Textile designer: Sina Pearson
Colors de Mexico Collection by Sina Pearson
I deem a fabric collection successful when one look takes me to another region of the world, Sina Pearsons textiles do just that. The “Colors de Mexico” series shown above was inspired by all things Mexican. This designer is the perfect example of designing from inspiration. Her entire collection of fabrics are conducive of life experience and this is what makes them so successful, not to mention her expert color credentials.
A Cool Breeze
Last week was Earth Day and it reminded me about the need for a ceiling fan in my living room. I already have one in several other rooms in the house.
Ceiling fans are a very energy efficient way to cool your home. They work by increasing air movement and helping your body lose heat. Installing fans can also drastically reduce your air conditioning costs, since they consume approximately half as much electricity as air conditioners. Turning your fan on and your air conditioner down a few degrees will result in an overall cost savings.
So if you live in a hot climate and don’t own one you should ask yourself why.
The Great Green Outdoors
Just in time for Earth Day comes the Go collection of outdoor furniture, created exclusively for Design Within Reach by eco geniuses Greg Benson and Jeff Taly at Loll Designs. Crafted from 100-percent post-consumer plastic recycled from milk jugs, Go brings the indoors out with a modern spin on the classic club chair and loveseat, as well as accessories such as the side table and coffee table/bench. Built to last, every piece is waterproof, fade resistant and maintenance free. And with 90-percent of the waste from the manufacturing process being sent to a recycling plant, the Go collection’s carbon footprint is small in size and big on style.
All seven pieces in the Go collection are available in seven colors, including black, white, British green, Chocolate, Apple, Leaf and Sky, shown here. The side chair offers plenty of space to relax, and boasts a more-upright back that most outdoor “lounge” chairs, a feature found throughout the collection. Choose from the stationary version above, or get moving with the rocking side chair.
Ancient Caves Inspire Modern Design
A while back we decided to take a day trip before the masses joined us for Israel’s annual Spring vacation. We went to the man-made bell-shaped caves near Luzit north of Beersheva. Usually I avoid going to caves as I don’t find small, dark spaces that you have to crawl on your hands and knees at all appealing.
But these enormous spaces were anything but dark.
Garden your spirits to new heights
It’s about that time to start thinking of gardening with Spring just around the bend. What’s better than a seed catalogue or this article to raise your spirits higher as the last winter blasts wreak havok in the North East? When I look out my window I see white, the best palette to create what’s soon to come. Seeds are the first of many steps that lead to your wildest garden aspirations. There are many catalogues to choose from. Just looking at them makes me smile.
Planning a garden is an art. You must decide if you want to eat from it or just beautify or both. Personally, I like to add a touch of color and fragrance among the ediables.
Saving energy = saving $$$
The latest thing in home improvement these days is saving money not spending it. Well, spending it is inevitable if you want to upgrade your home and some initial costs will have to be incurred to eventually save for years to come. A much talked about “home-energy audit and upgrades” program is what homeowners are raving about. What is a “home-energy audit” you ask?
Indigenous Influence on Olympic Designs – Part II
Last week I wrote about the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler Village.
This week I would like to focus on an extraordinary Olympic structure: the Olympic Oval in Richmond, B.C. hosting the 2010 Olympics speed skating.
The building is a unique structure incorporating native design and some very unusual building materials.
Indigenous influence on Olympic Designs
We are in the midst of the 2010 winter Olympics in my former hometown of Vancouver, Canada. So while watching the games from halfway round the world I thought I’d look at some of the buildings that were built in association with this world event.
Wally, the living wall system
First we had “Wall-E the robot and now we have “Wally, the living wall system”. I had an uncle Wally and never associated the name with anything futuristic, but there seems to be a new wave of Wally’s in the world.
Here’s the living wall system from woollypocket.com, an LA / Phoenix based design group that prides themselves on sustainable products. This is a very happening idea when it comes to putting on the green. The indoor-outdoor system itself is made from recycled plastic bottles which is breathable and this in turn helps keeps the soils oxygen supply fresh.
Social Awareness + Environmentally Friendly Design
Last week I featured Studio Ubico founded by Ori Ben Zvi who creates furniture series out of recycled materials with a very fresh look. Ori uses reclaimed wood, mimicking ready made objects. Yesterday morning I got an email from Ori that a fresh design has come out and I simply had to share it with you.
This new line is called “Stortz” which apparently means “stump” in German. I couldn’t find anything on it on the net, it may be an old German word. Ori tells me that almost all the words to do with carpentry in Israel are in German since the very first carpenters in Israel were originally from Germany.
