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.