maybe design: sitbag suitcase chair

Maybe Design in Vienna and Istanbul is a mulidisciplinary art practice for product design architecture graphic design and design engineering. Bogac Simsir, Bora Akcay, Ener Eren & Erdem Akan, partners of Maybe Design, say that "Given and infinite time and budget, everyone can be theoretically creative, real creativity is to acheive the goals in limited time and within the limited budgets." Couldn't agree more.

recycled art: leo sewell sculptures

In the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, I was able to see two of Leo Sewell's large scale sculptures in person. Made from bits of every this and that, the animals are meticulously assembled with each piece arranged so that it fits exactly into place. They are like a 3D version of the I-Spy books for children and one could stare at them for hours calling out each new object they spot. We applaud your patience and craftsmanship Leo!

re-collect: repurposed inner tube bags

Re-Collect from Brighton UK hand sews bags with an industrial chic aesthetic. Their offerings include messengers, handbags, laptop sleeves, etc. The line has a very modern look to recycled inner tubes, bike treads and seat belts. Designer Katcha Bilek even teaches workshops to teach anyone how to turn unwanted items into eco fashion!

abteil shop: recycled soccer handbags

Abteil Design's 'Ball Bag' was presented at the Council for Sustainability in Berlin. Some repurposed design works so well that the new aesthetic created by reuse seems as if it was the original intention.

neumatica: recycled inner tube bags

Argentinian company Neumatica Net makes the most fabulous looking bags out of recycled rubber inner tubes. Not only are they creating a lovely looking product, the tubes take more than 500 years to decompose. Neumatica bags are made using tubes from tires of any kind of vehicle, 100,000 tons of this material is disposed every year, in Argentina alone.

All rubber inner tubes begin plain and have no texture when new, but after being used, the heat of the tires transfers the design to them, so you will find multiple textures in Neumatica products.

sander lucas ontwerpen: remade design

Sander Lucas Ontwerpen, a graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven has a nice body of work focusing on recycling and upcycling objects turning them into more functional homewares.

nicholas jones: book sculptor

Bibliopath Nicholas Jones is a Melborne sculptor employing books as vessels designed to hold his folded sculptural creations. By stacking, folding, cutting, tearing, sewing and remodeling each book he turns the discarded cultural artifacts into noteworthy art.The beautiful repetition of the folded pages turns them into elegant compact sculptures.
Jones, intrigued by their history explains, "these books were conceived, born, loved, stored, discarded, found anew, studied, cut, folded and reborn".

jenny hurth: billboard repurposing

Jenny Hurth designes & hand sews these unique notebooks and beach bags in the San Francisco Bay Area from discarded vinyl signs and banners. The vinyl was originally printed for local trade shows, conventions, municipal or private advertising--she prevents them from going to the landfill. The practical recycled offerings are available online.

trilby made: recycled leather cuffs

While browsing Etsy, I happened upon Trilby Made's recycled leather reversible cuffs just now. Swoon. Their open, lattice-like design makes a dramatic eco fashion statement. Plus its two in one, you can wear the cuff two ways and they have two colors.

bottle houses: building with recyclables

Bottle Houses seem to be primarily an American phenomena, but they are catching on around the world as a very low cost building material. Here are some beautiful takes on incorporating the opaque material.
More links:
Bottle Houses around the US.
Bottle Houses on Prince Edward Island
Fractal Bottle House
Charles Stagg
Vitreosity

kymo: reassembled mashup rugs

The Mashup rugs by Kymo modernize oriental carpets by upcycling worn ones, reassembling them in a gorgeous compilation with a modern aesthetic. The rugs designed by Eva Langhans and Thomas Follner, remix these old raw materials, in new color coordinated patchworks. They retain the delicateness of traditional oriental carpets, but update the look for a contemporary high end product. The Mashup rugs are available in five standard sizes and six different color schemes. Carpets can also be made to order in custom sizes, shapes and color schemes.

kim lyons jewelry: recycled sterling silver

Kim Lyons, an eco fabulous jeweler, incorporates recycled materials into her collections. She utilizes "green" metals like recycled yellow silver--(which has look of gold at a lower price point), recycled sterling silver and also finds use for all her process scrap metals. Her "nebula beam" ring (duo) utilizes her new process as do her stacking collections.

Recycled 'yellow' silver is made from 100% reclaimed silver and alloys are added to give it the yellow color, a look of gold without the price.

climbing rope sofa: oscar andersson

I love climbing, so this couch speaks to my inner ascender, by recycling used climbing rope for the woven cushion. This fantastic concept was designed by Oscar Andersson for the Beckmans College of Design and exhibited at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2010.

Andersson's two person chair entitled 'I made a Sofa But Its not for climbing mountains', was created partially out of a love of climbing and a distaste for wasting the used ropes and partially of nostalgia for talents that his grandparents showed (knitting and metalwork). He created the small sofa for lazy days in the sun but wanted a product that was self built, sustainable and easy to produce. Each chair takes on a unique look with multiple colors of braided ropes for the recline, the smart arm angles allow maximum comfort. He's a Green Genius!

{armadiature: recycled furniture: robi renzi}

Designer Robi Renzi of RenziVivian will present a series of cabinets assembled from a patchwork of salvaged wooden components in Milan later this month entitled 'Armadiature'.
via Dezeen

loll designs: modern recycled plastic furniture

Loll DESIGNS is a modern outdoor furniture manufacturer offering durable, all-weather, outdoor garden furniture made with 100% recycled plastic. Loll contemporary outdoor furniture began in 2006 with the simple adirondak chair, but their designs keep getting more fantastic. Their child's line is a collaboration with designers Carter McGuyer and the notNeutral team.