Small Space Style – Fabulously Green

Category archives: Small Space Style

A2adesign: Cardboard reDesigned

22Feb07

Thanks to Design Milk I now know about A4a Design, an Italian company who turns its love affair with recycled cardboard into functional furnishings and art.

These Mobiles by A4aDesign not only lend visual interest to a room, but lend evolving light compositions throughout the day and evening.

The Spot-tondo and Spot-quadro Tables are each punctuated with a brightly colored laminated wood top. Slotted construction means they arrive in a space-saving package and can be put together in minutes, or put away when not in use.

Street Benches are made of recycled-honeycombed-board and available in four lengths. The laminated wood top is available in bold-colored solids or graphic patterns.

Filed under Furniture, Interior Design, Refashion+Refurb, Small Space Style| Tagged Eco-friendly, Non-toxic, Recyclable | No Comments

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.

Via design*sponge via bloesem

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

Via Inhabitat

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:

Via Apartment Therapy

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

Via Charles & Marie

Filed under Furniture, Indie, Interior Design, Lighting, Multifunctional Design, Refashion+Refurb, Small Space Style, Unique, Urban Style, Vintage| Tagged Changeable Style, Eco-friendly, Indie, Tabletop | 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!

Filed under Art+Graphics, Handmade, Indie, Interior Design, Multifunctional Design, Refashion+Refurb, Small Space Style, Urban Style| Tagged Changeable Style, Eco-friendly, Handmade, Indie, Non-toxic, Tabletop | No Comments

DIY STYLE | How to "Vogue" Those Walls

17Jan07

Holly Becker over at decor8 posted this fabulously green idea yesterday that seemed perfect for those among us who need a 12-step program to rein in our magazine addictions: design-your-own wallcovering.

Tools: a paper shredder that can turn those Vogue mags into long and lean ribbons. Cross-cut patterns will work too, but you will have to work harder with smaller pieces. Old magazines (if you’re a pack rat, consider clipping out the pages you want to keep and shredding the rest. If you haven’t looked at a magazine in over a year, shred away!).

See the full post at decor8. Photo and idea originally taken from Budget Living: Home Cheap Home.

Make it Fabulous:

Get creative with your materials. Play with recycled newspapers, old greeting cards, wrapping paper, colorful junkmail, the West Elm catalogs that arrive in your mailbox every other day, past IKEA catalogs, maps. The choices and patterns you can design are endless.

If you design it, send us a photo!

Filed under Art+Graphics, Budget Decor, Interior Design, Refashion+Refurb, Small Space Style, Unique| Tagged Books+Resources, Eco-friendly | No Comments

Graffiti Art for Grownups

30Nov06

If you are a fan of the latest wall decal trend but wish for a more greener option, these Graffiti Stencils at Urban Outfitters may be just the thing. There are ten motifs in all inspired from natural and urban objects. Stencils are made from vinyl and can be used on fabric, furniture, walls and floors. Simple choose your colors and your paints, grab a few brushes and graffiti away. Available exclusively at Urban Outtfitters online.

Traffic Motif Graffiti Stencil, UrbanOutterfitters.com, $10

Sparrow Motif Graffiti Stencil, applied (neatly) with spray paint

Deer Motif Graffiti Stencil, and a tee people will fawn over.

Powerlines Motif Graffiti Stencil, no electricity required.

The Fab Factor: Vinyl is certainly not a green material, and we hope to see alternatives from Urban Outfitters in the future. However props go to the stencils’ reusability. I also appreciate their versatility to update your home and your wardrobe alike and you can pass them on to another crafter when you’re finished. For extra eco-health factor, try using an low VOC paint (how about Yolo Colorhouse, milk paints by Anna Sova or Old Fashioned Milk Paint of Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec paint.

Filed under Art+Graphics, Interior Design, Materials+Finishes, Small Space Style, Urban Style| Tagged Eco-friendly, Reusable | 4 Comments

Gifting Ideas: for the Modern Home

22Nov06

Welcome to the first in a series of five fabgreen gift guides for the holidays! These gift ideas are made with love for design and the planet which makes the act of giving truly special. Enjoy! And if you’ve got a great gift idea you want to share I’d love to hear from you.

Today’s Fab Five: Gifts for the folks who love their digs at home or the office. Modern, minimalist, eco-friendly style.

Art Clock by Andrzej Bialuski, $35USD
Bialuski is an independent designer and photographer based in Brooklyn who makes these felt clocks by hand (which means they’re happily biodegradable). The art clock arrives in its own gift box and is powered by one AA battery (for more green power, you can always opt for the rechargable kind). Great way to style up someone’s office or home. Five colors are available . Spotted at elsewares. Gift tip: think twice if your recipient is Chinese. Why? Some of us believe that giving a clock to someone means “your time is up.” My relatives do anyway.

Splash Umbrella Stand by Yasuhiro Asano, $75USD
Can Japanese design get any sleeker? These punchy umbrella stands will definitely make a splash at home or the office. Made of sustainable rubber and available in a bunch o’ colors. Love how diminuitive it is, and if you live in rain-deprived California like I do you can always use it as a vase. Or a pencil holder. Although for $75 you hopefully have some seriously fine pencils. Spotted at generate.

Hanging Vines Table Linens by Lotta Jansdotter, $34USD
I spotted these on sale at Vivaterra. I first fell in love with Lotta’s work five years ago at the National Stationery Show in New York and have been a fan since. Her Hanging Vines is one of her bestselling prints. Handprinted on undyed, natural linen.

Stone Cairns + Vases, $49-55USD for a pair
Another great gift item on sale at Vivaterra. A serene, minimalist accessory for a desk, window sill or tabletop. Cairns-shaped rock traditionally evoke safety, hope and friendship. The stone vases help bring a touch of the outdoors inside when filled with sprigs or buds from your back yard.

Two-Tone Tray by Molly Kinney, $35USD
These handmade bamboo trays are sleek, serene and sustainable. Found at Zanisa.

Filed under Gadgets, Gifts+Gifting, Interior Design, Office Style, Small Space Style| Tagged Eco-friendly, Tabletop | No Comments

Magnetic Interiors

22Nov06

If you’ve been following trends in interior design this year, no doubt you’ve seen the very sticky appeal of decorative wall decals. One of my design blog idols Design*Sponge surveyed design enthusiasts about the trend (here are her results) – but it looks like many (self included) still find them hopelessly a-peeling with lots of creative possibilities still to explore.

Here’s one variation that captures my green-little heart: magnetic rather than vinyl wall decals from Magscapes (the Dots series shown above). Designed by Patricia Adler of Peppermint (we featured her innovative Palazzo T4 Chandelier just yesterday) these decals give users a chance to design and redesign their interiors. To your heart’s content.

Magnetic rather than sticky, it’s actually the wallpaper that holds the secret. It’s specially made to be receptive to the decals and hold them permanently or temporarily. The decals are cut from rubber sheets similar to the backings on refrigerator magnets and voila–you can pin up and play.

The Fab Factor: The reusability gives a green edge over vinyl decals that can only be used once. According to the Magscapes, the decals and paper are made without lead, or hazardous chemicals so they’re safe to use in kid’s rooms, kitchens, wherever your inspiration takes you.

Design range is slightly limited, but you can work with them to create custom designs of your own. Still wondering about its recyclability and manufacturing standards and will update when we hear more.

Available online through Magscapes and through . Free samples available in Europe only.

Filed under Art+Graphics, Interior Design, Materials+Finishes, Small Space Style, Unique| Tagged design, Eco-friendly, Magscapes, Patricia Adler, Reusable, wall decals | 1 Comment

FURNITURE | Flipping over Modern Murphy Beds

14Nov06

I’ve always been fascinated by collapsible design, especially when it’s done with style. So it’s no surprise that I flipped over these handsome and multifunctional wall beds designed by British furniture company CLEI. When I showed these to my husband he wanted to downgrade into a smaller place just so we could try one.

Atoll Bed w/Sofa in white, shown with bed closed

Voila! Truly efficient and elegant. I can’t speak to comfort so if any of you own or have tested one of these beauties we want to hear from you.

Atoll Bed with wenge finish. Now you see it…

Now you don’t.

Lollipop Bunk Beds

Too sweet!

The Fab Factor: I’ll make the plug that efficient design which promotes small space style can be green. Afterall, who treads lighter on the planet, a person living in an eco-friendly McMansion, or a person living efficiently in a 650 sf. loft?

Reader’s Note: We wrote CLEI several weeks ago to learn more about the materials used in building these modern day Murphy beds, but haven’t heard back. We can only assume that the materials used are not considered sustainable to date.

Filed under Bedrooms, Furniture, Multifunctional Design, Small Space Style| Tagged Eco-friendly, modern murphy bed | 9 Comments

FLOR Holiday Sale

13Nov06

FG favorite FLOR is having holiday sale–15% off of everything in their collections. We love them for their mix-and-match potential, easy breezy installation, and eco-friendly leadership in the carpet industry. Simply type in FSH1506 before Friday November 17 to take advantage of the discount.

Some budget-style options:

Fedora Carpet Tiles by FLOR
Fedora is truly an example of eco-modern style. You can design-your-own pattern from six contemporary colors. Plus it’s made from 80% post-consumer content and feels like brushed felt. $5.94 a tile ($2.21/sf) after 15% sale.

Heartfelt Carpet Tiles by FLOR
Heartfelt is a clean, minimalist take on the textured felt trend made popular by Ill-ustration, nani marquina, and Anne Kyrro Quinn. We love felt because it’s a natural fiber (no chemicals), it’s tactile, naturally fire-retardant and biodegradable (interior designers have health and safety issues to consider for our clients). Since it’s a tile, I personally recommend the darker colors if you want a clean, uninterrupted surface. $10.19/tile ($3.79/sf) after 15% sale.

Terra Carpet Tiles by FLOR
A playful take on neutrals, Terra offers another opportunity to get creative and mix and match your own pattern. It also takes advantage of textiles made from corn (in this case PLA to be specific). Considered green because it’s natural and renewable, though some eco-purists question possible downsides depending on how the corn is grown. Read more about corn-based textiles here. $11.04 /tile ($4.10/sf) after 15% sale.

Hello Doily Rug by FLOR
I love the Hello Doily rug for its ability to transform Victorian style into something urban and sleek. $322 after 15% sale.

Filed under Budget Decor, Interior Design, Rugs+Carpet, Sales+Shopping, Small Space Style| Tagged Biodegradable, Changeable Style, Eco-friendly, Non-toxic | No Comments

DIY: Hotel Style at Home

06Nov06

In a few weeks I get to start making over my apartment–in hip green style of course! And since I’m on a shoestring budget it will definitely involve some DIY. Craig’s list, ebay will be my usual suspects, as well friends over at Apartment Therapy. But I’ve also just discovered a local underground source in Hotel Surplus Outlet.

Two years ago I assisted with the refurb of several suites at the Hotel Bel Air so you’d think I would’ve been in on a place like this. Those five-star castoffs have to go somewhere right?

Here are a few makeover contenders:

Lattice Armoire from Shutters on the Beach, $199.
This piece would be quite the hottie painted in China red. Or Antique White. How about glossy black? There are also matching chairs, desks, mirrors and accent tables.

TV Console Cabinet Antiqued Blonde
Not bad. A little beige. A color update (may a low-VOC peacock blue) would make this console a standout. $99.

Bentwood Dining or Occasional Chair
Paint the frame glossy black and reupholster in a retro print. $69.95

Antiqued Silver Side Table, $149.

Phillippe Starck Lord Yo Chairs for $69.99 each

Hotel Surplus Outlet is in downtown LA and open to the trade and the public. There are definitely finds to be had–pieces that once lived among the rich and perhaps famous in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and Shutters on the Beach. Or with baywatchers at the Surf and Sand. Most of the pieces are high quality transitional pieces like Louis roundback chairs, Bergere chairs, loveseats that could use some updating. Lots of ceramic table lamps to satisfy one’s taste for chinoiserie if you go for that sort of thing.

The Fab Factor: Hotel living at home. A chance to experiment with those Design on a Dime ideas. The feel-good moment when you’ve undergone Operation Furniture Rescue. Consider low VOC paints for added green factor.

Don’t live in LA? Hop on Google and find a hotel surplus provider near you.

Filed under Budget Decor, Furniture, Interior Design, Small Space Style, Vintage| Tagged Eco-friendly, flea market, furniture deals, Hotel surplus | 5 Comments

Fabulously Green