It’s hard to ignore those cautionary labels (even the misspelled ones). Do we dare wash a delicate garment at home and risk ruining the texture or shrinking it beyond recognition?

Warnings are warnings, but there are exceptions to every wash ‘n wear rule.

With the help of our blog readers, writers and the experts, we have put together a list of myths we are happy to debunk to save you some precious bucks.

1. Washing sweaters will ruin the texture!

“Hogwash,” says EcoSalon’s Caitlin Fitzsimmons, whose mama passed on the tried and true method. “You need to wash in lukewarm water with a gentle detergent,” she explains. “Then lay it flat on a towel with the arms folded in. Fold in the corners of the towel and then roll it up – this lets you squeeze out water, without destroying the shape of the sweater. Repeat with a second towel. Then lay it out flat to dry.”

Image: Moline

2. Dry clean wool because it will always shrink up in the machine.

This one’s for the dogs according to EB, who has been washing his own wool blazers and slacks with a front-loading washer wool cycle for years. “Wool is fairly hard to shrink and doing so requires changes in temperature and agitation  from rubbing, scrubbing and wringing.” No washer for wool? He says use the same temp water for wash and the rinse, a friendly, wool-wash cleaner and minimal agitation. Squeeze dry, roll in a towel and lay out forming the correct shape on a flat surface. I heart this advice!

Image: Romeo’s Mom

3. Cotton really stiffens up when I clean it at home because of the hard water.

We all know hang drying is the most sound energy-saving way to go, but that can produce tough results, as well. Naomi tells us she cheats a bit by tossing her cotton into the dryer with a sheet for a few minutes before hanging dry and it does the trick. And don’t forget, there are some gentle water softeners on the market that won’t give you that Downy chemical rash!

Image: Luigi FDV

9. Dry Cleaning is convenient.

Unless you are as organized as my friend Jodi (keeping schedules is her side career), it could take several months to pick up your stuff at the cleaners. Parking can be hard unless you walk or take public transportation in the city (Carrie Bradshaw did it by cab). And very few cleaners pick up and deliver anymore. It’s just simpler to do most jobs at home.

Image: Flickr

10. Dry cleaning always extends the life of your clothes.

If your clothing can only be sustained by monthly trips to the cleaners, then you are buying the wrong kind of clothing. Our fashion editor, Amy DuFault, is a guru of stylish alternatives and you can follow her resources in the fashion section. Meantime, no one has proven that Perc or other solvents with enzymes are protecting the life of your garment. The truth is, if you are following the guidelines of frugal wash n’ wear experts, your clothes should last as long as they would when doused with toxins and sealed in plastic – perhaps, even longer.

Image: Coolslaw

Main Image : Wm Jas

True, we are still living in a material world, but cotton grown with pesticides is no longer the fabric of our lives.

The green movement is making huge strides replacing toxins and waste in the marketplace with organic fibers like bamboo and hemp, as well as good old corn starch, throw-away cork and used paper.

The brave, new soldiers of eco industry believe enough is enough when it comes to creating more waste and adding to our grossly overflowing landfills and plastic islands. Bet you do, too!

Instead, the trend has been to meet a growing consumer demand for renewable and reusable resources, seeking out the scraps of industry (glass, cork and plastic bottles) and growing plants without pesticides to make healthy fibers with no trace of petroleum.

Here is a go-to list of the friendliest materials that have our planet covered.

1. Bamboo Fiber

The eco fiber option of choice, bamboo is woven into everything from fashionable dresses like those made by Spun in Seattle and other respected labels, to towels, totes and interior elements such as window treatments. This natural textile is made from the pulp of the bamboo grass and is best in the organic form – pure and unbleached. It is a strong fabric, considered more durable and sustainable than conventional textile fiber.

2. Bamboo Hardwood

Considered a renewable resource, bamboo is a grass that thrives quickly. Oak trees can take 120 years to grow to maturity while bamboo can be harvested in three. it also regenerates without need for replanting, and requires minimal fertilization or pesticides. The jury is still out on whether or not bamboo flooring is as durable as traditional European hardwoods. As Tree Hugger points out, now all bamboo products are alike. Since it  is mostly shipped from China, you have to determine if the product is treated according to environmental standards. Companies like Teragren are careful about adhering to strict environmental specifications.

3. Cork

Got a surface that needs covering? Put a cork on it. Whether molded into mosaics for floors by Mod Walls or adapted as a textile for chic handbags by Shop Cork Design, cork is a renewable resource from the industry’s by-products. It can be waterproofed to extend the life of the surface and also applied to walls as an unexpected modern surface.

4. Plantation Grown Teak

Teak is a deciduous hardwood tree from the highlands of southeast Asia and is considered a sustainable timber for indoor-outdoor furniture, as well as decking. The Maku Chaise, below, is an example of outdoor designs sold by Design Public and other vendors. Teak has a naturally high oil content which makes it both stable and resistant to rotting when exposed to extreme climates. Much of it comes to us from the island of Java. The Dutch started plantations there about 150 years ago. The Indonesian government agency, Perum Perhutani, now manages the plantations, enforcing a strict policy regarding the size and quantity of trees felled each year together with annual replanting.

5. Corn Starch Biocompostables

Corn: it’s what’s for dinner and so much more. These utensils from the Biodegradable Store made of sugar cane fiber, corn and potato starch are the green alternative to petroleum-based plastics and styrofoam materials which take thousands of years to degrade. Thankfully, the new biocompostables are not restricted to the home pantry but are showing up at shopping mall food courts and school events where large crowds gather and consume disposables in bulk. Corn has also been used for library cards in San Francisco and ringtone downloader cards. And don’t forget ethanol, a fuel helping to reduce greenhouse emissions and slow global warming.

6. Hemp

Hemp is grown without pesticides or fertilizers and is rapidly replacing plastic-based materials for clothing and home decor. A member of the Cannabis Sativa plant family (don’t worry, it won’t get you high – other than environmentally!), it yields 250% more fiber than cotton per acre plus 500% more pulp fiber than forest wood. Sold by the yard or already woven into bedding, curtains or fashion garb by brands like Eco Fabrik, hemp dates back to more than 10,000 years ago with a myriad of uses such as paper making, cloth weaving and extracted oils for medicinal products and skincare.

7. Soybean Fabric

Soy fabric is friendly and soft and similar to cashmere or silk in texture. It is found in luxury items, such as these cushy robes from Eco Body wear, and scrumptious baby rompers from Baby Soy USA. Soybean protein fiber is a sustainable and botanical textile fiber made from renewable and biodegradable natural resources – the leftover soybean pulp from tofu and soy milk production. Its 16 amino acids are healthy and nutritional for our skin.

8. Organic Cotton

The Organic Trade Association tells us organic cotton grown by farmers worldwide increased 152 percent during the 2007-2008 crop year. Organic cotton is grown without harmful toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers meaning the farming methods and materials have a low impact on people and the environment. Production replenishes and maintains soil fertility to build biologically diverse agriculture. Genetically engineered seed for organic farming is strictly taboo, and all cotton sold as organic in the United States must meet strict federal regulations covering how the cotton is grown. In terms of products, it is much easier to find now in upscale and everyday clothing and underwear,  stylish bedding like this soft set from Pottery Barn, rugs, bags – you name it.

9. Recycled Glass

Companies like the inventive Vetrazzo are sparing landfills of post-industrial glass scraps, while giving new life to post consumer glass such as Corona Beer bottles which are made into countertops. It all goes into the mix of making a sustainable recycled product that adds great beauty to the environment. The same reusable resource is being molded into jewelry or new tumblers for entertaining. One man’s junk…you get the picture.

10. Low VOC Paint and Finishes

You’ve probably heard of VOC’s, the solvents in paint which evaporate easily at room temperature. They smell bad bad and are bad for people and other living things. They contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer as well as  poor indoor air quality. That’s why companies like Benjamin Moore and  YOLO Colorhouse® are offering us alternatives. The scientists and artists at YOLO produce a premium zero-VOC paint with an appealing designer palette of 40 hues for interiors, inspired by the natural world. It seems to be the direction more makers of finishes are going. Let’s follow this path and refuse to buy anything less healthy for our homes.

11. Recycled Polyester

Yes, rPET is the new polyester! PET stands for Poly Ethylene Terephthalate, a plastic resin and a form of polyester. PET is a polymer that is formed by combining two monomers called modified ethylene glycol and Purified Terephthalic Acid. PET is labeled with the #1 code on bottles and containers used to package soft drinks, water, juice, peanut butter, salad dressings and oil, cosmetics and household cleaners. PET is a popular package for food and non-food products because it is inexpensive, lightweight, resalable, shatter-resistant and recyclable. To source the post consumer bottles, they are sterilized and then dried and crushed into tiny chips. The chips are heated in a vat and forced through spinnerets (as with virgin polyester) and then are spun into yarn and dyed without toxic properties. What can you make with the Eco-fi material? Everything from carpets, bags and clothing to wall coverings, furnishings and craft felt.

12. Recycled Paper

Did you know 57 million trees are killed each year to produce the paper catalog companies crank out to market their stuff? The catalog industry floods our mailboxes with over 17 billion catalogs a year in the United States, many produced on paper that comes from endangered forests, including those in the Canadian Boreal forest. But businesses, such as Norm Thompson Outfitters of Portland, Oregon, are setting new standards by using recycled paper for their catalogs. Many other companies are getting on the recycled paper bus, including card and stationary designers such as Papel Vino in Vancouver and Bird Dog Press. Magazine strips are also coiled for trays and meshed into placemats for chic home decor. For every ton of paper that is recycled, 17 trees are spared. You can recycle most paper, including white office paper, newspaper and mixed-color paper, through a local curbside recycling program.

13. Felt

No longer just the craft stuff of school kids, if you’ve got an eye like Josh Jakus (bags and coasters) and Ronel Jordaan (modern stones) there is nothing you can’t glue together with this delightful, ecological textile. Felt can come in many forms, from recycled wool from PET bottles to made the old fashion “wet felting” way by nomadic peoples in Central Asia. The non-woven cloth is made by matting, condensing and pressing organic fibers while they are wet. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to use on construction materials such as a tar paper called roofing felt.

14. Solar Cells

A solar cell is a device that converts light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. Assemblies of cells are used to make solar panels and solar modules to produce energy for practical use. Harnessing energy from the sun is a major goal in slowing global warming. Prefabricated solar panel systems for roofing usually range in capacity from 3 to 120 kilowatts. According to Technology Review, solar roofing materials can “cut the cost of household solar installations by doing double duty, generating electricity while protecting buildings from the elements.” Scientists tell us that on a bright, sunny day, the sun shines approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet’s surface. Collecting all of that energy would allow us to easily power our homes and offices for free.

15. Aluminum Bottles

A question that might be posed by Dwight Schrute of The Office is “which water bottle is best?” Many athletes, backpackers and soccer moms who used to quaff from leaky plastic will tell you the Sigg aluminum is best when it comes to bottles free of Bisphenol-A (BPA) found in polycarbonate plastics. Sometimes called Lexan, BPA is an endocrine disruptor that has been shown to affect reproduction and brain development in animal studies. It can leach into foods and liquids and mimics estrogen when absorbed by the human body. Sigg bottles are made from a single piece of aluminum (no leaks) and have a water-based, non-toxic interior coating. The liner’s finish keeps out bacteria and mold and is neutral and resistant to fruit acids and energy drinks.  SIGG bottles have been independently tested to prove they are completely leach-free and are 100 percent recyclable.

16.BPA-Free Plastic

While plastics have been shunned by environmentalists since The Graduate debuted, the new Better Bottle produced by  CamelBak is a move in the right direction. The company switched its 2008 Better Bottle line to Eastman Tritan copolyester, a new BPA- and phthalate-free material. BPA-free bottles started shipping to retailers in January of 2008 and are popular choices for children following required packing lists for summer camps and school field trips. Camelbak also makes stainless steel bottles, which are a close rival of aluminum in popularity and purity. You can buy them at outdoorsy outlets such as REI.

17. Cardboard

Recycling old cardboard to make recycling containers? Sure, that’s what the inventive set, such as Amazing Recycled Products, is doing and much more. Savvy products on the market include coasters, DIY speakers and journals. The two types of cardboard that can be recycled are flat cardboard, which is typically used in cereal and shoe boxes, and corrugated cardboard, which has a ruffled layer between the two flat pieces of cardboard and is often used in packing boxes. Both can usually be recycled through your local curbside recycling program.

18. Reclaimed Rubber

Tired of tires sitting in landfills for indefinite periods of time? So are companies like Rubber Sidewalks, which use shredded tires to compose panels that fit together to form a rubber sidewalk. The rubber is even good for trees, letting the sidewalk raise and bend around the roots. You no longer have to remove entire trees to keep concrete from being torn up and replaced. In 2006, 60 cities from 15 different states tested rubber sidewalks. Residents find the rubber feels good under their feet and sound is reduced, as well. It’s safe and non-toxic. Rubber sidewalks also comes in different colors. While the main motive is to save trees, recycled rubber also reduces the waste from tires each year. In California alone, tires create an estimated 408 million pounds of waste rubber.

19. Rice Hulls

Green Pots are made from rice hulls and break down much quicker than traditional planters. No pollutants are used or produced at any stage of the manufacturing process of the containers and there are no wasted materials because scraps are recycled back into the production process. Consumer rice also enjoys afterlife as durable messenger bags that look pretty and help us conserve.

20. Natural Earth Clay and Plaster

A friendly alternative to cement, gypsum, acrylic and lime plasters, products like American Clay Earth Plaster are pure and breathable, a popular choice in the new construction of walls and remodeling of old buildings. As Countryside Magazine points out, using earth to make walls and houses has been done for thousands of years. Uncle Sam invested in testing Rammed Earth construction from the 20s through the 40s as a practical way to achieve affordable housing. Even Frank Lloyd Wright was said to be a fan of using adobe and other natural earth sources. He drew up plans for a multi-family cooperative but due to the war that project was never fulfilled. The process of making rammed earth involves the mixing of raw material from gravel, sand, silt and clay.

*BONUS MATERIAL

21. Elbow Grease

Susie Homemaker is not staying slim these days by downing diuretics (that was my mother’s trick) but by spinning her salads, washing and wiping dishes by hand, hand washing and line drying clothes, riding her bike to the market, walking to her volunteer meetings and other steps that burn calories while leaving a lighter carbon pump print. The more we use our own body’s energy the less we rely on oil, electricity and other sources that drain the planet. And by the way, the exercise of cutting some of your pretty hair also can help the planet in the mopping up of oil spills in the form of hair mats. Human hair has not caught on as fabric for clothing yet, as far as we can tell from Project Runway.

After 15 years working in home furnishings, Donna Halloran left her corporate career behind. Taking valuable insight from her experiences, she created the ethically and environmentally sound plan for Fabricadabra, an up-and-coming line of decorative pillow covers and inserts.

“I have worked hard to be able to balance the four important criteria for the line: a non-toxic product, a fun product, an ethically sourced product and a relatively affordable product,” says Halloran.

She has succeeded admirably.

Fabricadabra’s products are 100% green. Their vibrant, ornamental covers are hand-woven from natural fibers and colored with eco-friendly dyes. The organic cotton shell of their inserts is stuffed with kapok, a remarkable resource that’s “mold, mildew and dustmite resistant, completely renewable, grown without pesticides, light as air and odorless.”

As for style, she hits the mark again with brilliant hues and inspiration from design methods like ikat, suzani and batik that resonate around the world.

“It is all about feel-good colors and techniques that celebrate the skill and culture of the artists and craftspeople,” says Halloran.

It’s clear that what matters most to Halloran is her rapport with the people she works with.

“Building meaningful relationships with suppliers who share my values and satisfying the consumer are my two biggest concerns,” says Halloran. “If I sell a pillow cover for $40, I want the consumer to feel he got a great value. If I consign weavers to produce fabric for me, I want to make sure that they are paid properly for their skills. I don’t want to be the emptiest vessel that makes the loudest noise. I just want to bring together skilled craftspeople with consumers who value their artistry, integrity and purity.”

Teaching the nation’s future fabric designers not to use flame retardants and harsh dyes is one thing. Teaming up with a leading manufacturer who is going the green route is another.

These are the lessons being learned at the California School of Professional Fabric Design in Berkeley, California, founded 35 years ago by Zeida Rothman (above), who has designed printed fabrics for clients like Wamsutta Sheets, Fieldcrest Cannon, Burlington Industries and Schumacher.

Students study hybrid designing – mastering the art of hand-painting fabric with water-based paints along with learning to produce their own computer-generated patterns. They work in the classroom one day a week at the school which features two floors and an impressive gallery. The rest of the time, they work at home to earn their degrees.

They also are trained in how to assemble a portfolio and interview for a job. Through their own skills and Rothman’s contacts, many end up in the textile and surface pattern design industries making prints for Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Hallmark and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

One of those students, my friend Miriam Lipton, enrolled in the program specifically to produce green decor textiles. But for her, and others headed in the organic direction, Rothman sees the challenges along the way.

“There’s a strong interest among the students and there’s a reality of what exists,” founder Rothman tells me. “When they graduate and go out on their own some encounter organic companies but the majority don’t. It’s slowly creeping into the textile industry so that people can make a choice.”

Meantime, educating the consumer is key, according to Rothman, who says she tells her young mother students to be more selective in what they are buying for infants and kids by looking at the labels. “We educate them on what is there and what not to do and that they have the choice to go organic.”

But for the budding textile designer, the choices aren’t so great. “The organic approach is mostly going into bedding and apparel,” Rothman observes, adding that a former student has created a successful organic linen company, Harmony Art, in northern California. But she points out the majority of the manufacturing is actually being done abroad, mostly in China, where the lovely florals and ikats created by her students are printed onto chemically-treated fabric by the large manufacturing industry.

Still, with determined eco-conscious students like Miriam, perhaps more fabric houses can be established here at home, a return to the old school of fabric making on a smaller scale. The good news is that these designers are highly employable once they graduate.

“People are so happy to be paid to be creative. In fact, most students are here because they want a new career,” says Rothman. “Even if they have no art background, they share of love of textiles and really want to explore that love.”

On Project Runway, overestimating fabric amounts can cost designers big time on those challenges requiring they apply every scrap. Who can forget those zany, over-padded handbags or useless belts eked out of the surplus? But in the world of interior design, we’re often left with bulk that is quite usable.

Why the extra? The usual motivation is that the pattern repeat is large and we need to match our cushions or chairs. Also, imperfections may exist in the weave that we have to cut around. I recently had that nightmare with costly mohair velvet. Apologies to the Dinkelspiel family. Or, the designer may have measured differently from the upholsterer. You do the math!

The solution? Make that extra yardage sustainable. Here are a few ways to turn extra rolls of new or vintage fabric into something useful and decorative for your nest:

1. Stretch pretty fabric, old or new, on a canvas and frame as a work of art. This can set a stunning backdrop for a bed, sofa or entryway, and costs much less than an original work of art. Artist Anne Becker, featured in the March issue of Elle Decor, did this with an expansive piece of Ikat fabric (above), and the result is chic and exotic.

2. Refresh a room by sewing new cushions for the sofa. Have fun doing a different print on the reverse so you can change the pillows with your mood swings. Today you might need soothing paisley, tomorrow frenetic dots. It’s all quite holistic, really.

3. Whip up unique book covers or journals for you or your children. “Dear Diary, I’m so happy my mother doesn’t waste her cool fabric. Also, I have a horrible breakout on my chin!” Just cut the fabric to fit an existing notebook and paste. I made a prayer book cover for my youngest daughter that she adores because the fabric is sooo beautiful. A great resource is the book Fabric Art Journals by Pam Sussman, billed as the first comprehensive book with step-by-step instruction and patterns for creating unique book structures from cloth.

4. Let your daughters be junior designers and have at the fabric to make doll clothes or a cool skirt for themselves. So what if Barbie looks frumpy? It will teach that plastic beauty to get real. Your son can make doll clothes too, if he is sew inclined. I’ll tell you about my cousin, Joel, another time.

5. Upholstery fabric makes delicious aprons and high-end tablecloths. I love adding bullion fringe as trim, a style you can observe in the Ballard catalog. I throw my cloth over a round table when I entertain for that sophisticated custom panache. If you cannot sew, ask a crafty friend to help. Offer to make her lunch. Perhaps, like me, she works for food.

6. Sell your fabric (especially collectible textiles) online to make money. Many corners of Ebay are designed for trading fabrics. If you don’t have use for yours, someone else just might.

7. If you have a good amount of fabric, why not cover the walls of a small bathroom or powder room? Many designers use fabric as wall coverage because it adds a layer of depth and insulation. A good wallpaper hanger should be able to paste up fabric, as well.

8. Donate the fabric to the art teacher at your child’s school or another school. They really need it for projects and the teacher will be very thankful.

9. A great mother’s day gift is making your own sachet pouches with gorgeous fabric. You don’t even need to sew. Just cut squares and fill with wonderful organic potpourri or oils, then tie with a pretty ribbon. My mother loves these scented goodies in her lingerie drawers. You can go to ehow to learn more about how to make a pillow sachet. And if you are handy with a needle like those gifted craftspeople at Etsy, you can forge fabulous felines filled with lavender.

10. Sometimes you have the ideal amount for window coverage: Roman shades, a pair of panels, or even a valance for the kitchen window or laundry space. You can even sew panels instead of doors to add flair to a walk-in closet or to hide a storage area. Rod pockets are easy to make with a simple hem at the top, or purchase rings that you can clip to the hem. Get ideas by checking out the panel and shade designs at Serena and Lily.

Design Tips:

- Tell your designer or upholsterer that you want to keep your extra fabric. As a rule, they don’t automatically return it to clients.

- Until you unfurl it to make something cool, keep your extra fabric rolled and sealed to protect it from mold and dirt.

My island dream house is clean and white, sprinkled with sea glass and hurricane lamps, and images like the frond, coral and urchin found in these new Wabisabi Eco-Art Coastal Pillows. They’re clean and modern to perfection yet the images are derived from an appreciation of imperfection found in nature, another angle to the symmetry that balances so much of Japanese design.

Wabi (cycles of erosion) Sabi (recurrence) is a very green concept, celebrating life cycles. The handprinted throw pillows, $68 at Cottage and Bungalow, are made from bamboo, organic cotton, silky kapot fiber harvested from the rain forest and eco-fiber born of recycled plastic bottles. Yes, it would be counter-intuitive to marry the sea turtle and koi with factory-made polyester.

Taking an active interest in protecting the environment and appreciating the aesthetic value of its sweeping beauty go hand in hand. So, it’s easy to see why so many of us green gals like to adorn our homes with spectacular scenes from nature. Here’s the catch: many of these patterns are way too busy (or dare I say tacky) for our elegant taste.

Amenity Home designers Nicole Chiala and Kristina de Corpo hit the mark with their simple silhouette bedding. Ever since, their hand-drawn prints have been in high demand, so they created a line of matching throw pillows and wall hangings. Then, came an array of chic totes and zipper bags. And, now, your dining room can share the same eco sophistication with their recently launched table linen collection. (Available at Amenity Home for $25- $99.)

When top textile vendors branch out into the green, it plants a fertile seed for the entire industry. That’s why I’m applauding Brentano – one of the best sources for designers – for now offering a wide range of responsible fabrics (such as the stunning weaves above).

Among the new selections are 100% recycled polyester bark’s cloth, Eco Wool and faux leathers. The line, including soft woven bamboo, gives us wider options for upholstering sofas and chairs (no more waiting six months for that Brentano mohair velvet from Italy!).

Textile designer Iris Wang and her husband E-Kwan Chen co-founded Brentano over 18 years ago. Their fabrics have been featured in stylish, big bones homes as well as many large installations, including the American Embassy in London, Microsoft in Seattle and most recently, the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

“As we grow, we continue to invest time and energy in developing our company’s green mindfulness,” says the founders. Brentano believes that green awareness is not just a concept or a product, but a lifestyle, and encourages sustainability in the workplace.

Each of the new eco fabrics sold to the trade comes with a “green story” describing the content (e.g. recycled polyester fiber from post consumer polyesters, such as plastic bottles headed for the landfills).

All of these green stories have a happy ending, one that validates the importance of milling gorgeous textiles that are no longer treated with toxic chemicals and harmful dyes.

While engrossed in one of my interior design projects, I’ve been known to create a room around the character and colors of a single piece of furniture. A very special chair, for example, can set the stage for a spectacular space. Or it can add that essential je ne sais quoi to a room already in place.

If you’re still searching for a suitable seat, let me introduce you to Milly Rose. This U.K.-based company is in the business of finding used, broken or abandoned chairs and bringing them back to life through restoration and reupholstering. But not just any chair will do – they want the quirky and clever with potential for greatness chair.

And they seem to have a knack for finding it. Check out the current inventory to see for yourself…and then start saving because these vintage beauties aren’t cheap. But they are recycled, restored and designed to last a lifetime. My favorite is the Dani Victorian armchair, a luscious lounge chair priced at $1760 (£1200).

If you have a specific style in mind that isn’t available on the website, Milly Rose also offers a Finders Seekers service for a fee of $514 (£350) per item.

The website explains “finding and perfecting a Milly Rose chair takes time”, so if eco-friendly means anything at all I’d say it must mean worth the wait.

- via Radici Trading

Say goodbye to the old cork and hello to the new pulp. This bulletin Board from Plush Pod is made from stacked reprocessed sheets of left-over, pre-printed office forms and fixed into a recyclable paper board frame. A cool design with varied patterns and striations results from combining the printed text and graphics. (Designer: Adin Mumma for Umbra.)

The 12×12 board works just like the conventional corkboards (no factory wood or metal frame) for holding your pins and notes or simply wedging them into the cracks on the surface. A natural for your kitchen or home office. $26.