Sustainable Furnishings for your Cottage Environment

If there is anything about your decor that has a cottage vibe, Maine Cottage is for you. See examples of this colorful line of eco friendly furniture dominating the decor in one of our projects in the Diamond Head area of Honolulu that was also featured in Architectural Digest.

Not about following a trend, Maine Cottage has been practicing thoughtful, conservationist business practices for over twenty years. Priding themselves on low the environmental impact of their fabulous painted wood and rattan furniture painted with low VOC paints and hardwoods from the local area including naturally regenerative maple, birch and cherry. This practice began long before going green was "cool" and have carried a motto "Even in blue, our furniture is green."  Creating high quality products that are intended to be passed down through generations furthers the green initiative by saving the landfills from piles of temporary foriegn made furniture. Corrugated carton and box use are kept to a minimum by delivering most orders via blanket wrap "white glove" home delivery service. Giving back to the community is also very important to them and they direct their charitable giving to Habitat for Humanity. 


The above photos of our project in the Diamond area of honolulu were shot for Architectural Digest by Durston Saylor. Here is link to the article.

New York at the Met: Musical Instruments of Oceania

If you going to be in New York City this spring or summer there is an unusual Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through September 2010. 

Ukulele, Late 19th C. 

Hawai'i. 

Tube Zither (Sesando or Sasandu), late 19th century, 

Indonesia, Nusa Tenggara, Timor Island

Water Drum, 19th-early 20th century

Papua New Guinea, Middle Sepik region, Mindimbit village, latmul people

Images courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art. From the Exhibition:

Sounding The Pacific: Musical Instruments of Oceania

Crème brûlée For Your Valentine...a Sexy Dessert

Below a Video from the French Culinary Institute on Making Perfect Crème brûlée

Green Games: Sustainability Stories at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games

In Vancouver the VANOC together with the International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS) based in Switzerland has built and executed a sustainability management system for the 2010 Winter Games.  Their goal was twofold: to produce sustainable operations and events: and to inspire athletes, sponsors and fans to do their part for a sustainable future. See Sustainability in Action.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games are Going Green with Sustainability Efforts

The 2010 Olympic medals were made out of metal recovered from old electronics.

The False Creek Housing Project at the Olympic Village in Vancouver is slated to be Net Zero, consuming less energy than it produces.  Southeast False Creek (SEFC) will be a leading model of sustainability in North America. See City of Vancouver.  Rendering of Image courtesy Times Colonist

There are 12 Ways the VANOC built Sustainability into the 2010 Olympic Games.

Eco-Friendly Home Delivered right to your Address

In the US, prefab seems to still have a "trailer park" image, but once you get past that idea, one can see the strenghths of these "off-site" built homes.  Blu Homes, based in Waltham Massachusets recently aquired mkdesigns joining their proprietary technology with Michelle Kaufmann's  clean, modern and hip designs.  Factory built construction is typically stronger than site built homes and are still appraised against site built custom homes.  The controlled setting of the factory avoids issues like water damage and mold growth in the building process.  These homes are designed to be put up in a day and finished within two weeks.  Blu Homes can be built, shipped and installed for as little as $175, 000, but range all the way up to one million dollars for a MKDesign. My favorite of Blu Homes line is the Origin (below), "full, open and full of potential."  Other choices include, Balance, Evolution and most recent design, Element.

High Quality, eco-friendly products are specified and include non-voc wall paints, NanaWall or Andersen windows and doors, Kohler and Hansgrohe faucets, FSC certified wood and Bamboo by Ecotimber. Open floor plans with clean lines give these homes a modern vibe while remaining committed to creating efficient, eco friendly homes while respecting time, budgets and needs.  

Our most recent project (image beleow) on Butterfly Beach In Montecito, Ca is a design collaboration with Michelle Kaufmann and John Maienza. It will be taken to new hieghts to include Platinum LEED certification and will be Net Zero, meaning the house will be producing more energy than it will use.

 Also visit Michelle Kaufmann's Blog, to see what's she's up to lately!


Post Author for Globally Gorgeous: 
Tamara Wallop

Fantasy or Reality? Eco-Luxury Air/ Sea Cruising of future...

You may want to hold off if you are thinking of planning your next luxury cruise. Seymourpowell, leading design and innovation company brings us a visionary transportaion concept, Aircruise, or "Clipper in the Clouds" is a giant vertical airship powered by natural energy and designed to carry travelers in style and luxury.  The Aircruise started as a self-generated project, a vision inspired by Korean giant, Samsung C & T and their interest in new building materials.  The concept design is for a hotel in the sky with low passenger numbers and huge internal spaces offering room for living, dining and relaxing as well as "scope for dramatic and inspirational public spaces."

  

 

The initial design proposes a bar/lounge zone, four duplex apartments, a penthouse adn five smaller apartments. At 3 miles high, the giant airship features glass floors to feature breathtaking views from the sky.

Powered by hydrogen fuel cells and solar energy, this truly eco-conscious luxury airship will emit zero-emissions while cruising at up to 90 mph.  In other words, it will take you from New York to London in 37 hours...without poisoning the fish. Hopes are high for realizing this dreamboat by 2015. 

Hopes are high for realizing this dreamboat by 2015.


See also Ecofriend, Designblog and Telegraph