Home Style Trend: Eco-conscience bamboo
Nature's wonder grass is making inroads into home décor.
May 16, 2013
Bamboo is having a moment. Everywhere you look, nature’s wonder grass is making inroads into home décor. And why not? Most manufacturers use fewer chemicals in the growing and treating process; it’s durable and easy to clean; and it’s one of the few renewable materials found in nature. “In the West, we tend to think of bamboo as a flimsy stick,” says Endrit Hajno, senior designer for Core Bamboo. “But the U.S. is starting to learn from the many ways people in Asia have been using bamboo in design for centuries.”
Need a bamboo fix? Try:
BogoBrush’s natural toothbrush is made from 100% biodegradable bamboo and nylon bristles. (bogobrush.com, $10)
Hang your bath towel on the Bamboo Wall Towel Coat Rack. It won’t warp, smell or retain moisture (bambooki.com, $29.99).
Traditionalists will like Core Bamboo’s collection of bowls hand-spun by Vietnamese artisans and painted in vibrant colors (corebamboo.com; $18-$120).
For quality, material should be laminated and joints constructed properly, Hajno says. Aesthetically, it’s all about the grain. Wide-grained items tend to be cheaper. Thin-grained items use more stalk slices to create patterns but are costlier.
http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20130517/LIVING05/305170014/Home-Style-Trend-Eco-conscience-bamboo
Uses of Bamboo - 1000 Things Made from Bamboo
An Asian saying; "A man is born in a bamboo cradle and goes away in a bamboo coffin. Everything in between is possible with bamboo!"
It's true though, from edible bamboo shoots to construction, medicine, bamboo fabric or biofuel it is all been done before. For the past 10 years, bamboo experts have been experimenting with the multiple uses of bamboo and are still discovering new applications, bamboo fiber for the garment and automotive industries, flooring boards, veneers as thin as 0.2 mm, are just some of many examples.
It's true though, from edible bamboo shoots to construction, medicine, bamboo fabric or biofuel it is all been done before. For the past 10 years, bamboo experts have been experimenting with the multiple uses of bamboo and are still discovering new applications, bamboo fiber for the garment and automotive industries, flooring boards, veneers as thin as 0.2 mm, are just some of many examples.
The challenges we face today is to further improve and innovate the uses of bamboo. Since bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth and a sustainable building material, it could easily substitute all known wood applications without having to cut down entire bamboo groves or plantations. Better yet, bamboo continuously grows after harvest without having to re-plant it. Bamboo also converts about 35% more CO2 into oxygen than a regular tree.
