Weegee medium sized table lamp now on sale at Design Public $119 from $150. Love the mums pattern.

 The name of this table is as lovely, delicate, and beautiful as the object itself. From the artist, Rafael Morgan:

“A poetical approach to remind us , young designers, that someday someone can really get our message.”

There’s none in production now but you can contact the artist directly to get more info.

No, not Al Gore, but GoreDesign - a design studio based in Arizona that specializes in custom concrete and steel furniture/fixture. I have to post this because not only do I absolutely love *LOVE* the topographic sink (below), I also love this little shell picture (above) and the quote from their site:

“Come upon an emerging design, and against certain lights, an industrial high noon, the silhouette of invention stretches itself out, turns darker, heavier, it begins throwing off its own long shadows – smokestacks, carbon, the metallic haze of industry and plastic.

But then there’s the design that wandered off, the one that turns its face to the sun and makes itself translucent in the light, that takes on the shapes and colors of the world outside it, that remembers its foundations will rest on the earth.”

To GoreDesign and all the designers and consumers out there who give a damn about the environment, I salute you.

PS. I just got me a grocery shopping bag. From now on, no more plastic or paper. Just one bag that’ll let me do my little part.

These super sweet versatile Alto cabinets are now on sale at DWR at a really great price — $958 marked down from $2,250 for each side. (By great price I mean DWR’s version of great price, quality and craftsmanship considered) The small footprint and good use of vertical space along with the nice hinge door make this cabinet a winner on many levels. You can store a TON of stuff stylishly without taking up a lot of room or feeling cluttered. Here’s what this baby come with (quote from site):

“Each cabinet includes a stemware rack that can hold up to 49 glasses. A middle compartment has a pull-out tray that can store cutlery, placemats and napkins. The lower cabinet includes a removable glass shelf.”

2 units pictured here.

Sleek and unexpected. I totally dig how Lago made this versatile dresser very unique by simply shifting a single line. No prices. Italian made. Check for nearest store here.

*bling
Yumm. Also from Vivavi, the undeniably sexy daybed by Pie. $3600. (I think I’ve seen something similar to this in Thailand)

Uber slick children should all have uber slick toy boxes. Box is made with certified sustainable birch wood with all sorts of kid-friendly features like non-toxic paint (in case they lick the box) and slow-closing spring thinggy (in case they stick their heads in it). Brownie points to the use of eco-friendly materials. This piece is versatile and subtle - not too child-like. I love the basic form and ever slightly rounded corners. It will be one that will definitely grow with your kids for a long time. The Fuji Toybox is a part of the Argington furniture line, available for $420 (pricey, but worth the splurge, imho) at Vivavi.

IKEA just launched the upper crust version of their furniture line. These pieces are still priced for the budget conscious but made with better materials than the usual IKEA stuff you normally get. Trust the Svedes for furnishing the world at the best prices around. (Site, although totally cool with the pseudo flash 3D effect, is not in English, sorry)

If you happen to be in the NYC area between May 19 - 22 for ICFF, be sure to stop by the HauteGreen exhibition for some seriously inspirational eye candy. There will be over 70 pieces of eco-friendly furniture, lighting, and accessories there to oogle over. See designer list. Yum.

With “green funiture” concept being reviewed everywhere from blogs to prints, I’m fairly surprised that I haven’t come across the use of Yan Lipao anywhere. Perhaps this is because it is a plant unique to the region of South East Asia only and isn’t as widely known as bamboo or hyacinth. Yan Lipaw is a renewable plant based material used in traditional Thai basket weaving. A quick google search yields this quote on Yan Lipao:

“Yan Lipao is a kind of climbing plant, a fern vine that grows in black and brown colours. It is a natures bounty of raw material for unique basketry work. The vine grows well in the southern part of Thailand. The vine collected from the jungle must be pelled (The outer part being stripped from the pith) and hung to dry in the shade. The dried strips are then polished and smoothed out before weaving. The ripe one-meter portion climbing from the root of the vine is the best materil for basketry work. The tools used to weave are a sharp knife and pin, a holed metal cover on tin, a holed thick metal plate and a pincers.”

Unlike the up and coming material water hyacinth, yan lipao yields a much more detailed weaving pattern and creates a much more elegant look to the end result. Yothaka, a reknowned company started by Mr Suwan Khongkhunthain, is among the forefront of modern furniture making that utilizes renewable resources like water hyacinth and yan lipao. Pictured here are the 4 main products from his yan lipao gallery. He’s been at it since 1989. The pricing is amazingly affordable for these gorgeous pieces. You will, however, have to import them from the far east.