Ty at the Prattstore in Brooklyn!

We are also really excited to have our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtains available in New York for the first time ever at the Prattstore near the Pratt Institute campus in Brooklyn. They will be carried in the Pratt by Design alumni section of the store. The Prattstore wasn't around when I was a student, but when it opened in 2005 it became the largest art supply store in Brooklyn (15,000 sq feet). We're hoping the Prattlers pick Ty for their Willoughby dorm rooms!

Ty at Bitters Co. in Seattle!

We are super excited to announce that our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtains are finally available for purchase in Seattle!!!

You can get your fix at Bitters Co. in Fremont. We have been long time fans of this eclectic general store. If you don't know it, you should. Everything is designed by the owners, Katie and Amy Carson or sourced directly from artisans. The Carson sisters have backgrounds in cultural anthropology, art and furniture design. They initially started the store to sell things they collected from their travels.

Some of our favorites are the flip-flop doormats, Guatemalan textile hand towels, and Amy Carson designed folding tables.

Read more about Bitter Co. on Apartment Therapy here or visit their website here. Above photo of the storefront from here.

Grain on the Seattle Homes & Lifestyle Blog!

Thanks to Market Editor, Stacy Kendall, over at Seattle Homes & Lifestyles for the great blog post on Ty and Café America this morning! It always feels great to get the word out locally. Read the full post here.

Ctrl+Alt+Design on Seattle Magazine Blog!

Thanks to Brangien Davis for the nice write up of Ctrl+Alt+Design in the Seattle Magazine Blog today! The post mentions ModKnobs' hockey puck door knobs, Urbancase's Camera Candle (pictured above in the post), Iacoli & McAllister's Facet Ring, and our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain. Read the full post here.

Reminder: It's the last week to check out Ctrl+Alt+Design at Ouch My Eye here in Seattle. It closes July 12th and should not be missed!

Ty on Treehugger!

Big thanks to Treehugger's April Streeter for the thoughtful post on Ty this morning! Read the full article here. It really investigates the pros and cons of Tyvek. We are huge fans of Treehugger over here at Grain so it means a lot to us. Thanks again April!

Big in Bulgaria!

A few weeks ago the editor of the Bulgarian online magazine DeZona contacted us to write a post about Café America. Here it is in all its glory. Thanks Evgeniy!

Ty Press Release

We finally sent out an offiicial press release for our first product: Ty. We launched last March and have been lucky to get a bunch of blog press but now it is time to really reach out to let people know what we've been up to over here at Grain. Download the full release with photos here.

For more info, email us at info@graindesign.com or call us at 206.965.9302.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Young Designers Launch Their First In-House Product: A Recyclable Shower Curtain

Bainbridge Island, WA

July 6, 2009

With the ambitious goal of ridding the world of off-gassing vinyl shower curtains forever, Grain, a young start-up of designers and social entrepreneurs who first met as students at Rhode Island School of Design, launched their first in-house product, Ty. Ty is a simple shower curtain that is non-toxic, and as a #2 plastic, can be recycled at the end of its lifespan. Made from the same PVC-free material used for Fed-Ex envelopes, Ty is durable and breathable – making it less likely to grow mold and mildew.

Have you ever experienced that “new shower curtain smell”? According to Grain spokesperson Chelsea Green, that is actually the smell of toxic chemicals being released into your home and lungs. Green cites a 2008 study by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, finding that chemicals off-gassing from a typical vinyl shower curtain are linked to adverse health effects, including respiratory irritation, central nervous system disorders, liver and kidney damage, nausea, headaches, and loss of coordination.

Grain’s response to these health and environmental concerns is Ty, a product that is safe and healthy for homes and families and performs better than its vinyl alternative on every level. Ty is currently being made in the consultancy’s shop on Bainbridge Island (a 35 min. ferry ride from Seattle) and is being sold for $30 from their website, www.graindesign.com. Printed designs are in the works.

Along with Ty, Grain has recently launched a chair, called Café America, that is made from reclaimed chain-link fencing and flat-packs for efficient shipping. It is also available for purchase from their website.

About Grain

Founded in 2007 at the Rhode Island School of Design, Grain is a collaborative of design thinkers with the shared vision of a more sustainable future. As a full service design consultancy, Grain offers expertise in research, strategy, and design for companies interested in uniting sustainability and business through design.

Grain has recently received press on the following blogs: Cool Hunting, Contemporist, Mother Nature Network, Core77, Apartment Therapy, HOW Magazine, Metropolis P/O/V, Design Glut, and Interior Design, and in the following print publications: RISD Views and Bainbridge Review.

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Photos from our presentation at GreenDrinks

Here are some shots by Laura O'Quin of Open Satellite of our presentation at the Seattle-Eastside GreenDrinks last month. Thanks to everyone one who came out!

Café America on Archinect!

Read the full Café America post on Archinect here.

Café America sightings...

Café America is popping up all over the blogosphere. Latest sightings... igreenspot, Furnishh!, and Crib Candy.

More photos form Ctrl+Alt+Design!

These great photos come from Jean Lee of Ladies & Gentlemen who was part of the blind jury for Ctrl+Alt+Design. See the full slideshow here. Again, the show is up through July 12th if you missed the opening...

Above is a chalkboard paint covered pig by Ladies & Gentlemen.

The Bread Friend Map by eating designer Tricia Martin.

Tricia with her giant bread peel.

Sunlight filling the gallery.

Another view from above.

Jamie Iacoli and Brian McAllister of Iacoli McAllister.

Darin Montgomery of Urbancase with James and I.

Jean and friends in cute dresses.

Cardboard scrap lighting by Greypants.

Tea-cup by Elisa Werbler.

Someone wearing our Ty shower curtain.

Opening night of Ctrl+Alt+Design...

If you missed the Ctrl+Alt+Design opening last Friday in Seattle, here are a few (not so great) pics. I promise to go back a take some better ones before it closes on July 12th. Tricia Martin has some better shots over on her blog here and here.

Above is a handmade paper lamp shade by LiT. Below is a Tyvek bag by Meet Me Here. The following is a lighting installation by Brite Collective, Jason Neufeld's ceramics (on the pedestal), two clock designs by Stanley Ruiz, a standing lamp and chalkboard paint animals by Ladies & Gentlemen, and our Café America chair and Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain poking out from behind the crowd.

There was so much great work to see that we are definitely going back to spend a calm afternoon taking it all in. Big thanks to JOIN: Design Seattle for all hard work that went into making this show happen!

UPDATED 06/17/09: Here's a link to some great photos from opening night taken by Erik Johnson of Hankbuilt.

Ctrl+Alt+Design on Cool Hunting!!

A nice long post... with a good shot of Café America included! Read it here. If you missed the opening Friday, Ctrl+Alt+Design is up through July 12th in Seattle.

UPDATED 06/16/09: Also see a nice post about the show in the Seattle Metropolitan magazine blog, Who What When, written by Laura Cassidy here.

Bellevue By Design

If you are a Seattle-area teen interested in art and design, you should check out this new program called Bellevue By Design that Chelsea Green of Grain will be leading at Open Satellite this July 13 - 31st, 2009. The program will run Monday - Friday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Here is the full description:

Bellevue By Design is a three-week, college prep/intensive exploration for local teens passionate about art, design, and architecture. Participants will engage in the public and private identity-building processes of their hometown. Through meetings with local artists and community stakeholders, guided field work, and studio art making, teens will have the opportunity to reshape their city with a rich (and unexpected) array of tools and information. A final presentation of the teens’ research, process, and design solutions will be publicly presented at Open Satellite or at a Bellevue partner organization.

To learn more about the program please contact Laura O'Quin at laura@opensatellite.org or 425.454.7355.

Café America on Contemporist...

Super excited to see the big crisp photos of Café America on Contemporist today! See the full spread here. Thank you for the support Dave!

Grain presenting at GreenDrinks June 18th

Our friends at Open Satellite have invited us out to Bellevue to present at the next Eastside-Seattle GreenDrinks on June 18th 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm. We will be presenting our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain as well as talking about some of our up-coming projects. If you are in the Seattle area, we hope to see you there. The event is sponsored by Georgetown Brewery, so don't forget to bring your own reusable cup.

The current Open Satellite exhibition is Vehicle by New York-based artist Seth Kinmont. It is an amazing installation of in-process electric cars and is not to be missed!

Bazaaro

James and I took a break from the office/studio today to meet some of our neighbors and sell our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtains at the Indie Bandita Bazaar on Bainbridge Island. We signed up on a whim and weren't sure what to expect, but it ended up being a fun day full of shower curtain conversations and sales. Our chic booth (pictured above) dazzeled passers by, and some even recognized us from the Bainbridge Review...

Tomorrow, Saturday June 6th 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, my little brother/budding entrepreneur, Tyler, will be "manning the booth" with some of his friends from Woodward Middle School. Come by after the Farmers Market and check out all the local wares!

UPDATED 06/09/09: Below photo is of our "sales associates" working the booth.

Ty on the Mother Nature Network!

Here's what Matt Hickman, eco-living expert/blogger for the Mother Nature Network, wrote about Ty in a piece titled "Against the grain" from June 2nd:

"Here’s a new PVC-alternative shower curtain that’s recently crossed my path and should appeal to those, dudes or not, looking to green-up their bathrooms: The Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain ($30) from Bainbridge Island, Washington-based, Rhode Island School of Design-founded sustainable design firm Grain. It’s made from HDPE, the petro-based but highly recyclable plastic found in shampoo bottles and the like. The Ty is, of course, PVC-free and doesn’t off-gas. It does breathe, slowing down the mold and mildew growing process and giving it a longer life. It's also ethically made in the U.S. and packaged minimally in recycled paper. In terms of design, there's not much to look at (only available in white) but I still (think it is) super cool.

Also available from Grain are two slightly more pricey but no less intriguing green items for the home: Café America ($600), an indoor/outdoor chair made from recycled chain link fencing and a bench ($500) made completely from scrap wood and clamps.

I’m looking forward to new developments from the folks at this brainy, grainy green design collective from the Pacific Northwest."

See the full post here. Purchase Ty through the Grain website here.

Reminder: Ctrl+Alt+Design June 12th - July 12th

Just a reminder... If you are in Seattle June 12 - July 12, come check out our new work at Ctrl+Alt+Design. We'll be showing with 26 other designers (see below) in this Join: Design Seattle curated exhibition.

From Seattle, WA: Brite Collective, Heath Bultman, Dreamlets, Forty-Five-09, G.S. Gartrell, Grain, Greypants, Iacoli Mcallister, Jeff LaCoste, Meet Me Here, Ladies & Gentlemen, Paul Pitacitelli, Submaterial, Urbancase

From Portland, OR: Tricia Martin, Erik Johnson

From Milwaukee, WI: Misewell

Chelsea, MA: Timothy Liles

Providence, RI: Elisa Werbler

New York, NY: Andre Claire, Charles Constantine, Sallyann Corn, Martin Gloeckle, Joe Kent, Kiel Mead, Jason Neufeld, Stanley Ruiz

The opening is June 12th, 6:00-7:00pm (all ages), 7:00pm-Midnight (21+), at Ouch My Eye 1022 1st Avenue South in Seattle. Hope to see you all there!!

Blu in USA Today!

We were excited to see our friends/clients at Blu featured in an article titled "Prefab homes sprout green designs, improve affordability" in USA Today a couple days ago.

At $135 - $175 a square foot we think that you are going to be reading a lot more about Blu in the near future! Above is a rendering of their Blu Origin home design. Read the full article here.