The Green Evolution Maintaining a design balance between nature and the necessities of life
It is reassuring and pleasing to know that so many companies are doing things with very ordinary, discarded objects – as highlighted in our first item this issue on Ting. We tend to throw away so much “stuff” but with a bit of thought we can reduce our “throwaways” to a limited amount per year. It can be done! With the other bits that we do throw out, ideas and ways of recycling pop up to the benefit of us all.
New Designs for Reclaimed Materials
The brainchild of Inghua Ting, this company working from London and Los Angeles found a use for a very banal everyday object that was getting thrown away all the time: leather belts. They are made into flooring, panelling, seat belt cushions, cubes, slings and bags.
Following graduation from the Royal College of Art, Inghua worked in Japan developing innovative, futuristic fabrics. However, working at the forefront of fabric technology enabled her to consider sustainable issues, and the challenges of designing and producing desirable, luxury products from reclaimed materials. Inspired by seat belts, old leather belts, vintage leather saddles and a range of salvaged fabrics, Ting is incorporating these materials into new designs.
Products are defined by three branded collections: Ting, Ting Home and Ting London. Ting has also produced several bespoke projects for clients such as Hard Rock Hotel, Sketch Bar & Restaurant, Nike and Warner Bros. www.tinglondon.com
Ancient Rice Paper Craft Meets Contemporary Style
Artmurò is a brand created by Kalìt, a leader in Europe for custom printing on rice paper. It is as strong and shiny as a pearl, and thin and soft to the touch. These collections for natural-fibre interior mural decoration, titled “Examples”, have three objectives:
• To be applicable on walls, panels, wood or glass.
• To inspire artists to create their own exclusive collections, which Artmurò can then print.
• To be adaptable in colours and sizes.
Their rice paper blends completely with walls, is adaptable and can be coordinated to furnishings, creating a unique, refined setting. It is possible to change with different painting techniques: oil paints, acrylics, airbrushing for gradients, or brushing to re-touch or add detail. They can customise the rice paper with your images or your own designs, producing creations for whole walls or furniture elements: doors, furniture, lamps, coordinating colours and design spaces.
Artmurò stress that they have the deepest respect for nature and human life. As the product is made from rice paper plant pith, it has nothing to do with rice. It is the term used to qualify the thin, sometimes semi-transparent paper – and is very eco-friendly. www.artmuro.it
