Who: Kalon Studios – Los Angeles, CA

What: Echo Dresser & Solid Bamboo IoLine Dresser

Where: Kalon Studios – Natural $1995 or Modern Nursery – Bamboo $1795

Why We Love It: This dresser caught our eye at the ICFF because of those clever handles. Such a seamless design and a brilliant way to integrate handles into the overall design, and from a green standpoint – no additional materials were involved in creating them, they we just chiseled out of the existing wood.

This is an incredibly eco-friendly design overall. Husband-wife design team Johannes Pauwen and Michaele Simmering, spent copious amounts of time trying to find just the right finish for their furniture, one that was eco-friendly, no heavy metals, low-VOC, HAPs-free (hazardous air pollutants) and non-toxic. Unable to find a satisfactory finish, they did it themselves and commissioned their own brand of natural wood oil finishes and paints to meet their high eco-standards. They also use non-toxic and water based glues. Click to continue »

Who: Dylan Gold – San Francisco, CA

What: Cornered Coffee Table

Where: Exclusively Home – $1900 with free shipping

Why We Love It: So, apparently coffee tables are on the mind, but when we saw this one we just couldn’t resist particularly with our penchant for coffee tables that can tame our towering stack of magazines… (hazards of the job). One leg of this ingenious coffee table has been transformed into a cozy nook for your favorite books or magazine. All while staying in profile with the rest of the table – magic (well that and geometry). Click to continue »

Who: Argington – Brooklyn, NY

What: Fundy Play Table

Where: Generate – $399

Why We Love It: Intended as a play table for kids, we actually like the idea of this multi-functional kids table as a modern coffee table. You’ve got the drawers for storing remote controls and writing utensils. You’ve got the flip top lid concealing ample storage perfect for tucking away magazines, newspapers, games, toys or whatever else you’d like to keep stowed away. And the durable top is available dry-erase finish or a chalkboard finish so you can entertain the little ones with a built in drawing board, jotting notes, keep score,  and keep an eye on your ‘to-do’ list. Click to continue »

Who: Nook Sleep Systems – Hermosa Beach, California

What: Pebble Mattress

Where: Nook – $610

Why We Love It: A full night’s sleep? Priceless. No one takes this more seriously than Shannon and Chris Svensrud the husband and wife team behind Nook. Their innovative sleep system is designed to help your little one sleep which, in addition to a happy baby, means more sleep for mom and dad… Click to continue »

Who: Dinah Coops; Seattle, WA

What: Tablemats & Coasters

Where: Dinah Coops -  Tablemats – $35;  Coasters – $12

Why: Looking for a fun and sustainable way to dress up your table? Try these simple, modern and colorful designs from Dinah Coops. She hand silk screens each one with her signature combination of organic images and whimsical doodles. Fun to mix and match colors and prints for an artfully inspired table setting, that would look equally at home on your walls.

And the canvas for this table art is none other than Paperstone, the same material we coveted for our kitchen countertops.

Click to continue »

Who: Mod Green Pod – Austin, TX

What: ‘Delight’ Wallpaper

Where: Mod Green Pod – $75/roll

Why We Love ‘Em: Very exciting news – just heard from the gals at Mod Green Pod that they’ve added a new print to their collection of chic eco-friendly wallpapers, and ‘Delight’ may just be our new favorite. Love the colors and the mod/art nouveau graphics of this print. Now just need to convince the husband that this is just the look for the master bedroom… mmm, teal and grey! Click to continue »

Who: Plywerk – Portland, OR

What: Plywerk – Custom Plywood Photo Mounts

Where: Plywerk – ranges from $6 – $800 based on size & finishes

Why We Love ‘Em: First saw these on a visit out to Portland, Oregon and were instantly impressed by their streamlined and modern look. Such a great alternative to traditional custom frames.

Plywerk’s custom framing is a sleek and eco-friendly way to display your personal photos and artwork. Simply send them your photos and Plywerk will mount them on their plywood panels. Or order blank panels with a pre-applied PH neutral adhesive to mount your own artwork. Great way to showcase your art. Click to continue »

Who: Tegu; Norwalk, CT

What: Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks

Where: Tegu.com – $50 – $125

Why We Love ‘Em: The classic wooden block just got a whole lot more fun! These innovative Tegu blocks combine the beauty of the classic wooden block with the ‘magic’ of magnets. So you can completely defy gravity creating Wright-esque cantileversand dynamic forms from the wheels of a racecar to the petals of a flower.

The blocks come in cubes, long planks and short planks. Each is made from FSC-Certified tropical hardwoods including huesito (an abundant species native to Honduras), beech and a limited edition set made of mahogany. Click to continue »

Thrilled to find out that one of our favorite furniture designers has gone green! Gus*Modern’s handsome collection of simple, slim and modern sofas, chairs and ottomans just got better – now the entire upholstery line will be made using only FSC certified woods. Woo hoo! Now we can add the sleek and incredibly comfortable Jane Sofa to our wish list……

“Gus has chosen to take a leadership role in the modern furniture industry”, said Amanda Schuler, vice president of sales and marketing. “We’ve been working with our factories and suppliers to create modern furniture options that support responsible forestry and sustainable practices.”

Who: Coclico; New York, NY

What: Kelp Clam Bootie

Where: Coclico.com; $350

Why We Love ‘Em: We are completely, completely obsessed with the entire fall collection of Coclico leather shoes. The collection is edgy, classic, fashion forward and timeless all at one time, if that’s possible. Was quite a challenge to choose just one to feature this week, but since it is fall we went with the lovely Kelp Clam Bootie. Love the creamy neutral color, the delicate perforations, the shape of wooden kitten heel and the detail of the curved footbed. A complete original.

Now you may be wondering how can we feature a leather shoe? Well, this is definitely a controversial issue for US. On the one hand, yes, there is no question that leather products are not animal-friendly and unfortunately in most cases the leather tanning process is incredibly toxic and wasteful.  But Click to continue »