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Lofty ambitions indeed — and the collab definitely does not disappoint. With their 3D honeycombed splendor, these pieces catch the eye and play tricks on the mind. FLOW also has a distinctively vintage appeal to it — think 70s macrame wall hangings with a touch of modern flair. The result is a set of functionally fabulous pieces that make for some of the most dazzling art/decor mashups we’ve seen this year.

Handmade in Denmark using 100-percent upcycled cotton, the pieces’ intricate designs deceptively mask their durability and overall simplicity. They represent “an honest attempt to create zero-waste design that takes into account the environment, aesthetics, and function,” according to Søndergaard and von Guenther. They change their shape and dimension based on the viewer’s perception. A winning combo of technique, style, and sustainability, the FLOW Collection is both earthy and sophisticated, elevated and approachable.

With an eye toward creating tangible yet ephemeral decor that’s as sustainable as it is stylish, the FLOW Collection from applicata and Sheworks Atelier’s Martha von Guenther and Solveig Søndergaard is a playfully sophisticated duo of upcycled perfection and ambitious 3D elements. Haute honeycombed shapes pair with earthy, warm hues that are a veritable Magic Eye of design — the more you look, the more you see.

Shop the FLOW Collection online.

The post Hanging FLOW Textiles are Stylish, Sinuous, and Sustainable first appeared on Dornob.

Fab Habitat is a company aimed at producing quality goods while maintaining a minimum carbon footprint. Husband and wife co-founders Kanan and Suchin Gupta began the company with a lifetime’s worth of experience in the manufacture of handmade rugs. Born in India and now living in New Jersey, Kanan has made rugs for decades now, sharing her husband’s beliefs in fair trade, non-child labor, and eco-friendly materials.

“You have to be constantly improving the rugs and your ethical standards,” says Suchin.

It’s true that consumers respond well to most any product made using recycled materials, but if that product doesn’t meet some kind of need, their interest in it still wanes pretty quickly. That’s why Fab Habitat created an assortment of colorful rugs that cater to all kinds of interests.

All Fab Habitat rugs can be used in or outside the home. They are available in a variety of colors to suit any decor, and also come in eight different sizes, ranging from small 2 x 3-foot rugs to full room-sized 10 x 14-foot ones.

The rugs are available in both round and rectangular designs. Every rug also has a pattern, some more subtle and others more bold. There are stripes, leaves, zig-zags, Native American-themed prints, and even full-on images available as pattern options. Plus, each Fab Habitat rug is reversible, offering two usable sides. With longevity in mind, each rug has also been UV treated to protect against fading and premature wear under the hot sun.

Plastic straws are just one of the recycled materials the company uses in their rug product line-up. For example, PET is a polyester fiber made from recycled soda and water bottles. It makes a fabric that is as soft to the touch as cotton while diverting plastic from landfills. One distinct advantage of PET products is its stain-resistance and ability to clean with just soap and water.

For fans of true cotton, the company also makes rugs from recycled cotton sourced from the manufacturing floors. In other words, they take those little scraps that would have otherwise been thrown away and turn them into rugs instead. Sustainable wool is another popular material when responsibly sourced. Finally, the product line also includes jute rugs, which perhaps provide the most back-to-earth look of the group with their natural tan and brown tones.

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A variety of small businesses are now offering cloth masks for sale at a range of prices, including organic cotton options, but you can also make some yourself, whether you have a sewing machine or not.

The most important considerations for a CDC-compliant face mask are breathability and washability. Cotton fabrics can help block viral aerosols without making it harder to breathe, which is especially important if you happen to be infected with COVID-19 but don’t have symptoms yet. Above all else, multiple layers of a tightly woven natural fabric like quilting cotton or cotton sheets are the most effective of DIY cloth options.

Bandana and Hair Elastic Method

First up is the easiest DIY no-sew cloth mask, which just requires a handkerchief and two hair elastics. Demonstrated on YouTube by Japanese Creations, this tutorial takes just a couple minutes of simple folding to complete.

Coffee Filter Method

A slightly more protective option adds a coffee filter in the middle of a layered bandana. First, fold your square bandana in half, cut the coffee filter horizontally across the middle, and place the wide section of the filter in the middle of the folded bandana. Then, fold the bottom third of the bandana up to the middle and the top third down, as directed in the CDC’s no-sew method. Loop a rubber band or hair tie around each end, leaving a few inches of fabric on either side to fold inward. Then loop the elastics around your ears, and viola! A perfectly usable face covering.

Pleated Fabric Method

Hospital group Kaiser Permanente offers a tutorial for pleated fabric masks using fabric ties, which are more comfortable to wear for longer periods than elastic. Plus, the pleats give the fabric room to fit the contours of your face. You’ll need one piece of fabric 15.5 inches long and 7.5 inches wide, two strips of fabric 36 inches long and 1.5 inches inches wide, a sewing machine, and thread.

If all of this sounds like too much trouble, check out these options: a pack of four organic cotton masks for $23 at Avocado Mattress; a five-pack of assorted colorful “fashion” masks from L.A.’s Sanctuary for $28; a single organic cotton face mask from Everybody.World for $10, and Buck Mason’s reusable cotton mask, which includes an anti-microbial coating on the inside, five for $20.

Remember, face masks are no substitute for physical distancing and frequent hand washing, which are among the most effective ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Stay at home except for essential trips, avoid touching your face, remain at least six feet away from other people when you’re out, and regularly disinfect frequently touched surfaces in your home. When removing your mask, grab it by the straps instead of the mouth area, and wash your hands afterward.

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Photos of tiny seahorses clutching used cotton swabs under the sea may be heartbreaking, but are they enough to galvanize people into giving up convenient products? What if there were reusable alternatives that could perform the very same tasks while reducing pollution? It can be hard to break our harmful habits, but products like the LastSwab aim to make positive change a little easier for all of us.

Plastic-stemmed cotton swabs (or Q-tips, as they’re known in the US) are a major source of marine pollution, adding to the estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris that have accumulated in the world’s oceans thus far. More than one billion Q-tips are produced every single day, and thousands of them can be found along any given beach virtually anywhere in the world.

Swabs made with paper sticks are at least biodegradable, but they’re still single-use products. And while it may seem like such products have to be disposable for hygienic reasons, that’s not necessarily true. The LastSwab, which bills itself as “the last cotton swab you’ll ever need,” demonstrates how we could rethink such items and make them a lot more earth-friendly without sacrificing their functionality.

People use Q-tips for all kinds of cosmetic and hygienic applications, from touching up eye makeup to dabbing ointment on wounds. If only they’d listen to experts when they tell us not to jam them into our ear canals, we’d probably be tossing a lot fewer of them into the trash every day. But even if you insist on ignoring this advice, you could be contributing a lot less plastic to the waste stream simply by buying the LastSwab instead. Made of medical-grade silicone, it’s durable enough to be thoroughly washed over and over again, and it even comes with its own carrying case so you’re less likely to misplace it.

The LastSwab is available in two distinct styles: a pointed, smooth-textured swab for makeup applications and a grippy, textured nub for cleaning. Each style comes in an array of colors. While the expected retail price of $32 for a two-pack and $48 for a three-pack may seem a bit steep for something you normally buy for just a few bucks per 100, just think about how many disposable swabs you could avoid throwing away. Plus, it’ll definitely end up paying for itself in the long run.

“Paper, wood, and hemp cotton swabs are bad too,” say the makers of the LastSwab. “The CO2 emissions from the production and transport of these single-use cotton swabs can be avoided with LastSwab. Even the case for LastSwab is biodegradable, and the packaging it comes in is made of eco-friendly cardboard. The real game changer is that the swab is designed to last for thousands of uses — and we really hope the one you buy from us will be the LAST Swab.”

To truly combat the urgent problem of pollution, the companies that produce disposable products must take responsibility for the total life cycle of the items they sell. Manufacturers have the resources and power to make big changes that could transform the concept of “trash” as we know it. But our small individual actions matter, too, and if you’re looking to reduce your own impact, choosing reusable products like the LastSwab is a great way to start. You can back the reusable Q-tip on Kickstarter and choose from a variety of rewards at a reduced price, or wait until it’s available to the public later this year.

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Above all else, Reebok wanted to give the public shoes that were “made from things that grow.” The completed sneaker is comprised of an organic cotton upper and a base made from industrial-grown corn. Bill McInnis, the Vice President over at Reebok Future, explained that the Cotton + Corn initiative focuses on all three phases of their products’ life cycles. In terms of product development, the company is using materials can be easily replaced once harvested, rather than the harmful petroleum-based materials that are so often used in modern manufacturing. When the product goes to market, Reebok will still be able to maintain a desirable look, feel, and performance for their much loved sneakers. Finally, once the consumer has worn out their sneakers, they’ll be able to dispose of them in a simple and non-invasive manner.

Avoiding the pesticides and herbicides used on traditional cotton, the 100-percent organic cotton used on the sneakers’ uppers, the corn used to create their bioplastic soles, and the insoles made from castor bean oil make the NPC UK Cotton + Corn shoe the first piece of footwear to be certified by the USDA as containing 75 percent bio-based materials.

Reebok’s Future Plan for Sustainability

Ideally, the Cotton + Corn initiative will prevent Reebok from being looped in with the many brands that contribute to the estimated 20 billion shoes’ worth of landfill waste each year. The company has even taken things a step further by removing toxic dyes from the production process and shipping the shoes in 100-percent recycled packaging.

When the original NPC UK Cotton + Corn sneaker was released, it sold out almost immediately. To this day, the company has yet to re-stock it! McInnis adds that “ultimately, [their] goal is to create a broad selection of bio-based footwear that can be composted after use. [They’ll] then use that compost as part of the soil to grow the materials for the next range of shoes. [They] want to take the entire cycle into account; to go from dust to dust.”

Believing that we have a responsibility to leave this planet exactly as we found it (or better) for future generations to enjoy, Reebok’s philosophy is to “Be More Human,” with sustainability and a deep love for Mother Earth at the very heart of that belief.

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Baby furniture typically comes in two options: bare and utilitarian or over-the-top garish. Parisian furniture company Charlie Crane combines functionality with style in a pair of baby furniture pieces. The furniture draws inspiration from modern minimalist Scandinavian design and uses organic materials.

The LEVO baby rocker is for young ones who can’t yet sit up on their own. The bent beechwood frame features curvy legs that help to rock baby to sleep without the need for an ugly electric-powered swing. The soft seat is made from 100% cotton that comes in four colors to match the rest of your decor.

The NOGA changing table is an incredibly functional object that frees up tons of floor space in baby’s room. It works as both a changing table and a small storage space. When it’s closed it looks like a modern curved cabinet, but open up the front and a small diaper-changing surface drops down.

NOGA is suitable for babies up to 40 pounds, so it should be useful for quite a while. Also made of bent beechwood, NOGA comes in blue or white and the company sells a matching changing mat. All of Charlie Crane’s furniture is made in France and can be purchased in more than 10 European countries for €189 (LEVO) and €420 (NOGA).

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Dutch designer Renate Nederpel‘s Pop-Up Linen wardrobe is reminiscent of a large piece of functional origami. Made of cotton fabric and wooden panels, the wardrobe is stable enough to use as intended on a daily basis, but simple and lightweight to move when the need arises. It simply folds flat for travel.

The lightweight wooden panels covered in cotton are designed to produce an object that is visually as well as physically lightweight. Its soft, rounded pieces look almost childish, but its contemporary design provides a mature balance.

Four pine wood legs come up through holes in the bottom of the wardrobe, cross on the inside, and poke out through the top. Smaller sticks support the bottom of the wardrobe and another rests inside at the top crossing of the legs, forming a pole on which to hang garments. This arrangement keeps every piece securely in place.

The exterior box shape has extra pieces sewn in at the corners to help it lie completely flat when it is folded. According to the designer, the goal of the project was to create a wardrobe that can be both produced and transported easily. Remember this idea the next time you find yourself schlepping your solid-oak wardrobe during your next move.

“Pop-Up Linen, a wardrobe made out of cotton fabric and wooden panels. The origami-esque construction method makes it able to fold the body completely flat when its wooden poles are removed. The soft foldable Pop-up Linen cabinet rest on high wooden legs. This legs cross through the fabric body structure and hold it in place.”

About the designer

” Renate Nederpel is product designer, specialized in folding structures and textile products. Her studio is based in Kerkdriel, The Netherlands. She has completed a Bachelor of Design in Furniture Design at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, The Netherlands. In recent years she has worked on several projects, from furniture to fashion accessory. Her work is characterized by the combined use of textile materials with the technique of folding. The work of Renate is to mention minimalistic with a strong persenal character.”

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