Is Singaporean designer Tan Lun Cheak a mindreader? Just the other day we were thinking about how if all products should had at least two distinct functions, then the world would need half as much stuff. Then today we stumbled upon a Dezeen post about the Glowbelly Steamboat, Cheak's table lamp slash hot pot. Made of glass, the components of the lamp can be reconfigured to form a......read more
These Dutch designers give a modern and luxurious twist the the idea of a treehouse. Bruno de Grunne and Nicolas d'Ursel from Trees and People invented a suspension style cabin that is a beauty on many levels. Not only is their treehouse a syberatic way to indulge in nature, but it's designed to respect the trees. It's apparently super easy to install and leaves no trace or impact on the......read more
Ocean Robbins for The Huffington Post: It hasn't been a good week for Monsanto and the rest of the biotech industry. Just three days ago, Mexico banned genetically engineered corn. Citing the risk of imminent harm to the environment, a Mexican judge ruled that, effective immediately, no genetically engineered corn can be planted in the country. This means that companies like Monsanto will no......read more
For his Brecce collection, Italian designer Marco Stefanelli hit upon the clever idea of combining natural, salvaged materials with future-forward lighting technology. The lamps are made from discarded wood scraps into which Stefanelli embeds LED lights and before covering them in resin. The lights cast a soft and calming glow that warmly define whatever space they're in. Stunning pieces.......read more
Around SHFT, the only thing we like more than saving energy is clever use of found materials. Relumine, a lighting design project from Vienna designers Mischer'Traxler, features both in spades, so we're pretty lit up about it. Each Relumine is made from two discarded lamps, which are refinished then fitted with a low-energy fluorescent bulb shared between the two. "The......read more
There aren't many things more ripe for parody than corporate eco claims. Just have a look at a disposable Starbucks cup, where you'll find a statement that it's "Made with 10% post-consumer recycled fibre." Wow, congratulations. Hurray for saving the earth. Graphic designer and cartoonist Tobias "Lunchbreath" dishes up some hilarious parodies of eco claims,......read more
Yanko Design hips us to these fantastic lamps from designer Alex Kovatchev. Looking a lot like industrial-style modern lighting, Wash Lamps are actually made from a washing machine drum (the part you put your clothes in). The holes in the barrel that send water through the machine work to send light around the room. Pretty nifty!...read more
More and more people are working from home, and that trend doesn't look like it's going to reverse anytime soon. Which is great. We welcome a shift that blurs conventional lines between life and work. And the most eco-friendly commute is no commute at all. But between the fridge, the TV, and the stereo, it can be hard to stay focused on work. Trust us. Inhabitat hips us to a UK design......read more
Yu Jordy Fu's recycled paper Cloud Lamps launched in early 2009, so we're about a year late on this one (so like a century in real life time). But since SHFT just got going a couple months ago, and since the lamps are so AMAZING, we figure it's okay to revisit. Handmade from recycled paper, the Cloud Lamp Collection takes a distinctly contemporary approach to the ancient Chinese......read more