Design Wire October 2023
ROYAL CARIBBEAN‘s newest vessel, dubbed the ICON OF THE SEAS, will become the largest cruise ship in the world when it launches in January 2024. Built to carry 7,600 passengers and nearly 3,000 crew members, the Icon’s 20 decks include eight distinct neighborhoods: AquaDome, Central Park, Chill Island, Royal Promenade, Surfside, Suite Neighborhood, the Hideaway, and Thrill Island. Weighing 250,800 gross tons and reaching 1,198 feet in length, Icon of the Seas features 28 cabin options to accommodate every guest. Many rooms are designed with additional space for families, including bunk alcoves for children, a split-compartment bathroom, and multiple TVs. For $75,000 per week, you can book the Ultimate Family Townhouse, a three-level suite with two private balconies, an in-suite slide, a white picket fence, and your very own mailbox.
WOLF COVE INN, the charming year-round getaway on the shore of Tripp Lake, in Poland, Maine, is under new ownership. According to Mainebiz, former West Coast residents Nicole McMaster and Geoff Skidmore took the reins in June after choosing to leave unfulfilling jobs in California and Oregon. Hospitality runs in the family: McMaster’s grandparents operated the CAPTAIN’S HOUSE INN in Chatham, Massachusetts, so she had a better understanding of the bed-and-breakfast business than the typical buyer. McMaster and Skidmore plan to retain the inn’s romantic appeal while adding health and wellness experiences that will draw additional guests to the establishment.
Swedish appliance manufacturer ELECTROLUX GROUP recently launched ATEASE, a subscription-based service that helps customers reduce electronic waste. By promoting proactive maintenance, offering the automatic shipment of accessories, and refurbishing returned products for reuse or donating parts to extend the life of other products, AtEase encourages users to make sustainable choices while contributing to the circular economy. Current products offered through AtEase include the Pure i9 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Well A7 Air Purifier, and Pure A9 Air Purifier, with additional products to be introduced soon. The service is available only in the Swedish market now, but Electrolux plans to expand AtEase availability in the coming years.
In 2009 Maine became the first state to fund a retail-based fluorescent-lightbulb recycling and disposal program while requiring manufacturers to lower the amount of mercury in bulbs, which poses a health risk when bulbs are broken. Beginning in 2016 Maine began phasing out the sale of fluorescent bulbs entirely, effectively reducing the state’s contribution to climate pollution by thousands of tons each year. According to the APPLIANCE STANDARDS AWARENESS PROJECT, the ban will keep 3.9 pounds of mercury out of Maine, reduce the state’s carbon emissions by 11,000 metric tons, and save $16 million in electricity bills by 2030. The most common replacements for fluorescent bulbs are LED lights, which last longer, come in many shapes and sizes, and are more cost effective.
PEELSPHERE, a material innovation company based in Berlin, has developed a biodegradable faux leather material made from fruit and vegetable waste. The manufacturing process is simple: produce waste is ground into fine pieces and blended with a bio-binder before it’s formed into water-resistant sheets that can be embroidered, woven, and sewn into sustainable end products. PEELSPHERE’s 100 percent recyclable material comes in various patterns (including stripes, dots, and cutouts) and multiple colors made from natural dyes. In addition to clothing, the textile can be used to create lighting fixtures, table accessories, vases, buttons, handbags, and more.
