Most definitely.

We’ve written about the tiles from Eleek before at EcoMod. They design & make nice alternative finish materials from mainstream products we see everywhere, like granite, quartz, ceramic & so on.

One of 25 Finalists

The gang at Eleek made the 25 finalist list for Most Promising Social Entrepreneur at Business Week.

It’s a pretty inspiring list. We just had to chime in on Eleek since they’re in the building industry.

Modern Terrarium for a Modern Kitchen

One of these wonderful terrariums from Litill would look great in an unadorned spot.

Maybe not necessarily in the kitchen, but a balanced, quiet life form to hang out with the herb pots wouldn’t hurt.

I love the splash of subtle plant color against the stark white. The vessels are handblown glass, & they come with instructions for setup & plant care.

Good question.

Some other bloggers are posting their answers as well, including Paul Anater, Dog Walk Blog, Modenus, & Concrete Detail. I just happened to butt in, in my own classic barge-like way!

Design = Making Things

To me, design is thinking through how something will be used. The products of design are things that we employ to get something done.

So in the spirit of Paul’s definition, I’ll make some order out of chaos:

What about Good Design?

In my mind, Good Design is not just about design to get to the end product. To me, Good Design is about making things that are

• durable,
• efficient, both in use and use of material in the making,
• flexible according to the user needs,
• have minimal ongoing maintenance costs,
• of a lifecycle that is responsible to the biosphere & lithosphere of our planet.

That last one is fodder for a whole new blog post, but that’s my nutshell.

Nature?

I would pose that nature designs itself. Even though it doesn’t sit down & push it around on paper like humans do.

In looking at Paul’s fern, nature made it so it could poke through the dirt toward the light, unfurl, & have lots of leaves to make its own food.

That’s pretty complicated – but damn efficient. It doesn’t have anything extra – just what it needs to live. Which poses the question about the photo above: is it design? is it art?

Way to melt my brain on a Tuesday morning, Paul!

US – European fridge size

Here’s my very unscientific theory about healthy weight and its ratio to the size of the refrigerator in the home.

Space is a premium in most of Europe, so small & efficient are major drivers of design. That includes appliance sizes. Refrigerators less than 2′ wide are common.

Smaller is better

What happens when fridge size decreases?

• power use goes down
• food is more likely to be consumed when fresh
• limited storage prompts more careful, probably menu driven purchases
• reduction of fridge footprint may allow for more countertop or cabinet space

What’s in your wallet fridge?

I’d be willing to bet the old 80/20 rule is alive & well in your fridge.

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

Most of the time you eat the same items of whatever is in the fridge. Most of the time, you buy the same things at the grocery.

That being said, I know that right now, in our fridge, something has expired past its consumable lifetime. Probably lots of somethings. Not only that, but it’s only about 50% full most of the time. And we are heavier than our ideal weight. We might be good candidates for one of those 50cm wide European style fridges. More so than a family of 4.

So is there a connection between fridge size & weight?

The average storage capacity of a fridge in a US home is about 16-20 cubic feet. The average European fridge is about 10. Consumer Reports doesn’t even test European size fridges in the US.

In looking at healthy weight trends, Europeans tend to be closer to their ideal weight. Americans have a well known overweight tendency.  So is it true that a smaller fridge = lighter weight?

That’s right, an Open House Kitchen!

Our first Open Kitchen event was such a success we decided to do it again! Who’s invited? Anyone who:

• is thinking about a kitchen remodel
• wanted to see the type of work we do
• is curious about IKEA kitchens but doesn’t want to drive to Charlotte to see one

If that is you, then save the date & reserve your spot!

Sunday June 27, 2010 | 2:00-4:00pm  | Downtown Raleigh

Space is limited, so do let us know to hold a spot for you & a guest if applicable.  To reserve a spot, just fill out the form below & submit!  We will get back to you with details on location.

Come on out & put your kitchen design worries to rest.

Smart Pots!

Life on the Balcony is a great blog about all things container gardening.  She always has some useful info cranking over there, but one that caught my eye this week was some info about SmartPots.

The secret is in the roots

SmartPots are soft-sided fabric containers. They’re borrowed from the commercial tree industry, which has been using them for years. The smaller scale version is ideal for healthy root structure of plants, which leads to better resistance to insects & better yields from the plant. More from the SmartPot site on the roots:

The bag’s tough fabric prevents the root’s continued longitudinal growth, in effect pruning it, causing the root to develop masses of lateral fibrous roots.

The fibrous root systems produced in Smart Pots are more efficient and enable plants to maximize water and nutrient uptake in the limited surrounding soil mass.

In addition to being affordable, light weight & non-breakable, there are other benefits:

• Roots Stay Cooler During Hot Weather
• Plants Need Repotting Less Often
• A Less Expensive Potting Soil Can Be Used

There’s some pretty convincing data LOTB has gathered doing a side by side comparison of plant growth in a plastic pot vs a SmartPot. Check out her detailed post here.

SmartPots (Charles Jackson) is also on twitter! Great product, Charles, thanks for all the information on your site. Can’t wait to try one of these guys in our next planting.