Just when you thought Etsy couldn’t get any more awesome, they break out this custom-made Etsy-cle filled with compostable waste to help out a neighborhood farm! Every Friday, three Etsy employees volunteer to bike an average of 150 pounds of organic waste

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Photo by Stephen Repasky of Meadow Sweet Apiaries

A Delta flight departing Pittsburgh International Airport for NYC on Wednesday was delayed when thousands of bees swarmed the plane’s body. The buzzing critters bumrushed the craft’s wing just as the plane’s

Read More >

1 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

As you might have learned from our past coverage of Wendy, the spiky blue sculpture isn’t just a cool structure for PS1′s backyard. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, Wendy actually cleans the air by passing it through its specially-made titania

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

 

 

Whether you wholeheartedly laud Mayor Bloomberg's push for smaller NYC apartments or think it's the worst idea since reopening McCarren Pool (sorry, just sayin'), you have to admit that the thought of living in a teensy, tiny micro apartment is kind of fascinating. So when found out that the city's very first self-powered building, which opened last week, also boasts an ultra-compact, 345 sq. ft. studio apartment, we had to take a look inside. Though lilliputian, the living space packs a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and dining room into an oddly-shaped triangular floorplan using clever transforming furniture and a whole lot of architectural ingenuity. Step inside our slideshow of the Park Slope studio and tell us in the comments if you think you could picture yourself living there.

 

Read More >

2 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

 

 

Unveiling a new building in 99 degree weather with no air conditioning doesn't sound ideal - unless, that is, said building is the first one in NYC that can power itself. Dubbed the Delta, the self-sustaining residential property was opened to the press last night by green developers Voltaic Solaire, and the balmy conditions in the city just happened to be the perfect opportunity to showcase its smart design. If you've been following our coverage of the Delta, you know that it is equipped with solar panels and a vertical wind turbine that allow it to meet 100% of its energy needs without tapping into the grid, and yesterday, we also got to experience its effective passive cooling and ventilation on one of the hottest nights of the year. Click through our gallery to see our photos inside the Delta's two compact and cleverly-organized apartments, which will be available for short-term rental starting this August as well some of the building's other super-futuristic technologies. See-through solar panels, anyone?

 

Read More >

1 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

INDULGE IN ICY TREATS

This is one day of the year when it might actually be dangerous to run after an ice cream truck, so why not make your own frosty treats in your own home? From scrumptious homemade popsicles in any flavor you like to organic lemon ice

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

 

 

When it comes to storage space, most New Yorkers face the same problem - we don't have any. In other words, it's hard to stuff another shoebox full of stuff in your apartment when your apartment is the size of one. Because of this, we've always coveted double duty furniture like these beds that also conceal storage, but they typically aren't cheap...unless you take our lead and jerryrig one up yourself out of a repurposed Ikea bookcase and some inexpensive wooden panels. Read on for our DIY tutorial showing you how, and don't forget the best part - when you outgrow your home made storage bed, just flip the bed base upright and it becomes a bookcase again.

 

Read More >

3 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

The Ditch Plains Drop-In is a nice departure from your standard in-park concessions in both the fare it offers as well as its aesthetic appeal. Its sloping profile is almost hill-like in its appearance, with a free-growing green roof that keeps the interior

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

The new Brooklyn Bridge Park Pop-Up Pool isn’t as large as McCarren Pool, measuring in at just 30’ x 50’ and 3.5 feet deep, but it makes up for what it lacks in size with tons of style. In addition to its azure swimming hole, the primary-colored space

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Boy with Fireflies image via Shutterstock

We’re sure that this year’s fireworks over the Hudson will be great, but if you’re looking for a truly spectacular and green lightshow, head over to the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden tomorrow! The garden will

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Mayor Bloomberg isn’t the only mogul who wants to ban certain kinds of drinks in NYC – now hip hop business baron Russell Simmons is proposing that the mayor’s plan to ban sugary drinks like soda from New York eateries include milk as well. Simmons recently

Read More >

2 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

We were already fans of ladybugs and the chemical-free pest control they provide before we stepped foot in the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden, but we grew even fonder of them as we learned more about them from the head of the garden’s Critter Committee,

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

In case you’re not already familiar with Wendy, the prickly, larger-than-life outdoor sculpture by local firm HWKN won this year’s MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program competition, and was debuted to the press tonight. In addition to meeting the contest’s stipulations

Read More >

2 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Big news from the Cooper-Hewitt today – the Smithsonian’s National Design Museum announced that it has selected New York City-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro as the designers of the gallery and visitor experience for the reopening of its revamped museum campus

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

If you’re not familiar with McCarren Pool, it was one of eleven pools opened by Robert Moses back in 1936. The Greenpoint, Brooklyn pool closed up shop in the mid-80s but it then opened up again in 2005 as a repurposed concert venue. The unonventional spot

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Governors Island-goers will find Bike and Roll NYC’s recycled shipping container kiosks in two locations. The main one is next to Castle William and there is also a smaller one across from the Brooklyn Ferry dock. The bright blue color of the renting stations

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Whether your father is a bonafide foodie or just a guy who enjoys getting his eat on, he’ll find tons to tickle his palate at this Sunday’s Food Truck Rally in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The city’s finest food carts from Kimchi Taco Truck to Luke’s Lobster to

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

 

 

We're a bit BAN-anas when it comes to architect Shigeru Ban so when we heard that he was finished with the Camper store - his first retail project in the United States - we knew we had to check it out in person. The eye-catching shoe store lends a pop of red color to the corner of Prince and Wooster streets in New York City and is topped with an angled roof made of Ban's signature paper tubes. Inside, the "House of Shoes" looks more like a MoMA exhibit than a footwear purveyor, featuring a giant logo wall that hides hoards of sandals, flat and loafers behind it. Check out our photo gallery to see the pics we snapped of SoHo's most unexpected new retail space.

 

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Our friends over at EcoSystems recently shared their newest design video with us, and if you have a second to watch, we promise it’ll put a smile on your face. The clip takes us behind the scenes at one of our favorite green NYC restaurants, The Queens Kickshaw,

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

Photo via Wikimedia

If you thought Manhattanhenge was a sight for sore eyes, be sure to check out tonight’s once-in-a-lifetime Transit of Venus eclipse, but be warned that it might give you sore eyes – literally. The rare event will be visible (weather-willing)

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

A gas explosion rocked an area underneath the High Line this morning, injuring two people. The blast occurred when a crew of construction workers tried to remove a gas tank from a former gas station at W. 14th St. and 10th Ave. The workers were rushed to Bellevue

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

What is going on here? We don’t even know.

The High Line Zoo is located atop a previously barren rooftop along the High Line, and consists of flat (but still ferocious) lions, elephants and monkeys. While the animals are a pristine white during the day,

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

 

 

Memorial Day typically results in a mass exodus of NYC each year, but if you're sticking around on the homefront this weekend, there are plenty of free events and activities of which to take advantage. From a Central Park walking tour of monuments that pay homage to fallen heroes to a waterfront bike ride towards ships visiting for Fleet Week to a free family festival on Governors Island, read on to see all of the fun things you can do this weekend in the Big Apple!

 

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

The Rockwell Group and David Rockwell are well-known as the masterminds behind such sensorial restaurant interiors as Adour Alain Ducasse, Nobu and Emeril’s, and the grounds of the Great GoogaMooga festival reflected that attention to detail – something you

Read More >

0 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter

MOD{all} Studio recently sent us their green redesign of the Conover Cottages in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Called Eco-ttage, the sustainable facelift was the winning entry in a competition to give the iconic (but not very attractive) homes a much-needed overhaul,

Read More >

3 emailemail facebookfacebook twittertwitter