Reflecting on a Ricoh...

At Laura U, we have a high energy group constantly running around fussing over a fabric here, designing a furniture piece there, loving this or that light fixture for a client’s home. Because we are fast paced, and have a growing team of design devotees, we found ourselves in need of that ubiquitous piece of office equipment, a rite of passage for any growing business: the copy machine.

With said copy machine comes great responsibility. Oh Ricoh, the impact you have had on our lives!

I did not realize how much “thinking” our interior design studio does on paper until I found that our lovely, “productivity enhancing” buddy cranked out endless pages... most of which ended up in trash bins after a brief moment in the sun (aka a client’s inspiration board).

Cue Recycling Initiative at Laura U!

We get excited about innovative design, and purposful design (as opposed to purely aesthetic design) is that much better! These smart little bags (thanks Kristina!) have had great impact in our office. They are simple in construction, charming in color, and get the job done. And they have a permanent home next to our favorite new friend, Ricoh the copier!

From Design Within Reach (and ON SALE right now!). Made of industrial-strength tarpaulin – a heavy double-warp fabric that is plastic-coated – the bags are waterproof and can be quickly washed out in the sink or outside with a garden hose.

Aside from our fabulous "tarpaulin" recycling bags, here are some other accessories that we love. And, being the responsible citizen of Earth that you are, I am sure you have some you would love to share with us! Please send us your faves!

From the GreenLoop.com, the Survive Design Bunny Vision Reusable Shopping Bag ($30 online).




Each of these darling pillows is made from an old suit jacket. "Some will have buttons, some will have a pocket, all retro awesome tweeds, herringbones and checks," says Hilary Cosgrove of Kingston, Ontario. She sells the pillows for $65 each.

These bottles were rescued from NYC restaurants and kept out of landfills by transforming them into these one of a kind glasses. From the Green Glass Company.