Green at Heart: Dutch Designer Christien Meindertsma

Irwin Weiner ASID - I love the take on design presented in today's featured video. Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma espouses "documentary design," meaning she covers the entire lifecycle of the products she designs and produces, straight to the source. Examples of her work include the popular Urchin Pouf (top photo), Oak Inside console (bottom photo), individual wool sweaters made from a single sheep that you get to know a lot about or a range of flax products from a nearby Dutch flax field.

As the LEED certification requirements for green building and design change in the coming year, everyone will become (hopefully) more aware of where their home goods and building materials came from, how they were manufactured, and what processes were used to the original elements every step of the way, from origin to your doorstep. The goal is to see consumers and homeowners making more informed, conscious decisions that are environmentally conscious and respectful. <thunderous applause>

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Membranes Form Unique Wrapped Living Spaces in Chile's Wall House

Irwin Weiner ASID - I like seeing envelopes pushed when it comes to residential architecture. We need to shake up the old concept of "living in a box."

That's why I love the Wall House in today's featured video, a clever layering of rooms and different envelopes to enclose a number of living spaces, from the central private spaces outward to the fabric'wrapped and tented outdoor shaded spaces. Kudos to architects Frohn&Rojas (FAR) for pushing the envelope even further on home design.

 

 

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Happy Halloween!

Irwin Weiner ASID - If you're celebrating Halloween this year, have a great holiday, and if you haven't gotten into the groove yet - or if a catastrophic storm like Sandy hit your area as it did with us here in New York City - you can always think ahead to next year. In today's featured video, you can see some of the spookier Halloween decorations you can purchase, and I'll bet that you can go online or to a local retailer and scoop up some greatly discounted decorations for next year's celebrations. Have fun!

For decoration discounts online, try the following online outlets.

• Halloween Paper Masks at West Elm
• Multiple Decor Items at Pottery Barn
• Grandinroad Halloween Decor & Accessories Grand Finale Sale
  

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Great Idea for Recycling Plastic Dinnerware!

Irwin Weiner ASID - Don't you love it when people make something creative and clever? I thanked my lucky stars when I came across the following video featuring the collaboration between recycling artist Sayaka Ganz and kinetic sculptor Jim Merz.

These two creative and clever souls who recycled plastic dinnerware and created kinetic light sculptures, entitled Luminariales 2.

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