7 eco-friendly and innovative items to have in Common Room
With the kick off of Design Week PH, we’re looking at how design has and continues to play a crucial role in how we understand and live in the world. It has the power to do good, to innovate, and transform everyday lives of people.
Search online about the best-designed products in the world and you see how design that’s unobtrusive and even has as little design as possible is what stands the test of time and makes our lives easier (influential industrial designer Dieter Rams provided 10 principles of good design if you’re curious). From the humble paper clip (with its iconic double loop design) to the legendary Eames lounge chair, these everyday objects prove that good design gets things done.
We, at Common Room, support makers who, more often than not, find ways to make well-designed products that are eco-friendly and innovative. Add them to your shopping list this Christmas season to support well-made products by small makers so they can keep innovating and making.
1. Wooden Laptop Stilt by Cut the Scrap
If you work on your laptop for long hours, it can put a strain on your neck or negatively affect your wrist. Best to get a laptop stand to prevent this. This Cut the Scrap multi-purpose wooden stand does the job and doesn’t take up so much storage space—you can easily slide it into your bag whenever you need it.
2. Leather Cord Organizer by Punch Crafts
There’s a reason these cord organizers are a bestseller—they’re affordable and they’re useful, particularly, these days when many of us have a number of gadgets which all have their own cords and cables. Another plus, these cord ties are made from scrap leather wastes.
3. Pocket Survival Tool Card by Serious Gentlemen
This unassuming tool card can be used 11 different ways. Pretty handy especially its knife edge, bottle opener, saw blade, and can opener for everyday use. It also has a ruler, screw driver, different types of wrenches and more. Plus, it can easily fit into your pocket or wallet.
4. Timbre Unplugged by Sustainably Made
These days, we use our phone for almost everything, including listening to music and watching movies. Should you need speakers, why not opt for this portable, eco-friendly speaker-slash-device stand. It can amplify the sound from your mobile without any electricity needed.
5. Seed Pencils by The Eco Dentist
When your pencil gets too short, do you usually ditch it? What if you can just plant it! These pencils can come to life and grow as bell pepper, thyme, oregano, chili, celery, morning glory, radish, or citronella.
6. Upcycled Barong Accessories by Glorious Dias
We think it’s delightfully clever whenever an item, take a Barong Tagalog, gets transformed into something so far from its original form. Jordinand Aguillon of Glorious Dias takes old Barong Tagalog and uses them for earrings or wallflower wall art.
7. Concrete Coaster Set | Confetti by Krete
The design and function of a coaster is pretty much well-established. It varies mostly in the materials used and for these ones from Krete Manila, they wanted to promote a zero-waste initiative. They used the scrap wastes from the colored home pieces they were making and started experimenting on them. Upon sanding, they saw it gave a confetti-like effect and the confetti coasters were born!
