We’re perpetually amazed by the way that Japanese designer Daisuke Hiraiwa transforms everyday objects into striking examples of found design, and we were particularly impressed with his incredible line of Indication chandeliers – made from recycled plastic spoons. Exhibited at this year’s ICFF, each one is completely composed of clear plastic spoons that have been punctured with hundreds of tiny holes to allow light to filter through them in beautiful ways.

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Post tags: daisuke hiraiwa, found design, green design, icff 2009, Recycled Materials, spoon lamp, sustainable design, sustainable lighting

We spotted a lot of great designs at ICFF this year, but one of the gems that really stopped us in our tracks was this gorgeous eco Echo Lounge Chair which boasts a customizable ergonomic cushion system and a sustainable attitude. The Echo Lounge Chair, designed by Carlos Fierro of Plug Design, is a simple, beautifully crafted metal framed chair that is built entirely without fasteners or adhesives. Timber slats fill the frame, and adjustable wool pieces inserted between each slat provide built-in cushioning. The best part is that the user can customize the profile of the woolen pieces to provide a plush, personalized fit to meet any ergonomic needs.

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Post tags: Echo Lounge Chair, eco echo lounge, eco furniture design, Green Home decor, ICFF, Plug design, sustainable design

The best work on display at New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair this year came from student designers. BVD Collective, a student project from Appalachian State University, proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt by debuting a stunning collection of lighting fixtures made from recycled plastic utensils. Made from 100% post-consumer plastic utensils (yes, that means dirty forks collected from waste-bins), the ‘Waste Not’ line of lamps highlights just how elegant and inspired recycled design can be. The gorgeous Go Go Ghost table lamp (shown above), by Corey Daniels, is made from 121 recycled plastic knives collected over the course of countless BVD group lunches from a fried chicken restaurant.

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Post tags: eco furniture, Go Go Ghost table lamp, Green Home decor, Green Lighting, ICFF, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, repurposed materials

In a world of shimmering polycarbonate chairs and seamlessly engineered surfaces, Brooklyn based Stanley Ruiz’s work is a breath of fresh air. Inspired by “walking, improv music, and Thoreau”, his New Organic Collection strikes a stunning balance between craft and industry. Composed of powder-coated steel and carefully selected twigs, the collection beautifully blends prefigured forms with raw materials.


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Post tags: ICFF 2008, Inhabitat ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Stanley Ruiz, Stanley Ruiz Brooklyn, Stanley Ruiz natural materials, Stanley Ruiz New York, Stanley Ruiz Organic Collection, Stanley Ruiz twig designs, Stanley Ruiz Twig Jewelry, Stick Jewelry, Twig Designs, Twig Jewelry, Twig Ring

A confessed dumpster diver always on the look-out for abandoned treasures and grand-daughter to both a furniture designer and a scrap metal recycler, Emily Kroll was destined to launch EKLA Home. With a fresh new brand of sustainable sofas, Kroll’s green-minded design endeavor takes its eco-mandate very seriously. If you didn’t catch the Los Angeles-based designer’s off-Javits East Coast debut at Design Lush during ICFF, here’s a quick and delicious recap.


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Post tags: Design Lush New York, eco-fabrics sofas, EKLA sofas, EKLA sustainable design, Emily Kroll EKLA furniture, Emily Kroll green furniture design, Emily Kroll sustainable design, fsc-certified furniture, fsc-certified sofas, ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, sustainable materials sofas

If you are a coffee drinker with a hard-to-kick habit, you are probably all too aware of how many coffee stirrers are wasted at places like Starbucks every single day. Day in and day out, millions of these single-use sticks go straight into the garbage and off to the landfill after a quick 10-second swirl of cream or sugar. You may have even wondered – like we sure have: “Isn’t there something that we can do to get better use out of all these toss-away coffee stirrers?” Well we are happy to report that there finally is answer to the java-waste woes: Portuguese design group Studio Veríssimo has just debuted a gorgeous eco-luxe chandelier that not only provides a glimmer of hope for discarded coffee sticks, but also created quite a stir at the recent Touch | NY exhibition during New York Design Week.

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Post tags: Brazilian design, Chandelier made from coffee stirrers, coffee stirrer chandelier, design re-use, eco design, green design, reclaimed design, reclaiming design, recycled design, sustainable style, TOUCH NYC

This spring’s ICFF brought some stunning new treats from one of Inhabitat’s perennial favorites, Iannone Designs. The star of Iannone’s ICFF booth was this wonderful Cork Mosaic Credenza that features a charming woodland tableau formed from variegated layers of sustainably harvested cork. Its sprightly reliefs of birds, deer and branches secures Iannone’s spot as the epitome of eco-chic.

Read the rest of ICFF 2008: Nature inspired cork credenza by Iannone Design

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Post tags: deeryiannone, formaldehyde free plywoods, fsc-certified furniture, Iannone Designs, Iannone Designs cork mosaic sideboard, ICFF 2008, ICFF New York 2008, Inhabitat ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, locally sourced lumber, natural cork furniture, renewable materials

Dozens of rolled up newspapers found their way back to functionality in the cleverly designed Newspaper Chair by Kimberly Kulka, a student at California College of the Arts. We love the smart thought process behind this chair – store your magazines and newspapers underneath the form for added structural stability and cushioning (and storage space of course). This is one of the most inspired takes on the magazine rack idea that we’ve seen in awhile.

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Post tags: "sustainable furniture", CCA Chair, CCA design, CCA eco design, CCA Musical Chairs, eco chair, eco design, eco furniture, green chair, green design, ICFF 2008, inhabitat, Inhabitat Furniture Fair, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, jill fehrenbacher, Magazine storing chair, new york design week, Newspaper Chair, NY Design Week 2008, recycled design, recycled newspapers, sustainable design

Philadelphia-based design studio MIO unveiled their innovative rubber stool collection at ICFF this week. Fashioned out of recycled tires with a clean-lined steel frame, the Rubber Stool is ingeniously simple and surprisingly comfortable. The rubber seat is woven into the frame without any hardware and simple traction keeps it in place. No assembly required, just sit! Made from hardy materials, the Rubber Stool is perfect for either indoor or outdoor use.

Read the rest of ICFF 2008: MIO’s Recycled Tire Rubber Stools

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Post tags: ICFF 2008, ICFF NYC 2008, Inhabitat ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, mio design, MIO furniture design, MIO ICFF 2008, MIO International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, MIO Philadelphia, MIO recycled rubber stool, MIO Rubber Stool, MIO sustainable design

It takes more than renewable materials to turn the head of seasoned sustainable design fans. This is why our gaze fell so admirably on the line of housewares from Domestic Aesthetic while making our way through the ICFF this past week. Domestic Aesthetic’s motto “live well, live right” extends beyond their product line into the surrounding community, with social responsibility high on their list of priorities. With a beautiful line of handcrafted pieces, this truly green-minded company is out to make eco-friendly easier for both buyers and manufacturers, and we have to admit that the results are beautiful.

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We found many innovative designs at ICFF last weekend, but we were particularly impressed with the concept behind this beautiful table from MIO. Its streamlined form uses a waste reducing pattern that can be cut with little leftover material, and packed flat for efficient shipping. Dubbed the Origami table, the design was inspired by its namesake art form. Through an exploration of folding materials, MIO has created a functional and efficient eco-friendly structure that is self-locking and hardware free.

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Post tags: flatpack furniture, ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Jaime Salm, Mio flatpack design, MIO furniture design, MIO ICFF 2008, Mio Origami table, MIO Philadelphia, MIO studio, MIO sustainable design, waste reducing design, Young Jin Chung

One of our favorite finds at this year’s ICFF were these beautiful geometric tables wrought from scraps of reclaimed sheet metal by Brooklyn based Nine Stories Furniture. Each table is painstakingly crafted of material harvested from old automobiles found in salvage yards. The metal is cut, formed, and pieced together into a durable patchwork that proudly displays the patina and history of its disparate parts.

Read the rest of ICFF 2008: Tables from Reclaimed Car Parts!

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Post tags: ICFF 2008, Inhabitat ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Nine Stories Furniture NYC, reclaimed materials furniture, recyclec car parts, recycled materials furniture, recycled steel, repurposed car parts, repurposed steel, sustainable design furniture

Sick of rain-slicked slippery floors? Looking to take your rainwater recycling to the next level, while simultaneously improving your green thumb? This Umbrella Plant Pot by Kyouei Design offers a beautiful solution to the soggy umbrella dilemma, and allows you to turn that excess, unwanted rain water into nourishment for a plant! It’s a simple ceramic umbrella jar with an ingenious twist – watershed from your soaked brellies collects in a pot at the bottom of the vase to sustains a tiny potted plant.

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Post tags: eco umbrella jar, eco-design ICFF, green design, green umbrella jar, ICFF, Inhabitat ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Kyouei Design, Kyouei Design umbrella pot, living design, New York City design events, New York City Design Week 2008, sustainable design, Umbrella holder, umbrella plant, Umbrella pot plant

This super smart chair design from Cate & Nelson was one of the most clever ideas we found at ICFF this year. The Oz Lowchair, by designers Nelson Ruiz-Acal and Cate Högdahl, is an exercise in design versatility. Multiple layers of felt fill the chair and can be flipped like the pages of a book to create a new color combination. Mixed or monotone, the felt ‘flips’ allow the user to adjust the cheerful assortment of colorful fabric to fit a multitude of moods.


Read the rest of ICFF 2008: Fabulous Felt ‘Flip’ Chair by Cate & Nelson

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Post tags: "natural materials", Cate & Nelson felt chair, Cate & Nelson felt flip chair, Cate & Nelson ICFF, Cate & Nelson OZ Lowchair, eco-chair design, environmentally friendly materials, ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, natural materials chair design, sustainable chair design, sustainable design

Nori Morimoto’s light sculptures were on display at ICFF in a stunning booth that showcased this master craftsman’s attention to delicate details. Crafted from local, sustainably harvested wood from around his Vermont wood working studio, Morimoto’s work was a truly refreshing sustainable design find at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair this past weekend.

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Post tags: ICFF 2008, ICFF New York 2008, Inhabitat ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Jill Fehrenbacher ICFF, locally sourced materials, Nori Morimoto light sculpture, Nori Morimoto Vermont, Nori Morimoto wood sculpture, Nori Morimoto wood working, responsibly harvested wood, sustainable wood

Turn your garbage into something useful with Nick DeMarco inflatable garbage sofa chair. The more trash and recyclables you can stuff into this clever chair – the more puffy and comfortable it becomes. A California College of the Arts student, Nick DeMarco exhibited his ‘XS Chair’ at ICFF this weekend. Industrial plastic sheeting filled with Oakland’s excess garbage and recyclables turns into an overstuffed sofa chair giving reuse and recycling a new face. DeMarco’s XS Chair is a part of ‘Sustainable Design for Mass Production’ presented by CCA, a exhibition of eco-chair designs and environmentally-minded ideas.


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Post tags: California College of the Arts eco chair competition, garbage chair ICFF, ICFF 2008, ICFF student design, International Furniture Fair 2008, Nick Demarco CCA, Sustainable Design for Mass Production CCA

Today is the last day of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC, and we are madly going through all of our photos of the furniture, products, and of course the parties from the past few days. If you missed the NY furniture fair this year, don’t fear – you can catch up on all the best new green design right here at Inhabitat.


Read the rest of ICFF 2008: Inhabitat Reports

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Post tags: "sustainable furniture", eco design, eco furniture, green design, ICFF 2008, ICFF 2008: Highlights from the furniture fair, inhabitat, Inhabitat Furniture Fair, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, jill fehrenbacher, sustainable design

Who couldn’t use more shiny, sparkling, pointless things? This Celebrity Lamp may lack subtlety, but it makes up for it with countless opportunities to check yourself out. I imagine it would also do a fine job of scaring away birds, or signaling for help in an emergency. The shade is made of brand-new silver mirrored sunglasses, creating a glittering paparazzi effect that’s sure to forever immortalize your living room, bath, or any other place where a disco ball just won’t do.


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Post tags: aviator shades, Deeply Madly Living NYC, green design NYC, ICFF 2008, Inhabitat at ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Jill Fehrenbacher ICFF, recycled materials lighting, recycled sunglasses, reused sunglasses, sustainable design NYC, upcycled sunglasses

We first discovered the stunning recycled jewelry of MANA back in January. Brazilian eco designer Mana Bernardes works with a collective of young women in Rio De Janeiro to refashion bits of urban detritus – plastic bottles, circuit boards, hairpins, phone cards – into gorgeously thought-provoking jewelry. Now the fabulously eco-chic Mana Collection is coming to NYC with the launch of the TOUCH | NY exhibit this weekend, and we can’t wait to check it out at the opening reception tonight.

TOUCH | NY: May 18th -20th
12 noon – 7pm
148 11th Avenue, NY, NY

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Post tags: Brazil street fashion, design re-use, eco design, green design, Mana Bernardes, reclaimed design, reclaiming design, recycled accessories, recycled jewelry, sustainable style, TOUCH Mana Collection

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) kicks off today in NYC, and the Inhabitat team is on the scene! We’ve got four Inhabitants at this year’s event poised to scope out the greenest designs among the fresh finds at ICFF 2008. Mike Chino, Ali Kriscenski, Jason Sahler and Jill Fehrenbacher are at ICFF with eyes wide open, ready to get the sustainable scoop and bring the best photos and reports back to Inhabitat. We’ll start coverage today on the most interesting new furniture, lighting, products and presentations from ICFF 2008. Stay tuned to Inhabitat as your source for green design at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008!



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Post tags: Design Week 2008, eco design, Furniture Fair 2008, green design, ICFF 2008, ICFF Starts this Saturday! Inhabitat at NY Design Week 2008, Inhabitat Furniture Fair, Inhabitat reportage, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Jacob Javitz Center, sustainable design