I received an email about Orange22′s launch of the Botanist Blank Canvas Project at ICFF and it looks pretty interesting.  Orange22 enlisted the help of eight iconic designers to place their fingerprint on the popular Botanist line of indoor/outdoor furniture.  The designers include Yves Behar, Margo Chase, Milton Glaser, Kahi Lee, Karim Rashid, Joe Ricchio, Massimo + Lella Vignelli, and Claude Zellweger.  Pieces come in a variety of designs and can be used as end tables, benches, cocktail tables, or anything else you can think of.

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I’ve got 3 super-fresh, green prefab videos for your viewing leisure.  Two videos are of MKD’s Glidehouse, which is factory-built in roughly 10-14 months at a cost similar or less than traditional site-built homes.  The other is of the Sunset Breezehouse, which has the butterfly roof and central breezeway that blurs the interior with the exterior.  Pretty cool videos — it’s nice to have Michelle Kaufmann herself blogging these prefab experiences. 

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Sure, this New Zealand home is heavy on the industrial, nuclear reactor look, but it has a certain draw to it, don't you think?  I was pointed to these images in a flickr photoset owned by petraalsbach and was struck by the interesting use of containers — as you can tell, the home was built right up to, and possibly into, the hill.  Containers are strong and stackable,and it seems like lots of people are using them right now in home design.  Container homes may just become more popular than modern prefab …

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In a break from the blue suit and red tie mentality here at JG, I thought I would share this news about The Real World Hollywood’s green digs.  Think MTV teamed up with Bunim-Murray Productions to green the next, certain-to- be-dramatic installment of the show.  It’ll be the first time they’ve gone with green finish outs for the show.  The greenly decorated house includes environmentally friendly products ranging from solar panels and hybrid cars, to bamboo flooring, energy efficient appliances, and a number of recycled and reused products around the house.  No word on product specifics, but here you go — feel free to play name that green product in the comments if you notice something in the pictures.

I’ll also add that I think this news definitely stands for two things: (1) green is here, and (2) green is mainstream.  Any perspective?

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Eco-boutique CityFlats Hotel is a modern spot in Holland, Michigan that expects to get LEED Silver within the next month.  When certified, it’ll be one of only a few green hotels in the country, which is weird because hotels focus so much on energy and water efficiency.  Some of the bigger hotel companies have announced trendy green hotel brands, but they’re moving slow and in the mean time, we’re seeing eco-boutiques like CityFlats pop up in various locations.

As you can tell from the images, style wasn’t sacrificed for sustainability at CityFlats. 

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