CasaSugar

Coveted Crib: West Coast Green Harbinger House

CasaSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:00:45 -0700

You might not know it from looking at this photo, but the Harbinger display house at this year's West Coast Green is made from shipping containers. What's equally impressive is the beautiful interior design, which was done by Ecofabulous. Take a look at the slideshow for the gorgeous, eco interiors.

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Check Out West Coast Green!

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:00:00 -0700

Earlier today, I told you that I'm hanging out at West Coast Green, a green building conference in San Jose, CA, which explores ways to make all structures more sustainable. If you live in the Bay Area you should certainly get your butt over to the San Jose Convention Center and learn all you can about sustainable home construction and design, as the conference ends Saturday. But, whether or not you're in the 'hood, you can still hear about what's going on thanks to this video from Day 1:

For more information, check out the West Coast Green website.

Casa Verde: A Self-Contained Home

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:15:09 -0700

Today, I'm hanging out with other eco-minded folks at West Coast Green, a green building conference that explores ways to make all structures more sustainable. I'll be snapping pics of some cool furniture pieces too, so tune in next week to see what I've found!

This year at West Coast Green, one home that everyone is eager to check out is this house made from five 40-foot-long shipping containers, which combine to form a 1,700-square-foot, 2-bedroom home. You wouldn't necessarily know that the home is made from shipping containers just by looking at it though. The company responsible for building these houses, SG Blocks, prides itself on its expertise in converting something that once sat on the deck of a ship into a functional, well-designed home.

For more photos of real-life SG Blocks homes, read more.

Intrigued? Check back next week to get a full tour of the interior of this wonderfully styled home.

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Casa Verde: Whyr'hymer Furniture

CasaSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:00:47 -0700

One of the highlights of West Coast Green for me was meeting Brandon Morrison, the designer and craftsman behind Whyr'hymer Furniture, an eco-furniture design business he owns and operates with his wife, Sundeep. I love their furniture's lines, which in some pieces are very Arts and Crafts-inspired, and in other designs, seem to blend this sensibility with a modern aesthetic.

All of the furniture from Whyr'hymer is made from FSC-certified wood, and the finishes are either water-based or natural waxes and oils. And the couple makes everything by themselves in their West Hollywood studio. Nothing is outsourced in their creations. Of course, this means that these pieces are going to be more expensive, but the quality of each piece is obvious. And, as someone who's been lucky enough to sit in one of Brandon's well-designed chairs, it's an amazingly comfortable experience as well.

To see a video of the couple designing and building furniture in their studio, read more.

If you're in Los Angeles or San Francisco, definitely stop by a showroom to see these stunning pieces in person.

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Cool Idea: Plastic Bottle Chandelier

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:00:02 -0800

I recently stopped by my friend's drawing exhibit at the California College of the Arts, and of course I couldn't help but check out the digs. Aside from the fancy schmancy Le Corbusier chairs in the lounge (seriously, I went to the wrong college), my eyes were drawn to this chandelier, made from upcycled plastic bottles, hanging from the ceiling. Obviously, it's not for all, but I loved the way it looked in this industrial space. At first glance, I didn't realize it was made from plastic bottles; it almost looks like some sort of jellyfish/sea-life creature. It also reminded me a lot of the pendant light in the West Coast Green Harbinger House. As we saw with Michelle Brand's eco designs, there's a lot one can do with a plastic bottle after the cola's gone flat. I'm glad that students are getting that message as well.

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:15:42 -0700

More Ways to Waste Time shows off her dining room re-vamp.
AT:SF peeks in at all-white rooms.
Daily Dose leads you to the best blinds deals.
Dwell broadcasts a Frank Lloyd Wright interview.
Shelterrific has a source for handmade wallpaper.
lilsugar shows you how to turn kids' memories into a bound book.
This Old House has found a stink-free composting container.
Inhabitat reports from West Coast Green.
Treehugger has good news about renewable energy tax incentives.

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Casa Verde: mkLotus House

CasaSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:30:48 -0700

I've been a fan of Michelle Kaufmann's green designs for modular, prefabricated homes for quite a while now. Last Fall, her mkLotus house was displayed at West Coast Green, which I was lucky enough to attend. These houses are built to accommodate such green features as a graywater system, geothermal heating, and solar panels. The mkLotus is built using sustainable materials and energy-efficient technologies, including spray-in, open-cell foam insulation, structural-insulated panels, FSC-certified wood, an on-demand water heater, and double-pane low-e windows and glass doors.

To see a video tour of the MKLotus, just read more.

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