Many people bemoan the fact that they can’t grow their own food (or even flowers) because they lack any kind of garden space, but guess what? You can actually grow more than you realize in really small areas as long as they get a bit of direct sun. Hell, you can even grow things indoors under a lamp, but there’s something special about plucking your own food from a stalk that’s been sitting in summer sunshine all day. In any case, whether you have a little concrete slab behind your house, a fire escape outside your window, or even a tiny balcony, your urban garden can be a veritable Eden of fresh, healthy, home-grown vegetables, and herbs.
After weeks of submissions and an intense week of online voting, we’re excited to finally announce the two winners of Inhabitat’s Lighten Up! Lighting Design Competition. We received hundreds of entries featuring projects that employ LEDs in innovative and interesting ways, ranging from a colorful art installation that reacts to changing light to a restaurant donning beautiful ceiling lamps to a research campus adorned with LED back-lit wood walls. We narrowed all the entries we received down to just 30 finalists, and then left it up to Inhabitat readers to decide which two designs were most deserving of $1000 prizes from Elemental LED. So who won? Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
It takes real skill to turn salvaged materials into something new and exciting, which is why we applaud Pickett Furniture‘s creative spin on recycling. They were on hand this weekend at BKLYN Designs, where we got to check out their unique handcrafted furnishings and accessories made from responsibly sourced wood and vintage textiles. Read on to see more of their eclectic and charming bamboo lamps, vintage Marimekko fabric pillows and kids’ toys!
This weekend, the Inhabiteam once again got to experience BKLYN Designs, one of our most beloved NY Design Week events, and revel in all of the Brooklyn-made furniture glory that it had to offer. As in years past, we also nominated our favorite green designers at the show for Inhabitat Green Designs Awards, and asked you to vote for a readers’ choice winner in addition to our editors’ choice pic. Read on to find out which two Brooklyn-based designers took home the top prizes!
Inhabitat’s favorite local NYC design show, BKLYN Designs, just wrapped up a three-day run in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, and the Inhabiteam was on the scene to source the latest and greatest green designs at the show. From adjustable, magnetic lights designer by Bower to a Mesmerizing 3D LED LUCID Mirror from Adam Frank to this incredible concept for a flood-proof, prefab beach building by Garrison Architects, see all the designs that really stood out in the Inhabitat editors’ eyes. And don’t forget to check out which designer won best in show according to Inhabitat readers.
Photo by Andrew Biraj for Reuters
We’ve been closely following the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh, where over 700 people have lost their lives when an eight-story garment factory collapsed on April 24th. Rescue workers are still pulling victims from the wreckage and the death toll continues to rise. “Fast Fashion” and lack of corporate social responsibility certainly contributed to the disaster, but there’s also another issue at hand that is even more important – building practices. Bad buildings kill people. Without proper building codes, appropriate architecture & engineering, safe building practices and government oversight, inadequate building practices put people at risk. This incident makes it plainly obvious that the construction industry in Bangladesh is broken – and everyone involved, from the owners to the architects, engineers, planning commission, inspectors and even the municipality is to blame.
We received nearly 200 amazing entries in our Lighten Up! LED Lighting Design Competition over the last few weeks, and after countless hours of deliberation, we’ve narrowed these entries down to just 30 finalists. Now it’s time for you to have your say! Vote for your favorite designs and decide which of these fantastic commercial and residential lighting projects should be awarded a $1000 prize from Elemental LED. Will it be this fully interactive LED drum wall, this billowing Cosmic Quilt, this gorgeously lit net-zero home in California, or these classrooms inspired by Galileo’s night sky observations? There are no doubt plenty of impressive designs to admire, but ONLY TWO can win. Cast a vote for your favorites, and if you happen to be a finalist, don’t forget to remind your friends and family to vote for your design! Voting ends TONIGHT, Friday, May 10th, 11:59PM EST.
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