May 17, 2013

Ethical interiors an essential ingredient for sustainable homes- learning from fast fashion disasters

In light of the recent tragedies in Bangladesh, and even more recently in Cambodia, we cant allow the interiors industry to follow such a shameful way of operating. Knowledge, transparency and questioning is what’s needed. But just who is going to look after our homes interiors and the impact they have around the world? So we are taking a look into unethical furniture manufacturers; illegal use of materials and how we can prevent the exploitation of workers and the environment in developing countries. Its becoming ever more difficult to ignore how some of our “favourite” companies are employing workers in unethical, and extremely unsafe conditions to ensure customers are kept happy in their “fast fix needs” for their homes. As our lives become busier and more hectic, we more often than not find ourselves searching for that quick fix to update our interiors, and our lives, and  thanks to the recession it’s often something relatively cheap too. But when you stop and think about it, just how is that brand new sofa made and sold so cheaply? The Ethical Consumer Magazine has undertaken research which has led it to challenge Heals, Laura Ashley and Habitat to prove that their wooden furniture is not manufactured from illegally sourced timber. During the research for their ‘buyers guide’ on furniture, these three companies along with 20 others were unable to provide the magazine with any proof that their beds, tables and chairs had not been manufactured from illegally sourced timber. Shocking – as we expect these brands to be reputable.

Illegally sourced timber is harvested from national parks, outside of logging concessions and from illegal plantations. The harvesting is having a devastating impact on communities, endangered forest habitats, and wildlife in large parts of South East Asia, Africa and South America.

There are ways to ensure your new furniture has an ethical background. Firstly by buying Fair Trade furniture, you are ensuring the makers are employed in better working conditions, paid better money, there is a good level of local sustainability and that there are fair trade terms for local farmers and workers in the developing world.

There are numerous companies available which sell Fair Trade furniture, one such example is The Living Rooms. Their furniture is both sustainable in manufcature and ethically traded to support producers and craftsmen around the world. The Living Rooms work with a large network of trusted sustainable importers and BAFTS(British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers) registered suppliers to help furnish your home with pieces which do not have a negative impact on the communities and environments where they are produced.

Another way to be certain is to check for the FSC mark on your furniture. The Forest Stewardship Council is an international, non-governmental organisation which promotes responsible management of the worlds forests. John Lewis have a great range of FSC certified furniture available, whether its for indoor or outdoor use and claim that 100% of their outdoor furniture is FSC certified.

With a rising public interest in sustainability and ethics many high street stores are making big steps to improve their sustainable  activities –the likes of Ikea  now ensure that all the materials used, and the labour used to produce it is all sustainably sourced and meets international regulations. The Iway standard(unique to Ikea) is the company’s set of ‘rules’ for the requirements for environment, social & working conditions when purchasing products, materials and services, ensuring that furniture and manufacturing gets better and more ethical. B&Q also pride themselves on being the UK’s biggest and most successful home improvement retailer without compromising their commitment to the environment and the people they trade with. 100% of timber products B&Q buy can be traced back to well managed sources, and have increased the amount of waste that is reused, recycled or composted by 57%.

Working with Bioregional, they have created the One Planet Home Sustainability Action Plan which identifies the company’s key impacts and influences, whilst setting out their plans to continuously improve the sustainability of the business. Take a look at the plan here.

If we really care about our homes, we should remember that what goes on indoors has an impact beyond our front doorsteps. By asking the right questions, and buying better we can, as consumers, change the way retailers take responsibility for the products that they manufacture, transport and sell- ensuring that tragedies such as those in Dhaka, don’t impact on our homes or the lives of others around the world.

By oliver | Filed in Furniture, General, Materials, Natural stuff | Comments (0)
May 2, 2013

May 2013 be the start of a more Sustainable future. . .

May 2013 be the Start …… to living sustainably.

Start is an initiative inspired by the Prince of Wales in 2009 – at which point he explained why it is so important that the people of the world adapt their behaviour in order to ease the effects of climate change. Until this point, much of the information we were being given was focusing on what we shouldn’t be doing. For many this was a turning point, making the emphasis not about stopping but about starting something better.  Start aims to highlight the best examples of sustainable practice in the UK, and show how we can all make a positive change right away.

Throughout May, Start is bringing together over 40 brands and organisations to help make this dream a reality. Each day one of the partners will bring an area of sustainable living to life in a number of ways, including Social Media, events, projects and much more.

 

If its water saving youre after –  on May 10th they will be providing inspiration for a water-wise life. Methods such as shorter showers, introducing Water Butts and fixing leaks.

May 14th sees IBM motivate us to ‘be the start of a smarter planet.’ Smart homes are an area we are passionate about here in the OH Design Office and are the future in saving us money and reducing unnecessary energy use. However it’s not just about introducing the latest technology into your home. Smart homes can also be about generating your own electricity, about growing plants and creating your own Eco air filtration system, or even simply about using light reflective paint on your walls. There’s so much more to a smart home than being able to control it through a mobile device.

On the 29th May you could become part of a nation that shares. In collaboration with Ecomodo, you can join a wider community and share, why spend money if you don’t have to? Ecomodo is a great site to help you link with your community and discover the life outside of your front door.

These are just a few key events occurring, but there is of course so much more happening. During the rest of the month you can gather information and tips on Greener gardens, neighbourhood food revolutions, becoming a nation that shares and how to start a sustainable business. There is a huge amount of information available which im sure will inspire people to make a start in changing the ways in which we live our everyday lives.

By oliver | Filed in Environmental events, General, Technology/ Energy Saving, Water saving | Comments (0)
April 18, 2013

Smart Floors – creating eco homes one step at a time !

The next stop in our tour of the future of smart homes is taking a look at “smart floors”. Our floors can be so much more than a surface we just step over. What are the added benefits that we see our industry bringing the future of flooring in our homes?

Did you know that in a typical home, 15% of the heat is lost through the floor and that insulating properly under your floorboards on your ground floor can save you around £60 per year? Not to mention the improvement of quality of life in having nice warm feet on a winters day.

It’s a fact that floor boards can be really drafty. These drafts are commonly caused by the gaps which can occur between each board or around the skirting. A quick fire fix to this is to use the Floorboard Gap Insulation Seal from Nigels Eco Store. It simply stretches into place sealing any gaps and can save a household up to £20 per room on their energy bills. The bonus is that it will do all this invisibly as the filler mimics the natural shadows between the boards.

Insulation is very important under any flooring on the ground floor. However, it depends on which type of flooring you have as to the correct type of insulation to use. Those who have standard floorboards and joists could use fibrous insulation such as the ThermaFleece Eco Roll, whereas those who live in new builds with concrete floors should look to using a rigid insulation board. For those who are installing under floor heating, we recommend the Eco-UFH rigid insulation board from EcoTherm. The boards allow for a quick and easy attachment of the flexible heating pipes to the insulation boards mesh reinforced surface.

Due to the amount of traffic on our floors and coming through our doorways, it’s hardly surprising to read that our doormats are one of the dirtiest spots in the home. You bring a lot more into your home other that dirt on the soles of your shoes. You will also find oil, pesticides, faeces, E-coli, and carcinogens down there too. Up to 95% of all household dirt and harmful pollutants enter the home on the bottom of your shoes

The Antimicrobial Doormat by Dr Doormat is a great idea. It eliminates harmful bacteria, allergens, dust mites and more from the soles of your shoes and boasts that it can remove up to 99% of these by simply wiping each shoe at least twice on the mat.

The harmful microbes are negatively charged living organisms while the antimicrobial treatment on the mat is positively charged. The surface of the mat creates a biostatic barrier which attracts the microbes like a magnet. Did you know that a common doormat acts as a breeding ground for bacteria and microbes to collect and grow? Every time you step on it you’re wiping off the daily collection and simply re-contaminating with the previous days germs.

Even simply spraying your doormat with disinfectant once a week will help cut down on the level of germs and bacteria entering your home.

Without wanting to state the obvious, flooring is an essential component to a home. The type of flooring you choose has a huge effect on a room and its ability to create a welcoming space. Any light that comes through the windows will hit the floor. By having light coloured flooring you are helping to reflect the light back up into the room and making the room appear roomy, lighter and brighter. Dark, Matte floors will absorb any light entering a room where as light, glossy floors will reflect the light. So save money on your lighting bill by reflecting natural renewable light energy off your floors and into the darker recesses of your home.

Interface are a great flooring company who incorporate nature into the design of their carpets. By using Biophilic Design to create visual and physical connections with nature, they incorporate natural materials or those that mimic nature and natural forms into their products. They have created a range called ‘Urban Retreat’ which consists of three individual ranges, each made up of three pattern choices, in a variety of colours all of which work well with one another. Each piece is made from 100% recycled yarn and contain a high percentage of recycled material in the backing.

Or why not introduce a real piece of nature into your bathroom with this Moss Bathmat by Nguyen La Chanh. The moss in this lush green mat thrives in humid conditions, making your bathroom the perfect environment for it. Also, as we mentioned in previous posts, introducing greenery into your home provides you with your very own green, air filtration system, and what better place to have one than in a bathroom!

In a lifetime an average person will take around 200 million steps whilst approximately 52,000 people will pass through a busy train station every hour! It would be great if that footfall could be used to create energy. Pavegen have created a flooring tile which can do exactly that. The tile has been designed to be used in high-footfall urban environments, places such as train stations and schools etc. Every time somebody walks over the Pavegen flooring tile, renewable energy is harvested. The hidden technology converts the kinetic energy into electricity which can either be used straight away to power off-grid applications or stored in an on-board battery unit for use later on. The top surface is made from 100% recycled rubber and the base slab is constructed from over 80% recycled material.

Finally, have a look at this Mirrored Smart Floor concept, created by a designer in Germany. The prototype is a 26 square foot pressure sensing smart floor which recognises people by their weight and tracks their whereabouts to display interactive videos. The idea is that the technology can turn your floor into an interactive surface which controls the electronics in your home, lets you play games and potentially monitor elderly or disabled people. For example if you were to walk into a room, the floor can recognise your weight and play your favourite music, turn on your favourite tv channel or just simply turn the light on.

just think what more could your floors do for you? Time to start thinking smart- its the future.

By oliver | Filed in General | Comments (0)
April 18, 2013

Environmental Education for children is a necessity not an option

We all like to think we do our bit for the environment, turning the washing machine down to 30 degrees, installing solar panels and so on. But in reality many believe it will take a generation (around 25 years) for sustainability to become truly common place within a domestic environment. So far, not enough people are educated on the subject to make an impact for the future, and sustainability has only become a vital subject in the last 5 years, really only since the recession has struck. In order to keep progressing towards making a change for life it is important to educate the younger generations, those who can grow up in a lifetime of caring for the environment and understanding the impact we have on it.

A recent Unicef poll showed that 75% of 11 to 16 year olds were worried about how Global warming will change the world and want the government to do more to tackle the threat. So it was extremely worrying this week, to see that the Government are seeking to do the reverse and  cut environmental education from the National Curriculum for children aged between 5 and 14 years old. That’s their whole lower education, with no environmental awareness lessons.

 

What is to be removed in the existing curriculum is the interdependence of humans and their environment, and the impact of that on ‘change’ including environmental change. It openly teaches children about sustainable development and its impact on environmental interaction and climate change.

In the proposed copy of the National Curriculum, there is no mention of climate change in the criteria for the teaching of Geography. Only once the children reach GCSE’s level, aged 14-16 years, will they be educated and even then, only if they choose Geography. There is also only a single mention of how Carbon Dioxide produced by humans impacts the environment in the Chemistry section, there are no references at all to sustainable development.

John Ashton, a previous representative for the Governments climate change work says; ‘Climate change should have as much prominence as anything in teaching Geography in schools. The shift of any mention of climate change from Geography to Chemistry makes me more concerned, not less. What’s important is not so much the Chemistry as the impact on the lives of human beings, and the right place for that is Geography.’

In a letter produced by academics, Politicians, business leaders and leading environmental figures, state that;

  • All existing references to care and protection would be removed. This is unfathomable and unacceptable. Today’s children are tomorrow’s custodians of nature.
  • There is a duty to ensure that all pupils have the chance to learn about threats to the natural world, to be inspired to care for it, and to explore ways to preserve it and restore it.
  • These proposals not only undermine our children’s understanding and love of nature, but ultimately threaten nature itself.

Worryingly the changes have been welcomed by some groups including the Geographic Association, and the Royal Geographical society, who believe that the proposed changes provide a better grounding in Geography before students go on to tackle climate change.

It is critical to keep this education in the National Curriculum – in my experience it is the children in our households who are actively bringing home latest news about climate change, looking after the wider environment, and changing the way we live for future generations. this is a topic that they are embracing with the energy and passion we really need. It may be too late for older generations to create a noticeable change, but by educating future generations we can be sure there will be a positive impact to come.

 

What is heart warming to see is that 15 year old  Esha Marwaha (seen here, third from the left) has started a petition to help try and keep climate change in the National Curriculum for children under 14 years old. She has had a great response and received over 28,000 signatures. In fact two separate petitions were submitted to the Department for Education totalling in around 65,000 signatures, which is such a great figure to see. Good on you Esha !

Find out more about  Esha Marwaha’s  campaign here and keep environmental education on the National Curriculum.

 

By oliver | Filed in Environmental events, General | Comments (0)
March 21, 2013

Sustainable homes need smart water thinking – World Water Day 2013

Friday 22nd March sees the annual return of World Water Day. It acts as a means to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Each year there is a theme for the day and this year it is ‘Water Cooperation’. World water day was created in 1992 by the United Nations when it was recommended a day was created in order to celebrate freshwater at the Conference on Environment and Development. Celebrations and events will be taking place worldwide to help raise awareness on water issues and improve the management of water resources.

 

Just to test your knowledge did you know that;

  • 85% of the worlds population lives in the driest half of the planet.
  • 783 million people do not have access to clean water.
  • Almost 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation.
  • Agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater use.

In previous articles i have mentioned how important it is to take care of your water management at home. With over 45 million toilets in UK homes, it is estimated that 2 billion litres of freshwater is used every day to flush them, that’s 2 billion litres of fresh drinking water!  By flushing only what is needed you could save huge amounts of water every day.  This retrofit kit from Interflush converts standard, single flush toilets into water saving devices. The kit is simply attached to the top of existing plastic WC siphons, connecting to a front mounted handle, and creates an ‘air brake’ which is closed when the handle is down and open when released. The end result is that the toilet will only  flush water when the handle is engaged- water saved, money saved – smart thinking!

 

We all know that as a rule showers use less water than baths. The average shower uses approximately 9 litres per minute and lasts for around 7 minutes – by reducing this time to 4 minutes you will be able to save up to 30 litres of water every time you shower! The water pebble is a great device which monitors the amount of water going down your plug hole. On the first shower it will remember the amount of water used and then use this as a benchmark to monitor water flow. It will then alert you using a simple traffic light system, flashing from green when you start through to red for when you should finish. Each time it will also take a fraction of time off the previous shower helping you to save water without too much effort.

Or how about fitting an aerating shower head? By showering with bubbles you can cut the flow of water from 9 litres per minute down to 5 litres. The shower heads mix water going through the head with air to create an effervescent effect, reducing water use without any noticeable reduction in the quality of your shower. They are available as a wall mounted device or can simply screw on to a shower hose and cost from around £30.

In a recent survey of 1500 participants by Ideal Standard, 78% said that they wish their bathroom of the future would waste less water, that is a huge number who are aware just how much freshwater is wasted everyday and would like to do something about it, which is really positive to read.

Your kitchen sink is also a water guzzler, did you know that it is responsible for up to 14% of your daily household water consumption? By simply turning down the flow of your kitchen taps you can often reduce water flow from 12 litres per minute to 8 litres, this simple ‘technique’ can reduce water waste considerably in such a short space of time! A simple solution is to use a washing up bowl which will limit your water use, or how about going one step further and installing a foot pedal operated tap such as this one from IZI flow. Quite simply you turn the mixer tap on and off with your foot, so as soon as you step away the tap turns off – easy!

 

Living in a hard water region can also affect your water use at home. Over 60% of the UK is considered to live in a hard water region and over time scale build up can play havoc on your water pipes and heating systems. The hard water produces a mineral build up which reduces the efficiency of the product. This can lead to the product needing to be serviced or even replaced in less time than if it were to be installed in a soft water area. Water softeners are a great solution to this common problem and UKH2O have a great range available. I have just had a Kinetico water softener installed at home, and can really see the benfit in reduced scale buld up in my shower area. It uses the kinetic energy of flowing water to power itself instead of electricity and accurately meters the water to determine when its time to regenerate allowing for less water waste. Also thanks to its compact size it was installed without taking up too much space.

 

If you want to find out more about a new water labelling scheme for domestic appliances take a look here at the aptly named water labelling efficiency scheme.

In the UK an average adult will use 150 litres of fresh drinking water every day (that’s as much as shown in the bottles below!), now add that to worldwide water consumption and you can see how important it is that World Water Day exists. By bringing to the worlds attention the problems that exist with access to freshwater, we can raise awareness and hopefully have a positive effect on the 780 million people who do not have access to clean water, whilst doing what we can to preserve ours and of course save ourselves a little bit of cash!

 

By oliver | Filed in General, Technology/ Energy Saving, Water saving | Comments (0)
March 19, 2013

How can eco homes be Smart Homes?

As some of you may know we have previously touched on the subject of Smart Homes, but now we aim to bring you the true definition of exactly what a Smart Home is;

‘A Smart home is one which can be controlled at the touch of a button. By incorporating home automation systems, the inhabitants are able to control the buildings functions from wherever they are, whether it’s at home or somewhere else in the world. A Smart Home may control lighting, temperature, security, window and door operations as well as many other systems, and it will gather information to help give you comfort, convenience, cost and carbon benefits.’

 

This is how industry defines Smart Homes, but as a designer I know that it goes much further than introducing technology into your home. By incorporating processes such as generating your own electricity, or plants and paints etc, this allows for you to turn your environment into a feedback system which reacts to your personal needs, providing additional or rather “smart” benefits all while allowing for you to be in control.

Over the next few weeks we are going to take a closer look at Smart Homes, breaking down key areas and showing you how you can become more connected in ways other than wiring your house through your Smartphone. Rather, how you can become connected with your environment both internally and in terms of the wider community right up to a national level, how you can understand your house better, and interact with it. For example we think that walls could be delivering all sorts of benefits and create a smart environment by;

  • Bouncing natural light into a room, creating a sense of light and space. Also using insulating paints such as the Thermo Emulsion from Nutshell Natural paint

 

  • Acting as a canvas and providing lighting features over a whole wall

 

  • Introducing plants and creating a living wall, acting as an air filter and providing a sense of the outdoors. Plants can also provide food – using products like these Woolly Pockets you can literally have an edible wall

Smart Homes go much further than simply technological advancement  and we aim to show you how this can be achieved as we investigate what a Smart Home can really be- to create better, happier, healthier and more efficient homes fit for the future.

 

 

By oliver | Filed in General | Comments (0)
March 4, 2013

Finding eco homes at EcoBuild 2013

EcoBuild is the largest showcase of sustainable construction products anywhere, exhibiting at the Excel Arena in London between the 5th-7th March. There’s a huge variety of things to see and do including; attractions, conferences, speakers and seminar sessions.

I have picked out some of the key seminars which might be of interest to you- im certainly going to try and make it to as many as i can;

  • Energy made at home: Low energy heating and the renewable heat incentive (7th March)
  • Starting points: Simple and effective tweaks to drive down energy use in existing buildings (6th March)
  • Health and indoor air quality (7th March)
  • Responsible water use – demand management and the design and maintenance of water recycling systems (6th March)
  • Successfully designing and building to Passivhaus standards (7th March)
  • The Green Deal: From debate to delivery (5th March)
  • Green deal or no deal? (6th March)
  • Passiv vs Active (5th March)
  • Designing more productive environments (6th March)
  • New Eco materials, latest innovations (6th March)
  • Sustainable interior lighting design and new technologies (7th March)
  • New developments in solar technologies (5th March)
  • Models for community energy (6th March)

Attractions include the EcoBuild Arena, Green Shoots, Future Materials Gallery, The Green Deal Terrace and the Solar Hub, to name but a few.

One key attraction will be the 9m tall Waste Totem pole which has been created by friends and  local Architects BBM. The Waste Totem is made from recycled Ply and Timber from building sites together with lightweight sheet material collected from previous exhibitions at the Excel Arena and decorated with second hand paint. The totem will be decorated with slogans in answer to the question ‘what is the future of waste?’

Wow – so much to do and as ever so little time – It looks its going to be another great exhibition with lots of exciting new ideas and concepts; can you really afford to miss it?

By oliver | Filed in Environmental events, General | Comments (0)
February 20, 2013

Climate Week 2013 – be green in ’13 !

The first week of March brings us Climate Week now in its fourth year. its on from the 4th to the 10th March

Each year over half a million people attend around 3000 events in Britain’s biggest environmental occasion. The events are run by Charities, Schools, Businesses and Councils, to name but a few, and you can get involved too by registering yours at the Climate Week website. Events include competitions, quizzes, conferences, bike rides, open days, debates and much much more. To find your nearest available event just enter your postcode at the Climate Week website.

The website provides great tips on how to celebrate Climate Week at home with tips such as Eco DIY, Green Cuisine and Kicking out the Can in partnership with Crown Paints, quick, simple steps to help make things more sustainable in your home. I’ll be writing for Climate Week in the near future and will of course keep you up to date of future events.

You can also find great resource Challenge packs for schools for children of all ages, with ideas ranging in suitability for as young as nurseries right up to Higher Education Level. There are also packs available for workplaces.

Can you really afford not to get involved?

By oliver | Filed in Environmental events, General | Comments (0)
February 15, 2013

Bathrooms of the future – saving us water and giving us so much more

Im always on the lookout for surveys and stats that tell us a little more about how we want to live, rather than the way we currently do- they can be a fascinating insight for any designer particularly those interested in the Future Home.

Well this week its bathrooms.

A recent survey of 1500 home owners by bathroom manufacturer  Ideal Standard gave us an interesting insight as to how the great unwashed, will be washed in the future. A few highlights:

  • 29% of us agree that our current bathroom does not have enough storage space
  • 47% would like the bathroom of the future to be more spacious
  • 19% want an adaptable bathroom
  • 32% would like their bathroom to be safer
  • 78% wish they could waste less water
  • 37% would like future bathrooms to be powered by renewable energy
  • 41% of people in the UK use the bathroom as a place to think
  • 25% use it as a place to relax

Quite viably they predict that the future bathroom will remember individual users using intuitive technology to help make the experience easier for the young, elderly and those less able.

They predict (much less viably!) that bathrooms of the future will be mould-able, flexible and adaptable. You will be able to define the shape of the fixtures you require simply by ‘shaping them in the air’ , perhaps…..

 

Bathrooms of the future

However what is clear is that  bathrooms are becoming more sociable spaces- more open, allowing for interaction and relaxation. As we try to fit as much family time as possible in to our hectic lifestyles, the bathroom scene is changing. Seating is a great idea in a bathroom, especially if you have a young family, children’s bath time can be a family event and having seating allows for you to join in comfort, without kneeling over the edge of the bath . . .

 

As we all know technology is rapidly taking over our lives and it’s starting to appear in the bathroom too, perhaps the one place where you thought you could escape it? But perhaps it has some smart benefits particularly  if  it is an an area for monitoring health and well being also. As we mentioned previously Toto have designed a toilet which will monitor your blood pressure, BMI, blood sugar levels and weight. All this data can then be transferred to your computer to be monitored via Wi-Fi.

 Today the average person brushes their teeth for only 46 seconds! This toothbrush from Beam and free App for your smartphone helps you to brush your teeth for the recommended two minutes with an easy to use timer and helps you to monitor your oral health. The App comes complete with brushing goals and incentives making it a good idea for children to help them learn. The App also allows for you to play your favourite song while you brush and alerts you when it’s time to change the brush head. The charts produced from the App can be easily sent to your dentist before your check up.

A questionable example of technology taking over is this bath from Brazilian design company Innovative House (Ihouse). The bath allows for you to start it remotely via an App on your Smartphone and then alerting it once it has reached the pre-programmed water level. A warming feature will also keep the water at your desired temperature throughout. But do we really need to turn on our baths on before we’re home, and what happens when it goes a little crazy as we all know technology can?

I’m sure most of us are guilty of singing in the shower and quite a few of us probably even have a radio in the bathroom to sing along to too. This rechargeable battery powered shower head from Kohler Moxie allows for you to combine your radio and shower head in one. It functions via Bluetooth from a device up to 32 feet away and has a 7 hour battery life, when you can simply unscrew the speaker and put in on charge until the next shower.

However, having music playing whilst we shower may lead to us staying under the running water for longer than anticipated. This shower timer from Pebble is a great little device which monitors water going down the plug hole. The product remembers the first shower and then uses this as a benchmark to monitor water flow, it then alerts you via a simple traffic light system flashing from green when you start, through to red when you should finish. Each time you shower the pebble takes a fraction of time off from the previous shower helping you to save water without thinking about it.

Looking further into heat recovery Dutch Solar Systems have created a shower drain heat recovery unit which is able to recycle the heat from drain water into a sustainable source of energy. The system can recover roughly 59% of the heat from your shower water.

Over 60% of the UK is considered to have hard water, which over time can block and scale up water pipes and heating systems, leaving behind a mineral build up and reducing the efficiency of not only your taps and shower heads but importantly your hot water tank. This will most likely lead to the product needing to be serviced or replaced in less time than if it were to be installed a soft water area. Having just had a Kinetico water softener installed at home, the befits are clear particularly on my shower screen which now doesnt need regular cleaning!. It uses the kinetic energy of flowing water to power itself instead of electricity and accurately meters the water to determine when it’s time to regenerate allowing for less waste and greater savings. Also thanks to its compact size it can be installed without taking up lots of space in your bathroom.

As we know plants are important to have around the home to help filter out the harmful off-gases produced from cheaper furniture manufactured from particleboard, often with a waterproof plastic veneer. These tiles from Maruja Fuentes are a great concept; the fish scale shape comes complete with a small pocket, suitable for growing small house plants. An interesting wall feature and air purifier in one.

And lastly we love this product- the interactive mirror from POSH (dodgy acronym though) comes complete with a self-contained multi-touch option. With connections via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet, the mirror has an app store which allows for you to download the latest news whilst you are getting ready in the morning, watch television and check in with your social media sites among many other options.

The future bathroom, so much more than just the smallest room in the house; its a place to relax, splash around, invigorate, check out your health, cut down on resources even spend some quality family time in. its too good an opportunity to waste!

By oliver | Filed in General, Healthy spaces, Materials, Technology/ Energy Saving, Water saving | Comments (0)
February 1, 2013

Future kitchen concepts – cooking up a storm in home design

As technology plays an increasingly larger role in our everyday lives we thought we’d take a look at some of the weird and wonderful gadgets which are being designed for the kitchens of the future. The kitchen is fast becoming the centre of the home, being used for much more than just cooking. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place earlier this month in Las Vegas and gave us a wonderful insight into the future of our homes.

Whirlpool recently exhibited a range of concepts stating that ‘they innovate to bring simplicity to the lives of those using their products’. One of these concepts is the CoolVox fridge which aims to bring entertainment into your kitchen. Complete with Bluetooth technology the fridge allows you to play music directly from an app, but not only that, you can also download instructional ‘how to cook’ podcasts to be played directly through the refrigerator, simple! It’ll have you jiving round your kitchen in no thyme (sorry, couldn’t resist that)

It’s common practice in my home to put something in the fridge and then forget it about it, by the time we remember it again, it’s more than likely to have gone off. One of the finalists from last years Electrolux Design Lab competition designed a concept to transform the way in which we refrigerate and store food. ‘Impress‘ is a refrigeration wall which clearly holds your food and drink for you. By having these products visible you are less likely to forget about them, resulting in the decrease of food waste. Impress also does not refrigerate when there is nothing in it, saving on wasteful energy consumption. We like the hexagonal bee hive aesthetics too – most apt.

Food waste is something that occurs in almost every kitchen, but is there another way to use it if you dont compost? Philips have created this concept kitchen which powers itself with food leftovers. The central island has a cutting surface, a gas range and a bio-digester. The bacteria in the bio-digester feeds on waste such as vegetable trimmings to produce methane gas which in turn fuels the range and the lights and heats water. Any dehydrated residue can then be used as compost. The connected larder also includes a vegetable garden and a terracotta evaporative cooling unit providing a green alternative to refrigeration. They seem to have thought of everything – however the setting does look a little more sparse than most domestic kitchens.

But for a more realistic way to solving your food waste problems, check out lovefoodhatewaste.com for simple and practical solutions. Or how about these Vacuum food storage containers which are available in a wide variety of sizes. By removing the air out of the container, food is kept fresh for up to 5 times longer. Each container also has its own shelf to prevent food sitting in liquid and they all have a date indicator so you know exactly when you prepared it. Tests show that salads stayed fresh for 14 days, Strawberries stayed fresh for 21 days and raw meat for 9 days. Brilliant.

Another concept from the Electrolux design lab is The Snail designed by Peter Alwin. It is a portable heating and cooking device which uses magnetic induction processes. Due to its small size, the size of a snail, it can be attached directly on to a pot, saucepan or  a bowl in order to heat its contents. Inbuilt sensors even allow for The Snail to detect the food type being heated enabling it to automatically adjust the time and temperature, stopping items from burning. It’s not dissimilar to The Ribbon which we’ve mentioned previously.

But if cooking food by hand just isn’t for you, then you’ll be happy to hear that 3D food  printing could be the answer, take a look at these digital food printers. They allow you to invent unique foods whilst keeping track of nutritional values and keeping your carbon footprints down. Various concepts have been created, predicting digital gastronomy to become a part of our everyday lives.

The Mo’Sphere was another finalist in the 2012 Electrolux Design Lab competition. As with the digital food printers, the Mo’Sphere allows for creativity, interaction and excitement, but this time through the world of molecular cooking. Molecular cooking is something we associate perhaps with Heston Blumenthal and other celebrity chefs, but this concept brings it right into your home. It allows you to carry out flash freezing, and create foams, frosts and even candy floss. It’s like having your very own science lab in your kitchen- fun, cooking and geekdom all in one handy sphere!

Although Dishwashers use less water than washing by hand they are still a huge consumer of both water and energy. The Dualwash Bipartite Dishwasher is a concept which has completely reinvented your average dishwasher. The concept uses liquid Carbon Dioxide to clean your dishes and when there are stubborn particles the Carbon Dioxide transforms back to a gas and forces the stubborn particles into the filter. The concept dishwasher also acts as a cabinet so once it is loaded, the dishes are already put away- time saving, energy saving and a cool gadget too – just what we want from kitchens of the future.

By oliver | Filed in Furniture, Technology/ Energy Saving, Water saving | Comments (0)

  • twitter

  • Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter