Category archives: Multifunctional Design

DIY DESIGN | How to Make a Modern, Multi-functional Coffee Table

09Apr08

Courtesy of Blueprint Magazine

Here’s a fast and fabulous furniture idea from Blueprint Magazine, one of my favorite but sadly discontinued design sources. Closet storage cubes come together to create a coffee table and storage unit.

How-to instructions and sources are still available on the Blueprint website, but it’s easy to figure out how it’s done — and design your own variation.

TRY THIS

Sure this storage sectional makes a handsome coffee table, but why not try turning it into a display shelf, wall partition, end tables or additional seating?

Courtesy of Moco Loco

ADD YOUR OWN FAB GREEN TWIST

Create your own two-tone masterpiece using eco-friendly, healthier low or non-voc paints by Yolo Colorhouse, Benjamin Moore, or Fine Paints of Europe.

Prefer prints or patterns? Try these:

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Holiday Style File | Modern Green Christmas p.1

09Nov07

My family is coming out to me this Christmas so I’ve started thinking about how to deck out the apartment – in a fabulously green way of course! So I’ve been on the hunt for decorations that serve double duty for the festive season and beyond (restyle is the Fab Green motto). Will post them as we find them — if you’ve got a few fab green ideas to share, bring them on!

PRETTY AS A PARTRIDGE

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These ornaments are perfect for the winter holidays or year round, depending on how you play with them. You can hang them on your tree, over a doorway or mantle for a modern, Christmasy effect. In the new year why not let these flocks take flight as a focal point in a room? Suspend them like a chandelier or an art installation. These are made in Germany from certified eco-friendly and biodegrable wool. Spotted at Branch Home, $18/pair in red and white, or light and dark green.

HEY BABY, LET’S CUT THE RUG

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Felted rugs have been the rage all year, and Interface FLOR, one of our favored sustainable carpet companies, offers its own version for the holidays. Party Dress is a fancy cut rug made from the popular Fedora line of tiles. Or for the design-minded who are handy with a carpet knife, you could customize your own border. This modular, cuttable beauties boast eight contemporary colorways and are made from 80% post-consumer fibers. Oh the possibilities!

fedora-colors.png

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DESIGN | Michelle Brand's Unique Petal Power

23May07

We’ve featured the wonders of recycled water bottles as art before, but this cascading fabric designed by British artist Michelle Brand truly mesmerizes me. The inspiration for these plastic petals were found at the bottom of a bottle–literally. Turn your empty Dasani bottle upside down and voila–a botanically inspired base. Michelle cuts, sands, and strings together recycled bottles to create this light catching fabric. Which goes to prove you can find beauty in the most unexpected, mundane places.

Up close and personal…Window Screen from the Flowerfall Series

Blossom Series of ambient lighting uses energy-efficient LEDs and recycled plastic petals:

Blossom lights aglow:

For Londoners interested in seeing Michelle Brand’s work on exhibit you can check out the Green Modernism Show at CUBE, on exhibit until this Saturday, May 26.

Via Belle Vivir

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Small Space | Big Style

12May07


Less is more. Case in point: Apartment Therapy’s 3rd Annual Smallest Coolest Apartment 2007 contest. Over 100 entries showcased the art of living large in a small space. The votes have been tallied, but you can still catch the full gallery of designs, floor plans, and how-to descriptions. Great design inspiration for your cozy lil’ crib.

Fabulously Green reports on the latest eco-friendly products that blend style, sustainability and social responsibility. A resource for designers and shoppers alike, we showcase daily green style finds in fashion, furniture, decor pieces reflecting eco-modern chic.

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Fab DIY: Magnetic Spice Containers

07Mar07

Curbly has become my go-to site for inspiring DIY style projects for the home. Here’s one for gourmets looking to add some spice to your storage. Goodbye clunky, lazy Susan!

Amber of My Aim is True used watchmaker’s tins made from recyclable glass-topped aluminum. Some magnets and a hot glue gun and voila–sleek, easy-to-find spice containers you can store behind your stove top, refrigerator, or even on the wall if you have a magnetic strip…

Fab Green Tip: This idea makes for a great office organizer as well. Paper clips, rubber bands, magnets. You don’t need to be a foodie to have good looking storage for all those little things in life.

Thanks Amber!

Fabulously Green reports on the latest eco-friendly products that blend style, sustainability and social responsibility. A resource for designers and shoppers alike, we showcase daily green style finds in fashion, furniture, decor pieces reflecting eco-modern chic.

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Fab Friday | Interior Finds

26Jan07

Thought it would be fun to start a weekly Fab Friday feature of hot green style finds spotted around the web. A little design inspiration for the weekend. Enjoy!

Stenciled Seats by Zaishu. Inspired by Japanese slot-construction design, the Aussie Zaishu design team use plantation grown wood veneer, water based inks and varnish to create these graffiti-inspired flat-pack seat-tables.

Volivik Lamp by Enpezia. Clear and classy chandelier made from recycled Bic Ballpoint pens.

Housing Works Boutique Opens in Brooklyn
This hip thrift New York chain offers a range of beautiful, gently used furnishings, jewelry, clothing, home decor and artwork. From Danish modern to classic French styles, we think the pieces are fabulous. Online bidding is available for all of us non-New Yorkers. Here’s a picture of the new Brooklyn storefront for a peek:

German company Bulbs Unlimited offers Build-it-Yourself Chandelier kits made from recycled bulbs. Six styles in all. English brochure available on the website.

Fabulously Green reports on the latest eco-friendly products that blend style, sustainability and social responsibility. A resource for designers and shoppers alike, we showcase daily green style finds in fashion, furniture, decor pieces reflecting eco-modern chic.

Filed under Furniture, Indie, Interior Design, Lighting, Multifunctional Design, Refashion+Refurb, Small Space Style, Unique, Urban Style, Vintage| Tagged , , , | No Comments

From Tabletop to Walls

18Jan07

Loyal FabGreen readers know what a huge fan I am of Sarah Cihat’s refashioned dishware. I’ve been on the hunt for a photo showing how incredible her dishes would look on a wall. Thanks to the L.A. gang at Apartment Therapy we’ve got one. Shown in the advanced copy of the Brocade Home catalog.

Thanks too to the AT gang for slinksn-ing Fab Green earlier this week!

Fabulously Green reports on the latest eco-friendly products that blend style, sustainability and social responsibility. A resource for designers and shoppers alike, we showcase daily green style finds in fashion, furniture, decor pieces reflecting eco-modern chic.

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On Exhibit: Skin+Bones at the MOCA

15Jan07

For California-based FabGreen fans with dual passions for fashion and interior design the “Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture” exhibit at the MOCA in Los Angeles is a must-see experience. I checked it out on Saturday with some out-of-town friends and have been swirling in a dervish of ideas and inspiration since. Sadly, photography was prohibited inside the gallery but here are a few snaps I hunted down:


Fashion meets furniture — or should I say fashion becomes furniture:

Convertible Skirt/Table by Fashion Designer-Maverick Hussein Chalayan

A contemporary building gets “draped” in a gold brocaded facade:
Concert Hall in Brugge, Belgium by Neutelings Riedijk Architects
The facade bridges seamlessly the modern design with the medieval character of the city.

The exhibit brings together the collective, crossover genius of Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Vivienne Westwood, Shigeru Ban, Frank Gehry, Herzog de Meuron and other luminaries. Although heavier on fashion than architecture, the connections between the two beautifully presented and undeniably groundbreaking.

For less geographically privileged folks, you can check out insider pics, or buy the companion book (on Amazon).

More skinny on the show:
New Yorker weighs in on the exhibit
LA Weekly throws a few sticks and stones

More skinny on Chalayan:
Hussein Chalayan at Design Boom, Elle Magazine, Icon-UK

Seen it? What do you think?

Fabulously Green reports on the latest eco-friendly products that blend style, sustainability and social responsibility. A resource for designers and shoppers alike, we showcase daily green style finds in fashion, furniture, decor pieces reflecting eco-modern chic.

Filed under Architecture, Fashion - Men, Fashion - Women, Furniture, Interior Design, Multifunctional Design, Unique| Tagged | No Comments

Design Meets Cannery Row

14Jan07

Storage that doubles as a piece of wall art? The Cesaria Evora Storage Unit by GodoyLab takes recycled cans and transforms them into a wall mounted shelving unit. Originally designed in 1997, Emiliano Godoy has created many versions since. These units strike a perfect balance of industrial style and elegance.

The DIY Version: Create your own storage unit from empty paint cans or coffee cans. Peel off the labels (you may need to soak them in water first). Paint the interior (and/or exterior) a sassy color for a two-toned graphic effect.

Personally, I’ve been wanting to design a room divider from cans for my home office. Open up the bottom with a can opener and paint the interior with a low-VOC paint (in a peacock blue). The trick is to hot glue them in an arrangement that becomes freestanding. Voila–a storage divider.

Fabulously Green reports on the latest eco-friendly products that blend style, sustainability and social responsibility. A resource for designers and shoppers alike, we showcase daily green style finds in fashion, furniture, decor pieces reflecting eco-modern chic.

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Walls and Wares to Die For: Lily Yung

11Jan07


My fetish for felt furnishings continues with a look at the sinewy, die cut furnishings and jewelry designed by Toronto-based mixed media artist Lily Yung. Made from industrial wool felt, the pieces are dyed and hand assembled by Lily into gorgeous webs for wall panels, pillows, rugs and runners.

Not one to waste good material, Lily takes the remaining die cuts (the cut outs) and uses textile techniques to create masterful pieces of jewelry:


Lily’s personal favorite? The blue Boa FB1:

“I think the blue boa is very successful. It is simple but dramatic on
the body and fulfills my goal to incorporate the closure mechanism in
the piece and it is also adjustable to fit different neck sized and
can be easily reconfigured to be a collar or a bracelet.”

The Fab Factor: Lily’s pieces are simply stunning and beautifully crafted. Wool felt as a material that is landfill-friendly and naturally fire-retardant (goodbye to chemically-based fire-proof treatments). We love that Lily sources her wool and cutting services locally (conserves fuel/transportation), and transforms otherwise wasteful leftovers into beautiful pieces.

You can meet Lily and see her work in person at:

Virtual/Tangible v2.0 Show
@ Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco
January 24, 2007

Interior Design Show 2007
@ Direct Energy Centre, Toronto
February 22-25.

If you’re planning on attending either event, we’d love to have you share your field report with Fab Green readers!

You can see more of Lily’s work here. If you’re interested in buying or sourcing her pieces feel free to contact Lily directly.

Another entry on Lily’s beautiful wire jewelry to come later this week. Special thanks to Lily Yung for answering our many questions and sharing your work with Fab Green!

Fabulously Green reports on the latest eco-friendly products that blend style, sustainability and social responsibility. A resource for designers and shoppers alike, we showcase daily green style finds in fashion, furniture, decor pieces reflecting eco-modern chic.

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