum A’ Design Award in the Luxury category, the Exxon Luxury Hybrid Piano features a unique shape embodying the three-dimensional fusion of sound waves. Fully customizable into a decorative art piece by the purchaser, the high-tech piano is made of carbon fiber, premium automotive leather, and aerospace-grade aluminum, featuring advanced soundboard speakers that effortlessly recreate the full range of a grand piano.

Click Light Interactive Lighting — Adi Azar and Yotam Shifroni

Why should lighting be limited to conventional bulbs? The Click Light Interactive Lighting project takes inspiration from the mechanism of the light switch so the creative process of designing the lighting arrangement shifts from designer to user. The ropes included in this kit can stretch, flow, drop, twist, and tie between the metal surfaces, which also double as shelves. The project won a Gold A’ Design Award in the Lighting Products and Lighting Projects Design category.

The Refinery091 Restaurant — Devesh Pratyay

Dynamic and dazzling, the interior of this oil-refinery-themed pub in Kolkata, India features industrial pipes stretching from the floor to the ceiling, arranged in irregular eye-catching patterns in front of a striking display wall of bottles. “The bar area is designed to feel as if the process starts with its bubblers and energy thus formed percolates through the drinks, food, music, and flows around the place in pure copper pipes,” explains the designer. This space won a Platinum A’ Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category.

Barisieur Tea and Coffee Brewing Alarm Clock — Joshua Renouf

Who doesn’t love waking up to the small of freshly brewed coffee or tea? The Barisieur is inspired by a combination of the modern ritual of filter coffee and the iconic vinyl record player, “encouraging a nostalgic experience” for the user. It features a host of sensory-stimulating elements: the sounds of the coffee bubbling, the sight of the water moving through its transparent vessels, the smell of the coffee brewing, and the taste when it’s ready to drink. While it is a bit of a bulky item for the bedside, this Gold A’ Design Award winner in the Home Appliances Design category is quite a showstopper, so some people might be willing to make the space.

STetro Autonomous Staircase Cleaning — Manojkumar Devarassu

This autonomous vacuuming robot manages stairs with ease, presenting a solution to one of the major shortcomings of standard floor-cleaning robots. The STetro won the Bronze A’ Design Award for Engineering and Technical Design, with smart mapping software that uses on-board sensors to navigate both flat terrain and staircases. The vacuum is compact, easy to use, and features a clever split design allowing it to ascend and descend without assistance.

Printed EGG Small Pavilion — Michiel van der Kley

The largest community 3D-printed object to date, Project EGG consists of 4,760 individual 3D-printed “stones” created by hundreds of people from all around the world, each with their name etched into their respective contributions. When combined into the final structure, they show off the breathtaking organic shapes that are possible with this technology. The pavilion ended up snagging a Platinum Design Award in the 3D Printed Forms and Products category.

The post 9 Standout Winners of the 2019 A’Design Awards first appeared on Dornob.

Having a bright white, mercilessly edited home that could stand in for a modern art gallery may be falling out of vogue while a wider array of global finds grow more popular, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you want your house to look like you indiscriminately raided your local “ethnic” market, either. If you want to incorporate boho style, warm coral and terracotta tones, graphic patterns, and other new trends into your interiors, just be sure to choose items that complement each other, your personal style, and your travels.

When shopping for items made by craftspeople around the world, it’s always a good idea to buy directly from the producers themselves when possible, or through a Fair Trade Certified third party. This helps to ensure that the goods are authentic, their creators fairly compensated, and that patterns that are sacred to particular cultures aren’t misused.

There are treasures to be found everywhere, and regardless of trends, the best style advice is always to listen to your intuition and choose things that really speak to you. But even if international travel isn’t in your immediate plans, you can always fake a jet-setting chic aesthetic through online commerce. Check out these four international sources for some of the year’s hottest decor pieces.

Boho Natural Fiber Baskets from Senegal

Natural and organic materials are back (as if they ever really went away). Along with living plants, stone accents, and wood floors, renewable fibers like bamboo, sisal, and jute offer a physical connection between our built environments and the outdoors.

Macrame is feeling a little 2017 at this point, but you can still revel in a carefree bohemian vibe by layering soft, organic pieces with a few more modern elements. Items that fit this description can be found all over, but there’s something particularly peaceful about the seafoam items made by Wolof Weavers of Senegal and sold through The Little Market, a nonprofit “founded by women to empower women.”

Terracotta Tones via Tiles from Spain and Mexico

Brighter versions of terracotta ceramics make for nice ways to bring a little bit of Pantone’s 2019 color of the year, Living Coral, into the home. This color might be oceanic in nature, but there’s something earthy about it, too, which also plays into the new trend toward the organic.

Spain and Mexico are both practically synonymous with terracotta, with many traditional tiles still being produced in family-owned facilities throughout both countries. The watercolor hues of Tierra y Fuego’s handcrafted Saltillo tiles are especially exciting. If you’re feeling creative, you can try making your own abstract floor or wall mosaics by mixing them up with graphic black and white for a bold, updated look.

Graphic Tribal Motifs from India

If you’re really dedicated to keeping up with interior design trends, you’ll find it best to avoid ikat and trellis patterns, both of which have been done to death and could easily make your space look dated. There are plenty of other graphic motifs to choose from, though, like those found in India’s Nagaland region.

Living along the the Burmese/Indian border, the Naga are just as renowned for their fierce resistance of British rule as they are for their artistic spirit. Their rich tradition of textile weaving often features interesting geometric patterns, like those made by a group of Naga women and sold by The Citizenry, a shop that partners with local artisans around the world to offer small batch handcrafted creations. The shop is 100-percent committed to “providing fair wages, happy working environments, and sustaining grants” to its business partners.

Vivid Textiles from Thailand

Thailand — and especially its famous Lahu Village “Chao Khao” hill tribes — produces some of the world’s most beautiful silks, woven textiles, and beads. Shop for vividly dyed Pha You Thong silks in Ban Tha Sawang, woven tapestries in Pua, indigo tie-dye items in Ban Thung Hong, and elaborate Phrae Wa patterned silk in Ban Phon.

Armchair shoppers will be happy to learn that many Thai entrepreneurs sell their offerings to international customers on Etsy, including the shops Asian Textile Studio, based in Chiang Mai, and Parrie Collection, which offers handwoven cloth made by the Hmong hill tribe. In both shops, you’ll find items that can be used as table runners, rugs, throws, wall hangings, and much, much more.

The post Global Destinations for 2019’s Hottest Interior Design Trends first appeared on Dornob.

Soap Nut Shells

A natural, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic replacement for your usual supermarket washing detergent, soap nut shells offer the only 100-percent organic way to do your laundry without inputting any harmful chemicals. Derived from the Sapindus Mukorossi, which itself is part of the lychee family, soap nuts are actually berries that can be harvested between September and February, and their trees grow them for as long as 90 years before slowing down production.

Of course, these trees also contribute to converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, which means that even the act of planting and growing soap nuts aids our environment as much as using their shells to wash our clothes does. Add a shell to your compost pile after washing with it to get even more green use from it!

To incorporate soap nut shells into your laundry routine, just pop them into a small fabric bag and throw them into the machine alongside your dirty clothes. Though the soap nuts don’t actually contain any soap, they do contain a surfactant called saponin that is excreted in hot water. Better for your skin, better for the environment, and better for your delicates, these shells are the clear way forward for an eco-warrior like you.

Shampoo Bars

In a bid to eradicate plastic waste, eco-conscious brands are looking to alternative packaging (if any at all) to cut down their carbon footprints. Just think about going to the pharmacy or supermarket to purchase your favorite hair care products: how many of them come in nothing but wasteful plastic bottles and containers? After perhaps a month of using a bottle of shampoo, we throw it away and replace it with another, meaning that in one year alone, a single user throws away 12 more bottles than they need to — and that’s just for one product. Collectively, over 80 billion plastic hair care containers are thrown out across the globe every year.

Shampoo bars are a great way to keep from contributing to that daunting figure. Use organic ingredients to make yourself one of these sustainable replacements to conventional shampoo, and your baths will be that much better with you knowing you’re using something that comes totally plastic and cruelty-free (and that lasts two to three times longer than the average hair care product).

Bamboo Toothbrush

It’s no big secret you have to thoroughly brush your teeth twice a day in order to sustain healthy oral care. Unfortunately, a standard plastic toothbrush only lasts an average of three months, which adds up to four toothbrushes a year. That number doesn’t seem too high for a single user, but multiply it by the number of gnasher-cleaning humans on the planet, and that figure climbs to a gobsmacking 3.5 billion toothbrushes thrown away annually. Next time your bristles are looking a little worse for wear, opt for a sustainable replacement.

Bamboo toothbrushes are biodegradable, vegan, organic, cruelty-free, and recyclable. Their wooden handles can be disposed of naturally, and their bristles (made by brands like The Humble Co.) can be made using nylon-6, which has a carbon footprint similar to that of wool while being highly durable and hygienic so that you never have to sacrifice your health for your conscience.

The post 3 Sustainable Replacements for Everyday Household Products first appeared on Dornob.

Occupying nearly 28,000 square feet (2,600 meters) of floor space, the Hilltop Gallery was designed by the Chinese firm dEEP Architects to host art exhibitions, cultural projects, and events. Its billowing roof is entirely covered in bamboo, which was also used to create the railings for a stepped walkway that stretches out over the top of the building, offering an elevated path from the gallery’s upper level to the hillside beyond.

“We hoped to use the natural terrain to celebrate the idea that the building grows in conformity with the mountain,” the architects say. “‘Leaning hills and taking advantage of the trend’ is the principle we followed in this project. The concept of ‘势’(potential) itself is also a traditional Eastern philosophy. It is the thinking that the ancient Chinese faced in the construction within nature.”

The main exhibition space is located on the ground floor, offering sweeping views of both the dramatic landscapes in the distance and the pine trees just out front. The architects wanted to leave the entire space “constantly submerged in nature,” and the building’s abundant use of glass does just that. This floor is physically tucked into the mountain’s eastern side, with the shadows sheltering an interactive audio-visual room and a theater.

A ribbon-like spiral staircase takes visitors through this space and up into a café, with an outdoor terrace that overlooks the scenery, and finally to the top floor, which itself hosts a dining room and tea rooms and serves as a reception area for VIP visitors. A multifunctional ballroom faces the Great Wall, and a concrete room to the west offers access to the outer walkway.

The architects note: “The process of climbing and excursions, combined with the undulating hyperbolic tile roof, is like the winding path leading to a hidden place in the traditional Chinese gardens. At the same time, it resonates with the touring process of Jinshanling Great Wall coincidentally. There is a natural connection between the top and bottom, interior and exterior, and space of the entire Hilltop Gallery, where all the boundaries of spaces are blurred.”

The result is a work of art in its own right: a deeply contemplative space that enables guests to view, interact with, and ponder the art on display while also feeling and appreciating the beauty of the gallery’s physical location. Many art galleries tend to err on the side of total enclosure in the belief that onlookers need a sort of blankness in order to fully appreciate the works. But we don’t exist in a vacuum, and the way the art plays off each setting it’s placed within creates a unique experience that can only enhance its meaning and emotional resonance.

The post New Hilltop Gallery Completed in China’s Yanshan Mountains first appeared on Dornob.

Figuratively speaking, there’s also a musical quality to bamboo. The shoots, when stacked on top of one another, build up a steady structure like a crescendo of bass clef notes, while the “treble clef notes” can be seen in each shoot’s melodious height. As with all great materials, there is a harmony between bamboo and humans that makes the latter feel a little closer to nature.

It can take up to 50 years to harvest hardwood and approximately 25 years for softwood lumber. The time it takes to harvest bamboo, on the other hand, usually falls within the three-to-six-year range. Treated by soaking, fumigation, the application of borax salt, or lacquering, it is an extremely effective material with a higher compressive strength than that of concrete and a tensile strength almost equal to that of steel. But as economical, light, sustainable, and readily available as bamboo may be, it is unfortunately still seen as only fitting for rudimentary architectural projects. Will it ever become a widely used construction material, or will it only be used for interior design elements and furniture pieces?

As the 2016 (and first-ever) International Bamboo Architecture Biennale showed, bamboo can be used in all kinds of things, including exterior sheathing, structural spines, interior screens, ventilation systems, canopies, stairs, ceilings, floors, and walls. Thanks to competitions, courses, and groups like the World Bamboo Organization and UNHabitat, bamboo’s popularity has grown in certain parts of the globe, such as Asia and South America.

Of course, the firm that really seems to be paving the way for bamboo is VTN Architects. Based in Ho Chi Minh City, the team has developed an extensive portfolio of bamboo architecture, particularly in Vietnam. At Hay Hay Restaurant and Bar and Naman Retreat in Da Nang, bamboo has been assembled to form columns that appear to have grown in place to support the rooftops. IBUKU’s bridge and kindergarten classroom at Green School, both located in Bali, and Chiangmai Life Construction’s Bamboo Sports Hall for the Panyaden International School in Thailand are just a few other examples of how beautiful bamboo structures can be.

Beyond temporary structures and rational huts, bamboo forms an architecture of arches, domes, alcoves, and vaults. Despite this flexibility, it still has a long way to go before it’s accepted as a building material on par with lumber, concrete, and steel. What bamboo projects in Asia and other tropical countries reveal is an extremely fast means of construction, even on large scales, and that a seemingly-primitive material used in stylish and sophisticated ways can really make people appreciate the architecture around them.

The post The Beauty and Elegance of Bamboo first appeared on Dornob.

Given their intended purpose, it’s not too surprising that restaurants rarely deviate from the standard arrangement of several tables in a large, open room. This kind of layout allows servers and other employees to respond to diners’ needs at a glance. But according to Xu Xujun, the chief designer and creative director of Yiduan Shanghai Interior Design, that layout is also quite boring. His firm recently took on a project that aims to break the fine dining paradigm with poetic elegance and a nod to Chinese traditions.

Mr. Xu argues that there haven’t been any breakthroughs in the field of restaurant design for far too long a time. In pursuit of an innovative solution that wouldn’t just exceed diners’ expectations, but also engage their emotions, he envisioned a series of oversized bamboo baskets that would cradle guests in their own private rooms, allowing them to focus on the food and each other rather than the distractions of the environment around them.

The result is “New Shandao Restaurant” in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, which was completed in 2017. Conceived of as a bamboo forest, the restaurant features multiple mezzanine levels of pentagonal bamboo structures in various sizes. Some of these bamboo booths enclose intimate tables for small parties, while others are able to accommodate larger groups. Not only does the chosen material transform the ambiance of the space, but it also lends it an unusual degree of privacy.

“Entering into the space, you will be shocked by the magical bamboo forest,” says Xu. “You will feel peaceful and refreshing in this space with a breath of nature.”

The project was particularly challenging given the nature of the building itself, which previously served as an office. The renovated restaurant takes up all four floors of the structure, with the lobby and kitchen on the first floor, a banquet hall on the second, private rooms on the third, and “social catering” on the fourth. While the interior design shifts from one level to the next, bamboo remains the unifying element, creating a sense of visual and thematic harmony from the exterior entrance all the way up to the top.

“The whole space is interpreted based on the internationally advocated eco-friendly concept,” says Xu. “It presents a sense of transparency while being winding and having partitions; it is private but not depressed, which is very different from traditional space division. The creative bamboo-basket-shaped dining area is the highlight of the design. The staircases and dining areas are all hidden in the bamboo baskets as if the whole restaurant is hidden in bamboo forests. The bamboo baskets let in light layer-by-layer, making the restaurant more graceful, natural, and simple, thus creating a space which returns to purity and simplicity.”

The post Dine in a Bamboo Forest at This Ultra-Private New Restaurant in China first appeared on Dornob.

Paper

Food with Fashion designs paper straws that are colorful and biodegradable. These straws come in a variety of styles and patterns, from “Rainbow Chevron” to “Multicolor Stripes” and “Green Daisies.” Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and Easter straws go great with table decorations, and there are even straws to complement wedding and baby shower decor. How do Food with Fashion’s straws hold up in drinks? “They are durable, biodegradable, and food-safe,” says the company. “The thick coating allows them to last for hours in water and other liquid beverages!”

Bamboo

Glass

Stainless Steel

The post Hate Plastic Waste? Try These Clever Straw Alternatives first appeared on Dornob.

Few staircases are quite as bold as this bamboo number, which was designed by Cui Shu of the Beijing-based firm Cun Design. Rising from the center of the ground floor like an organic growth and swirling upwards, it’s almost parasitic in its appearance, as if it attached itself to the existing columns in the room and began to feed off of them. Overlapping lengths of bamboo adorn its curving form in a symmetric and orderly fashion in some areas, but their arrangement becomes wilder and looser in others.

The staircase presides over the redesigned headquarters of Elephant Parade, a social enterprise that handles the world’s largest exhibition of decorated elephant statues (which might explain its mammoth proportions). It’s interesting to see how the architects chose to take such a restrained approach to every other aspect of this renovation project, adhering to more or less conventional ideas of how an office should look. By contrast, the fluid bamboo structure feels like an explosion of pent-up creative energy that’s only been allowed to flourish in one spot.

Noting that people have been getting tired of the same old architectural tropes in offices, like an abundance of concrete and glass, Cui Shu deliberately chose bamboo for its warm tones, organic textures, and the visions of nature conjured by its appearance. The staircase itself takes on a sense of vitality, attaching itself to the underside of the lofted second story and giving off the impression that it might not be done spreading through the space. Its lines continue straight up to the ceiling and curve around the wall.

Bamboo is incorporated into other areas of the office, too, lining many of the building’s workspaces. Dark, hunter green bamboo paneling corrals cubicles and lines the walls and ceilings of meeting rooms. Nearly every floor in the office has also been clad in bamboo, including that of a meditation room that overlooks the Beijing skyline.

The aim, according to Cui Shu, was to use the dramatic silhouette of the staircase to establish a sense of flowing rhythm. The staircase represents a shortcut: a means of rapid ascent and descent between states of mind and physical spaces. It connects orderly rows of workspaces to a relaxation room, where employees can let loose on green carpeting and oversized felted wool “stones.”

The firm explains that in a successfully-designed office, there’s space for anyone to work, think, imagine, and collaborate, whether they need cheerful common areas or quiet, private refuge. Modern work life often encourages leaving rigid schedules behind, so maybe we should start leaving rigid structures behind, too.

The post Giant Bamboo Staircase Swirls Through Elephant Parade HQ Like a Parasitic Growth first appeared on Dornob.

These days speakers tend to be simply ways to project our music and make it louder. We’re happy to hide them behind a curtain, under a table or away from the action. Nothing to see here, folks. It’s no wonder we’re reluctant to display speakers when they are generic black or white plastic cases in unimaginative shapes. Blah. Hazang’s bamboo speakers are a different breed. They are handcrafted by artisans in North Vietnam, based on designs by entrepreneur Brandon Chandon and his small team.

“Hazang is my first venture working in partnership with local Vietnamese workers to bring back beautiful handmade design to a market that is saturated with mass-produced plastic products,” says Chandon.

He’s right. The speakers are beautiful. You won’t be hiding these babies away, we can assure you. You’ll give them pride of place on your mantel, where all your visitors can admire them enviously.

Chandon found his inspiration for Hazang when he traveled around Vietnam last year. The breathtaking scenery and the enthusiastic hospitality of the local people really struck him, and he was particularly fascinated by the region’s traditional coiled bamboo crafts.

Bamboo is a perfect sustainable choice, as it grows up to a meter a day and fights erosion with its roots, all while sucking up carbon dioxide from our air. And of course its natural neutral tone provides a classic canvas for creating unique products. The Hazang will look just at home in a sleek, spare, minimalist apartment as a country cottage or cluttered, busy family home.

“With the help of a rural craftsman, Chung, who welcomed me into his home, and the expertise of Marie Hautecoeur, a French product designer who resides in Vietnam, I was able to design and develop an original, beautiful speaker that’s not quite like anything else on the market,” explains Chardon.

The Hazang’s traditional bamboo shell is made by hand and tested for the best acoustic qualities, and Chardon makes sure the electronic insides are top-of-the-line to guarantee excellent sound quality.

You’ll be happy to hear that the Hazang speaker comes with both Bluetooth and aux capabilities, and also a “potentiometer for precision volume control.” (We’re sure you know that a potentiometer is “an instrument for measuring electromotive forces”–thanks, Mr. Webster.) You can also opt for passive speakers so you can control sound via your own amp if you are so inclined.

There are two sizes of speaker, the regular Hazang and Hazang Bé, which is a little smaller. And of course since each speaker is handmade using natural bamboo, there will be slight differences in size and also coloring. Your speaker will be unique, in other words.

You’ll want to show off your speaker, piece of artwork that it is, so there’s a choice of colors for the 100-percent hemp cloth cover, handwoven by local Hmong people in North Vietnam.

Respect for local workers and their craft is paramount for the company, which strives for transparency in its business model and is intent on modeling “global eco-design” and sustainability.

Beautiful, sustainable and sublimely listenable… Sounds like the full package.

The post Beautiful Sound: Hand-crafted Bamboo Speakers first appeared on Dornob.