This could involve anything from incorporating energy-saving techniques and solutions to the use of materials that are more environmentally friendly. Anything that contributes to spaces that are carefully curated to play a positive part in the world around them.

TAKK’s “The Day After House” aims to do exactly that. The Barcelona-based design studio recently took environmental awareness in interior design to the next level with this renovated 110-square-meter apartment in Madrid that has been “developed with the aim of updating the domestic space according to new models of use and environmental consciousness,” as discussed in a recent article.

But how does one achieve the perfect blend of “environmental consciousness” and forward-thinking (yet attractive) design aesthetics?

Firstly, focus on a strategy that redefines more traditional layouts. Rather than rely on a blend of rooms and corridors more commonly seen in apartments, the studio’s approach focuses more on the climactic specifics of each space. Though distinct, the spaces still work in tandem to save energy.

A spokesperson for the studio explains: “As if it were the layers of an onion, the spaces of the house get nested each one inside of another…as we get close to the central spaces…they get more and more insulated and have less needs in terms of extra energy.” This type of “climatic diverse distribution” is ideal for a climate like Madrid’s, where blistering heat waves make up the summer months and more intense, colder periods dominate the winter.

The next thing to consider is the materials. Here, TAKK aimed to prioritize things like wood and natural cork (both known for having low CO2 emissions) to insulate the home effectively and manage energy loss. It also doesn’t hurt that the two materials work well together aesthetically.

The third and final concept of the design was influenced by both economic and environmental concerns: effectively only building about half of the apartment’s square footage and leaving the other half completely empty, devoid of even windows. Essentially creating two houses for the price of one, the design scheme imagines the apartment as being akin to an empty shoebox, where 60 square meters is a perfectly insulated space (dubbed Winter House) and the remaining 50 square meters exists as an interior terrace (appropriately named Summer House).

This ingenious setup allows for the cement mortar finish on the winter house to capture heat in the summer, essentially “stealing it from the interior air [of the summer house],” as the architects explain.

The L-shaped space is then further enhanced with open configurations in both the kitchen and single, more communal bedroom —yet another way the unit encourages the concept of equitable space, regardless of the number of inhabitants.

Through their creative use of “climatic diverse distribution,” low-emissions materials, and energy-saving considerations throughout the renovated Day After House, TAKK has created an apartment that’s both aesthetically adventurous and environmentally sound.

The post Madrid’s Day After House is Eco-Conscious Design at Its Finest first appeared on Dornob.

The fashion designer started with a trip to Munich, where he had asked MINI in advance “to completely strip out a car and collect the materials that are recycled and recyclable.” Smith said that this provided “a big list of various items, from boxes of rope to the seat cover and more. This stripped out car was so gorgeous inside. It just had nothing in it. I thought that it was lovely this way and questioned why don’t we keep the MINI as close to this bare essence as possible.”

MINI’s head of design Oliver Heilmer was happy with Smith’s direction from the outset. He explains that “for me, the MINI STRIP shows in an impressive way that MINI and Paul Smith share the same bold way of thinking about the future in terms of innovation and design – and together we create more. Paul asked essential questions right at the start of the design process with his non-automotive, and therefore fresh, perspective.”

The minimalist MINI STRIP has an unpainted body that boasts only a transparent protective coat, leaving the grinding marks from the manufacturing process visible to highlight the “perfect imperfection.” Smith also left screws exposed on the wheel arches and on the steering wheel for an “essentials only” look. The blue-coated interior covers electrical wires loosely with mesh, allowing access to them as needed.

And anything that he replaced, Smith tried to substitute with recycled or recyclable materials. The front and rear bumpers were constructed from 3D printed reprocessed plastic, while the wheel covers, grill trim, and transparent roof were made from recycled Perspex. Instead of utilizing leather, the seats are covered in a knitted fabric composed of reconditioned fibers, and the floor mats come from reused rubber. The dashboard and doors got a similar treatment in sustainable cork.

“One of the elements that we are really proud of is the use of the cork. Cork, as you know, can be extracted without killing the tree. Then, when you actually mold the material, its natural sap becomes the glue, and so, it realizes in a very organic method,” Smith adds.

The designer kept the aluminum door handles but also added pull handles made from bright orange climbing rope for the “make-do” aesthetic. He also ditched the buttons and switches of the steering wheel, covering the center with mesh to expose the airbag and wrapping the rim in handlebar tape.

The car’s iconic center console was removed and replaced with a space for a smartphone to provide all necessary information. The only electrical controls remaining are the start/stop button and the window switches.

Smith says the MINI STRIP still represents luxury in its own way, noting that “the whole concept of luxury is very different. it has changed drastically in the last 20 years; it is now all about perspective… as a creator it is a matter of being confident to experiment.”

He adds that “it’s a way of valuing things that are not usually valued. It’s the principle of making good and getting by.”

The post Minimalist MINI Strip is Fashion Designer Paul Smith’s Love Letter to Sustainability first appeared on Dornob.

Jewelry by LinguaNigra

Designer Alicia Goodwin creates gorgeous organic-inspired sculptural gold and silver jewelry, selling her unusual pieces at her Chicago-based shop LinguaNigra. “Some of my stuff is really smooth, but for most of my line I use reticulation and acid etching techniques — I want that older kind of feeling, and I like for the work to show,” she says in her Etsy Featured Shop interview.

Ceramic and Textiles by MadeByRheal

Oakland, California-based shop owner Rheal has cultivated a dreamy vibe with her artsy woven blankets, hand-cast concrete plant pots, decorative resin jewelry vessels, and modern marbled glass coasters. Every unique item is handmade to order.

Vegan Cork Goods by MindTheCork

Cork production is unique because cork bark can be harvested from live trees, which continue to grow and produce more bark afterward, making it extra sustainable. Mind the Cork, based in London, crafts this material into all sorts of stylish vegan objects, from gilded planters to versatile zip pouches. “Imprinted with the traits of the tree that produced it, cork leather is not only durable, versatile, and simple to maintain, but incredibly beautiful and ecologically sound,” says designer Jenny Espirito Santo.

Embroidery by CreateTheCulture

Erykah Badu, Beyonce, Prince, and other pop culture icons get the embroidery treatment with modern thread-based works of art by CreateTheCulture. Brooklyn-based artist Krystle Collins embroiders her line drawings onto shirts, pillow cases, tote bags, hats, and embroidery hoops for display.

Leather Goods by KingsleyLeather

Kingsley Thompson of Cheltingham, England crafts leather goods like wallets, bow ties, cuff links, wallets, and belts. His shop, Kingsley Leather, is a great source for refined gifts for the people in your life with more masculine sensibilities. “I design my pieces to be simple, clean, and timeless,” Kingsley says. “Everything is built to last.”

Gardening Kits by HortikiPlants

If you’re a novice gardener or just like the convenience of kits, HortikiPlants has you covered with items like the Organic “Leafy Greens” container gardening kit, which contains organic seed sachets, biodegradable pots and water catchment trays, bamboo plant markers, organic potting soil, and a glass mister bottle. Owner Victoria LeBeaux is based in Washington, D.C. and gets rave reviews for both her products and her expertise.

Illustrations by PairABirds

Artist Tabitha Brown creates vibrant, beautiful portraits by pairing digital hand drawing with vintage images for a collaged effect. In addition to the prints available in her shop, PairABirds, she also offers custom portraits. “My inspiration comes from nature, midcentury modern style, and 60s and 70s photos,” she says. “I also spend a ton of time at the library checking out art books and magazines.”

Furniture by ArcherHomeDesigns

Ntebo Archer of ArcherHomeDesigns in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, builds beautiful wooden furniture and home accessories. “The wood we use features one-of-a-kind character unique grain patterns and highlights nature’s distictive fingerprint,” she says. “This produces a finished product that is uniquely yours.”

The post Our 8 Favorite Black-Owned Etsy Shops for Style and Home Decor first appeared on Dornob.

A whimsical take on the classic glass table, the Cork Stopper Table from designer Hyeonil Jeong combines traditional and modern elements to make a delightful piece of furniture.

The table consists of a round glass top, four wooden legs, and a large cork – just like one you might find on a bottle – to hold it all together. The tops of the legs fold over in a sort of clip shape, grasping the smaller cutout circle in the table’s center.

According to the designer, this fun table can be assembled in less than a minute. No hardware or special skills are required to turn these simple pieces into a truly unique and lovely piece of home furniture.  To take it apart, you simply remove the cork and slide out the legs one by one. That makes it almost flat-pack, so it can easily be transported and stored. Pretty clever, huh?

“The Cork Stopper Table a DIY coffee table Which is both beautiful and functional; demonstrating that you don’t need to sacrifice aesthetics for ease of use or assembly. Courtesy of the cork stopper and its deceptively simple use in construction, the building of this table requires only less than a minute and no need for glue, screws or other hardware. With its unique and simple design, the Cork Stopper Table is free from the usual DIY furniture kit obstacles such as complex instructions, lengthy assembly time and an unpolished appearance.”

“The combination of hand-crafted cork, high polished tempered glass and birch plywood achieves an elegant look ; allowing the table to be poetic pieces of functional art that is easily constructed. The Cork Stopper Table might be one of the most beautiful coffee table that can be put together in just one minute.”

“Hyeonil Jeong is a New York based furniture and product designer.To simultaneously achieve functional efficiency and visual amusement, his design approach is focused on experimenting with the structure and mechanisms found in everyday items. 

The post A Cork Holds This Table Together first appeared on Dornob.

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Artist Marcus Taylor sought a quiet, reflective retreat that could also serve as a part-time live-in studio. The property he purchased, which was set within the Colne Point Nature Reserve in the hamlet of Lee-Over-Sands, offered beautiful views of the surrounding peaceful waters and damp, scrubby marshlands, where redshank birds wade, bob, and call while standing on a single rosy-colored leg. It was perfect, except for one thing: the site became inundated with water every time the tide came in.

Surveying the land, Taylor spotted the sea forts, which are visible from the building site, and noted the presence of all the little redshanks among them. Together, these elements inspired the refuge of his dreams: an elevated one-bedroom home that becomes inaccessible whenever the water rises. To make such a design feasible, he conceived of a cork capsule that would bob on three legs. He then took that idea to his friend Lisa Shell, an architect whom he commissioned to replace the dilapidated existing timber-frame home on the property.

The result — dubbed “Redshank House” — stands on a triplicate of steel supports that have been coated in a special paint to withstand both the water and the salty air. Made with a durable CLT (cross-laminated timber) frame, the structure’s exterior cladding is wrapped in thick, fire-resistant, and naturally durable untreated cork, which will bleach over time from the sunlight. Two steel staircases stretch down into the sand and grass — or water, as the case may be, depending on the time of day.

“The idea of using cork started as a joke due to its buoyancy as the site floods at high tide,” Shell told Architectural Review, “but the more we explored its characteristics, the more appropriate it became.”

In the summer, the ambiance of the hamlet is that of a charming seaside town. In the dim and foggy winter, it becomes something harsher and much less hospitable. Paired with the area’s wartime history, these seemingly endless and ever-encroaching marshlands can conjure a sense of isolation that some might find alienating. For Taylor, however, it’s exactly the atmosphere he wanted — one that fosters privacy and the feeling of being distant from the chaotic world of human activity. Within the warmth of its oak-lined walls, with his wood-burning stove and oversized picture window, he can weather the storms outside and allow his mind to wander.

It may not be for everyone, but this tidal getaway demonstrates the value of working with environmental conditions instead of against them, following nature’s examples to coexist with its temperaments.

The post Beautiful Artist Studio Withstands Daily Tidal Floods first appeared on Dornob.

If you believe organized people, keeping your workspace organized is the key to maximizing productivity. Pat Kim Design teamed up with Seattle-based Ladies & Gentlemen Studio to create a modular desk organizer set they call .Org Deskscape System.

Everyone involved in the design shares a love of textures, patterns, materials, and functions. Following that passion, they created a desktop system that includes metal, solid wood, and cork. The set’s four pieces each serve a distinct purpose.

.Org consists of a wooden mail organizer with adjustable metal dividers, a cork pin board, a two-chamber wooden container for small objects, and a wooden zig-zag tray for pens and pencils.

Each piece is made in the U.S. of high-quality materials in small batches.

The pieces aren’t connected; they can be moved around and rearranged in any configuration that works for you. Each can be used independently, but when used as a desk set they can be exactly what a disorganized person needs to keep a desktop perfectly orderly. You can buy it from Ladies & Gentleman Studio.

“.ORG DESKSCAPE SYSTEM is a bi-costal collaboration celebrating L&G Studio (Seattle-based)& Pat Kim’s (Brooklyn-based) shared affinity for natural materials, textures, patterns, and functions. Constructed of solid wood, cork and metal, the modules are designed be tiled together to create a tidy desk landscape that can be configured to one’s needs. Each module is crafted in small batches in the USA and finished with natural danish oil, which may be rejuvenated with additional oil as required.”

About Pat Kim

“Pat Kim is a New York based designer/artist working primarily in objects, furniture, and sculpture.  His approach is defined by constant experimentation in materials and methods gleaned from traditional craft.  His work is rooted in the philosophy of sculptural simplicity and enduring quality. Pat Kim seeks to create timeless, thoughtful, genial objects and bring them to the world.”

The post Everything in its Place: Desk Organizer Set for Perfectionists first appeared on Dornob.

Olive oil is one of those condiments that no kitchen should be without, but getting it where you want it – and in the quantity desired – is no simple task. Croatian design group Oaza have introduced the Oil-On dispenser, a kitchen tool that lets you apply just enough olive oil, just where you want it.

The actual device is kind of a no-brainer: it’s a small glass jar with a cork topper, a small wooden ball sitting in the middle of the topper. To apply the oil to bread, meat or whatever else you wish, you turn the jar upside-down and roll the oil on. It works just like a roll-on deodorant bottle, albeit with much tastier contents.

The simple materials and intuitive usage would make this a must-have for any serious cook’s kitchen. While it is not yet available for purchase, Oaza has plans to manufacture and sell the Oil-On at some point in the future.

“Functional set highlights the value and quality of olive oil as an independent food and investigating influence of its serving in relation to its use. Container for olive oil consists of an applicator in the form of a ball for controlled dispensing and smearing oil on the bread on the principle of a roll on.”

About the designers:

“After a significant number of collaborations in the field of design, six freelance artists—Nina Bačun, Ivana Borovnjak, Roberta Bratović, Tina Ivezić, Maja Kolar and Maša (Ana-Marija) Poljanec—first established the Oaza collective spontaneously in 2013 and since 2014 it is formally active as Oaza Art Organisation. The authors share a reflective approach to work, as well as continuous engagement on projects commissioned by the independent cultural scene.”

“Since formally joined, Oaza launched two large-scale project initiatives (Ilica Project and S ruke na ruku (Handed down), and have been continually pursuing projects involving visual communications design, design research, curatorial design concepts, product and service design as well as set design, often as expanded cross-disciplinary teams-work.”

The post Roll On Olive Oil Dispenser first appeared on Dornob.

Natural and cheap, cork is making its way into more and more home products and has long been used instead of installing standard wood floors – but rarely as a round, tile-like covering made from recycled wine stoppers (which are just the beginning of what this cork-centric company has in store).

The corks collected by Jelinek are gathered from various drop-off points where people can deposit used wine corks. Some are then ground down and reconstituted for use in ceiling, wall and floor tiles, while the ones shown here are thinly cut to create coin-shaped laminate tiles for floating on sub-floor suited for kitchen or bathroom applications (thanks to the durability and water-safe nature of cork).

The little cork circles can be left in their natural state, colored like conventional tile and arranged in various patterns or inlaid within a larger normal-tile framework.

Their online store has info on do-it-yourself applications and sells sheets of cork custom-created for a variety of purposes, from construction materials mentioned above to lamp covering and hobby material, flexible fabric, granular furniture, table coasters, place mats, hot pads, serving trays, bulletin boards, piggy banks, purses and hand bags. They’re great for backsplashes, too. Apparently, a floor is just the beginning.

While some of the covering material they offer is not cheap, the prices could be considered discount for something that takes so much work to process compared to new bamboo, vinyl, linoleum and other such typical and less-environmental material alternatives. Of course, the super-savvy DIY type could start collecting corks at home and hopefully build up enough to slice up for their own floors.

What’s cool is that cork is so sustainable. More from Jelinek:

“Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree or Quercus (oak) suber (cork). This remarkable tree has a bark (suberose parenchyma) which is unique throughout the plant kingdom. The cork bark can be harvested from the tree allowing new bark to grow in its place without killing or damaging the trees. This makes every tree a renewable source of raw material. The cork is harvested (peeled) from each tree time after time. The first harvest of the cork bark occurs approximately 20 years after a sapling is planted. After each harvest the cork tree fully regenerates its bark and is harvested every 9 to 10 years until the tree is about 200 years old. When the aged tree is removed, two new saplings are planted in its place, ensuring the cork forest continues to flourish and expand. The cork oak tree also reproduces off-springs naturally by dropping acorns that seed themselves and mature into productive trees.”

The post Penny Style Sustainable Floors Made of Cut Wine Corks first appeared on Dornob.

Loafs make a lot of design sense for packaging a series of flat-sliced objects, like, say, a set of sketchbooks – but are naturally suited to designer ideas that revolve around their most common time and place of use: morning at the breakfast table.

Aside from its heat-absorbing and spill-hiding properties, the cork works as a kind of natural camouflage (particularly for those of us who cannot quite see straight when we first wake up). hThe variegated texture of the material mimics that of toasted break quite well, and seeing them strewn about the table they seem to blend even better.

Probably the biggest potential problem with this clever idea from Oiti: half-sleeping one might accidentally attempt to take a bite out of these stealth coasters, which are appealing though anything but edible. Still, they are more interesting than the generic round variety any day of the week (except maybe Monday).

The post Camouflage Bread-Shaped Loaf of Cork Breakfast Coasters first appeared on Dornob.

Driftwood railings line the rickety bridge leading to the cattle-bone numbers next to the front door of this unique recycled home – featuring far more than the sum of its scraps and parts, a beauty that emerges from the textured materials of which it was made (by hand).

It starts with stacked corks and bottles, old newspapers, scrap wood and recycled metal … and culminates in layered color-sample ceiling tiles and shards of mirrored glass arranged piece by piece to assemble an amazing interior wall mosaic.

Old t-shirts form the floors in one room while an antique wood-burning stove adorns the next and glass wine bottles allow light and distorted views from one space to another.

Less an interior design or decorating project and more a work of collaborative art, it is clear that each contributor to the construction process added their own custom (and often unplanned) elements.

The exterior, of course, has to meet certain minimum functional requirements and thus the restrictions on materials were greater – yet recycled roof tiles and cork-based walls make for a durable but colorful and animated set of outside surfaces.

If the aesthetic is different from anything you have seen, it is because the attitude and approach here are as well. This is not about a fixed step-by-step home planned from start to finish, fixed layouts or amounts of materials, but about creative evolution, participation and community construction.

 The designer of this gorgeous, nature-inspired treehouse-like home is Dan Phillips of Phoenix Commotion.  Dan is known for his quirky, eco-friendly creations that are always one of a kind.

“The Phoenix Commotion is a local building initiative created to prove that constructing homes with recycled and salvaged materials has a viable place in the building industry. This process uses only apprentice labor and teaches marketable skills to anyone with a work ethic who is willing to swing a hammer. By keeping labor costs low and using donated or found materials, the homes created are truly affordable. No two are alike due to the myriad of materials used, so there is an artistic element that makes Phoenix Commotion homes unique. We target single parents, artists, and families with low incomes. We require the homeowner to be involved with the planning and construction of his or her own home. The result is a person who is empowered, not only by the useful knowledge of building skills, but by the opportunity to become part of a community as a vested participant.”

“The Tree House, located in Huntsville, Texas is Dan Phillips’ first artist compound complete with main house, efficiency apartment, working studio, and large outdoor patio area. The main house sits in a Bois d’arc tree thirty-five feet above Huntsville’s Town Creek. Artists must have a legitimate portfolio in order to rent the Tree House.”

“Just outside of the tree house itself is a multipurpose art studio. The ceiling is covered with discarded frame samples from frame shops. It includes lots of power for sculptors, mirrors for dancers, lots of natural light for painters, and a sink with a trap for potters.”

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Design Within Reach may be too expensive for some of us but their annual cork furniture design competition is affordable for all. One of the best parts about this design challenge is its broad accessibility: no specialized tools, structural knowledge or design experience are required.

Some entrants work extensively with the natural character of the constituent materials – cork and metal wire – while others work with their existing shapes and forms. Still others go off the beaten path and rework the materials entirely. The results are a mixture of creative modern, offbeat and faux-elegant that are both inspiring and entertaining.

Of course, cork can be reused on a much larger scale as well. The above cork furniture is just on example – people are also finding new ways to use cork for walls, floors and other surfaces and sturctures. As long as we have an abundance of one kind, shape and size of material, it makes sense to find new and different ways to reuse it when its first purpose is finished.

The post Miniature Art Furniture: Creative Recycled Cork Designs first appeared on Dornob.