Neues Licht offers both this Ufo pendant light and the Scintilla chandelier designed by Simon Bruenner. The Ufo is a pendant lamp using glass fiber optic strantds to illunimate  to the edges where the the Ufo radiates, emphasizing the depth of the surrounding space. Fiber optic lighting is more energy efficient than conventional.

Mariah Morrow and Ryan Lingard built their  mountain cabin after, seeing an ad in the Joseph, Oregon local paper while on a road trip for the distressed, 100- by 150-foot parcel for $47,000.

“Where most people would have seen a steep, partially burned, partially logged slope that didn’t have utilities, we just saw possibilities,” Mariah recalls.

Their cozy cabin with woodstove has a perfect view of Wallowa Lake. At just 130 square feet plus a deck this wilderness outpost (a 6-hour drive from Portland) is rustic bliss.

They call their creation Signal Shed. A simple, but modern little cabin recently featured in Sunset Magzine as a micro-hideaway in the woods. Designed himself, architect Ryan Lingard built their getaway on a very limited budget, yet eye-catching and well proportioned. A perfect addition for anyone looking to create some extra space, the Signal Shed is now being offered as a prefab design.

Sitting on pier footings similar to a deck, the inside floor measures  8 by 16 feet, for a total area of just 130 square feet.

Built for $57K, including the land.

via Sunset

Architectural Salvage of San Diego is a great place to pick up that perfect gem of patinated perfection for your historic home remodel. A stained glass window, clawfoot bathtub, cast iron grate, hewn pillar, or period lighting fixture will give your home the added character and wow factor!

A Truth Window (or truth wall) is an opening in a wall surface, created to reveal the layers or components within the wall. In an eco built strawbale house, a truth window is often used to show that the walls are actually made from straw bales. A small section of a wall is left unplastered on the interior, and a frame is used to create a window which shows only straw, which makes up the inside of the wall.

Many designs exist for truth windows, they have become quite a novelty for sustainably built homes. Glass may be placed over the window, or an openable wooden panel, or it may be a simple framed opening.

More Truth Windows at this Flickr search.

Photo via Intscher

Derek Diedricksen makes micro shelters out of junk salvaged materials: shipping pallets, used windows and kitchen cabinets or whatever materials turn up.

Made of scavenged materials, these tiny hang outs cost on average less than $200 to build. They often have transparent roofing, which allows a fine view of the treetops, particularly in the smallest ones, where the most comfortable position: relaxing.

more at Relax Shacks

Source: NY Times

The Summerhouse was built in England in 2005 by architects Ullmayer Sylvester. Inside is a very simple interior, and the exterior reflects the flora surrounding it. Looks like the perfect DIY studio project for my painting and jewelry design.

The Bardessono Napa Valley is a LEED-Platinum certified hotel, restaurant and spa very luxurious while still earth friendly. Secluded on five acres of gardens and vineyards, the 62-room hotel offers a green spa, that is heated and cooled by an underground geothermal system, smart guestrooms in buildings crafted from hand-milled, reclaimed wood and steel and 93-seat restaurant headed by Executive Chef Sean O’Toole. (lots of biodynamic wine selections)

The advanced environmental technologies at Bardessono ensure a carbon footprint of zero while you relax in luxury. 940 rooftop solar panels provide all the electricity the hotel requires.

A portion of your room rate is donated to the Napa Valley Land Trust. Rooms are equipped with In Fiore bath products, Coyuchi bed linens, and 40-inch Sony LCD HDTVs. Internet, valet parking, and bicycles for touring the town of Yountville are included in your rate. The Bardessono is the second hotel to ever receive LEED Platinum certification and the first for California!

UK Architect Simon Conder specialized in sustainable architecture and adaptive reuse projects. His firms repetoire includes passive solar homes, entire sustainable communities, wetlands projects, mill conversions, live/work units, granary conversions, farm building conversions, fire station conversions as well as garden conservatories.

Conder got his start specializing in these conversion projects of historic interest.

Many of these projects have won awards and been published.

A Meka prefab house can be finished in an amazing 7 days because they use shipping containers as the basis for the 4 models that the company offers.

Meka was created by three friends, one a designer, one an architect, and the other a developer, looking to create well designed, alternative dwellings that could be made and sold at affordable prices.

‘Meka’ (an acronym for modular, environmental, kinetic, assembly), is a combination of their design considerations with a manufacturing and ordering solution that delivers the most cost savings available on the planet.

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Fontenay Mills’ Vintage Barrel Collection offers discarded wine barrels in three distinct wood flooring products. The Stave is taken from the outside of the barrel where the hoops have been removed and features horizontal striations. Wine Infusion is acquired from the inside of the barrel and is characterized by a natural staining left by the wine. However, the most distinguished is the Cooperage, which represents the outside of the barrel head including its patina, cooper’s stamps and special markings.

A sustainable option for remodeling, the Vintage Barrel Collection gives your floor a special loft character or steam punk appeal.