Eco-Friendly Offices

As offices become more technologically advanced, many businesses are looking for ways to update their offices while also bridging an environmentally friendly gap. There are many ways an office can incorporate eco-friendly practices into the everyday routine that are inexpensive and positive for lowering overhead expenditures. There are some small things employee can do to impact the environment, while also positively impacting the company wallet, including:

• Turn off the lights

Take advantage of natural light during the day, by turning off the lights in the office. Also, incorporate a "light out" policy for rooms not in use. This slight change over time will make a difference in utility costs. If there are a limited amount of windows, try using lamps with dimmer options, and pick styles that fit with the image of the company.

Recycled biders

(Image via TheDailyGreen)

• Eliminate paper waste

Paper is one of the leading environmental impacts, and business practices are intrinsically tied to the usage of paper. From contracts to printing, paper is one of the highest overhead expenditures, but this can be remedied. There is software that can lessen paper waste, eliminate the need for space-consuming filing systems, and maintenance of machinery, such as fax machines.

• Update Connectivity

It may be easier to run a system of computer through an Ethernet broadband service, but the amount of extra costs in electricity and equipment will cost a company unnecessary funds. The systems are also usually slower than the technology that is available. The initial costs to switch to wireless may seem extensive, but in comparison to systems that usually require complicated connection, they are about the same price as most home networking products.
One perk is the government now offers tax incentives for businesses willing to adopt more eco-friendly practices. The Department of Energy has a list of tax credits for businesses as a part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. While the changes may seem difficult at first, they will save business overhead and monthly expenditures.
 

• The gap that is left behind allows more open space, which can be used to update style options in the office. Create a space for employees to relax outside of the cubicle. Eliminating unnecessary equipment means there will be less need for more office space, which could lead to constructive downsizing.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroulec's idea of modern offices

Lights tell stories in addition to being purely functional

This is 'Bang' - as in the Big One - a giant light sculpture for Lasvit created by Fabio Novembre  using sheets of fused glass and hand blown glass (via)

 No UV, but good light! - that is the idea behind this fantastic 'sky light lamp' by 5.5 designers for skitsch
 more at designboom
Net is a table lamp that doubles as an iPad or iPhone dock, designed by Philippe Starck with Eugene Quitllet for Flos, that has a docking connection atop the LED fixture and a small vertical stand behind the devices keeps them propped up. In addition to the sheer functional beauty of recharging devices without cluttering the desk Net offers customers the possibility to use their phones or tables as digital picture frames. An iPad user might even get a wireless keyboard and thus have an instant work space with task lighting, keyboard and screen.
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Build a Home Office On a Budget

MarieClaireMaison

More and more people are working from home these days. This is possible, in large part, due to technology. Some companies will let you telecommute two or three days a week, or you might have your own business. Whatever the situation, if you do some of your work from home, you will need a home office. Putting together a home office space doesn't have to be expensive, though. You can build a home office on a budget.
First: Find a Space
The first thing you need to do is find a space for your home office. It is actually possible to put a home office in a closet, or find a way to define a corner of a larger room as your home office. The key is to find an area, whether it is a 5'x3' space just big enough for your desk, or something a little larger. You can use screens, or clever arrangement of your furniture, to define the boundaries of an office in a larger room. A dedicated room would be nice, but it's not necessary.
Next: Figure Out What You Already Have
Your next step is to figure out what you already have. Some bathroom vanities, for example, can make good desks, or printer stands. If you have an old vanity, you can cut on the bottom to make it shorter -- a better height for a desk. My dad actually made the desk I took to college from the bathroom vanity countertop when he remodeled the bathroom. He made some legs, and attached them to the bottom of the counter-top. Other items you might use include making a desk by putting a sanded and stained board across two small filing cabinets. If you put your home office in a closet, there might be a shelf just the right height: Instant desk!
Other items that can be used in your home office include framed pictures that you might not have put up, old book shelves (great for storing office supplies or using as a printer stand), kitchen chairs you aren't using and extra wastebaskets. Figure out what you already have, and see if you can use those items to create your home office.
Finally: Buy What You Need
After you have figured out where you will put your home office, and after you have determined what you already have to use, it's time to buy what you need. To keep things inexpensive, you can shop yard sales and thrift stores. You can repaint items, or sand and stain them. This way, you can personalize what you put in your office, dressing it up so that it is attractive. Clearance sales are also great places to look for items that can be used for your home office. With the right planning, you won't have to worry about spending a fortune to create a comfortable and attractive workspace.

Our Easter

Fascinated with glass

Carlo Scarpa

I am fascinated with this picture! One of the most beautiful creations - elegant, charming and ... simple as form and color combination! The picture is from Designnws and is part of the exhibition in Museo Bagatti Valsecchi
Venini which celebrates his ninetieth years of history presenting a great selection of Lighting and Object Collections.
Obviously glass had a very distinctive presence at Milan Furniture fair this year. Some more inspiring glass creations:

_'Colour on Colour' mirrors by Johanna Grawunder for Glas Italia

'Candy' lights by Jaime Hayon for Baccarat

A lot of wood at Milan furniture fair 2011

The trend for using more and more wood in furniture and interior design continues this year at Milan Furniture Fare, too:

Reclaimed furniture at Spazio Rossana Orlandi by designer Piet Hein Eek: "I bought 600 to 1000 cubic metres of wood some time ago which needed to be used up. The simplest way to make a seat is by stacking wooden blocks to form a chair or sofa... "via

I suppose that Fan (left) is Tom Dioxon's answer to Urquiola's last year remake of the classical Windsor chair - Comeback (which is plastic). As he writes:

"Fan is a modern take on the classical Windsor chair. A British archetype converted to a contemporary silhouette, Fan makes an exclamation mark in any environment. The process involves spindles of wood carefully turned, thinned and steam bent to create the slatted silhouette. The wood is then stained in our new highlight colour, Indigo. Fan has a black leather seat pad." 

But I like very much its natural wood version above, image from designapplause.com.

The Bouroullec brothers ‘Osso’ (engl.: ‘Bone’), a new solid wooden chair for the small, family-owned company Mattiazz. They say:

 “We were particularly interested by the fact that all the equipment is powered by solar energy and that the wood is coming from the surrounding areas to be carefully selected without the use of any chemical treatments. They came back to the basics and this is precisely what piqued our interest and our fascination for the Mattiazzi family’s endeavor”

Raw Edges benches at Dilmos gallery

source

'Pl(a)ywood' coffee table by Silvia Knüppel, on show as part of Design Deutschland

Fantasy and romanticism this year at Salone in Milan

There seems to be a lot of fantasy and romanticism this year at Salone in Milan.

One example is Baccarat - right:
Baccarat launches the Zénith Midnight 12 lights chandelier,
giving a refreshing new look to the iconic Zénith which
has constantly evolved over the decades. With all-crystal
lampshades, clothed from the top down in Baccarat’s
unique midnight blue, the Zénith Midnight chandelier discreetly pulsates with a mesmeric glow.

I am so pleasantly surprised with Patricia Urquiola's first glass installation! It is part of the Glasstress 2011 exhibition, a collateral event to the Venice Biennale in the Ventura Lambrate design area of Milan. The exhibition features glass installations and sculpture from more than 20 world renowned designers and artists.(via)

Top, right and below.
Beautiful!

 

Inspiring Designs From Milan Salone 2011

Great for outdoor use, but I also imagine it in an elegant modern bathroom! 'Strip' is a small armchair that takes its form from that of a bloomed flower. I am not surprised to find that it is created by designer Fabio Novembre - remember his Her chair from Millan 2008 and Nemo from 2010- for Italian furniture manufacturer Casamania. The chair is produced in polyethylene with rotational moulding and is available in different colors, in matte and lacquered versions. (via designboom)

"Created from a solid block of acrylic, monolith for eternity, Nautile seduces the viewer with its optical illusion of lightness and fragility. Like a lingering bubble about to burst, the ephemeral purity of a drop of rain in the instant that precedes being swallowed by the earth.
Nautile embodies the sculptural qualities of design in a minimal organic form, blurring the tenuous borders between art and design." (peter-harvey.com)

For children - safe, multifunctional and funny!

That is what Karim Rashid has designed for B-Line - Snoop, a stool in rotomoulded polyethylene, reveals its triple identity: it also becomes low table with two built-in pockets and can be used as a stackable element to create bookcases of various shapes and sizes.

 It will be exhibited at Milan Furniture Fair 2011 next week.

Patricia Urquiola' Limited -Edition Products at Milan Design Week 2011

Nilufar, one of Italy’s most active and original galleries in the fields of historical and contemporary design, antique Oriental carpets and furniture, was founded by Nina Yashar in 1979 and, since then, has presented exhibitions of an unmistakable style. Next Tuesday, when is the opening of the annual Salone Internazionale del Mobile furniture fair in Milan

"the renowned modern design gallery Nilufar has teamed up with Patricia Urquiola and three other well-known and emerging designers (Michael Anastassiades, Andrea Salvetti, and Studio Nucleo) to exhibit “Ricognizioni,” a collection of new, unique, and limited-edition furniture, art, and lighting... When conceiving the exhibit, Nilufar owner Nina Yasher asked to see some of Urquiola’s favorite designs that never made it into production. “Normally, I like to work with an idea that eventually can become a series,” explains Urquiola, “but sometimes the designs are simply too complicated.” Thus there are four such pieces that she will be exhibiting as limited editions. First, there’s the table that was created for the stage set of Monteverdi’s baroque opera L’Incoronazione di Poppea; it has two legs replaced by stacks of boxes, one of which opens as a drawer. Then there’s an asymmetrical version of the classic Comb armchair, in yellow and petrol blue, which Urquiola admits has been an obsession since childhood. “I had one in white in my playroom when I was little, actually—and I’ve always loved it,” she says. Then, there’s a series of vases from Murano, and lastly, and perhaps most striking when set among the frescoes of the Palazzo, there is a massive interactive sequin-covered canvas entitled, “To waste or not to waste,” a limited-edition of ten. The sequins are printed on both sides with various words, so that, Urquiola explains, “when you touch the canvas, you change it.”" via

I am curious to see more details about the unknown limited editions of Urquiola. The only photo available, again from Vogue Daily  is this one:

 

Customization trend in Bathrooms: Create your Own Decor

Well, not exactly your own style, but your choice from several combinations :) There are actually three floral-abstract décors to choose from—Playground, Pretty Silhouette and Cherry Blossom—all available in the color schemes of blue, orange and violet. O.novo Style, the individualized décor for the wash stand launched by Villeroy&Boch can be matched with O.novo Style furniture that is perfectly color-coordinated to these vanities with the fresh new décor. Users can assemble their favorite combination with just a few clicks of the mouse with the online configurator.

Sustainable Design at Milan Design Week

barbara vos

Now in its eighth year, Tuttobene will present a crop of  Dutch designers who are out to prove that industrial design can have a more sustainable production process. Products range from a Sheep Chair and Tex-Tiles that combine bathroom tiles with LED lighting, to 3D printed design and laser-cut chandeliers. via

Floris Wubben

Noa Haim

ExpanTable round