Crowd clout has already wreaked havoc on industries far and wide, and now it appears the home furnishings industry could be among the next to get transformed. French site Myfab.com lets consumers collectively tell manufacturers which furniture items they want produced and then purchase them direct at near-factory prices.

Each week Paris-based Myfab posts a catalogue of items that are available for voting, inviting members of the site to indicate the ones they like best. Those that win the most votes get put into production by one of Myfab's factory partners and become available for purchase through the site. Whereas many major furniture brands carry prices up to 10 times what it costs the factory to produce them, the site says, Myfab's prices can be as much as 70 percent lower since no middleman is involved. Consumers who voted for an item during its pre-production phase get an additional 10 percent off. All factory partners must adhere to the site's charter of quality, and consumers are given a one-week trial period to decide if they're satisfied. Myfab ships to France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and the UK. Delivery takes 9 weeks on average, and consumers can follow an item's progress online each step of the way. In addition to furniture, Myfab also offers products in fashion, accessories, sports equipment and watches using the same crowd-based voting model.

The lesson to be learned? Between transparency tyranny and crowd clout, companies are running out of places to hide. Better listen to the crowds, or risk getting crowded out! ;-) (Related: Shoppers team up for better deals — Reverse-boycotting: crowd clout meets eco-persuasion.)

Website: www.myfab.com
Contact: www.myfab.com/NousContacter.aspx

Spotted by: Lamia Aloui & Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye

Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and it's also widespread in Paraguay, where some 300,000 families lack adequate housing. Motivated by that fact--and by the severe deforestation that has been wrought upon the land--a local Paraguayan activist has devised a way to create recyclable housing materials without using wood.

Social activist Elsa Zaldívar has found a way to mix loofah, the cucumberlike vegetable that gets dried into a scratchy sponge for use in bathing, along with corn and palm husks into a soup of melted, recycled plastics to form strong, lightweight panels suitable for use in houses and furniture. Loofah are already readily available in Paraguay thanks to a project Zaldívar, as head of nonprofit organization Base ECTA, initiated to empower local women. Working with Zaldívar, industrial engineer Pedro Padrós then devised a machine to combine the vegetable materials and plastics into panels that can be produced with varying strength, flexibility, weight, insulating qualities and colours. The lightweight composite panels are not only easier to handle than lumber or brick, but also much better in an earthquake or other natural catastrophe; if destroyed, they are fully recyclable, too. Combining a melting unit, mixer, extruder and cutting unit, Padrós' machine can produce a half-metre-wide panel 120 metres long in one hour. Costs have already fallen to less than about USD 3 per square metre, making the material competitive with existing construction materials.

A newly granted Rolex Award will finance a promotion centre, the construction of three model houses and a video that will be used to describe the project, which has already attracted commercial interest as well. One to sponsor, test out, or otherwise get involved in? (Related: Instead of Styrofoam, fungus and rice hulls.)

Website: www.rolexawards.com/en/the-laureates/elsazaldivar-the-project.jsp
Contact: baseecta@baseecta.org.py

We've already seen partially enclosed pods used to offer naps at airports, haircuts on the go and multisensory break spaces in busy corporate environments. A new, completely private pod from The Oculas Group, however, now provides total immersion in a wide array of multimedia tools.

Similar to Yamaha's EntertainmentMyRoom, Ovei is actually a redesigned version of Oculas's original, namesake capsule, reengineered with new materials, finishes and customisation options through a partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies. Measuring 170cm high by 95cm wide by 190cm long, the unit can be opened and closed via an automatically sliding door. Inside is a climate-controlled space with controllable LED colour-changing lighting, leather seating, a retractable and adjustable, flat-screen 26-inch TV and JBL 5.1 surround sound. Everything is controlled via a Crestron tablet, and the Ovei's technologies can also be integrated into other audio/visual installations. Users can customise many details of the unit's interior, such as paint and trim, lighting and type of screen. Available in white, black, silver and gunmetal grey beginning next year, each Ovei is hand-assembled over a 10-week period and then numbered and signed by designer Lee McCormack. Only 500 Ovei capsules will be produced worldwide, UK-based Oculas says, priced starting at GBP 50,000 each.

Besides the bespoke pricing and planned scarcity, both of which will surely increase its appeal for the wealthiest elite, the Ovei also promises to offer a highly immersive experience that provides a strong dose of "me time," far removed from the demands of others. Don't look now, but the youniverse just got a little bigger! ;-)

Website: www.ovei.co.uk
Contact: sales@oculas.com

Spotted by: Robert Kreff

Home security may be an age-old need, but that doesn't mean it can't be addressed in a thoroughly modern way. To wit: AlertMe, a service that combines home security and energy monitoring for automatic delivery via the web or a mobile phone.

Originally released in January, AlertMe is a wireless system whose security component monitors doors and windows and detects motion or other potential emergencies within the home. Users can self-install the technology without the need for wires or drilling; rather, they simply place a set of sensors around their home. Those sensors then communicate wirelessly with a hub that gets plugged into the home broadband connection. Then, in the event of a burglary or a smoke detector going off, a sensor is triggered to alert the hub, which sends the information to the AlertMe servers; those, in turn, send an instant alert to the user via mobile phone. The system is controlled via key fob, with battery backup and GPRS connection in case broadband goes down.

In September, AlertMe announced a new application for its platform that will add energy-monitoring capabilities to the security system. Called the Smart Plug, the new technology plugs into any outlet and uses the same AlertMe hub to monitor and control the energy use of any appliance that's plugged into it. Customers can see both live and historical consumption and control appliances remotely through the web or phone. The device can automatically turn on lights, for example, and it can also alert users remotely when key appliances fail. Perhaps even more compelling, it can automatically turn off appliances when users leave the house and then turn select ones on again--say, a kettle readying water for tea--when they're on their way home.

AlertMe's security kits are available now, starting at GBP 149. The energy-monitoring Smart Plug is due to be released soon, the company says, with pricing reportedly at about GBP 25 per plug. Heating control and meter-reading features are due to launch next year. Meanwhile, the UK-based company is currently setting up a network of authorized distributors; one to get in on early? (Related: Stylish fire protection kits -- Visualising energy use -- Greener driving with Fiat & Microsoft's plug & play eco-monitoring system.)

Website: www.alertme.com
Contact: info@alertme.com

Spotted by: Cathy Bruen

Bringing a sense of style to the Craigslist model, new online marketplace Lushpad aims to connect buyers and sellers of mid-century design. By taking users straight to what they're looking for rather than having them trawl through columns of irrelevant goods, the Canadian website hopes to capture a lucrative niche.

As the company's target customers are aesthetically sensitive types, they should feel more at home on Lushpad's well-designed site than looking through loud ads on eBay or perusing Craigslist's messageboards. Sellers have also commented on listing prices, which beat eBay by being free for items under USD 250, and USD 8-12 for more expensive items.

Described as part gallery, part auction house and part design magazine, the site aims to build a resource to draw customers to the site and keep them coming back, by generating content about design classics, profiling designers, architects and manufacturers and reviewing relevant books. Besides attracting enough buyers and sellers, the key challenge for Lushpad and other new marketplaces targeting niche audiences is to maintain a strong focus. Which means moderating and curating, and rejecting any items that won't appeal to the target audience.

Website: www.lushpad.com
Contact: www.lushpad.com/contact.php

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Crowdsourced innovations have already claimed many pages here at Springwise.com, including everything from sneakers to customer service to restaurants. The latest spotting? A Finnish site that lets consumers submit and vote on new home-interior fabric designs.

Bon Bon Kakku, recently launched by Helsinki fabric and interior manufacturer Vallila Interior, lets creative consumers design their own fabrics and offer them to the crowds for voting, comments and--ultimately--purchase. Users begin by registering on the site and submitting their design, including metadata, thumbnail and preview images. Visitors to the site can then rate and make comments on new designs, helping to decide which will go into production. Based on voting results, Bon Bon Kakku chooses new fabrics to produce and sell; creators of selected designs win 6m of the fabric they designed. Other visitors, meanwhile, can buy fabrics from Bon Bon Kakku for EUR 25 per meter, plus taxes and shipping, in units 150 cm wide. Bon Bon Kakku's winter design competition, which kicked off last month, will be open for voting through Nov. 10.

Free fabric for winning designers is nice, but the next step for a business like this? Let consumers earn some cold, hard cash for their efforts in the form of a percentage of sales of the fabrics they design. This is Generation C(ontent) we're talking about, and it's filled with minipreneurs yearning to be part of Generation C(ash). Yes, we know--that's too much trend jargon for one sentence ;-) In plain English: thanks to the internet, talented consumers can share their creative efforts with the rest of the world, and increasingly expect to be rewarded for those efforts, or even to be able to make a living off their creative output. The sites that help that happen are the sites that last! (Related: Customer-made wallpaper -- Sticky car art with a crowdsourcing twist.)

Website: www.bonbonkakku.com

Spotted by: Julia Valle

Back in July, we wrote about a promising start-up that has developed an organic alternative to traditional insulation products. Ecovative Design's Greensulate (building insulation) and Negative Volume (packaging) are manufactured--or rather, grown--from agricultural waste products like rice hulls, which are combined with water, recycled paper and living mushroom cells to create panels that can be used to insulate buildings or protect packages during shipment. The product offers the benefits of its polystyrene counterparts, while making a far smaller impact on the environment. Not only do Greensulate and Negative volume use byproducts that would otherwise be waste, the process is flexible enough to use byproducts from local agriculture--whether that's buckwheat, rice or another regional crop--which further reduces the products' eco footprint.

So--to make a long story short--we were very pleased to hear that Greensulate's founder, 23 year-old Eben Bayer, just won the PICNIC Green Challenge award for 2008, a EUR 500,000 prize awarded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery. There's little we enjoy more than seeing an innovative idea receive the recognition it deserves. Congratulations, Eben! To follow: an update on last year's winner, who was also featured on Springwise.

Oh, and if you're interested in working with Ecovative Design, please note that they'll continue to work on material optimization and compliance testing throughout 2009, with a commercially available insulation product targeted for mid-2010. The company is actively seeking strategic partners.

Website: www.ecovativedesign.com
Contact: info@ecovativedesign.com

Branded brand spottings have been relatively few and far between on Springwise since we covered the miCoach fitness-focused cell phone from Samsung and adidas earlier this year. Recently, however, one of our spotters sent in news of a shining new example coming out of Slovenia.

Following in the tracks of cars that have added iPod integration, Slovenian appliance maker Gorenje has unveiled a "Made for iPod" refrigerator that is specially designed around iPod Touch technology. Featuring an iPod docking station, the fridge lets users charge their iPod, play back music and video and, in wirelessly enabled households, connect to the web. Music is played through built-in speakers, while video content--which can include anything from music videos to video recipe instructions--are displayed on the iPod's screen. Through Gorenje's newly launched iGorenje web portal, meanwhile, users will have access to additional content related to cooking and other household tasks, adjusted for viewing on the iPod Touch screen and other mobile devices. The site will also allow for wifi control of household appliances connected to a home server, Gorenje says. The Made for iPod refrigerator was demonstrated last week at the IFA 2008 consumer electronics fair in Berlin; production is scheduled to begin late this year or early next. No word yet on pricing or availability.

Gorenje is no stranger to branded-brand partnerships--in fact, regular Springwise readers may remember our coverage of its Swarovski crystal-laden range of appliances a few years ago. Will working with iPod technology reinvigorate the appliance category for a whole new generation of tech-savvy consumers? Time will tell. Meanwhile, one to watch!

Website: www.gorenjegroup.com/en/news?aid=945
Contact: info@gorenje.si

Spotted by: Helena M.

A few weeks ago we wrote about Dutch Insinger de Beaufort's shoebox approach to private banking, and we couldn't help but notice the similarity with an innovative San Francisco laundry service one of our spotters recently pointed out. Catering to those who are frustrated with the inconvenience of traditional laundry and dry-cleaning services--many of which, like banking, can involve parking hassles and limited hours--Laundry Locker offers on-site convenience and 24-hour service through a fleet of lockers located in apartment buildings throughout the city.

Customers begin by creating an account online, then they place their dirty clothes in any available locker and pocket the key. (In addition to servicing lockers in 355 apartment buildings, Laundry Locker also operates several kiosks throughout the city, and home delivery is available as well.) Laundry Locker personnel check all locations each day and send an email confirming and requesting payment for each order received. Dry cleaning is cleaned and packaged, including minor repairs at no extra charge, for prices beginning at USD 2.25 per shirt. Regular washing, meanwhile, is separated into white and coloured loads and washed separately from that of other customers, then neatly folded for pick-up. Wash-and-fold pricing begins at USD 1.35 per pound, and users can specify online exactly how they want their laundry done. Clean garments are then returned to the same locker by 5 p.m. the following day, Monday through Saturday, with notification to the customer via SMS and email. Users simply unlock the locker they originally used and take out their clean clothes--packaged in a personal laundry bag Laundry Locker provides--leaving the locker available for the next customer.

Laundry Locker was actually launched back in 2005, but the strength of its concept endures, as evidenced by customer reviews and "Best of San Francisco" ratings. A winning idea to emulate in laundry-averse cities around the globe!

Website: www.laundrylocker.com
Contact: sales@laundrylocker.com

Spotted by: Susie Wyshak

We've written about a site that makes it easier for architects and designers to create green buildings, but a separate challenge is helping eco-minded consumers find those green apartments, homes and offices, since their sustainable nature is not always obvious from the outside. Enter GreenRenter, a new site that aims to connect owners of green buildings with tenants who might want to rent them.

Launched earlier this year, GreenRenter offers a guide to the green commercial and residential property in the Portland, Ore., area. Separate sections for residential and commercial offerings list a variety of homes, offices, restaurants and retail space--searchable both by what's out there in general and what's currently available--with integrated Google Maps to show prospective tenants where they are all located. Buildings included need not be LEED certified, but they must include at least one feature in any of seven key green areas: energy, water, building materials, operations, building surroundings, certifications and awards or other innovative green features. Ultimately, GreenRenter plans to rate buildings listed on its site, it says, as well as to expand beyond the Portland area to other US cities. It's also working on a separate site focused on sales of green buildings. Using GreenRenter is free for both owners and tenants.

It's not yet clear how GreenRenter will become sustainable itself, but the site's "business philosophy" section mentions both the triple bottom line and the prospect of future products and services. One to partner with in cities around the US and the rest of the world?

Website: www.greenrenter.com
Contact: www.greenrenter.com/contact

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie