Learn Young: Design + Sustainability Workshop

This Friday, Grain will be teaching a workshop on the role of design thinking and the importance of sustainability in today's world. The captive audience will be Ms. Doss' 4th grade class at Olympic Hills Elementary School.

"It will be great exposure for the kids. We've planned some fun activities to introduce design and encourage critical thinking. It's a great age for kids to be learning about larger concepts such as sustainability." - James Minola
(Attendance by Ms. Doss' class only.)

>Ms. Doss' Class
>Grain

Eco-Thinking

Grain mentioned in our.risd.edu blog for Earth Day! We spent our earth day planting tomatoes and sweet peas in the kitchen garden... and as always, working.

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Grain in RISD e-views!

Grain is featured in this month's edition of RISD e-views! That's issue #37 if you're counting. Find us in the Look Around section (and tell a friend).

> Grain
> RISD e-views

Grain Wins GREEN AWARD!!!

Yay! Grain wins the award for best green design! Our winning Youth Chair (see post below) took home the award at the Seattle M+D+F furniture show at Design Within Reach. The judges for the show were:

Andy Thaemert, Associate Principal, Callison Architecture
Luke Fryer, Visual Ops, Dept. of Energy 
Erich Ginder, Designer

Held at the Design Within Reach showroom on 1st Ave, the event was well attended, and several local designers were represented. Thanks to DWR and to all who made this event possible.

Learn more about Grain here.

The Lab: An Evening With Matte Stephens

Grain is going, are you?

Wednesday, April 16th 6-8 pm
Seattle, WA

Velocity Art And Design presents The Lab: a series of events at their South Lake Union showroom which will feature guests integral to shaping our landscape here in the Northwest and beyond, while helping to foster opportunities for creative thinking, networking, and inspiration.

The first event at The Lab will feature beloved artist Matte Stephens. Matte, his wife and a cadre of pets have recently relocated from Alabama to The Northwest. Matte is excited to be introduced to the creative community here in Seattle and to say thank you for all of your support for his artwork Matte and Velocity owner, John Tusher, will be on-hand to present stories about Matte’s life, being an independent artist, process, and inspiration. He will be available to answer questions from fellow artists and fans alike. Velocity will also have a drawing that evening for limited prints by Matte. New original works will be available for purchase at the store that evening.

Hope to see you there.

DESIGN + MODERN + FUNCTION

Grain is pleased to announce we have been selected to present new works at Seattle’s Design + Modern + Function furniture show (see posts below for the selections). We hope to see you there!!

Design Within Reach
1918 First Avenue Seattle, WA 98101

April 17th, 2008
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

RSVP to seattle@dwr.com by April 16th
More info about us here: Grain.

Grain "Padded Stump" stool selected for Design Within Reach competition!

Padded Stump
By: Chelsea Green for Grain
Materials: found wood tree stump, 12" square pillow form, rubber bands

What is really necessary to provide a good seat? Padded Stump is a spontaneous composition of found parts. It is a do-it-yourself gesture to serve an immediate need. Hopefully, it inspires others to do the same with what surrounds them.

Fabricated of found elements – nothing "new" was used in the creation of Padded Stump. All components can be taken apart and re-purposed as user needs change over time.

Grain "Youth Chair" selected for Design Within Reach competition

Youth Chair # 3
By: James Minola for Grain.
Materials: scrap wood, steel clamps

Playful and sustainable, Youth Chair # 3 creates an environment for the discussion of green principles. Made entirely from unaltered scrap wood held by clamps, Youth Chair # 3 opens a dialog on larger concepts such as materiality and waste.

As an interactive piece of furniture, families can add their own found materials to change the form again and again. This relationship allows the chair to grow with the child as it continues to be a source of creativity, learning, and re-use.

The clamps serve as the chair’s legs and as a fun way to construct (and re-construct) the chair without the use of fasteners or other tools.

Reminder: Tapas at Tasca dinner for Design that Matters starts tonight!

Hello Everyone!
This is a reminder that our "Tapas at Tasca: Eat for a Good Cause" starts tonight, Monday April 7th 5pm, and will continue on for our second night tomorrow! The nights will be filled with friends, festivities and delicious food, along with DtM product demos and networking opportunities for all. The event is two evenings, so join us on the night and time that works best for your schedule. If you haven't rsvped yet, you still can by:

emailing info@tascarestaurant.com
or you can call 617.730.8002
(and remember to mention DtM)

(If don't get a chance to RSVP, don't worry, you can still come, but may just have to wait for a table.)

Tasca Tapas Restaurant
1612 Commonwealth Ave.,Brighton, MA
April 7: 5-11pm
April 8: 5-11pm

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Cheers,
The DtM Team

(by Sami, posted by Grain)

Grain News Blog Launched

Welcome!

Grain has launched this blog to provide updates on our news, happenings, and new projects.

At Grain, our focus is on uniting sustainability and business through design.

We believe that sustainability will drive business by offering new markets, technologies, opportunities, and users. In turn, business will drive sustainability through increased awareness, regulation, and making change. The shift has begun.