Saturday, July 26, 2008

Home Decor Goes Green - Part II

Last month I highlighted some IDT members who have chosen a "green" approach to making handcrafted home decor. As promised, this is Part II of that posting - more highlighting and praising the resourcefulness of these IDT artists!
Many things confront an artist who is making an effort to use greener, more sustainable materials. Namely, the cost of using harder-to-find materials can stop you cold on the path to eco-friendly goods. Hopefully, these items will encourage the discouraged to look for resources that are green and affordable!!

First up is this gorgeous, handcrafted bench from Artistic Lifestyling. It is painted with non-toxic, biodegradable milk paints (milk paints are a personal favorite of mine). Be sure to have a look at the beautiful keeping chests from Artistic Lifestyling, as well! Note: Milk paints come in powder-form, which lasts longer than pre-mixed acrylic paint - mix as you go is a great way to save money and resources while using products that are friendly to the planet!


Jalex Studios has a lovely collection of upcycled vases and lamps that reuse / recycle such things as a computer hard drive (as in the case of this chic modern vase), window brackets, bamboo flooring and napkin rings! There are so many quality products that are discarded for obsolescence - hurray for the creative spirit that can give these items new life and new purpose!

I had to add this lovely lampshade, created from old slides, from honeysucklecreations. As a photographer, I understand the commitment involved in toting around boxes full of slides that I can neither use nor depart with. I have one of these lampshades in my bedroom and it is one of my favorite pieces of functional, recycled home decor!

I just found this plant table (ooh, ooh, the top turns for easy, even sunlight exposure!) from Turnadaisy. It is made from upcycled, recycled heavy oak and at $65 is precisely the "affordable green" I'm talking about!

Just in case you don't know what to do with all of those shot glasses you've collected during your travels but no longer drink out of because you can't bear the smell of bourbon... The folks at homeECOnomics knew just what they were doing when they whipped up these fully functional, recycled candholders - sweet!

You can also find unique handforged steel hooks, rings and towel bars for your bathroom from 18th generation master blacksmith, Smythe Boone, of Boones Hooks. Not only are they stunning, but they are made from 100% recycled steel!


Last but not least (and, really, I could go on and on and on here), is a lovely sunburst glass panel made from recycled glass by The Looking Glass to spice up your west-facing windows!

I've had such a blast searching out these eco-friendly designs and I hope you have as much fun checking out their stores for other enticing, earth friendly home decor!

18 comments:

Angelia said...

I love when artist use existing materials for new work. Great post.

Melanie said...

Wow... these are fantastic items!!! I am amazed at the creativity to Reuse and create beauty!!! Thanks for sharing!

MagiCatGlass=^..^= said...

Wow what a diverse group of creations! I love the bench, what charm! And the plant stand is amazing!! Great TEAM!

Unknown said...

Thank you for showing us some remarkable 'green' items that I never saw before. I never knew about the milk acrylics. I'm going to have to check that out sometime. I absolutely LOVE the plant stant, it's a beauty!

Mary Preiser Potts said...
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Mary Preiser Potts said...

Thanks for your great comments. Milk paints are not acrylic-based (read: plastic, read: oil). They are casein based and are some of the longest lasting paints available! milkpaint.com is a great place to learn about and buy them!

Martha Marshall said...

This is a great series on eco friendly art. I love this idea of milk paints and wonder why they wouldn't be just fine for canvas paintings.

I'm looking for every way possible to utilize materials and supports that are already around us, and get away from materials whose manufacture harms the environment.

I recently had an inquiry from an art consultant regarding specific eco friendly measures I have taken with my art. I am glad our collective awareness has been raised about this issue.

lomaprietapottery said...

Love seeing all the creative ways both to create art and to recycle. Thanks for searching these out!

Muddyfingers said...

The creativity is astounding! I especially think that lampshade made from old slides is fantastic. Lately I've been re-thinking ways to creative ways to recycle and this is great to see for inspiration. Great post! thank you!

Ron's Rag Rugs said...

Wow! Thank you again for featuring our "green" artists. I am glad to see that I am not the only one who did not know about milk paint. I want to try it soon.

Laurie Roskam said...

Oh THANK YOU so much for featuring my recycled sunburst! I've got a BUNCH of items where I've used recycled glass and I LOVE using it. The eco-friendliness ADDS to the beauty of all of the items featured here. With MUCH gratitude, Laurie B.

Jean Levert Hood said...

Wonderfully creative! These are all amazing pieces. What imaginations these artist have.

eclecticamiami said...

Thanks so much for featuring my kitschy candlesticks! homeECOnomics is my line of ecofriendly decor and I'm so glad to see one of my pieces amongst so many great green items! Katrina

Mary Preiser Potts said...

Thanks again for all of the great comments and feedback. I've really enjoyed searching out these fantastic items and ideas and am happy to raise awareness about what some people are doing to recycle and to be more earth-friendly with their products!

robert said...
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Mark,Suzanne Vainner said...

Great ideas from a great team!
Thank you for adding our Turnadaisy Woods 1 plant stand. The compliments are greatly appreciated!
Green is my favorite color ;)
Mark & Suzanne

شركة الماسة said...

إذا كنت مماً يريدون نقل عفش بيوتهم أو تبحث عن شركة لنقل العفش فشركتنا تعتبر افضل شركة نقل عفش بجدة فإذا كنت تريد الحصول على أسرع الخدمات وأفضلها بأقل أسعار فكن على تواصل معنا عبر شركة نقل عفش بجدة ففريق عمل شركة الماسة يضم خبراء فى تخصصات متعددة منها تركيب ونقل الأثاث المنزلى بأنواعة المختلفه كما أن أسعارنا غير قابلة للمنافسة لأن الشركة ارخص شركات نقل العفش بجدة فإذا كنت ممكن يبحون عن شركة نقل اثاث بجدة كما يمكنك زيارة موقعنا على الإنترنت لمعرفة المزيد والمزيد عن مجالات الشركة المتنوعة والمفيدة

شركة الماسة said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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