Designer Tejo Remy is hot and so are his lighting designs. The Dutch designer, Droog, features many of Remy’s designs around the world, giving a designer lighting crowd an artful experience with illuminating excellence. Always focused on the permeable boundaries of sustainable design, Remy proves that reclaimed and everyday materials can indeed delight us to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Remy’s Milk Bottle light is reminiscent of the Dutch 50s when a case of milkbottles were delivered to homes. Plastic reusable shades provide the right amount of soothing light for hanging in a home or use for display in today’s museums. A symmetrical grouping of twelve or singularly, these uncanny modern chandeliers can be used overhead or inches from the floor. Also popular in restaurants and commercial buildings, the creative expertise of old and new come together to form a delightful change.

Fifteen year old Droog has been making a difference with green innovative products in style and purpose and was once again a popular choice at this year’s ‘A Touch of Green’, held in Milan. A company demanding a change without compromising style, Droog is based in Amsterdam but has independent designers as well as clients all over the world.

As a design collective, Droog expertly taps the talent of other talented young designers including Rody Graumans. Selected for inclusion in Droog’s first design collection, Graumans’ 85 Chandelier was also chosen for the permanent collection of MoMA as a testament to its design ingenuity, economy of form and minimalist aesthetic. Comprised of a simplistic array of 85 individual 15-watt bulbs and a bundle of black cords and sockets, the collective effect of these simple bulbs is a stunning display of light. Used in many museums, this timeless piece can also serve as an amazing contemporary addition for the living room or dining room with its splendor.

Creative in everything he touches, Arian Brekveld, designer, has a background in environmental and industrial projects and brings to Droog the Soft Hanging Lamp. By utilizing the old fashioned PVC drip method, he molds the traditional lamp into a soft, flexible globe for safety and beauty. Hanging blissfully from a matching cord, the plastics mesh as one to present a binded marriage and to make one wonder, ‘how do they do that’?

It is possible to sustain an artful, domestic life while promoting and preserving the simple items in our lives. Green is becoming a way of life and with creative, industrious artists such as Remy, Graumans and Brekveld; we will never fear vibrant design extinction.

When I asked my sister-in-law to be in my wedding, I was well aware that she was carrying a baby. I wasn’t concerned, though some brides balk at the idea of a pregnant woman in their wedding party. There is no reason to not consider asking someone to be in your wedding if they are pregnant, as you can always find an amazing maternity bridesmaid dress out there to compliment any woman. In many cases, you may not even need to buy a maternity bridesmaid dress at all. Unless your friend or relative is very close to delivery, they may be able to wear the same dress as the rest of your wedding party.

This was true of my sister-in-law. She was three months pregnant when we ordered my bridesmaid dresses. I asked the lady at the bridal store if she thought I would need a maternity bridesmaid dress for her, as she would be five months along at the time of my wedding. She assured me it would not be an issue, especially with the dress the girls had chosen for my wedding. I allowed them to choose their own, and they made a great choice. When my wedding rolled around two months later, everyone fit into their dresses comfortably and I realized the lady at the bridal shop was right, a women at five months generally does not need a maternity bridesmaid dress.

If one of your attendants will be more than six months pregnant at your wedding, it might be a good idea to discuss maternity bridesmaid dresses with the company from which you are buying your dresses. They may be able to look at the style of dress you are getting and tell you if you even need to get a maternity bridesmaid dress. They may be able to add a little extra material to the front of the dress already chosen to give them a great fit.

If you do think you need to buy a maternity bridesmaid dress, you can do so without ruining the look of your wedding. This is where the expertise of your bridal store should come into play. If the dress you chose does not come in maternity sizes, they should be able to help you find something that will go with the rest of your party while retaining the look you want. For the most part, however, you should be able to find any style of maternity bridesmaid dress, and it will just be a matter of ordering it and getting it sized correctly.