Pretty Little Green Things

Posts Tagged ‘Pillows’

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 had a different post planned for today, but a good friend just left New York to move back to London, and my previous subject just didn’t seem to fit my mood.  So in honor of her, I put together a mood board of iconic British pieces to help her feel right at home when she lands at Heathrow.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t totally for her (it was for you too!), but she was definitely the inspiration.  Everything below is eco-friendly in some capacity – either vintage, recycled or handmade.  In fact, the Brits are actually quite eco conscious so the combination of English cultural symbols and green design just seemed to fit all around.

London is calling…and it’s green.

1. Keep Calm and Carry On Canvas Tote 2. Recycled Union Jack Pillows 3. English Motoring Helmet 4. Vintage map of England 5. Skyline of London wall sticker 6. Antique London Souvenir Tin Box 7. Embroidered Recycled Wool Union Jack Pillow 8. Vintage Hammersley Bone China Tea Service 9. Queen Elizabeth Felt Cushion 10. Red Telephone Box

For all of you throw pillow fans out there, I’ve got some eye candy for you today.  If you’re like me, you understand how wonderful that little puffy thing sitting on your sofa truly is.  I mean, just an 18″ x 18″ square can really transform a room with a new pop of color, texture or pattern.  And all without fear of commitment (just make sure when you’re done with it, you donate that pillow cover, and don’t, *gasp* throw it away).

Now I normally look through quite a lot of throw pillows, but when I saw the latest collection from Fabricadabra, it definitely stopped me in my tracks.  I mean, what’s not to love?  They’re beautiful, unique, colorful, fun and above all, eco-friendly.  For those of you who don’t know about Fabricadabra, this awesome company is run by Donna Halloran, a textile industry pro.  All of the fabrics she uses are sustainably sourced and produced, and include organic, handmade and fair-trade options.  In addition, Fabricadabra also sells eco-friendly pillow inserts, which is actually something I don’t see very often, even from green retailers.  Seems like a no-brainer to me, but I digress.

I found it impossible to stick to just one or two pillows to show, so instead I decided to pick a whole bunch and organize them in rainbow order.  So happy Wednesday and enjoy!

Cotton batik crackle pillow cover; Vintage suzani pillow cover

Silk/cotton ikat pillow; Cheeky ikat print on organic cotton

Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover in orange; Dutch wax printed batik cotton pillow cover

Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover; Untreated cotton batik crackle cloth pillow cover

African wax printed cotton sheeting pillow cover; Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover

Tie-dye on organic cotton jersey pillow cover; Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover

Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover in purple; Dutch wax printed/batik pillow cover

Cotton mud cloth pillow cover; Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover in charcoal

Photos from Fabricadabra

On our recent trip to Southeast Asia, we spent an amazing day touring Angkor Wat, a large region filled with the most awe inspiring and grand carved stone temples, built in the 8th to 12th centuries.  Because our stay in Cambodia was so short, we didn’t get to experience the local culture as I would have liked to.  But unfortunately, even with such a quick trip, I did notice the disheartening poverty surrounding Angkor Wat.  It’s a difficult issue, but one certain groups are working to solve.

One such group is Artisans d’Angkor, a fair trade company providing Cambodians with skilled training, jobs, fair pay and medical benefits.  These artisans make a variety of traditional Cambodian crafts including stone carvings, paintings and lacquer goods, but it was their silk weaving that really caught my eye.  From traditional ikats to more contemporary solids and stripes, their textiles are truly luminous and impeccably crafted.  I bought a little blue ikat coin purse, although now that I’ve been perusing their website, I’m wishing I picked up a few more pieces.

These are a few of my favorite home goods and accessories to give you an idea of what they do.  Now that I’m looking back on my choices, I noticed a went a little warm tone happy.  I promise that Artisans d’Angkor has more colors than red & fuchsia, but some of the images weren’t loading correctly on my computer.  Either way, you can see that their silk is just gorgeous.  Happy shopping!

Photos from Artisans d’Angkor

It’s starting to get pretty chilly here in New York at night which makes me want to snuggle under a warm fuzzy blanket, watch movies from the 80s and drink hot chocolate.  Our TV is still under drop cloths and we’re not quite up to running water yet in our kitchen so I’ll have to settle for the blankets.  Fortunately Teixidors out of Spain makes some beautiful and eco-friendly mantas (I’m practicing my Spanish) to cozy up in.  As you can probably tell, I don’t speak Spanish and there’s no English translation on their website so you’ll just have to take my word for it.  So instead of writing lots about the company and the products, let’s just skip to pictures the gorgeous blankets.  They’re not currently being sold in the US but will be on display at Maison et Objet in Paris and 100% Design in London if you’re heading to either of those shows.  And fingers crossed that Teixidors come over to the US soon!

Arles

Boi

Bruma

Andalus

Sisteron

Mirtos

Hydra pillows (you didn’t think I’d let you get away without a few throw pillows, did you?)

Photos from Teixidors

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I don’t know how to knit, but don’t blame my mom for not teaching me.  As an amazingly crafty and creative woman, she’s tried numerous times.  But soon after every lesson, I manage to forget how to knit, pearl and cast myself off to a new scarf.  But that doesn’t stop me from loving knits and wool in general – sweaters, blankets, scarves, you name it and I love it.  Fortunately for me, eco-friendly wool knits and felt are definitely in for fall.  Here are a few fuzzy things I’m loving right now.

I’m loving the chunky knits of these Granny Lamps from Casamania.  The wool comes from grazing sheep in the Tyrolean Valley of the Alps and they’re hand knit by a cooperative in the Netherlands that supports senior citizens and people with special needs.

I first saw these rugs from Souled Objects at ICFF this year.  The chunky knit made me want to either curl up on them or romp through them like this little girl.  Either way, they’re super cozy and totally gorgeous.  The website for these rugs isn’t quite up yet, but there’s a great article about them and their creator, Dana Barnes, in the New York Times if you’re interested in learning more.

I’m so in love with this intricate Teardrop Vessel from Branch.  Not only is it unique and beautiful, it also supports a collaborative program between Crafted Systems and the YWCA Women’s Shelter of Portland, Oregon to train and employ homeless women.  Each vessel is made of 100% wool felt and assembled by hand with interlocking pieces of the felt that require no sewing or fasteners.

One of my favorite luxury organic bedding brands is Coyuchi and they definitely don’t disappoint with their decorative pillows either.  These Sweater Stripe Pillows are made of Mongolian cashmere, knit with organic cotton into the ribs.

For another pillow option, here’s a wool knit cabled pillow.  It comes from PreciousKnits on Etsy and is handmade from 100% wool.  In general I love cable knits, but this pillow is especially detailed and gorgeous.  No plain cable knit here!

There are tons of beautiful knit blankets out there, but I was drawn to the nubby version from Stansborough Wools.  They’re knit in New Zealand from Stansborough Grey fleece, wool of a special sheep bred for their gorgeous silky wool.  You can find them at Pfeifer Studio here.

I couldn’t possibly leave you without a cozy wool wallpaper to go with the other fuzzy items.  This fleecy Blanket Yarn and Stitch comes from Maya Romanoff and is available in a few different colors.  This paper would be perfect in a ski lodge with the Granny Lamp and actually everything else from above.

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

You thought I was done with my New York International Gift Fair favs, but fear not, I have a few more amazing vendors for you. Again, my camera died, so no actual pictures of the show, but thankfully they all have good websites and pictures.  Here are another five vendors that give their eco best.

You can hang just about any plant from these planters from Boskke.  While the containers aren’t necessarily eco-friendly, the whole concept of bringing more green into our lives sure is.  This system allows you to grow plants where you otherwise might not be able to.  Even with my horrible luck, I might even have a fighting change trying to grow something.

I have to say that this pillow from Creative Women was one of, if not my absolute favorite pillow of the show.  I know what you’re thinking.  It’s so simple.  But there’s something about the texture, the little ruffles, the color and of course the green-ness.  It’s absolute understated elegance.  Sigh.

I have yet to do a post on bags.  I’ve been holding off because there are SO MANY people selling eco-friendly bags out there (some more eco-friendly than others if you know what I mean).  When I do finally get around to picking my top ten, Fluf will definitely be in that list.  Their fabrics are beyond chic and their bags are really well made.  What’s not to love?

I have to say I’m a sucker for contrasting welts, cording and borders.  If you don’t know what that means, well, all I’ll say is that these organic cotton towels got it goin’ on.  They’re from Joel Fitzpatrick and come in a variety of border colors.

No post is ever really complete without an area rug.  These outdoor rugs are super colorful (not as evidenced by this picture, but trust me they are) made from polypropylene recycled from soda bottles and can be hosed down.  Patterns range from traditional to what I’m a fan of, graphic.  They come from Mariachi Imports.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this second round of eco-friendly products from the New York International Gift Fair.  There were so many amazing vendors there, it’s hard to fit it all in a couple blog posts.  I’ll be following up with detailed posts about these and other vendors from the show in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned…

I just got back from the most amazing whirlwind anniversary weekend with my husband (more on that later) and straight into the whirlwind New York International Gift Fair.  For those of you who don’t know what the Gift Fair is, let me tell you.  It’s a huge show with tons of vendors selling everything from stationary to tabletop products, bedding & linens to baskets, baby products to furniture and jewelry to bags and much much more.  I went to take a peek at the fair yesterday to see what kind of eco-friendly offerings there were and boy was there a lot.  I was actually quite excited about the vintage look that seemed to pervade much of the Home show.  While I know these products weren’t actually vintage, I’m happy it’s the look right now.  One more excuse to buy used!

Unfortunately my camera decided to run out of batteries so I don’t have pictures of the show for you, although that is a picture of my loot above (I know, I know, taking all the catalogs is not very eco-friendly, but when you have a memory like mine, it’s necessary).  Thankfully the vendors have amazing websites, so I’m going to use some of their pictures instead.  As a quick tease, here are a few of my favorites below.  I’ll be posting more about these and some of the other vendors I saw in the next couple weeks so stay tuned.

This blanket comes from D. Bryant Archie Textiles.  They sell the most beautiful throw pillows and blankets from 100% alpaca or linen.  And D. Bryant Archie herself is absolutely lovely.

These pictures absolutely don’t do this linen line justice – Libeco makes the most gorgeous linen I’ve seen.  They make pillows, kitchen towels, bath towels, table linens and more.

I actually saw these “stones” from Ronel Jordaan recently at one of my vendors showrooms and was amazed at how real they look.  They’re felted wool made to look like giant stones.  You can sit on them or just look at them.  They’re sold through Amaridian.

I loved these fair trade baskets from Swahili Wholesale.  They’re made by women in Swahili out of grasses and pieces of old prayer rugs.  And they come in tons of colors.

I’ve known about Stray Dog Designs for a while but it was so great to see their products in person.  It was great to see their newest line.  Plus, I have to say their photos don’t nearly do their light fixtures justice.

Okay, that was your quick tease for now.  More details about these and other wonderful eco-friendly products to follow.

This next pillow collection comes from Alexandra Ferguson.  She was recently featured in Real Simple (June’s issue!) and as a featured seller on Etsy.  Her pillows are made from “100 percent post consumer recycled felt applique pillows. Each pillow is approximately the equivalent of 4 bottles that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.”  But you would never think that these pillows were anything but chic. The super soft felt is cut by hand and applied by machine.

It was hard for me to pick just a few favorites.  I’m always partial to anything with flowers on it, but her saying are so stylish too.  Enjoy!

I may have to adopt this as a slogan!

Gorgeous!

I may have to get this for my husband (or better yet, he should get this for me!)

Photos from Alexandra Ferguson