Objekten’s Intelligent Ecology: Sustainable Design to Buy Once
Objekten is a Brussels-based design house run by Alain Berteau; all of the company’s pieces have a sustainable aspect to them, and they are all made to counter cheap, poorly made stuff that only lasts a few years (and forces you to buy, say, a peppermill 5 or 6 times in your life instead of once).
The adorable faux fur laptop cover (top), designed by Claire Debien, will not only keep your laptop protected and cozy, but it’s made from “haute couture-grade, formaldehyde-free, BS4569 flame retardant artificial fur (cotton, acrylic),” which is healthier for you and the planet (most faux fur not only feels junky, it’s smelly and seems to fall apart immediately, leaving bits of “fur” everywhere).
Made in Belgium from German wood, this peppermill is a stunner; it will be the only one you ever need to buy; a small piece of design that you will use every day (or at least I do, I love pepper!).
Leaning is an ingenius “wall pocket” made in Belgium with wood from managed forests and comes in a variety of 12 colors. It expands to accommodate your stuff; I imagine this would be as useful by the front door as in a children’s room.
The ecocushions are “stuffed with recycled foam materials, and covered with thick textiles coming from C2C suppliers,” and they promise to be mega-comfy too.
Starre Vartan
Starre Vartan is founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick.com and the author of the Eco-Chick Guide to Life. She's also a freelance science and environment writer who has published in National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Pacific Standard, the NRDC, and many more. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her partner and black cat. She was a geologist in her first career, and still picks up rocks wherever she goes.
