In light of the recent survey finding many of us secure a better night’s sleep in separate cocoons, it might pay to return to the days of twins. You know, lie back and watch a show, roll over for fun, head home to your crib for a snooze so you can get up for work. Just like dating!

Think of the fun of sneaking into the resting chamber of your better half for a “hello stranger” kinda session, while saving all kinds of bucks on the bedding ’cause twin sets are so much cheaper than kings.

Many hotels in Europe feature twins with headboards pushed together to form one chic unit, dressing them in matching finery. I’ve slept best in a twin since summer camp and think in some ways, we were meant to have a compact cot with a narrow margin to feel safe and secure as we garner our much needed zzz’s.

So what are the most stylish ways to produce twins in your own home? Probably the best source for a cool pair is vintage. If you’re more contemporary, you can always customize upholstered headboards or beds with eco fabrics. But that’s another story!

Subtle Vintage Pairings

ebay is undoubtedly the wealthiest source for matching twins, such as these woven Scandinavian beauties from Antique Bedrooms with tapered, capped legs. $1500.

I’m a total sucker for caned furniture, and in fact picked up a set of beds for my daughters at auction when they were small. These precious French guys were harvested by French Finds.

Man, you could have fun with these circa 1970s rattan vintage twin headboards with a decorative diamond insert. Order good green mattresses on frames sans the chemicals and geometric organic bedding. From Objects in the Loft at 1st Dibs.

Pair of curvaceous, French Oak Louis twins, $990 at Abba Antiques.

Main Image: Posh Living

Image one: Rhymehatcher

Image Two: Coco+Kelley

“It’s time to change everything we know about paper,” is the mission statement of Sodra Pulp Labs.

And that’s what the Swedish architecture firms that partner with the labs are doing as they wrap their minds around 50 years of research on pulp-based materials.

“Could it be durable? Waterproof? Light and insulating? Hard as Kevlar? We don’t know the answers, but you’re welcome to join us as we find them out,” says the lab.

Well, one thing is for sure: it can be kid-proof, such as the Parapu kids’s chair by the architecture firm Claesson Koivisto Rune. Designed for the Milan Furniture Fair 2009, the chairs are stackable for extra play date seating and are seen as a great way to spare our forests and avoid petroleum-based plastics.

Made of compostable Durapulp (a combo of pulp and biodegradable resin from sugar cane), they are sturdy like their name indicates and a way to keep the well-designed nursery free of that oh- so-yucky chemical smell that can take weeks to air out.

Image via: Inhabitots

We try to showcase a range of furniture genres here at EcoSalon, offering an eco-shopping option as well as eye candy galore for all. And I’m usually pretty adept at pegging a style when I see one.

The best way I know to describe the raw, natural and hand-crafted aesthetic of Moe Design Studio, is raw, natural and hand-crafted. Or, I could call it country with a modern twist; rural with a city edge.

Most important, it’s reclaimed.

Andrew Moe opened Moe Design Studio in New York in 2003, after a curious path of personal, spiritual and career exploration. His furniture speaks to a certain maturity and steadfast confidence – this designer has a vision, and it includes the environment.

Moe makes his furniture using wood he’s gathered from abandoned buildings, like tobacco warehouses or textile mills. Each piece is one of a kind, custom-made and can be altered according to a client’s needs.

The 2009 Oslo Collection, Moe’s newest, is made exclusively from hardwood beams salvaged from dismantled buildings around the U.S. Sturdy, sleek and expertly crafted down to the smallest detail, this collection is simple, elegant, and eco-centuries away from the likes of Ikea. Check out the dining table (detail above), chairs (image below) as well as the writing desk, side table (top image) and breakfast table.

The website sums it up best: “Close to a billion board feet of wood are removed from buildings in the U.S. every year. By reusing”¦we reduce the impact on our landfills, eliminate the need to harvest trees, and are reminded of the simple beauty inherent in old wood.”

Saving trees is simply elegant.

Moe Design Studio donates 3% of its annual profits to AIR, The Alliance for International Reforestation.

It sounds like an oxymoron – Urban Hardwoods, as in city and trees, but it’s actually right on target and accurately describes the Seattle-based company that salvages fallen trees and turns the wood into fabulous furniture.

Not a newbie to the field of green, Urban Hardwoods has been rescuing wood in the Northwest close to their headquarters for more than 10 years. Their wood repertoire includes Douglas Fir, California Redwood, Pacific Madrone and Alaska Yellow Cedar.

And if wood could tell us a story about the good ol’ days, like my Grandpa always could, I’m certain that it would.

Aged wood is higher in quality and shows more character than young wood, making for organic, sexy details. Take a look at the headboard (shown at top), made from California Redwood found in Bow-Edison, Washington. Breathtaking. They also make beautiful dining, coffee (above), console and side tables, desks, benches and even a room divider.

Everything from the milling and sawing to drying and construction happens at the Urban Hardwoods’ Seattle factory. In March, the company opened its second retail showroom, this one in San Francisco’s downtown design district.

Check the website for inventory, pricing and information on the Seattle and San Francisco retail stores.

If you’re thinking about shifting to biomass-fuelled appliances, beware – they might not be as clean as you think.

It’s true that biomass is a renewable, and therefore technically green, fuel. It’s also part of the carbon cycle, as burning wood and any other plant matter releases carbon dioxide into the air.

The main ecological advantage between such fuels and fossil fuels is that with biomass, the carbon is continually cycling – it hasn’t been locked away underground, and it can theoretically be tracked, offset and generally kept going round without adding to our worries.

Britain’s Environmental Agency wants everyone to take a closer look at this assumption.

Under that overarching term “biomass” is a lot of room and while it’s true that the cleanest varieties produce just a few percent of emissions from coal, other types are much higher.

In a just-released report snappily titled “Biomass: Carbon Sink or Carbon Sinner,” it claims that digging up pasture land and growing energy-packed crops – such as rapeseed – and processing them as fuel can emit more greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels.

The report suggests all biomass-producing companies should be under the same scrutiny as their eco-unfriendlier counterparts. Biomass is still the way forward – but as with the question of food or fuel, it’s a solution to our problems that still needs a lot of work. Blanket assumptions not welcome.

Image: johntrainor

To alleviate stress, some people indulge in aromatherapy, others depend on their monthly massage, while you hit up the tennis courts and leave it to the wrath of your racket. Along with a peaceful state of mind, this effective method of release has left you a basket full of old tennis balls that you can’t bring yourself to throw away. Here are some clever ways to take them out of retirement and save them from life in a landfill.

Slice a tennis ball down the middle and push the concave side onto the top a stubborn jar. Just squeeze and twist to open it with ease.

Pour beer into the other half and set it out in your garden to trap slugs before they feast on your plants and flowers.

Are you sick of stiff clothing, linens and towels? Toss a tennis ball into the dryer to fluff your laundry. Plus, it helps eliminate static cling.

Cut a slit into a tennis ball, secure it onto the end of a broom stick and rub away scuffs on wood or linoleum floors.

Once your floors are gleaming, this homemade tool can also be used to get rid of all those cobwebs lurking in the corners of your ceiling. So long, Swiffer.

When your significant other turns his nose up at your request for a foot massage, put a tennis ball under each sole and do it yourself.

Who actually rinses off their sunscreen or lotion before taking a dip? Just throw some tennis balls in your swimming pool to soak up oils.

Image: Steve Punter

Your search for unique decor has racked up some serious miles, and what do you have to show for it? You’ve been to IKEA, Pier 1, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target and the list goes on, only to discover that one chain’s selection just seems to imitate the next and you’ve emitted enough carbon to warrant a very generous click at Terrapass.

Besides, it’s so difficult to find sustainable items in these massive stores. Curb your car. I’ve found the perfect cure for your cookie-cutter décor headache: the Molave Ring vase. Made from rich Filipino wood of the same name, this exotic piece may draw more attention than the brilliant blossoms you put inside. (Available at sponsor VivaTerra for $59.)

It’s hard to grasp the concept of investing in outdoor furniture in February, but winter is actually the best time to look. While many vendors put their collections on sale now, you should also keep an eye out for modern porch furniture that is always well priced. Loll Designs, billed for the “modern lollygagger” is far from lagging behind.

Minimal in stature like its namesake, the company’s new Napoleon Series of recycled all-weather furniture compensates for its size by going big in green design and comfort. Incorporating modern lines with country Adirondack appeal, the chairs, double benches and plank top tables don’t require the high maintenance of outdoor wood, which can be tiresome if you are seeking to avoid the gray, weathered patina from exposure to the elements.

This Duluth company goes really strong on color, offering its pieces in bold, happy shades that make a powerful statement outdoors. Vivid blue, green, red, brown, black and white – all pack a punch. You can order color samples from the site and also find out where the nicely priced furniture is sold in your area.

Forget treehouses as you once knew them – plywood forts for kids bolted into trunks and branches. The new treehouse concept is all about taking the comforts of home (cooking, Facebooking, reclining) to new, sustainable heights. And look, Ma, no splinters!

Treehouses still bring out the kid in many grown ups, like Andreas Wenning, the design genius behind Baumraum Design in Bremen, Germany. His firm, which combines his own architect vision with landscaper understanding, has carved out modern tree homes in Germany, Austria and Brazil, including the extraordinary nests above.

“A treehouse is sort of a modern lifestyle product which respects and fits into nature,” Wenning tells me. “We work with tree experts who help us find the best solution to connect the treehouse with the tree without cutting or damaging the tree anywhere.”

In addition to its own projects, Baumraum (which means tree space) ships prefab elements to customers who want to design their own treehouses. They can assemble the structure between two or several suitable trees in their yards. Steel cables raise the structure in the air and anchor it to the land, but the foundation is largely dictated by the type of tree being used.

A Pear tree, for example, cannot bear the complete weight of a treehouse so part of the construction is propped up on two slanting supports, such as with this Pear treehouse installed in Heilbronn (below). It features a convenient staircase that leads up through a fork in the branches to a slanting terrace. From the perch, the owner has an undisturbed view of a side valley with vineyards. Small steps lead up to a cabin on the next level. Like all of Baumraum’s projects, this treehouse is fitted with glazing on all sides and features a large dormer window and sunscreens for the south facing side.

What’s the biggest challenge to living in a space like this? “It provides a rather small, concentrated space in nature which brings people intensely to the natural environment,” he explains. “It is a space for romantic, quietness and concentration and common space with friends and family. You are very close to nature and it feels different.”

While Baumraum has whittled a niche in the modern treehouse market, other architects are going even more out on a limb to lift up our eco lifestyle. Free Spirit Spheres of Canada makes wooden orbs to basically string in tall trees, such as the forest areas of Vancouver Island.

According to the inventor and maker, Tom Chudleigh, the spherical tree house concept borrows heavily from sailboat construction and rigging practices. “Wooden spheres are built much like a cedar strip canoe or kayak,” he explains, “and suspension points are similar to the chain plate attachments on a sailboat.” The stairways hang from a tree just like a sailboat shroud hangs from a mast. The nut like sphere attaches to a web of rope that connects to the strong points of trees, using the forest as its foundation.

The ladder staircase and earthy interior may be geared more for the Swiss Family Robinson than the average naturalist. “My personal goal is to produce 10 to 15 spheres and hang them all in a large area of old growth forest…a spiritual retreat for me and whoever else is interested,” says the inventor.

Perhaps a little more upscale but just as intrinsically organic, are the treehouse dwellings of Romero Studios, such as the Five Oaks House commissioned by Donna Karan in Chestnut Village outside New York City (below).

Adjacent to a Waldorf school and organic farm, the designer says the owners love the solitude and connection with nature offered by the heightened surroundings, including a stunning eyrie for writing and practicing yoga poses.

Whether you’re housing a top designer or a Partridge family in a pear tree, these homes nestled in the trees are here to stay..and not sway. The diversity in the growing treehouse industry has delivered spaces that are wheelchair-friendly, weather-worthy and resource sensitive.

“We have to develop a new consciousness in respecting and protecting our natural environment,” figures Wenning. “Architects have many possibilities to help us realize that aim.”

The sustainable treehouse is among those many possibilities, and gives a fresh perspective to the proverbial tree of life.

First up – free stuff! We’ve rhapsodized about the joys of Freecycle before, and no doubt we’ll do so again – it’s that good. But it’s also an opportunity for people to offload the craziest possessions – take these 18 items at The Daily Green.

Sustainable power is the way to tackle the imminent energy crisis head-on, but a few ground rules need to be laid down first. First, if it’s still using non-renewable resources behind the scenes, then it’s not sustainable. The recent Financial Times Energy Conference in London flagged this as a major threat to these fledgling energy technologies – as New Scientist reports.

If you’re wandering round San Francisco, you might well be lucky enough to stumble upon a studio filled with robots – the quirky, eerily human kind. Now there’s a use for all that metal we’re going to have lying around.

As the Arctic ice melts and breaks up, polar bears (you know, those creatures that shouldn’t be regarded as endangered, no sir) are finding it difficult to move around and hunt. Steven John Kazlowski’s photographs show this magnificent – and yes, threatened – animal in its beleaguered natural setting…

…while elsewhere, polar bear skins (acquired legally) are on sale from Canadian exporters. How very classy.

A common complaint about wind farms is that they’re an eyesore. So how do we feel about the idea of forests of enormous spinning advertisements, as reported by GreenBiz? Um.

As you read this, Boston will have banned drug store sales of cigarettes – following San Francisco’s lead as of last year. Furthermore, promises Dr. Barbara Ferrer of the city’s public health commission, in 10 years time all smoking bars will be consigned to the history books. Sounds like the place to be, doesn’t it?

As does Los Angeles, if you’re still going through your home and replacing incandescents with their greener counterparts. (CFLs are only a stop-gap on the way to universal LED coverage, but they’ll do nicely for now.)

It’s good to be a Brit. Our energy and climate change secretary has just announced that all British homes will receive a green makeover by 2030 (and a quarter by 2020), nicely in line with the UK government’s pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 80% over the next decade. Good show. (And thanks, Guardian).

If you want wood to look good, leave it out in the open. That certainly goes for the boards of Wyoming’s snow fences - as Alternative Consumer reports.

Okay, so PETA. Intentions A+, methodology D-. So what do we think of the Humane Society of the United States? Here’s Passionate Green’s thoughts on the matter.

When the snows howl down across our highways, out come the salters and gritters. Except…doesn’t salinity have a somewhat catastrophic effect on plantlife? It’s a problem Katharine Wroth examines at Grist, outlining a few friendlier alternatives. (And just in the nick of time).

Here’s a link with real value. Click here and you’ll have another hundred places to go – namely, a list of top organic living blogs featured by The Health Monitor. (But don’t click just yet – or you’ll miss all the cuteness at the end of this post!)

Oh, don’t get me started on this one. While too much of the popular media is continuing to confuse weather with climate, researchers are keen to explain how 2008 was still one of the warmest years on record. The climate charts paint a conclusive picture – as you can see in John Timmer’s article for Ars Technica.

And lastly – all together now – awww. And even more awww!

Image: zenera