apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

the Heath Nash link doesn't work... and more frustratingly, I googled him, and couldn't come up with one that did...

Sorry about that—fixed now.

I don't think it's downcycling; the plastic isn't transformed into a different/inferior/less recyclable plastic, in the way that recycled paper is. It's just chopped up. The finished product is exactly as recyclable as the original milk jug would be, but the difference is that it's not going to landfill. So although it doesn't fit the cradle to cradle model of sustainability, it's still green in the old-fashioned sense. And cool-looking, too.

I love it! especially the "it's beautiful here" rack.

It reminds me of a coke can airplane that my husband brought back once from Africa (you can see one in the Good Question on carved Indian beds that I posted in early September). People use the aluminum from coke cans to fashion items such as toy airplanes -- beautiful and ingeneous! We would just throw the can out for recycling, but so much more can be done with it.

In the reduce-reuse-recycle line-up these lamps are a step up from recycle/downcycle. And they're fantastical!

Works for me. Reuse as an artform. He's welcome on my site Junkk.com anytime. Especially as it may inspire others.

Great to see Heath's beautiful, useful and well-considered work getting all the attention it deserves. South African designers rock! (Well, Heath does!)

They're real pretty but I wonder about the local artisans' cut? Whenever I read anything involving a designer and local artisans, I wonder... Like those rug factory kids...

just adding onto what Monika has noted..... it's actually a fairly African/South African thing to use things like aluminum cans or other materials from products to create new things, ie. toy airplanes (of which i have one) and would go so far as to say it's part of the cultural recent heritage and does make it somewhat particular to those local artists.

i also thing it's absolutely fantastic and beautiful as well. i think what increases the green-ness is less post processing. most of these items are simply just cut up and bent to form the shapes the artists want. whereas even green/healthful items have to come from somewhere and get processed by using up energy to cut them, laquers and paints to finish them, etc etc. besides, recyleable products i'm sure have a certain shelflife before they're not appropriate for recycling anymore.

Wow - anyone know if/where his work is available in NYC?

OK, I'm not up on green enough to understand why the green-ness is questionable here. It's recycled stuff that might otherwise go into landfill. How does it get better than that?
What distinctions am I missing, please!

Follow the links to the downcycling and Cradle to Cradle links to understand why.

Thanks, P.t.O.O.!

Most products lose any inherent green-ness when put on a plane and shipped across the country...or the world. Think of all the fuel that wouldn't be necessary if we were more considerate of that practice.

South Africa has an great indigenous tradition of re-using cans, bottles, plastic and other debris. I bought some amazing things in Cape Town made from bottle caps, old yogurt containers and other former-trash.

AT should find a South African blogger. The design there is so different from the North American/European model. More people should see it.

I LOVE them!

You can't use recycled plastic for food (old food, chemicals, etc will leach into it). So isn't plastic already only downcyclable to begin with? The problem here is that we're not starting at the cradle. The CtoC solution (I imagine) is to eliminate plastic containers to begin with. Being as it is that we have plastic that is only recyclable in a limited way, I say, by all means craft something cool with it. Thatgirl has a point in that it takes extra fuel to ship around the world, though.

I'm trying to see how it's not green to recycle something disposable into something totally usable that is also appealing to the eye. Is there something I'm missing?

Even though I don't particualrly like the colored one when it's not lit up, I do like them both when lit and the white one is quite a lovely conversation starter.

The potential here is for this "fad" item to be garbage you don't want anyway next year. I always wonder about stuff made in other countries too. That thousand villages kind of stuff (whatever it's called). Is someone bettering their life with a trade making junk into -stuff we wouldn't buy if it were made by Americans- are they just making tons and tons of this stuff? Is this some sort of program to give people a better life or are they being exploited just the same to feed our appetite for quaint and rustic items? I'm serious, most of the reason that stuff is cool is because we think we're helping someone, and it looks exotic because it was made by someone, with their hands! Did they make the design, are they artisans, or is it a repetitive handwork factory? I have a lot of questions! A lot more than you!

I do dig this lamp, though. haven't seen anything like it. This looks like it could break into the "hack" look, though, people see too much of something and it reminds them of the tacky stuff like woodburning and things made with giant plastic beads, and then Target would come out with a version. And there'd be a thread about it. Twice! I probably wouldn't still like it 5 years from now as much. I'm either going to have a lot more taste then or a lot less, and live inside a house made of bricks of money.

They just posted the "Flowerball" by Heath Nash in this month's MetHome. I was shocked (well maybe not shocked, just surprised) that the 16" ball costs $950, the 20" costs $1,950 and the 24" costs a whopping $4,950. (AmaridianUSA.com)


Jeez.

I love these fixtures and they're made by local artisans paid a fair wage in South Africa. I've seen them for sale mostly on foreign websites, but there is one us site that has a couple of the fixtures and a couple of other Heath Nash pieces. not nearly as expensive as quoted above. www.foundation4.com.