When Uncommon Matters debuted its line of couture porcelain accessories, designers Amelie Riech and Jana Patz cheekily complemented the showroom installation with a soundtrack of breaking and clattering porcelain to underscore the fragility of their award-winning designs. The “Handle with Care” collection, as it is called, adeptly merges the idea of traditional crafts and materials taking shape to become an entirely new, modern creation.
     A man’s stiff shirt collar, for instance, becomes the inspiration for a series of platinized neckpieces, creating striking — and reflective — accessories that could perhaps be seen as a variation on the “boyfriend shirt” look. An entirely porcelain necklace, on the other hand, is designed with chain links in mind, and delicately clinks and clanks when in motion. Chunky porcelain bracelets and sleek neck cuffs round out the product line, which has continually graced the pages of many a fashion editorial in 2009.

Given the current emphasis on green design, it’s only natural that the tree stump should find its way into home décor and furniture design. Wood stumps have been a recent source of content for DIY bloggers and designers, and have even been co-opted by retail furniture stores like West Elm (in gold, of course). But Stephanie Beamer, co-founder of the all-girl furniture design crew Egg Collective, insists that their designs, including a stump side-table lamp, are rooted in architecture and are more about functionality and form than about following green trends. Citing pre-Danish modernism and French Art Deco styles, Beamer views furniture design “as a microcosm of the whole that is architecture.”
     The Egg Collective girls first met in wood shop while in architecture school in St. Louis. Upon encouragement from a professor, the ladies teamed up to begin creating innovative furniture pieces centered around ideas and creativity, not commerce and mass production. Following a particularly nasty series of storms in St. Louis, the Collective used fallen sycamore trees from local parks to create a series of limited edition side-table lamps that have since generated consistent buzz.

Images courtesy of Newscom

China is no stranger to making headlines for environmental issues. Two years ago, toxic toothpaste and lead-laden toys were being exported from the country. Last year, a report issued by a German energy institute claimed that China’s carbon dioxide emissions had reached 6.8 billion tons, an increase of 178% over the country’s 1990 emissions levels. But with increased international attention on carbon emissions and climate change, China is cleaning up its act and making headlines for the right reasons. Beijing’s Central Business District is getting the green treatment, making China the first country in the world to have an entirely green business district.
     Green-minded and eager to play a larger role in our ever-evolving future, 2009 marked a year wherein China vowed to increase its alternative energy production and even hinted at goals to become a key player in eco-friendly car manufacturing. It’s an image (and lifestyle) upgrade the country direly needs. So when internationally renowned architecture/engineering/urban design firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill submitted its green re-design plans for Beijing’s Central Business District (CBD), the Chaoyang District Government and the Beijing CBD Administration Committee took notice. Seven leading firms around the world were invited to participate in the international competition; SOM outdid the other six with their environmentally focused proposal.