Haute, Haute, Haute!

Along with good friend Sara Gragnolati, editorial director of KIWI magazine, I popped into Haute Green, a temporary exhibition of sustainable (yet fashionable) home furnishings being held this week at 33 West 19th Street. Shown in connection with the always-buzzy International Contemporary Furniture Fair (an annual May event that draws the finest design to New York from around the world), Haute Green featured more than seventy pieces selected from a submission pool of more than three times that amount. Among the highlights for us were the burgundy Illu Stration rug (www.illu-stration.com), which looked as if it were a purple patch of lawn made entirely of felt; a three-dimensional component rug called "My Secret Garden," which was made from re-used wool blankets; a series of cork bowls from Daniel Michalik; and expandable, honeycomb-style cardboard seating from Molo Design. The latter reminded me a bit of those cheesy party-store centerpieces that fan out for easy table display and then fold up again for flat storage. Molo's work, though, was a touch more stylish. Catch the exhibit before it closes tomorrow. For more information, visit www.hautegreen.com. %%showphotos [setid=72157602747828050]%%