These adorably imperfect dolls are patterned after drawings made by first, second and third grade children in Sri Lanka, part of a social design initiative called Me and My Doll, spearheaded by German designer Alexa Alexa Lixfeld. The dolls are hand made by women employed by The Selyn Socioeconomic Development Foundation, — Continue reading
Shanghai designer Carl Liu and his product design company Newtive have created this fanciful and ingenious prototype for an environmentally-sensitive watering can. Flower Watering Pot, made from PVC plastic, has been designed to catch rain water through a system of funnels that sprout up from the can like flowering stems. “The problem is that — Continue reading
For the 1.6 billion people who lack access to electricity, being able to harness the power of the sun can be, quite literally, a matter of life and death. Which is why Little Sun, a solar powered lamp designed by the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson gets major kudos from us. — Continue reading
If it seems downright miraculous that a small, wood-framed church, deep in the woods of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, would be named one of the 20th Century’s great buildings by the American Institute of Architects, maybe it’s only fitting. The building, Thorncrown Chapel, is, after all, something of a miracle in — Continue reading
Here’s another reason to go green for Earth Day. Starting tomorrow, Earth Day, 2Modern will be discounting inventory from designers who create beautiful products with ecological sensitivity in mind. For 7 full days, through April 28, choose from eco-friendly furniture, like the Modern Outdoor Etra Club Chair, available in this greenest of — Continue reading
A pat on the back if you know what a tamper or dibber is. We liked the look of this one even before we knew what it was, which is why we’ll probably be reading Modern Farmer, the latest food journal aimed at modern urbanites who claim to be ‘foodies’ — Continue reading
Our preoccupation with water—drinking lots of it, paying for it, taking it wherever we go—is, not surprisingly, reflected in the abundance of attention industrial designers are lavishing on containers meant to hold and transport liquids. How many ways, we wonder, are there to interpret such a vessel? Well, with World Water — Continue reading
We’ll confess that it was the clean and earthy packaging that drew our attention to Circle 21 scented candles, but it turns out we like everything else about them, too. For starters, this Amarillo, Texas company makes its candles from all-natural soy (not petroleum-based paraffin), and hand pours them into repurposed — Continue reading
If this is what rural living looks like, then sign us up immediately! The Vancouver-based architect Omer Arbel has designed a house on a Canadian hayfield that takes it’s angular, asymmetrical shape from the 100 year-old timber beams that were—in accordance with the architect’s instructions—used exactly as found, rather than cut — Continue reading
If you don’t think it’s possible for 7 continents and every major city on the planet to agree on anything, you don’t know Earth Hour. Proving that climate change initiatives can actually be fun, this Saturday, March 23rd, marks the 7th go-round for an illuminating little idea cooked up by the World — Continue reading
It’s hard to justify getting excited about an air purifier, but when it looks like this, maybe we’re allowed. Blueair, makers of air purifiers, introduced its Sense model last year to universal acclaim, and no wonder. Designed by the Swedish architectural firm Claesson Koivisto Rune, Sense boasted an exceptionally pure form that — Continue reading
If you think this is plastic, think again. When San Francisco passed a 2012 city ordinance banning plastic shopping bags, the artist Lauren DiCioccio took note by offering up an eco-friendly homage to the flimsy, generic white plastic bag and its crude “thank you” typography. Her version, a collaboration with — Continue reading
Resolving the mystery of trends—their inception, the speed with which they disseminate, why they resonate—is a task best left to the experts. But we know what we see, and what’s clear to us is that hexagons are most definitely a recurring pattern. Whether for walls, floor or ceiling; applied in — Continue reading
We couldn’t agree more with the selection of emerald as Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year. After all, we’ve got a jewel of our own in the Knoll Risom Lounge Chair, a classic, if there ever was one—and looking particularly fetching here in brilliant green. One of the first designs commissioned — Continue reading
Ok, it’s not officially spring yet, but when we spotted this brilliant, graphic tulip at Timbergram, a UK brand of wooden, screen-printed postcards, we couldn’t help getting a little ahead of ourselves. Made from 4 mm birch, and manufactured in the UK, Timbergrams are greeting cards/announcements patterned after early 20th — Continue reading
Here’s a novel (and green) gift idea for a kid or any comic book-loving adult: The Letteroom, a UK printing studio, will hand craft upper-case, 3-D letters, using original, vintage comic book pages and 100% recycled card stock. The letters are lightweight, but sturdy, and available in four choices of comic — Continue reading
“I want to reinvent the built environment in order to extend the reach of consciousness,” says the ecologically-minded artist Michael Jantzen. Here, he explains his latest concept, The Solar Winds Gathering Place. “The Solar Winds Gathering Place is a design proposal for a large, prefabricated, modular, public art project. In — Continue reading
Whole World Water is a social/ecological campaign aimed at bringing attention to the dual issues of clean drinking water—something which remains inaccessible to millions—and the deadly consequences of plastic run amok. The campaign, which officially launches on March 22, World Water Day, has the pledge of participating hotel chains to replace plastic water — Continue reading
The Japanese industrial designer Naoto Yoshida knows something about wood scrap. The son of a furniture maker, he’s long been witness to the byproduct of the furniture making process. Inspired to do something from discarded, but still beautiful, wood scrap, he seems to have hit upon the golden triumvirate of modern — Continue reading
Shipping containers have become a modern, sustainable design concept, and “pop-up” retailers are all the rage. Combine them, and what do you get? Sleeping Around, a unique pop-up, shipping container hotel. Here, the term “pop-up” goes beyond the notion of merely making an unexpected appearance. It denotes exclusivity, flexibility and innovation: a — Continue reading
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