There’s no denying that green design is the future. This means different things to different designers however. Some choose the more futuristic school of thought while others strive to return to nature. While both have their merits, I appreciate the challenge that is presented by having to use existing or naturally occurring materials.

Possibly I am drawn to these designs due to their tendency toward more curvilinear shapes rather than hard edges. I think it’s the same quality that draws me to art nouveau rather than art deco. There’s something really wonderful about art that is uniquely manmade and hand crafted rather than mass produced by machines.

Cabinet-Vitrine 1899 Gustave Serrurier-Bovy

Or maybe the little girl in me still fantasizes about living a self sufficient, Little House on the Prairie lifestyle.  It is my dream to live a life free from dependency on corporations and manufactuing. In fact I have started the preliminary stages of designing and building my own passive, off-the-grid home. I was inspired by a low impact home made by a man in Wales. It is literaly built into the side of a hill out of all renewable materials. Not only is is eco-friendly it is beautifully designed (and pretty inexpensive).
 

Low impact woodland home in Wales