Yesterday, we laid out a few ideas [www.sundancechannel.com] for why product design is important, and why sustainable product design has a huge potential to change the way we think about, buy, and use products, from everyday gadgets to once-in-a-lifetime artifacts. Think about it: what if everything you consumed was not only less harmful, but netted a positive impact on the earth? We aren’t quite there yet, but some of our favorite designers are making strides toward that goal for tomorrow with products they’ve designed today; they create more functional products with fewer materials, build thoughtful products that are not only built to last, but are built to be easily repaired (rather than discarded) when they break down; they produce designs that entice us to change the way we think about how the stuff we use every day can work, look and feel. Check out the (really interesting!) work of a few of the best TreeHugging designers.
1) Awhile back, TreeHugger made a list (and divided it into a four-part series) of our favorite sustainable designers, representing different parts of the sustainable design puzzle. Part one [www.treehugger.com] included Peter Danko (whose designs were mentioned here [www.sundancechannel.com] as part of our Designer Spotlight series) is one of the original (and still one of the best) when it comes to the combination of sustainability and design; his furniture, ranging from seats [www.treehugger.com] to benches to chairs [www.treehugger.com] and tables [www.treehugger.com], is largely made with ply-bent wood, recycled materials for seat suspension padding and non-toxic, water-based adhesives. It is simple, yet sophisticated, and, as Danko’s new designs [www.treehugger.com] come down the pike, we have yet to be disappointed.
2) It’s also difficult for us to mention the words “sustainable design” without thinking of Herman Miller; the Aeron Chair [www.treehugger.com] is perhaps the most recognizable (and imitated) of these contemporary designs. Designed by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf, the chair combines distinctive looks with pioneering ergonomics and is the envy of office workers the world ’round. Aeron is based on the ideas that ergonomically, the chair should do more than just sit there; functionally, it should be as simple and natural as possible, and environmentally, it should be durable, repairable and designed for disassembly and recycling. Made largely of recycled materials, the Aeron chair is designed to last a long time, with parts that get the most wear easily replaced and recycled: just what we’ve come to expect in a well thought-out design.
3) Charlie Lazor’s name graces the list for his versatility and prolific design portfolio. A Partner and Designer at furniture design company Blu Dot, he works with the premise that design should be affordable and daydreams of a better flat-packed world. Blu Dot’s pieces are making a splash: seen on the sets of well-known television shows such as “Friends” and “ER,” in the permanent collections of several museums, and as winners of numerous national and international awards. Lazor is also responsible for the FlatPak House [www.treehugger.com], which arrives at the building site in flat pieces to keep cost and environmental impact low, and with modernist customizations abounding, there is no limit to the fab in this pre-fab.
4) Rogan Gregory has a good thing going. As the designer behind both Loomstate [www.treehugger.com] and Edun [www.treehugger.com], he’s mixing hip apparel with organic cotton, fair labor and celebrity to make a tremendous mark on fashion. Loomstate helped set the bar for sustainably-minded designer denim by using only 100% organic cotton and sustainable farming practices. With Edun, along with U2’s Bono and Bono’s wife, Ali Hewson, Rogan brings the notion of sustainable employment, fair labor, and social compliance and consciousness to catwalks across the world and widens the apparel designs from simply denim to everyday casualwear. With both efforts, Rogan Gregory is helping to change the paradigm in the fashion industry and make it possible for “hip,” “sustainable” and “fashion” to happily co-exist.
5) When it comes to bamboo [www.sundancechannel.com], we TreeHuggers can hardly seem to get enough of the stuff, but we were able to narrow it down to our favorite four designers who use the stuff. Adapt Design [www.treehugger.com] (which has since changed their name to Modern Bamboo [www.sundancechannel.com]) makes simply stunning furniture from bamboo; Bambu [www.treehugger.com] boasts a wide range of products combine a pleasing aesthetic with an everyday work ethic, and make a stylishly understated addition to any kitchen, from utensils to bowls to cutting boards; Bamboosa [www.treehugger.com] stitches their apparel from the up-and-coming fabric made from bamboo, which, by all accounts, is soft to the touch, feels great on the skin, and handles the same as its cotton equivalent; and, when it comes to kitchen construction and design, it doesn’t get much better than Henrybuilt [www.treehugger.com]. Using bamboo as their principle material, they custom design and build beautifully crafted, eco-minded kitchen cabinets and furniture. As important as their designs is their philosophy: that building products to last is as important as using planet-friendly materials.
6) Aside from TreeHugger, there are places to see some of these designs in the flesh. HauteGREEN [www.hautegreen.com] is the world’s first sustainable design exhibition, and, after two successful years under its belt, looks poised to make an even bigger splash on New York’s design week in 2008. TreeHugger has been pleased to be involved with both events, lending readers a sneak peek at the designs appearing at the show — here’s the inaugural list for 2006 [www.treehugger.com] and a list for the bigger, better exhibition in 2007 [www.treehugger.com]. Careful readers will note some crossover between our TreeHugger’s “Best Of” list and HauteGREEN’s list. Coincidence? We think not…
The rest of this week will include more information, examples, and jaw-dropping inspiration as we explore the melding of “sustainable” and “design”. Stay tuned!
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