This last week was the outdoor retailer show here in Salt Lake. I always try and get down there to see if there are any interesting new products coming out this year. I was hoping to run into Terra Plana so I could get a peak at their Dopie Sandal, and as luck would have it, I did. Not only did I get to see this unique sandal in real life, but I also got to talk with the brain child behind the sandal Matthew Harrison. He was a little jet lagged as he had just barely gotten in from London, but it was still a great conversation. Matthew explained that in designing the sandal he was trying to simplify the concept of a shoe as much as possible. The result is the Dopie. For my full review, read on...

Outside of work, I pretty much live in sandals, so I was anxious to try these on to see how I liked them. Terra Plana was nice enough to give me a pair of my own, and I wore them for the next 4 hours as I walked around the show. Being a minimalist I immediately ditched the extra strap, and I was surprised to find that walking in them was pretty easy. I wouldn't want to run mind you, but walking wasn't any more difficult than any pair of flip flops. As far as comfort, the plastic that goes between the toes is fairly rigid and snug, which at first was nice. I did find that they got a little uncomfortable after a few miles. The look is very minimal, but surprisingly they didn't feel as "naked" on my feet as my Havaianas. Matthew also mentioned that they are working on a second generation already, and I'm sure they will be even better than the first.

As one of my favorite artists, and a sponsor of Grassrootsmodern, I keep a pretty close eye on Avalisa. I knew she had been working on some new prints, and it looks like they have finally made it to her website. Her Animal Patterns series takes silhouettes of different animals and repeats them in a pattern that is quite visually soothing. As with all of her artwork, each print is available in different sizes, and different colors. Some of the animal patterns are even available as a zoomed in version such as this Cool Deer Pattern Zoom shown here. Prices are as usual quite reasonable. Available from Avalisa from $59 up.

Our Brown Blue Float print in our nursery.

Our rainscreen siding has been a slow and tedious process. So far we are almost 4 days into it, and we are probably about 3/4 of the way done. Thanks to family and friends, we were able to get a bunch of it done this last Friday and Saturday. We hope it will all be done by today, or Tuesday. I have to admit though, that despite all the hard work, it's worth it. The look it gives the house is very distinct, and it really sets the tone for the whole addition. For those who have asked about some of the details, read on for a short explanation of exactly what we are doing and why.

The concept of a rainscreen is not a new one, although it has been utilized much more frequently in modern architecture in recent years. The basic idea is that you start with your exterior surface, and then add your waterproof layer. In our case we wrapped the whole house in Tyvec, and followed that with a layer of 15 pound building paper. We just used the building paper as a layer to black the house out, and not so much for it's waterproofing. To that layer you nail furring strips that will hold your final cladding away from the house. We used 1/2" pressure treated plywood that was ripped into 2/1/2" strips and then painted black. For our project we mounted the furring strip every 16" so we would be screwing into studs. Remember your furring strip layout will determine you screw pattern and your joints. Last you attach your cladding. I have seen some beautiful Ipe rainscreens, but since we were on a budget we went with hardie board. We actually used a 7 1/4" Hardie lap siding mounted with a 1/4" reveal between them. To make our reveals consistent we ripped down some 1/4 masonite to set between the siding as we mounted them. We found the best thing for cutting the Hardie siding was a pair of power sheers. Lastly for screws, we used a #10 pan head self tapping stainless steel screws with a square drive head. They were 1 1/2" in length. We got them online from McFeelys for about $450 for 4,000. Thats a lot of details, but hopefully that answers some questions for some of you. There haven't really been a lot of rainscreen applications that I know of that have been around for 15-20 years, so how it holds up is still to be seen.

More info about rainscreens here and here.

Who says that Etsy is just for those that are trying to become well known. Joe Futschik of Jef Designs has an etsy shop where he sells these lovely votive candle pods. They are created from the byproducts of the legna lamp, the pod votive adheres to the principles of jefdesigns: clean, minimal, and organically modern. Just like his Legna Lamps, they are all hand made, and can be ordered in teak, zebrawood, rosewood, or bamboo veneers. Joe encourages using LED tealights instead of the traditional candle, and he is even offering 1 free LED tealight to the first 30 orders. Available at the Jef Designs Etsy shop for $15.

We were just sitting around on Saturday, not doing much of anything, when I decided to see if there was anything good on craigslist. I came across a post for free sod, and it was only about two hours old. It was a first come first serve deal so I drove by to see if there was any left. Originally there was about 3,000 square feet, enough to do our back yard several times. When I did my drive by the majority of it was still there, unfortunately I had taken the car, and not the Discovery. I hurried home and got the Disco, and was able to get in one good sized load, and a second small one before it was all gone. It ended up making a pretty good sized patch of grass in our back yard, and best of all, it was free. Thats the best kind of affordable!

3 Form is a bit of an enigma for Utah. Their factory is just down the road a couple of miles from where I live. While most people around here have never even heard of them, they are known world wide for making some of the most beautiful paneling available. They are also an eco friendly company making it into the AIA top ten green building products. While I adore their stuff, it seems like it has always been too expensive for a tightwad like me. I was looking over their site last night drooling over some of their designs, and playing with the design your own panels when I noticed the Reclaim section. Basically the reclaim panels are 4' x 4' panels that are cut out of a bigger panel that had flaws. Instead of throwing it all away, they sell the smaller panels for a discount. Most go for around $200, and considering I paid $95 for a 5' x 5' panel of 3/8" baltic birch, is really not too bad at all.

Although at first glance it almost looks like a contraceptive device, rest assured the only thing the Method Aroma Ring prevents is a smelly house. Method has always had a good eye for design when it comes to home products, and the Aroma Ring is no exception. The look is simple and understated. So simple in fact, that it doesn't have to plug in or anything. You just sit it out where you want it and walk away. All the mess is protected behind a one way barrier, so the only thing that is getting out is a refreshing smell. Available in cut grass, lavender lemongrass, sweet water, and vanilla apple. Price is $8 per ring, or $5 for a refill.

Available from Method, or anywhere Method home products are sold.

With the popularity of green design increasing, it is becoming easier to find environmentally conscious products that look good. Take for example this Swissmar Bamboo 2 Bowl Dip Set, which is not only eco friendly, but chic too. This aprox. 12" x 10" serving tray has two porcelain bowls inset on the side, and is balanced out by a cut out section to hold whatever it is you plan on dipping. At only $27 for a cutting board and two bowls, the price is just as friendly on your wallet as the bamboo is on the environment. Available at Kitchenzing for $27.

I took two days off earlier this week to work on some of the finish carpentry. There is a lot of it in our house, which will be nice in the end, but right now it is very time consuming. I managed to get all the birch paneling done in the hall, as well as all the casing on the bedroom doors. The louvered windows are what took the most time. They really complete the rooms though, and will be great to have when we get the skylights installed. The idea is that when the skylights in the hall are open it will draw air from the courtyard windows, through the room and out the skylights. It should provide for some great passive cooling. So far the temperature in our house has been great as long as we open all the windows at night, and close them in the morning.

Saturday we called on family and friends to help us out a little with some painting. We had a great turnout, and got an amazing amount of work done. We managed to prime all the walls, and get at least two coats of Glidden Evermore Semi-Gloss on the walls. The bedroom and nursery got three coats, and late Saturday night we were able to set up our bed, and sleep in our new room. We used pure white base 1 paint everywhere, and I love the way it looks. The Glidden Evermore is a low VOC paint, and it was great to work with. It's available at home depot for $20 a gallon. We bought it in the 5 Gallon buckets, and between primer and finish paint went through almost 18 gallons of paint in one day. A big thanks to everyone who showed up and made it possible, you are all amazing!

Speaking of houses, I love this house from Sparkability. OK, so its basically just a big white cardboard box, and you could probably make something just as cool for a whole lot less money ($45- ouch). What I do love about it is that someone realized that sometimes the box is more fun than the toy, so they are just selling the box. House is extra sturdy, and made of recycled carboard. House is white, so it's up to you to decorate it the way you like. I would love to see pics of some homemade modern cardboard houses. If anyone has any, or is up to the challenge of getting a refrigerator box and making one, send them my way. I'll post them here for everyone to see!

Available from Sparkability for $45. (or make your own for free :) )

After some discussion on our forums here, we decided to go ahead and buy a real Christmas tree this year. Just down the road from us there was a Christmas tree farm called Robinsons Christmas trees, so we decided to check it out. They had a whole bunch of different kinds and sizes, including my favorite, the Alpine fir. Cost was $45, which is kind of expensive, but a least we were supporting the little guy. I love the sparse Charlie Brown tree look of it. I was a little anal when it came to the lights and took the time to wrap every branch (well almost every one). It took a long time, but it was worth it. Besides that, our decorations are pretty plain, a couple glass globes, and some stainless steel stars that say "peace", "joy", "love" etc. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Original forum post here.

I came across this site a while ago, and thought that it looked interesting. Solar power is something I have always wanted for my home, but the start up cost is usually pretty prohibitive. Home Depot recently started doing solar installation, but it's not available where we live. This program from Citizenre REnU looks too good to be true, so it probably is. It claims no system purchase, no installation fee, no maintenance fees. If anyone has any more details about this program, please share with us in the forums.

Comments? Post them here in the forums.

Some time ago, I posted about an alternative diapering system called Baby G Diapers. Since then I have heard of a couple other alternative diaper systems. Fuzzi Bunz has been around since 99 and is a reusable diaper that uses three different layers. The first layer is a super soft polar fleece that keeps the baby dry by letting wetness pass through. Second is a waterproof outer layer, and third is a super absorbent microterry insert that fits between the other layers. What I like about them is there is nothing to throw away, its all washable, but sounds easier than the old school cloth diapers. They also come in a whole bunch of great colors. I don't have any personal experience using them, but my sisters friend swears by them. Fuzzi Bunz was nice enough to send me a pair so I could check out the quality, and my wife and I were very impressed. When we get around to having kids, we would love to try them out.

Available online or near you for $17.95 Comment? Post them here in the forums.

I have always been a fan of felted wool. It brings a soft natural feel to whatever environment that it is used in. This placemat is made from 100% merino wool, felted and then cut into clean rectangles. They are manufactured by Daff, a German company, and part of a whole set of modern table accessories. They are available in dark grey or grey, and cost $29 for a set of 4 each (thanks kate for the correction). Just what you need to soften up your table top.

Available from Rose and Radish for $29. Comments? Post them here.

OK, lets be honest here, before I even start this one. I have no idea how it really works. The Aimulet LA is a handheld audio communication device. It is made of molded bamboo and requires no batteries. Here is an explanation of how it works:

With the device pressed against your ear, you stand over a designated area. On the floor are LEDs, which then transmit a signal to an array of spherical micro solar cells (called Sphelar by manufacturer Kyosemi). The Aimulet LA then transforms this signal into audio which is fed to your ear via tiny speakers, all without batteries. Potential uses include museums, zoos, botanical gardens, etc.

Personally I just like the design, the green aspect, and the thoughts of making molded bamboo furniture.

Comments? Post them here.

Via OhGizmo!

Bored with the classic wooden plant box that hangs on your railing, and looking for something that meets the modern esthetic of your house a little more. Lucky for us the Germans are there to meet our needs. Steckling is a modern rail hung flower pot designed by Michael Hilgers of rephorm. Available in "ice" or "orange", this attractive little pot straddles your railing, and allows you to have two or one planting areas. Pricing is $50 plus shipping, which isn't cheap, but guaranteed you won't be able to find a similar product anywhere else. Available from rephorm for $50.

Comments? Post them here.

Via Designspotter.

Design e2 is a new(ish) show on PBS that focuses on "The economies of being Environmentally Conscious". The show has a nice focus on Green Building and how architects can have a huge influence on our environment. I don't actually own a TV, so I haven't been able to see an episode yet, but they do have a video podcast with some exclusive content that I have enjoyed watching. Make sure you head on over to their website to view the trailer.

Their podcast can be found here.

In case you didn't notice, that really is Brad Pitt doing some of the narrating.

Comments? Post them here.

The other day I was at the farmers market, and I was dying for something to drink, so I wandered over to Tony Caputo's looking for a something not sweet and refreshing. I came across the Voss water, and as always was entranced by the beautiful glass bottles that they come in. So I finally pulled the trigger, and bought a 4 dollar bottle of water. I justified it in my mind by telling myself that I wasn't really buying a 4 dollar bottle of water, but I was buying a 4 dollar modern glass jar, that just happened to be filled with water. Lets be honest, thats the real reason I was buying it. So, how was it? Pretty much tasted like water to me, maybe next time I will have to try the sparkling kind. On the good side, the bottle really was quite nice, and I am sure I will find many uses for it in the future.  

Of all the things I saw at the Outdoor Retailers Expo, I think that this was the one that hit me the most with the feeling "Why didn't I think of that". Very simple idea, cheap, and super cool. The Firefly by Guyot Designs is a waterproof LED light that fits into the lid of any Nalgene sized bottle. When filled with water and tipped upside down, you now have turned your water bottle into a lantern. I saw one at the show, and it was very impressive. I am sure they don't put out a ton of light, but I dare you to find a more compact lantern. Available from Guyot Designs for $21.

They also have a very nice shorty insulated bottle for $20.