Capellini put on a wonderful show

I was really impressed by Capellini‘s exhibit. Among the first things you see are products of Capellini Love, an eco-sustainable design project that also leverages artisan traditions from countries with, as Capelllini puts it, “fragile” economies. Made under the design direction of Stephen Burks, recycled materials are made into tables, like these made in Africa from recycled paper.

This lovely bowl is made from bits of recycled glass embedded into clear latex. (Other colors are available. And the bowl is flexible, too.

Cappellini, however, is clearly about more than Kumbayayying. They showed a nifty set of powder coated folding metal chairs, in lots of bright colors. (They’re pretty light, too.) While they’re primarily designed for outdoor use, there’s no reason they couldn’t be used inside, as well.

Here’s what one looks like folded.

As you can tell, the folded version is practically two-dimensional.

The second day out, I’m noticing a lot of powder-coated steel. (And etched steel, and aluminum). Yesterday I spotted a fantastic orange steel table designed by Konstantin Grcic at ClassiCon, and there were beautiful black and white models (not by Grcic) at Cappellini. The tops were very smooth and felt almost soft to the touch.

The photo doesn’t do it justice, I’m afraid. Cappellini had a number of items contructed with a proprietary technique that allows each piece (they showed tables, chairs and lamps) to have its own individuality. The blue chairs pictured below have slight differences in the seat back that my photo may show off to advantage. The blue probably looks sketch, too. Trust me, they’re very cool

All in all, it’s been a much more inspiring day today than it was yesterday. (Could be all the groovy guys ‘n’ gals managed to get their booths close together.)¬† Just so you know, there are 4 giant halls devoted just to modern furniture.

Meanwhile, send Jennifer an email if there’s something specific you’d like us to check out – or if there’s a manufacturer or designer you’d like us to cover. We’re happy to try and help.

Mythic Paint

There’s a new paint on the market that seems primed to turn the green world on its ear. Mythic contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). That means it has no off-gassing from toxins. It also means it’s an ultra-low odor paint.

Low VOC paints have been around for a while. The difference here is that Mythic isn’t just a low VOC, it’s no VOC. The other thing that impressed me is their extensive color palette. It’s not limited to pastels and contain a wide assortment of mid-tone hues.

The formula was developed in cooperation with the University of Southern Mississippi. It took them six years, but they finally came up with Mythic’s ultra-top-secret paint technology. (I guess that means that any student leaking the secret gets double-secret probation.)

You can order the paint on-line, or check their site for a dealer in your area. It’s a brand new paint, so be prepared to order directly from Mythic. Their pricing is competitive with other quality paints. A quart sells for $16.49 and a gallon for $46.99.

The one glaring omission is that they don’t seem to have a fan deck or a color sample system. I hope they’ll come up with one fast, because I wouldn’t recommend choosing a paint color from a computer screen. I’m waiting to hear from them on the subject and will add an update when I do.

Fantastic Deals on Reclaimed 3-Form

I’ve written about the eco-friendly resin building product, 3-Form, several times before. Obviously, I like this product. Mostly because it has a thousand and one uses. It’s used for furniture, doors, shower doors… The list is endless. Which is why I thought you’d like to know that 3-Form has a reclaim program.

The reclaims are listed for sale on their site. Pictured here are some of the reclaims currently for sale. What are reclaims? They’re materials removed from installation, and the good part of sheets damaged during production. It’s an opportunity to save some green on a green product.

Most reclaimed sheets seem to be either 2′x4′ or 4′x4′ – a good size for lots of small projects. Pay attention to the gauge (thickness) listed. All sales are final.

Don’t forget to send me a picture of your 3-Form project.

Chair of the Day: Giramundo Chair

I couldn’t pass up this chair. It’s Green! So, it has to be cool, right? Wouldn’t you be proud to vacuum this? On second thought, I guess you couldn’t. Maybe get one of those old shag rug rakes from the ’70′s.

Anyway, here’s the green part. Thomas Bina’s Giramundo swivel chair, designed for Environment Furniture, is covered in yarn scraps collected in Rio de Janeiro. The legs come in a variety of metals or Sustainable Forestry Initiative‚Äìcertified hardwood.

You see, from my point of view, I don’t care if something is green. I don’t care if it’s green and was designed by Philippe Starck. It has to be attractive, useful and at least a tiny bit practical. This is just my humble opinion, but I think what’s been done here is that Bina has taken someone else’s trash and created more.

Ice Stone

Ice Stone is a recycled glass material with a conscience. The manufacturer diverts millions of pounds of recycled glass to create this countertop material. It’s totally green and beautiful, too. Each thick, cement matrix slab is porous, like stone, and is heat and scratch resistant. Best of all (to me at least) it comes in 27 colors.