Leveraging the power of community, micro-libraries are emerging as a novel alternative to the tired public library. Reading materials are being crowdsourced and shared as a cost-effective, zero waste way to circulate print media among those who still prefer an analog reading experience. With these DIY corner libraries multiplying, those considering purchasing an e-reader may have a reason to think twice.
Microlending Stations: During OWS’ time in Zuccotti Park, The People’s Library provided protesters with free, unrestricted access to a collective, open reading room of books, ’zines, newspapers and educational pamphlets. Though this so-called Library 3.0 was destroyed during a police raid on Liberty Plaza, it proved unstoppable, ultimately being resurrected in a mobile hodgepodge of crates, shopping carts, and the like. The Little Free Library is a similar initiative promoting literacy, community strength and the sheer pleasure of reading through the building of worldwide book exchanges. With the goal of beating Andrew Carnegie’s record-setting founding of 2,509 libraries, look for the project to bring an LFC to a corner near you.
Lo-fi-loving Gen Ys are on a mission to simplify and streamline, as evidenced by their devotion to digital detoxing and their elevation of ordinary materials in place of high-tech supplies. In a similar spirit, modern designers have adopted origami as their latest vintage inspiration. Recently, we’ve spotted the elegant lines and angularity of this ancient paper art in areas from publishing to furnishings to fashion.
Foldschool: A benchmark of DIY design, this online “shop” features free furniture patterns that users can download and print to build their own stool, chair or rocker out of cardboard. A simple process of cutting, folding, and gluing produces sturdy furnishings that evoke the clean, angular shape of a classic paper crane. Completed pieces are not available for prefab purchase, as Foldschool founder Nicola Stäubli maintains that handcrafting boosts accessibility and inspires a pride of craftsmanship—an increasingly rare sensation in our screen-obsessed world. But for the tactile-averse, a range of ready-made origami-inspired designs have flooded the market. Flux chairs, for example, come together in three simple steps.
Throwing a dinner party can be a challenging feat. Even Mark Bittman thinks so, strongly enough that he was inspired to create a mix-and-match menu matrix to assist both novices and experts who are planning such a gathering. Bittman’s not the only one eager to assist frantic party planners. New sites and services are simplifying—and sometimes elevating—the age-old act of getting together over dinner.
A & O Dinner Party Blueprints: DIY kits are having a moment, having been put to use in projects as contained as interior design and as aspirational as building a civilization. Somewhere in between sits the task of throwing a dinner party. To help, bloggers Sarah Lagrotteria and Lydia Ellison Howerton of Apples & Onions are offering their expertise in the form of Party Blueprints. For $100, A&O will customize a kit containing a signature cocktail recipe or wine pairing, a three-course menu, simple decor suggestions, and a timeline for executing each stage to perfection. This is pre-fab planning that reflects the priorities of today’s consumers: reasonably priced, customized, and it lets consumers keep their calm.
With the DIY movement growing ever more persistent, consumers are getting hip to the tools of the trade. One such example is the recent fascination with Pantone. The company’s Color Matching System has long been an industry standard among professional designers, and now the brand is also becoming synonymous with the best and boldest colors among untrained aesthetes.
Pantonism: Pantonism, a hue-coded photo diary that has caught the attention of design-minded folks and laypeople alike, is on its way to becoming the most widely celebrated color library online. The site functions much like the ‘search by color’ feature on Google Images. Simply select a color from the spectrum (choices include orange, blue, yellow, purple, green, black, red, white, gold, gray, and, curiously, camo) and scroll through an easily navigable sea of multi-subject images to identify the ideal color inspiration for any creative project. Though colors are not currently matched to their corresponding Pantone shades, we’re hoping that feature arrives in time for our next home makeover.
From the advent of specialty vegetable butchers to cooks being recognized for their clever use of plants, it’s clear that vegetables are no longer a side dish. And with a growing locavore movement in which buying produce from a nearby farm has become de rigueur, it’s easy to see why, driven by a spate of new home kits, DIY mushroom growing is emerging as the latest amateur agricultural pursuit. You can’t get any more local than this.
Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden: Mushroom foraging can lead to an unexpected magical place, or even to the ER. Back to the Roots’ oyster mushroom kit makes eating “wild” mushrooms not only safe, but also as simple as throwing coffee grinds in the trash. Aided by the expertise of mycologist Paul Stamets, entrepreneurs Nikhil Arora and Alex Velez created the Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden, a cardboard planter equipped with dried coffee grind “bricks” that prompt mushroom growth. Growers need only spritz their kit with water twice a day and the mushrooms will blossom within one week. Those concerned that the mushrooms may emit notes of morning espresso can rest assured that they have a clean, earthy flavor that’s, in fact, good enough for Whole Foods.
