Ty D.I.Y. Edition on Design Milk!

Huge thanks to Catrina at Design Milk for her great post on Ty D.I.Y. Edition last week! Brit found the link this morning. We love that it includes photos of almost all of our draw-a-thon participants... Yeah!

Calling all Seattle-area illustrators/models...

Are you going to be in the Seattle-area October 24th? Interested in art, design, photography, modeling, feasting, visiting beautiful Bainbridge Island and/or just helping us out over here at Grain?

We are in the process of re-launching our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain and its new sister: Ty DIY which is a 'draw your own design' edition. To get ready, we are hosting a shower curtain photoshoot and we need artists and models to make it happen.

Anyone interested in being one of the new faces of Ty and helping Grain out in a MAJOR way, please let us know if you can make it by October 5th by emailing us at info[at]graindesign.com.

Here are the details for our shower curtain/photoshoot/feast:

Saturday October 24th

12:20pm Take the ferry to Bainbridge

1:00pm Have a refreshing cocktail; Get a Ty DIY shower curtain and markers to illustrate; Draw your heart out

2:00pm Have another cocktail or two; Get photographed with your custom Ty DIY

3:00pm Have a feast in your honor!

Added bonus: You get to take your new custom Ty DIY curtain home with you to keep forever! Thanks in advance for your support!!

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!

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!

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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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.

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.

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.

Grain at JOIN: Design Seattle's Ctrl+Alt+Design exhibition!

We have been selected to present Café America and Ty at the First Annual Design Review established by JOIN: Design Seattle at Ouch My Eye. The blind jury included Jon Junker and Seth Grizzle of Graypants, Inc, Jamie Iacoli and Brian McAllister of Iacoli & McAllister, Dylan Davis and Jean Lee of Ladies & Gentlemen Studio and John Gascon and Mike Christensen of Ouch My Eye.

The show will include the work of 26 designers and an installation piece by (knee shy) and will be up for an entire month!

Here are the details:

Ctrl+Alt+Delete

Ouch My Eye

1022 First Avenue South

Seattle, WA

June 12th - July 12th

Opening: July 12th, 6:00pm-7:00pm (all ages)

7:00pm-Midnight (21+)

Hope to see you all there! Facebook invitation here.

Post Model Citizens...

Thanks to everyone who came out to support Model Citizens in New York last weekend! Our favorite part of the show was getting to know all of the designers exhibiting. It was such a great community. See links to all of the participating designers here. Big thanks to Erika Carmichael for the invitation.

Above and below are some pics from the show. The ceramics in the second to last shot are by Zena Verda Pesta. The cardboard partition wall and mirror cut-outs in the last shot are by Ben Blanc.

We were thrilled to sellout of the Ty Recyclable Shower Curtains that we brought (should have packed more) and happy to have convinced many a sitter of the comfort level of our Cafe America chair.

Read more about Model Citizens exhibition (including a mention of our Cafe America chair) in the Metropolis Magazine blog post here or on Core77 here or here.

UPDATED 5/28/09: See all our photos from Model Citizens here.

Getting ready for Model Citizens...

We're in New York getting ready for Model Citizens (which opens Saturday May 16th) and loving all the press going around. Check some of it out here:

Design Glut interviews Erika Carmichael and Mark Goetz about the inspiration behind Model Citizens and shows our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain.

Cool Hunting gives a preview of the exhibition and shows our Cafe America chair (pictured above).

Core77 gives its preview of the exhibition, including a list of all the designers, and also shows our Cafe America chair.

Hope to see you all at the show May 16-18th, 475 10th Avenue at 36th Street!

Grain in New York for Design Week

Reminder: If you are in New York for Design Week, come check out our newest work at Model Citizens!

Model Citizens  

Exit Underground 

475 10th Avenue (@ 36th Street) 

New York, NY 10018

May 16 - 18, 2009 11:00am to 6:00pm 
Cocktail Reception May 16 5:00pm to 7:00pm 

We will be showing our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain and our Café America chair (pictured above) along with a few other surprises. Model Citizens is a newly formed organization committed to connecting an international community of independent designers. We are excited to be showing with old friends Nathan Thomas, Niels Cosman and Audra Wolowiec of AND Department of Mineral Science, and

e. carmichael, as well as with new Seattle friends iacoli & mcallister.

Hope to see you in New York!

Grain in the Bainbridge Review

Thanks to Dennis Anstine, Editor of the Bainbridge Review, for the nice article on Grain today! Check it out here. Photo of us with our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain by Brad Camp. 

Ty at Did You Know? in Rhode Island...

If you live in Rhode Island, you will be able to check out our Ty Recyclable Shower Curtain at the Did You Know? store in the next few weeks. They specialize in "products that sustain you, and the planet too" and have locations in both Wakefield and East Greenwich. Yeah Rhode Island!