Pretty Little Green Things

Posts Tagged ‘Art’

I was at Artistic Tile the other day checking the latest and greatest in the tile world and came across these beautiful glass mosaic panels from Ellen Blakeley Studio.  Ellen was originally inspired to start working with mosaics after seeing a shattered tempered glass panel at a bus station sparkling and glinting in the sun.  She’s since move on to salvaging refuse from commercial glass companies, but I still love that the start of her company came from what most people would consider garbage.  I’ve included a few of my favorite options below, but mosaics are totally customizable in terms of colors, grout and cool bits of whatever peeking through the back.  Which one is your fav?

Black & copper

Spotlight in gold (notice the bits of gold leaf peeking through)

Elements in Amazon

New Yorker (can you see the bits of newspaper peeking through from the back?  Let’s hope it’s a good story, because you can’t change it once it’s on your wall!)

Black Lace (for those of you who are a bit more adventurous!)

Photos from Ellen Blakeley Studio

I spent most of yesterday walking through the very crowded Architectural Digest Home Design Show at Pier 94.  I’ve attended the show for many years now and I have to say this was the best show I’ve seen in terms of quality of products and number of attendees. Maybe it’s due to the addition of Margaret Russell to AD (formerly the editor in chief of Elle Decor) or maybe it’s that projects have started to pick back up.  Whatever the reason you could feel the buzz and excitement in the air.  And the products and vendors I saw were absolutely the best of the best.  Of course I love looking at everything, but it’s always the eco-friendly or socially responsible products that really catch my eye.  Since this year’s show was so great and I found so many amazing things, I’m going to break my pics into two posts.  Check back tomorrow for more!

These are my top eco-friendly finds, in no particular order:

These gorgeous pillows come from D. Bryant Archie Textiles who also won an ASID Imagine Top Pick for her presentation.  Her wool blankets and pillows have always topped of my list of favorites and this award couldn’t have gone to a more deserving, talented and lovely person.  Her newest line made from metallic vintage fabric as shown in the two pictures on the right, is super chic.

This awesome little console table comes from Jeff Soderbergh, who if you remember, also made the beautiful reclaimed wood table featured in the 2010 House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year.  This new console is made from wood taken from the hull an antique schooner that was built in 1885.  I love the copper nailheads spotted all over the wood which gives it such character.  Jeff has plenty of this unique wood left so hopefully we’ll be seeing more pieces from him soon.

I’m really in love with these clocks from Palo Samko.  I’ve always known him as an incredibly talented furniture maker, so it’s great to see that he’s added accessories to his repertoire.  I would mind time passing by quickly if I had one of these clocks to stare at.

This gorgeous chandelier comes from Elizabeth Polish Design and it’s made entirely of paper (except for the framing of course).  I just love the organic feel of this fixture and I can only imagine the soft light it casts in a room.  Custom options are always available for any project.

How cool is this table from Studio Roeper?  I love the contrast of the salvaged bleached wood and the metallic faceted legs.

I have to say that my pictures don’t do any sort of justice to these stunning art installations from Moran/Brown.  They’re made of small copper tiles that have been heated so they change color into these vibrant shades you see here.  And all without any chemical processing.  You have to take a peek on their website at some of their larger pieces to really get an idea of what Moran/Brown can do.  I’m not sure I’d want Lady Gaga hanging on my wall, but you get the idea of their capabilities.

I’m always a fan of the industrial vintage look so I’m loving these light fixtures from Strawser & Smith who are based in Brooklyn.  Each one is made out of various industrial parts like chains, pipes and cogs.  The glass is also hand blown right here in New York.

And of course, I’m always a fan of the New Traditionalists and their elegant and tailored line of eco-friendly furniture.  They have a few gorgeous new finishes which was great to see in person.

I found these really beautiful lampshades from Greener Abode in my inbox the other day and thought they were so artful and unique that I had to share.  Designed by Sarah Newman, DesignBark lampshades are not only colorful and fun, they’re also green.  The veneer comes from FSC certified suppliers and the patterns are screen printed with environmentally friendly pigments where possible.  And if you’re from the Brit side of the pond, your delivery is totally local.

You could definitely use these lampshades as art instead of (or in addition to!) hanging prints on your walls.  And because they’ll always have a lightbulb behind them, they glow!  I couldn’t decide which one I liked the best, so I just posted them all.  Enjoy!

Photos from Greener Abode

You’ve probably already seen wall decals aplenty.  As a removable and easy to install item, they’re the perfect way for renters and commitment-phobes to add a bit of pattern and color to their walls.  There are some really beautiful and fun options out there, but I have to say, my favorite comes from Hu2 Design.  Their stickers are quirky, original and always eco-friendly.  Made from non-PVC vinyl, they’re free of chlorine and plasticizers and remove cleanly from the wall.  I’m loving the cute eco-reminders for those of us who sometimes forget to turn off lights, unplug electronics or take long showers.  Take a peek at my eco-friendly reminder picks and head on over to their website to see their complete line of stickers including larger wall scenes.  Enjoy!

Save Water Sticker

CO2 Factory Reminder Sticker

Bills Reminder Sticker

Hamster Wheel Generator Sticker

Hamster Lamp Sticker

Unplugged MacBook Sticker

Photos from Hu2 Design

I spent an inspiring and exhausting day walking around the New York International Gift Fair today.  The NYIGF is not just a show full of gifts – all sorts of products are on display for retailers to order for their stores.  I went to see furniture, lighting, decorative cushions, tabletop goods, and other accessories, but baby products, jewelry, fragrances, stationary and more are available.  This show is so large that it fills up the entire Javits Center and spills over to Pier 94 and 92 in New York City.  Walking the aisles of beautiful offerings always makes me want to open up a retail shop just so I’ll have an excuse to buy all the home goods and accessories on display.  But as that is not going to happen anytime soon, I’ll just have to stick to walking around and taking pictures and drooling.

What I specifically went looking for were eco-friendly products and vendors.  My first stop was Pier 94, which houses the “At Home” section of the show.  My next stop was the Javits Center, but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to see my picks from there.

One thing I did notice at Pier 94 was the prevalence of vintage design.  While a lot of these products weren’t truly vintage, it was great to see it as a theme.  Hopefully it will convince more people to buy used!  The vendors above are Blue Ocean Traders, Vagabond Vintage & Peddlers Home Design.

These gorgeous tables are handmade by Brian Foster from Groundwork.  The tabletops and bases are completely interchangeable – the website is just a jumping off point for a final design.  And you can also find Groundwork furniture at ABC Home on the 2nd Floor if you want to take a look in person. I have to say my pictures don’t do the beautiful materials he uses justice, but you get the idea.

Next, I came upon Audrey and her lovely team from Audrey Sterk Design.  They make eco-friendly wallpaper, fabric, floor coverings, furniture and more from her colorful and graphic patterns.  Each one comes in a range of colors or is totally customizable according to the Pantone fan deck.  They even took a picture of me for their ‘Smiles’ board, so if you stop by make sure to take a peek at my mug!

At Vagabond Vintage, I totally fell in love with these quilts made from recycled saris.  They are super soft and oh so colorful.

Dryads Home & Garden makes really interesting mirrors frames out of recycled ceiling tin, reclaimed wood or used corrugated metal.  I love how they mix different colors, textures and patterns together for a very unique look.

I next visited the always lovely Stacy from Dunes and Duchess.  I’m absolutely in love with her beautiful candelabras and was so happy to see that she’s branched out to bright lacquered colors (like this gorgeous blue shown here), lamps, sconces and mirrors.  All of their products are handmade in New York.  Plus Stacy is an absolute joy to follow on Twitter.

You can probably guess that I love antique maps and prints.  The texture and history of these pieces is just something you can’t get with new, so I was happy to stumble upon Foreign Affair.  They have a great selection of vintage maps that I could have stopped and rifled through all day.

Okay, I didn’t totally research the whole story on these really cool yarn balls, but they looked like the string was woven out of fabric remnants.  I really loved the variated colors and oversized scale of these pieces.  They come from Go Home, which was another home accessory vendor rocking the vintage vibe.

Jamie Young always has a beautiful collection of lighting and lamps so I was so excited to hear that many of these same products are made from renewable materials.  They use everything from cork and burlap for lampshades (pictured on the left) and recycled glass (left) and driftwood for the bases (right).

While the gorgeous pillows from Kevin O’Brien Studio aren’t necessarily green, their waste policy totally is.  Instead of throwing away all the remnant pieces of fabric from the production process, they fashion those leftovers into the most adorable stuffed animals.  I can’t wait to have an excuse to buy a few of these as gifts!

Made Goods is another one of those booths where I wanted to buy everything in sight.  Don’t worry, I didn’t.  But I was very happy to see that they have quite a few products made from renewable or recycled materials.  The mirror frame on the left is made from rapidly renewable abaca, the stool in the center is made from recycled saris (are you seeing a theme here?) and the mirror on the right is made from railroad ties (if you look really close, you can see me taking that picture!)

How beautiful is that rug hanging in the Patrick Charles booth?  All of his products are made from carpet remnants and are totally gorgeous.  I was loving the brightly dyed vintage rugs as well as the tiny stools upholstered in antique kilims.  I purposely not showing you pictures of everything in the booth so I can save something for a later post.  Stay tuned…

And lastly, but certainly not least this is Tempo.  The colors, textures and luminescence of these glass pendants were just beautiful.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more eco-chic goods from the Javits Center.  Stay tuned…

I’ve been sitting on my sofa, curled up under a quilt trying to find the right inspiration for today’s blog post.  You know, just the right thing that will blow your mind.  Something that you’ll send to all your friends, who will be so amazed that they’ll send it to all their friends, and so on and so forth (I can dream, can’t I?).  But after spending the day winding up and down the ramp of the stunning Guggenheim Museum in New York, nothing seemed to quite fit my mood.  That is, until I flipped through the beautiful vintage and repurposed goods from Dutch website, All the Luck in the World.  Jane Schouten’s goods are completely artful and felt like just the right fit for today’s excursion.  They’re unique, colorful and feel like they have a story to tell.  I’m partial to this first stool covered with a vintage needlepoint.  What’s your favorite?

Photos from All the Luck in the World

Hi, my name is Petra and I love art.  Museums, art books, prints, photos, installations…you name it and I like looking at it.  However, eco-friendly art really hasn’t been a subject I’ve delved much into here at Pretty Little Green Things.  So you can probably understand that I was very happy when Tom from StarArc contacted me with images of his beautiful prints.  Now, I’ve never been much of a subscriber to horoscopes and astrological signs.  Mine seems so far off the mark that I’ve never really paid much attention.  However, when I took a look at these beautiful prints based on astrological birth charts, I thought I might have to change my mind.

Every StarArc print is unique a geometric representation of your own astrological chart.  Bold colors, thick and think crisscrossing lines and planet & zodiac symbols circling the exterior, make this a modern interpretation of a very traditional topic.  Each piece is custom made according to your exact birthday, style preferences and overall size.  And if you’re totally ignorant like me when it comes to astrology, you’re in luck.  Each print comes with an interpretation of what your astrological chart means.  Plus not only are the StarArc prints nice to look at, they’re also sustainably made, down to the Urth canvas they’re printed on, recycled wood stretcher bars and eco-friendly printing house.  If you’re interested in getting one of your own, ordering is pretty simple online.  Just select your size (from 10″ x 10″ to 48″ x 48″), color (choose from 27), and options.  Enter in your birthday and you’re done!

Photos from StarArc

Hello my name is Petra and I’m a wallpaper-aholic.

I’ll admit it, I want to wallpaper every flat surface I see.  But c’mon, the current wallpapers are not your grandmother’s papers.  They’re chic, they’re elegant, and they’re oh so beautiful.  So you can imagine my delight when I finally decided that our small entry would be getting its very own wallpaper.  My excitement, however, quickly turned to dismay when I realized that I could only pick one wallpaper design.  Even I, ever the maximalist (did you see my last post?!?) knows that you can’t wallpaper four walls in the same room with different designs.  Needless to say, it’s been a rough couple weeks.

So while I’ve been channeling my inner Simon Cowell, I thought you, dear readers would love to get a glimpse into my finalists.  Keep in mind all of these are eco-friendly in some way or another.  Would I pick anything else?

I’ve written about this amazing wallpaper from Shanan Campanaro from Eskayel before.  It is hands down my absolute favorite wallpaper.  However, Shanan’s amazing designs also come with a price tag.  And unfortunately my tiny entry also has very tall ceilings, which equals more rolls than you think you need.  Bummer.  Although in the short term, I might just buy a drop for inexpensive and gorgeous large scale art.  Madagascar Bay wallpaper from Eskayel.

I’ve been holding onto a sample of this gorgeous wallpaper from Farrow & Ball for months.  The pattern is beautiful, the color is perfect for my apartment and the pattern is surprisingly modern from a manufacturer known for traditional English papers.  (Although I will say choosing a traditional paper design in a surprising color is a great way to add a little unexpected modern glamour to your house, but I digress…)  In the end I didn’t select it, but I’m definitely keeping this pattern on hand for someday clients.  Lotus Paper from Farrow & Ball.

I love this pattern.  The sketchy lines and black & white color scheme make it totally modern, but the curved lines soften it into a very elegant paper.  In the end I decided that the contrasting colors and sketchy lines were a bit too modern pop-art for my husband & potential home buyers (because even though I’m all for smaller living, someday we will want more than a one bedroom apartment).  But I’ll definitely keep this wallpaper from Kreme in the back of my mind for that perfect project.  Furniture perhaps?  Spiro in Ivory & Black from Kreme.

This wallpaper is also from Kreme (they have tons of great patterns).  It’s a very subtle design – soft colors, slight watercolor paint look, and a Moorish pattern that I’m totally in love with.  I was so close to picking it as my finalist, but I ended up deciding that it was just a touch too subtle.  I know, I know, I’m tough to please.  But when you have a tiny entry with a super high ceiling, you have to make sure to find just the right thing… Watercolor Acorn Gate in Ivory from Kreme.

Which I believe I did.  Ta da, my final selection!  Was it worth the wait? This gorgeous gold and white paper comes from Ferm Living.  They’re out of Denmark and sell wallpapers and wall decals that are totally inspiring and cool, and this pattern in particular has always stood out to me.  I’m loving the touch of metallic gold glamour and the slightly feminine yet slightly edgy pattern.  I think it’s going to look fantastic in our tiny little entry.  Not overwhelming or too subtle at all.  And of course, you’ll get to see it and judge my final decision for yourself in a few weeks.  Wilderness in White/Gold from Ferm Living.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Which wallpaper is your favorite?

Now I’ve seen a lot of interior products – it’s what I do all day and how I unwind at night (what could be better than a new shelter mag and a glass of wine?)  I’m generally a lover of most things, but it takes something really unique to get me to truly sit up and take notice.  So when I first saw wallpaper and pillows from Shanan Campanaro of Eskayel, they stopped me dead in my tracks.  The patterns are beyond gorgeous and so different than anything I’ve ever seen.  (See what I mean?  A smattering of the patterns are above).

Shanan is an artist by trade but started experimenting by digitally manipulating portions of her artwork into kaleidoscopic patterns on wallpaper.  The result is what you see here.  You can tell that a few of these came from a painting of a sleeping polar bear (beyond gorgeous), while others it’s much harder to tell.  I imagine you can look at this wallpaper for hours and always see something different.  Here’s a link to Shanan’s artist website so you can see the original works of art for yourself.

Now for the green creds: Shanan’s pillows are 100% eco-friendly, made with organic denim, water based inks and digitally printed (and made locally if you’re near Pennsylvania and sold in Brooklyn).  The wallpapers contain no VOCs, are vinyl free and also digitally printed (no run off waste).  Gorgeous and eco-friendly?  Sign me up!

So what else will Eskayel be taking on you ask?  Fabrics and ceramic tumblers.  I have to save something for another post, so you’ll have to be patient.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few more pictures of Shanan Campanaro’s gorgeous patterns.  Enjoy!

Photos from Eskayel

Happy Monday!  I recently discovered Stina Persson and absolutely fell in love with her watercolors.  They’re colorful, artful, feminine but with a certain cool factor to them.  Make sure to check out her website so you can see a larger range of her work.  I decided to base this Monday’s room scheme around one of her beautiful pieces.  The one that spoke to me is more monochromatic than some of her other works and I think just stunning.  The coordinating pieces I chose to surround the artwork also have a level of artfulness to them which makes everything go together in a very unique way.  So without further ado, here is this week’s artful, chic and of course eco-friendly living room scheme.

1.  Pendant light made from reused Coca Cola bottles.  Cola 30 pendant from Sarah Turner.

2.  Reclaimed wood on a steel base.  Retalho Coffee Table from Rotsen Furniture.

3.  Handwoven wool and silk rug.  Linden rug by Liza Phillips Design.

4.  Handprinted linen pillow.  Zorah Navy on Snow from Christen Maxwell.

5.  Sofa made from reclaimed wood.  Trousdale Sofa 2 from Lawson-Fenning.

6.  Silk & linen fabric for drapery.  Silk Grille from Pollack.

7.  The gorgeous watercolor that this room is based on.  From Stina Persson.

8.  Solid wood TV console.  Visualizm from Izm.