A New Way of Looking at Corn Husks and Chicken Feathers

Chicken feathers and coconut shells seem unlikely materials for elegant home accessories, but that’s what is readily available to Carlo Tanseco and he makes the most of them.

The Phillipine-born Tanseco, an architect and inventive designer, has responded to the need for eco-smart materials by turning out a collection of home furnishings created from natural, renewable resources.

His entire collection, which was introduced recently in New York and may be coming our way soon, draws from natural materials and includes lamps made of chicken feathers and bamboo, vases made out of corn husks and a whole line of items made from coconut shells.

The show, entitled “Fuzz, Feathers and Beyond: Natural Renewable Resources in Philippine Design,” is on exhibit at New York’s Material ConneXion, itself a very clever operation and national resource.

Launched in 1997 to bring together product designers and material development, it’s a combination museum, library, lab and shop that is described as a “resource exchange for architecture, design and industry.”

Tanseco’s design is “very unusual, which is why we have it here,” said ConneXion staffer Carina Beylerian. “Usually with products like this you think of ceramics or metals. I personally haven’t ever seen feathers used this way.”

In Material ConneXion’s extensive archive, designers can examine the newest substances and finishes from all over the world as they ponder the home products of the future. It showcases both high-tech materials and imaginative applications of traditional materials.

To further promote Tanseco’s ecological line, Material ConneXion will feature it at the Home Textiles Show opening March 31 at Manhattan’s Javits Convention Center. “These pieces are so well-made and inexpensive, we are going to introduce them to buyers from stores all over the country,” said Beylerian. Material ConneXion is working with the Philippine government to promote greater use of renewable products. Its range of services can be checked out at https://www.materialconnexion.com.

Fixit: Thinking about a home upgrade? From a new bathroom sink to a major face-lift, you can get an overview of what’s new at the Homeworld 2000 Winter Home Improvement Show on Feb. 25-27 in Anaheim.

Home Depot Stores will offer five free how-to seminars a day, including two Kids’ Clinics. Children 3 and older will get the chance to hammer, saw and build such items as a birdhouse.

The show offers a selection of fireplaces, roofing, flooring and rugs, kitchen cabinets, awnings, garage doors and more. It’s the first of five Homeworld 2000 Shows coming to the Southland this year. The exhibit will be held indoors at Edison Field, 2000 Gene Autry Way in Anaheim. Information: (714) 418-2000.

Connie Koenenn can be reached at connie.koenenn@latimes.com.