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Text: Hina Nitesh

 What comes to mind when you say Bamboo? 
Probably baskets or maybe furniture. But you need to scroll 
down this post to see what all can be done with this material

http://www.designboom.com/design/japanese-bamboo-beppu-craftsmanship/

Speaking for myself, I have always been fascinated by woven bamboo baskets. Little did I know this versatile material till an exercise in the design school made me explore it. 

Did you know...

that Bamboo is a grass not a plant or a tree
that they are amongst the fastest growing and can grow up to four feet in 24 hours!  
that their compressive strength is more than wood and tensile strength competes with that of steel! 

With such amazing properties one can only wonder why is it not used for making more than just baskets and furniture.What follows is a showcase of products which have been made using bamboo but in unconventional ways


Bamboo and furniture have always gone hand in hand but these sure are inspired pieces...

http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/bamboo/27.html

http://www.arch2o.com/furnitures-using-natural-materials-scope-design-studio/

http://www.contemporist.com/2013/08/23/hangzhou-stool-by-min-chen/

https://www.opendesk.cc/designers/christian-desile

http://www.dutchdesignonly.com

http://www.furniii.com/2012/10/flexible-bamboo-stool-design-by-grass-studio/

http://www.rivera-hurtado.com/furniture/vision-in-bamboo

Lighting and bamboo acquires a totally new meaning in these designs...

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/innovative-lighting-seen-at-the-london-design-festival.html

http://www.copper-id.com/nest/

http://www.idesignawards.in/design-image.php?y=2012&design=26704

Some out of the box thinking with bamboo..

www.bamboosurfboardshawaii.com/surfboards.html

Anyone for bamboo surfboards?

www.bambuhome.com/products/bamboo-straws

or how about sipping your drink with an eco friendly straw....

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1237280080/electricity-free-bamboo-speaker-for-iphone-4/posts

Try bamboo speakers for the iphone...

www.zillamag.com/design/bamboo-stationery-by-yu-jian/

 experimenting with bamboo for desktop products...

http://earthtechling.com/2012/06/sustainable-bamboo-cases-shelter-macbooks-ipads/

 carry your laptop in bamboo covers

http://thegadgetflow.com/portfolio/data-bamboo-vintage-sunglasses-175/

  frame for your glasses

http://blog.biusboutique.com/?p=69

can jewellery be left far behind?

http://www.treehugger.com/cars/kenneth-cobonpue-phoenix-bamboo-concept-car.html

This might be taking things too far or who knows the shape of things to come...What do you say?

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