With the recent rise in popularity of electronic readers such as the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad, thoughts of “book extinction” have really seeped their way into design conversations. Italy-based Gartenkulter pays tribute to the tree with these beautiful planters made from old and disused books. By removing the heart of the book’s cover and pages and then creating a seal, the book becomes a home for a living and growing tree. “As each seed becomes a plant or tree, the book becomes a pot or cradle.”
Although e-readers may offer environmental benefits over printed paper pulp, it’s undeniable that the thought of a world without “real” books creates an unpleasant emptiness in many hearts. There is just something wonderful about those bounded pages of paper inked in black and white print that decorate our shelves. Books own a historical place of comfort that may feel irreplaceable. Recent design has touched upon the feelings of the importance of the written book, and Gartenkulter’s book pots are a beautiful example of this.
Via Designerblog
[...] efforts definitely paid off, the sculpture has been labeled as the second largest ever made out of recycled materials by the Guinness Book of World [...]
I love the way these people think. I absolutely must know how to do this with my old books that my family and I never read.
We love this out-of-the-box thinking to turn a book into something even more beautiful than what it already is. Just think about how many books are on the bookshelf that could be turned into something beautiful and useful!! Thanks for sharing!
These are absolutely beautiful.
That’s beautiful and somehow the most appropriate way to recycle a book. Back to the roots, so to say.