Dwell on Design Features More Brilliant Green Design Than Ever

Inhabitat is happy to report that Dwell on Design, the west coast’s largest modern design event, featured more smart green design than ever before this year. When we walked the floor yesterday with Dwell Publisher and President Michela O’Connor Abrams (and the carpenter and designer from HGTV’s Carter Can show), it was clear to see that the majority of the companies showcasing their products and services at the three-day festival are paying a great deal more attention to sustainability than in the past. We guestimate that about 80% of the companies there were promoting some kind of green story – in a varying shades, of course. Read on for our highlights from the show!

sustainable design, green design, dwell on design 2009, furniture, lighting, prefab, architecture, industrial design, conference, event, reclaimed space

Dwell Outdoor Exhibit

The Dwell Outdoor exhibit showcased the best of pre-fab with a fun pop-up community. Reclaimed Space‘s 400sf mini-house extraordinaire was decked out with sexy sustainable interiors designed by Ecofabulous and Jeffers Design Group. This diminutive maisonette is made from salvaged Texan woods carrying a bit of its history with it into its new life as a second home or guest house.

Exclusive Tents makes tent living luxurious, and often come complete with bath tubs and loo, and second floors. They are perfect for people who are building new homes and would prefer to live on-site during construction or those who want to embark on urban safaris in their own backyards.

Also on view in the outdoor pavilion, the newly announced Dwell Homes Collection. Lindal Cedar Homes retools the log cabin for modern living and Marmol Radizner offered up some new prefab designs.

sustainable design, green design, dwell on design 2009, furniture, lighting, prefab, architecture, industrial design, conference, event

Kitchen

In the Kitchen Ecology section, Design Boom curated an amazing collection of ingenious prototypical designs for the future. From the soil clock by Marieke Staps to the Grow 1 mini photovoltaics by New York-based S-M-I-T, some of the design ideas are very literal while others are more inventive.

sustainable design, green design, dwell on design 2009, furniture, lighting, prefab, architecture, industrial design, conference, event, Amenity Home Muir Collection, hero designs, boom design

Home Furnishings

The floor also of course featured all manner of new eco-furnishings for the home. Hero’s RC-1 rain collector was a favorite. The perforated lace-like frame looks lovely in any garden, but inside it filters rainwater for irrigation and many other purposes. We also spied a great eco-lamp by Boom Design crafted from old truck parts. An air filter forms the modern shade while brake disks make the base. The cool look was enough to make us stop and ogle for a minute.

sustainable design, green design, dwell on design 2009, furniture, lighting, prefab, architecture, industrial design, conference, event, Amenity Home Muir Collection

Amenity‘s lovely bedding and new line of bedroom furniture, made from reclaimed wood from local Los Angeles construction sites, is also worth a stop. They also have a line of graphic organic bedding for adults and tots.

Also of note, Environment‘s collection of sustainable furniture stood out from the crowd with their army-tent-clad sofa – elegant but totally durable. And if you’ve been searching for the perfect eco-wall covering, definitely check out Astek‘s eco-friendly UV digital printed products. They have designers on staff to work with clients to come up with custom graphics, and their standard collection of prints is modern and unique. Our favorite was the damask-printed cork. So rad!

sustainable design, green design, dwell on design 2009, furniture, lighting, prefab, architecture, industrial design, conference, event, modern shed

Modular Housing

We also noticed an increased number of turnkey design/build operations on the floor. From pieceHomes green, modern, modular homes to Logical Homes by Peter de Maria or IC Green’s shipping container dwellings, and Marmol Radziner’s new prefabs for the Dwell Homes Collection, more architects are combining with builders or becoming builders themselves to create simple, sustainable one-stop shops for consumers looking for green homes.

+ Dwell on Design 2009

+ Dwell on Design 2009 Photo Gallery