Roll out the barrels: Wooden drum tables

Following up on the cork stools we posted a few days ago, I thought you might like to see these. I really like the proportions, and they are so pretty as a group. Made by UK-based Channels Design of reclaimed and sustainable wood (oak, cedar, and birch).

Images from Channels Design. Thanks to Re-Nest for the tip.

Math is hard, but awfully pretty

Nervous System: Check out this jewelry created by two MIT grads and a few key algorithms. One stunning piece after another, inspired by natural systems (coral, algae) and built by mathematical model. I'll stop talking now so you can just look at these pretty pictures....
Images from Nervous System. Thanks to Treehugger for the tip.

Spin the bottle (cap)

Two themes we find most interesting here at the labs are the elevation of the ordinary and reuse of things that otherwise would be landfill bound. Craft-land is filled with mediocre bottlecap jewelry (just search Etsy), but Israel-based Kotik somehow manages to turn them into art. Nothing more to say--just look at the pretty pictures. The whole portfolio is interesting. Click here for more.

Images from Kotik.

Button lampshades by Studio Mesila

There's some real magic to keeping things simple. Sometimes just the repetition of a single shape, over and over, results in beauty. These lights from Tel Aviv's Studio Mesila incorporate a variety of found artifacts. The designers assign a percentage to each product, indicating how much of the item is recycled.

My favorites are the button lampshades, which have such great sentimental DIY possibilities. Imagine making this from that jar of buttons your grandmother used to have, hints of the yesterdays when everyone sewed.

Images from Studio Mesila. Thanks to Re-Nest for the tip.

Fashion Friday: Hospital scrubs don't usually look like this!

I'm one of those luddites who actually likes to read the paper on Sunday (if the 3-year-old will let me). This week I found a little photo write-up buried in the style section:

Ginnifer Goodwin wore....The white strapless dress, made from hospital scrubs that would otherwise have been discarded, was designed, treated, dyed and pleated by a group of fashion students at San Francisco's Academy of Art University.

A little more "research" (thanks, Google) turned up a better photo and the details. Now if they could just do something about that hospital gown...

Images from SF Gate (Matt Sayles/AP top) and Design Ignites Change (bottom). Thanks to the SF Chronicle for the tip.

Martin's custom commuter bike

The finished commuter bike

Within his circle of friends, Martin Leugers is notorious for trash-picking bikes. He feels like it his calling to free them from their trash heap demise. Once chosen by the master, these jalopies are reinvented. They are chopped, remixed, welded, and finally make their way into the hands of friends and fans who ride for the CRUD gang (Chopper Riding Urban Dwellers). His latest creation is different: Martin set out to create the perfect commuter bike. After trash-picking the frame, fork, crank, headset and bottom bracket, he was able to find a used set of wheels and a saddle. The handlebars are a mix of parts from an old mountain bike and a kid's bike, which combine to create an incredibly sleek look.

The integrated LED light with toggle switch is my favorite part. All aspects of commuting are considered, from the welded fender mounts to the internal cable routing. The integrated seat post deters thieves from making off with the ever important seat. A fresh white powdercoat, some new tires, and she's ready to ride.

Raw materials

Nice work, Martin. When will you start making these for your friends?

Images from Martin Leugers.

Cool drink of water

These already made the blog rounds, but Aquaovo's water filters are too stunning not to show here. Expensive, but oh-so-pretty. 

If your family is ready to stop buying flats of bottled water from Costco, this is a stylish green upgrade and will quickly pay for itself. If (like us), you drink Oakland water straight from the tap, you'll need to treat it more like an art piece.

Images from Aquaovo. Thanks to The Kitchn for the tip.

I want candy (bags)

Ecoist has been making candy wrapper bags since 2004. They're cute conversation pieces, but they've always been very "Look! I'm RECYCLED." I have a confetti onelook li, and the in-your-face greenness is part of its charm. Recently they launched a line of sleek, graphic bags that look like giant candies themselves and give no hint they're made from landfill-bound materials. 

Super cute, and the lime and red ones are currently on sale. Check them out. 

Images from Ecoist. Thanks to Ecouterre for the tip.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

...who's the geekiest of them all? Must be me, because I love these. Redimei salvages surplus computer parts and disks and turns them into geek mirrors.
Images from Redimei. Thanks to Great Green Goods for the tip.

Guns Carved Into Old School Desks

Ben Turnbull turns vintage school desks into a commentary on American gun culture. His Lessons series features guns and grenades and one retro-futuristic space shooter. Maybe not as relevant to my teen-aged years, but much more interesting that “I (heart) Nik Kershaw”

Images from Eleven Fine Art. Thanks to Geekologie for the tip.

Super Guppy industrial floor lamp

No, that's not a teeny-tiny chair, but a giant lamp. To be specific, it's a street lamp, repurposed for use in your living room, or maybe Eric's man studio.

Looking for a gift for that guy who's hard to shop for? Surprise him with his own little bit of the Gas-n-Sip parking lot where he mis-spent his youth trying to persuade people to buy him beers.

Offered by Factory 20, which has a well-curated collection of industrial odds and ends. It's worth taking an online tour of their website, or if you live near DC, stopping by in person. Note that when I say "well-curated", I mean priced accordingly.

Images from Factory 20. Thanks to Shelterific for the tip.

Good as Gold

SF-based furniture designer Dylan Gold soft-sells his green credentials, and his website doesn’t even have the ubiquitous “our corporate sustainability mission” section. His work speaks for itself, featuring fast-growing bamboo in the Twisted console/bookcase (above) and industrial off-cuts in the Wasted line of tables (below).

Lovely things, with a restrained aesthetic tempered by a few quirky details to keep things from becoming too serious. Check out his full portfolio here.

Images from Dylan Gold. Thanks to Dwell for the tip.

Uncork a bottle of wine and have a seat

Check out these cute cork stools from Skram Furniture in North Carolina. I love the dark stripey details. The come in a couple of different sizes and forms. This is a bit of a departure from their other furniture, which consists of some stunning modern wooden pieces.

Images from Skram Furniture. Thanks to Dwell for the tip.