Smart Design

Every day, the average American throws out four pounds of garbage. This adds up to about 220 million tons of garbage each year total. Or, enough trash to cover Texas twice. Or, enough to stretch a line of garbage all the way to the moon.

If you’ve ever visited New York and other American hubs and seen the overflowing trash cans, littered streets, and piles of black garbage bags lined up each day, it wouldn’t take these statistics to realize that we have an overwhelming waste problem. For anyone tuned into the green movement, this is old news. Although many people are committed to recycling, the fact that the waste problem gets worse each year demands fresh solutions. read more

I’m going to fess up, I like cars, motorcycles and powerboats. I grew up with them, first as toys in my childhood then as vehicles that I actually drove in adulthood. And in part because they had internal combustion engines these vehicles looked a certain way, kind of bulky and powerful. This week two of the worlds largest car companies, BMW (via MINI) and Mercedes (via Smart), announced two new electric powered scooters loaded with features coupled with a design that’s kind of um, bulky and powerful.

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It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that structures recycled from shipping containers are smart in terms of sustainability – after all, they make use of something that has outlived one purpose and gives it new life as something useful and new. But in the case of the Box Office, the aptly named office building made of stacked blue, green and yellow shipping containers, the design is even more intelligent. Numerous studies show that employees who find their workplaces open, well lit and vibrant are more productive and happier to come to work. And if you think about it, who wouldn’t trade their blah cubicle for a spot in this colorful, sunlight-filled building? Architecture that can make you feel better about getting to work on a Monday morning? Now that’s powerful design!

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Bicycles have quickly become stellar representatives of the possibilities in using alternative modes of transportation. They are light, nimble, and convenient, faster than walking and easier to park than a car, and provide exercise, getting all their energy from the work that your legs do. It’s easy to jump on a bike and get to where you’re going, but in order to make bikes most effective and efficient, we are all in need of the right accessories, especially to carry all our stuff. Whether running errands, picking up a few things, or heading to work with your workbag and lunch, you need a place to store all this stuff out of the way while you cruise the streets. The tried-and-true metal or wicker baskets are always an option to throw your goods in, but bike styles have evolved to more sleek and minimal aesthetics, and, a few good bike racks have been designed to go along with them.
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From what I can tell, babies have been around for a long time. So wouldn’t you think everything that could possibly be invented for babies and their parents has been invented? Apparently not.

This rocking-chair-slash-cradle was recently designed for Ontwerpduo. It’s called the Rockid (nice name!) and I want one. If you have a baby, you probably want one too. Why? It’s a completely practical, usable piece of furniture. When your baby no longer needs the cradle, it converts to a stand-alone rocking chair. And it’s good-looking — the simple lines and straightforward construction would work well in most any decor. read more

Not only do FairTrade Designers succeed in using sustainable materials for the production of their series of cushions made in China’s Yunnan province, but work towards their goal of helping create economic sustainability for the craftspeople who collaborate on this project.

Danish designers Pil Bredahl, Liselotte Risell and Henriette Melchiorsen formed FairTrade Designers in 2007 with the goal of creating aid for the third world by using design. The women work with craftspeople in other countries by blending Danish design with indigenous craft, and saw an opportunity to get involved in the Threads of Yunnan project established by fellow Dane, Bitten Høgh. New products and markets were needed in order for the project to move forward.
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Every once in awhile you spot a new product and think: what a simple, smart idea — how in the world did it take so long for someone to come up with this? That’s what I thought about the Susu Umbrella Cover. It’s nothing fancy or mind-blowing. It’s simply an umbrella cover lined with super-absorbent material. So your soaking umbrella can be wrapped and stowed immediately, instead of waiting for it to dry out before you collapse it. read more

Borough furnace is a Tennessee based cast iron cookware company, where they brilliantly UPCYCLE iron from scraps! Think used/broken down radiators and other such junkyard scraps melted back down and molded into gorgeous cast iron skillets! In their own backyard! So both hand made and recycled ~ as well as gorgeously simple designs!

See more pics of the skillets, the process, and videos on the next page…
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Many furniture companies have tried to branch into the green market with a line of bamboo outdoor furniture here or a sustainably-manufactured chair there. But California-based Environment chose to focus the mission of the company solely in the green market, making all of their products environmentally friendly. This translates into a holistically considered approach to making new objects, from researching and utilizing reclaimed materials to responsibly using resources and alternative manufacturing processes.

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One of the hallmarks of design innovation is the ability to take something that’s mundane and transform it into something new and exciting. Well we can’t think of a more fitting example of that than the wildly creative and fun dumpster pools that popped up on one of New York City‘s busiet streets, Park Avenue, this summer. Made from actual dumpsters that were cleaned out, painted and fitted with all of the appropriate parts, these unlikely watering holes really made a splash with the public. Talk about taking something that is trash-y (literally) and turning into treasure through the magic of smart design! read more