The Green House - innovations for greener living

August 19, 2015

In almost my last post from this year's Grand Designs Live show in London I'm sharing some of the items I found in The Green House. It was a place that showed off the latest innovative gadgets and green technology and it was like all the best things interactive, so you could really see how some of these might become the norm for our houses.

Let's start with the Microgarden, which is as you might have guessed inspired by origami. It's a kit for a mini-greenhouse, made from a transparent waterproof material which allows you to watch the entire growing process. You might be thinking what's so special about this, but after 10-14 days, without watering once, the microgreens are ready to eat. So it's a fun and innovative first step to growing your own food.

The Urbancone by Electrolux creates healthy microclimates outdoors and it can purify the air around an entire city, as well as in our homes. It lifts up and flies in the air because of its ultra light construction and solar panel wings which when they're moving resemble a jellyfish. It purifies using the filters on the undersides of the wings and it's an automatic, radio-controlled smart device which can be used in areas that need greater filtration.

If you think it looks a bit space age, you're not wrong although I quite like the design of the concept that was on show, however with the RRP at £6,300 I think there's probably a bit more work to do yet.

The Vektra Eco Kettle on the other hand is available now and it's the only kettle that can keep your water piping hot for 4 hours from just one boil. It uses vacuum insulation, like a flask and uses a low energy element to heat your water and then keep it hot. That means more cups of tea from one boil, which I can definitely see the advantage of. The outside stays cool to the touch and as it's completely sealed you could move it around the house with you too. With a RRP of £75 it's probably more expensive than a lot of kettles, but it's a similar price to Dualit kettles, so I don't think that's excessively out of reach.

The EGO Smart Socket allows you to monitor the energy consumption of any appliance from your smartphone, as well as setting timers for automatic switching of devices. You can also eliminate standby time by setting it to turn off appliances which have been left on standby for too long.

Along with the Showertime it can help you reduce your energy use, save money and save the environment too. The Showertime device show your current water usage and sounds an alarm when you have used your pre-determined amount of water. So overtime you have a shower you press the button and the device shows you how much water you've used.

SHOWERTIME AND THE EGO SMART SOCKET BY EFERGY TECHNOLOGIES

The ECOEGG Laundry Egg was born out of the lack of alternatives to chemical laden laundry products that were kind to the skin as well as being natural and effective. It's a complete replacement to regular laundry detergent and contains a scientifically forumulated, patented cleaning pellets. It's these that are the secret to the Laundry Egg's learning power. Each one lasts three years, so that works out on average 3p per wash. It's RRP is £19.99 so could be a real alternative to usual washing powder.

The Mogees Pro is a novel technology that turns physical objects into unique musical instruments by converting the vibrations that we make when we touch them into sound on the fly. It's combined with a mobile app that detects and analyses the acoustic properties of physical objects and augments them to create music.

Now PETE is clever. It's a way to recycle PET bottles and print your own clothes! It really is a special kind of recycling bin and it'll be interesting to see how this develops. Clearly this is just a prototype and not yet available on the market, but watch this space!

And yes, this is a wall of old speakers. While it's visually interesting and unlikely to be something that we'd have in our main living areas, this display was all about The Vamp. There are many bluetooth speakers on the market, but none have matched the sound quality that proper speakers bring. The Vamp is about bring life back to millions of speaks which still exist in our homes and delivering great sound at affordable prices.

It turns any old speaker into a great sounding portable bluetooth speaker, with 10,000 speakers a month being sent to UK recycling centres there's potentially a huge market out there. The RRP is £49.99 which isn't that expensive when you think about it, and you're recycling an old speaker too.

This one, like PETE before is a bit out there. It's called Set to Mimic and it's a set of smart kitchenware that recreates tastes and smells of your food to your preference. By placing a non-invasive transparent gel patch with a microchip on your head, the plate and glass communicates wirelessly with your brain, to make you experience a test or smell from the past by tapping into your memory. That way you can eat a carrot but have the impression that you're eating an ice cream or a steak, which it says makes it easier to lead a healthy life.

I'm not so sure, because if every meal tasted like steak or ice cream then surely you'd be fed up of eating the same thing. I also can't work out how texture comes into play here because carrots, steak and ice cream are all very different. Anyway I don't need to worry about this just yet as it's only a concept. A pretty weird one, but still a concept.

So there you go, a glimpse into eco products that are available on the market today and perhaps some that might be available us to in the future. Either way, there's some very clever thinking going on...

What I've read lately...

August 18, 2015

I've always liked books and reading - my bookshelves are testament to that - but I go through phases of reading a little and phases where I read a lot. Right now it's in the lot phase - and that's been prompted by signing up to NetGalley - so I thought I'd share what I've been reading recently with you.

There is one actual book in my list, but I've read the majority of these on my kindle. While I like the feel of a book in my hands, the thing is once I get going I don't stop at one book so if I'm out and about then the kindle comes into its own. During my recent Jury Service although there was a lot of sitting around waiting to be called, there was also a lot of opportunity to pull out my kindle!

1. The Other Side of the Bridge, Mary Lawson

This one's a re-read and I don't often do that, but it's a book I don't want to lose just yet. It was long listed for the 2006 Man Booker Prize, and was on Richard and Judy's Book Club List too, so it's not a new title.

It's about two brothers, Arthur and Jake, their differences and how their already uneasy relationship is driven to breaking point when Laura arrives in their 1930s rural community. And it's a book that lives up to the quote on the front: "a beautiful read, on every level"

2. All the Stars in Heaven, Adriana Trigiani

This is for the most part set in Hollywood during its Golden Age. It's based on a true life event - Loretta Young's affair with Clark Cable and one that was never public during their lifetimes, despite the child they shared. It wasn't something I was familiar with before reading the book, but it was something I googled before I finished it as I wanted to know if was pure fiction or if there was an element of real life in it. It seems it was the latter.

An interesting book, that I had to work to get into but by the end one that I couldn't put down so definitely worth a read.

3. Drive Me Crazy, Portia MacIntosh

This was a modern love affair with twists and turns you don't imagine right from the start. It's a book that demonstrates that not all IT guys are nerds, although that's something I knew already! It's a fun entertaining read, I zipped through it because I couldn't put it down.

4. Secret Letters, Abby Bardi

The plot evolves following the death of their mum as the siblings sort through her belongings and as you might imagine discover some secret letters. The main character convinces herself the letters are from her father and she learns more about J. Fallingwater and his Indian heritage, opening a restaurant along the way which has shall we say, one or two setbacks.

There's a twist as you'd expect and J. Fallingwater isn't what is first thought. This is one of those books where you feel part of the family and start to care what happens on the highs and lows of their life.

5. The Secret Widow, Sylvie Fox

Nari is a doctor and at a conference, she needs to forget two dates. She has a ritual for coping with those and the conference provides the ideal opportunity. This is a tender book where we follow Nari as she learns to trust and love again, while learning more of her story. This one made me cry, more than once and it's one you can lose yourself in. This is one of my two must-reads.

6. The Tea Planter's Wife, Dinah Jefferies

Set in Ceylon in 1913 the book follows Gwendolyn Hooper as she arrives in the country as a nineteen-year-old bride eager to rejoin her husband who she fell in love with in London. But on the tea plantation he's not the same man, he's wrapped up in his work and she's left to explore the plantation and her new life alone with little help from her sister-in-law. She soon falls pregnant though and both are overjoyed with the news. In the delivery room she's faced with a terrible choice and buries a secret throughout the majority of her marriage. I'll not share the ending but this is my second must-read. This is the one that I read late into the night, wanting to know how it turned out. It was also the one that once it had ended I felt empty, because I wanted to know more.

Sometimes books get you like that don't they? You don't want them to end and it's true you're left with a book hangover!

And now?

I've just started A Very Big House in the Country by Claire Sandy, so I'll let you know more about how I get on with that next time.

What have you read recently?

Love This #59: Place in Print

August 5, 2015

It's been a while since I've done a Love This post so I thought it was about time I put that right.

Last Friday I cycled over to Forest Hill to meet up with Ed and Nancy from Place in Print a London-based design studio, manufacturer and retailer, who specialise in locally-themed art, homewares and gifts.

Before I tell you more about my visit to their studio let me show you a couple of their neighbourhood pun prints.

Aren't they great? There's more too on their website - take a look.

I think they'd look good in any house in London or elsewhere, and would make great gifts too as they easily allow you to connect with your area. There's not one for Blackheath or Greenwich yet, but I quickly found a favourite from close to where I grew up, but more on that later.

Their studio is based in pretty Havelock Walk, not far from Forest Hill station - and thankfully for my cycling self not up the very steep main London Road, although there were plenty of hills along the way. There's plenty of other creative, working artists with studios there too and they regularly hold Open Studio events.

What sets Place in Print apart is their links to the local community, for example Horniman's Museum sells their Walrus print in their gift shop. They've also designed lamp post banners showing local landmarks for Herne Hill and have a souvenir from that project proudly on display in the loo, not something that everyone has.

Their challenge is to find the iconic parts of London that we'll recognise, but also the parts that aren't overdone. When they've done that - no mean feat in itself, the creative process starts with a photo. Next comes a line drawing of the photo which includes enough detail for the scene to be recognised, but not overly detailed and it develops from there.

And this is where it all happens.

It's a bright and light studio, with windows along one side letting the light flood in. There's a huge desk providing plenty of space for creative activities and it looks pretty on trend too. I'm not sure what I expected to find on my visit, but I don't think it was this so it was a lovely surprise.

Most of their prints are printed onsite and they package and send their orders from another studio at the other end of the mews. I also learnt that they're looking to extend their homewares range, so I'll be keeping an eye on developments there.

As well as selling online Place in Print regularly visit London-based markets and have recently sold at the Lambeth County Show, so you may have seen them there. They're already planning which Christmas Markets they'll be at, and I've no doubt they'll be popular at whichever markets they choose.

Throughout my visit I was entertained and captivated by Johnny, a gorgeous Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen - which is a long name for a small dog! It's a breed I'm familiar with as my niece has a non Petit version called Brian. Clearly these dogs are meant for human names...

Just before I said my goodbyes Ed and Johnny showed me around the second storage and packing studio just along the way. And it was here that Ed mounted the Neighbourhood Pun print I'd mentioned earlier and gifted it to me as I left.

Thank you Ed and Nancy, it was great to visit your studio and learn more about your creative process. And thank you to Johnny too for the tickles and the soulful looks when we were too busy talking to throw him his ball.