Electric Love featured in Seattle Magazine!

Check out the November issue of Seattle Magazine to find our Electric Love ring featured on page 36! You can enter to win the pictured ring through their website or get one from our online shop right now for $19.00. Thanks Kate!

NwMODERN Installation

Here are a few pics by Scott Kouchi from the installation of NwMODERN that opened in Portland last week. We showed our Bound hand mirrors and Appropriated Series: Bench along with work from Esque Studio, Pigeon Toe Ceramics, Crafted Systems and more.

NwMODERN: The Spirit of Place

We're taking a road trip to Portland next week for the opening of NwModern. Grain will be one of the 60 artists and designers showing work that "reflects the unique spirit of place in the Pacific Northwest" curated by Giovanni Castillo within the context of the classic 1950's Twombly House.

If your in town too, here are the details:

The Twombly House

4449 SW Twombly St.

Portland, OR

Opening: October 15th, 4:00pm - 9:00pm

Open to the Public: October 16th – 28th, 4:00pm - 9:00pm

Shoppe Success!!

Thanks to everyone who came out for JOIN's Design Shoppe Saturday! What a fun night! Above and below are a few of our quick pics from the beginning of the evening before it got too crowded for words...

Above are Chalk It To Me animals by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio and pillows by Piano Nobile.

Our Ty and Ty D.I.Y. Edition plus some new purses (will be in our shop soon) made in collaboration with artisans in Guatemala. Above them are Mini-Pedestal SELECT's by Iacoli & McAllister.

urbancase's candles above plainMade's felt bags and other textile wares.

Our new Electric Love rings (will be in our shop soon) made from reclaimed electrical wire and our Cheri necklaces.

Chickabird's notebooks using Piano Nobile fabric and Greg Bethel's Sigg Faucet Caps.

Screen printed textiles by Dinah Coops Design.

Brian McAllister and Greg Bethel.

Loc Trinh and a friend in front of work by Meet Me Here.

Items donated for the silent auction to benefit Nest Seattle by Linda Beaumont, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Velocity Art And Design, Chickabird, urbancase, {Far4}, LiT Shades, Piano Nobile, Meet Me Here and Iacoli & McAllister.

Design Shoppe also included jewelry by fortyfive09, fruit super, Free Time Industries and &c.

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.

Ty photoshoot...

We tried to give Ty a proper photoshoot the other day. We were determined to fight wind and fading sun but results were poor at best. Hope to get out there again this weekend for a re-shoot. In the meantime, here is our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain on a windy Northwest beach outing. 

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Ty - Recyclable Shower Curtain

We're celebrating the launch of our new online shop and our first in-house product, the Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain!  

Ty is a simple plastic shower curtain. Unlike other shower curtains made of vinyl, Ty will not off-gas in your home (learn more about the problems with vinyl here). Also unlike vinyl, Ty breathes, making it less likely to grow gross mold and mildew. To clean, use soap and water or even throw Ty in the washing machine and air dry (no dryer please). Ty is stronger than vinyl. Ty will last a very long time and then can be recycled. 

Ty is made of 100% high-density polyethylene (HDPE) #2 plastic. Often used for milk jugs, HDPE is the most commonly recycled plastic and is PVC free. 

There is more info available on the shop page.  Tell a friend!

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Bainbridge Ferry Walkway Proposal

Update: We've been chosen as one of three finalists!  More info will follow soon.

Grain submitted the above sketch for Bainbridge Island's Ferry Terminal Walkway artist call organized by the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council. The concept is to drape laser cut sheets of Tyvek from the ceiling forming a fluid structure evoking low hanging clouds or gentle waves.

The structure would use the long perspective of the space as an advantage, providing a fluid experience that changes as the viewer moves through the space. There will be multiple scales of interest to the piece, allowing viewers who spend a longer period of time waiting for the boat to discover new details with each visit. A series of iconic Bainbridge images will be used to cut a pattern throughout each drape. These icons will include emblems such as the ferry, strawberries, fireworks, bicycles, deer, and more! We see these playful icons as an opportunity to honor Bainbridge – both past and present – for Islanders and visitors alike.

The decision to use Tyvek is many. It is actually the same material used for Fed-Ex envelopes, so it is durable, scrub-able and weather proof. It can be easily laser cut and sewn. It is relatively inexpensive. It is light weight and somewhat translucent. It is heat and fire safe – often used for residential insulation. Most importantly to us, it can be taken down and re-used after the installation period. For example, it could be cut and re-used as street banners or made into bags. Finally, once it has seen its last use, Tyvek, as a #2 plastic, is among the most easily recyclable plastics.