Starting with name-brand versions of popular products found in virtually any home, this designer has come up with a series of clever solutions to eliminating the waste from each package system on a case-by-case basis.

Aaron Mickelson took on this challenge as a master’s thesis project at the Pratt Institute, asking (and answering) the question: can any product be truly garbage-free, leaving little or nothing unused in its wake? The strategies employed here are also potentially versatile – each could be applied to a type or category of packaging (and would-be trash).

The bag of garbage bags design for GLAD products is fairly straightforward, to the point where one has to wonder why they are not using this strategy already: the last bag contains the rest of the bags, both to make it functional as a bag itself but also to leave it as a reminder to buy more bags (which you can see coming thanks to it being partially transparent as well).

The laundry (or dish) pods for Tide are designed to dissolve in water, leaving nothing behind that you need to take out of the wash, obviating the need for a container entirely.

The OXO pop containers feature soap-soluble ink that breaks down when you wash it, taking the branding materials with it and leaving you with an all-purpose container. As a bonus: these could also come pre-loaded with food rather than simply sold as containers, too, allowing you to buy products then keep the plastic boxes for other uses.

The Nivea bar of soap comes in a septic-safe dissolving paper wrapper that you can bring into the shower or bath with you and not have to worry about throwing out, eliminating a step as well as reducing landfill.

Finally, this Twining tea bag variant eliminates the wax lining that typically prevents composting and instead integrates each tea packet directly into the compost-friendly packaging design that unfolds like an accordion for use.

After a recent look at urban Europeans posing with all they own, this potent look at rural Asian families and their worldly possessions shows stark contrasts but surprising similarities as well.

On the one hand, it is easy to see that their belongings are less polished and current … but on the other hand: it is remarkable just how many modern objects can be found not just in mansions but also mud-hut homes of the relatively-poor Chinese countryside.

Old bikes and a mishmash of dishware and clothing might be spotted alongside a satellite dish, (albeit not a flat screen) television and laptop computer, whether the dwelling of the owners be an apartment building, roadside shack, coastal houseboat or desert yurt.

Huang Qingjun (images via the BBC) titles his series, loosely translated, “Family Stuff” – the years-long project is part artistic, but also part historical: an attempt to capture a moment in time in terms of its beautifully mundane materiality.

One of his observations is that this will, in fact, be history sooner than the people in the pictures probably realize. Though currently cut off from corporate brand culture, the rapid urbanization of China is bringing many of these traditional families into more mainstream, western-style living situations with remarkable speed.

What is your very favorite place in the world? Is it your home, where you spend your most relaxing moments with loved ones? Is it the place you and your beloved had your first date? Or maybe it’s the small business where you spend all of your days pouring your energy into a project you fully believe in. Wherever it is, we all have a place that makes us smile like no other. Soft Cities is commemorating those places in textiles with their beautiful custom “mapkins.”

Mapkins are cotton napkins custom printed with information from crowd-sourced map site OpenStreetMap. You choose the location close to your heart and the map is centered there, along with a marker that is marked with your choice of text. Comments like “I Was Here” and “I Am Here” are the most common. Three levels of zoom let the buyer choose exactly how much of the surrounding neighborhoods to show.

But don’t expect to find any ordinary Google-style maps on Soft Cities’ site. These are candy colored and jewel toned little works of art with rainbow rivers and personalized locations. These are highly individualized, handmade keepsakes that show what is most important to their owners.

Soft Cities also makes fleece blankets printed with your choice of locations. The snuggly blankets let you wrap your favorite part of your chosen city around yourself, giving a literal twist to the idea of ensconcing yourself in a place you enjoy being. A set of two Mapkins will run you $65 and a set of four is $79. The blankets will set you back $175 – prices that include a custom design process.

The speakers, amplifier or dock you use with your iPhone or iPod can say as much about your personality as your device’s case does. For that reason, more and more people are bucking the trend of the same old iPhone speakers and going for something with a bit more flash. These 10 iPhone and iPod speakers not only help you hear the music – they help you proclaim your individual style.

Children of the 70s and 80s will probably appreciate this fun iPhone speaker the most. Shaped like an old-school cassette tape, the IMIXID mixed tape speaker definitely isn’t powerful enough to play the soundtrack to your next epic house party, but it is perfect for listening to some Depeche Mode while sitting at your desk. Thanks to a flip-up USB plug, the speaker is rechargeable and doesn’t need batteries.

The Koostik is an electricity-free iPhone amplifier; it uses a hollow wooden box to embolden the sound from your iPhone’s own small speaker. Each one is lovingly hand-crafted from solid wood by a woodworker named Jim who sees the Koostik as the perfect partnership between technology and nature.

Although only a conceptual product and not actually available for purchase, this origami-inspired speaker is a fantastic marriage of form and function. The Flexible Speaker starts out as a small pyramid, but as you unfold and expand it into a series of connected triangles the sound gets louder and louder. There are no buttons or remote controls to deal with – only a totally charming functionality that ties in perfectly with the speaker’s appearance.

Undoubtedly one of the most stylish iPhone amplifiers ever made, the MegaPhone could very easily be mistaken for a decorative object. Indeed, it does add something lovely to the decor of a room, but it is also functional. Slip an iPhone into the smaller end of the ceramic object and turn on some music, and the hollow chamber amplifies the sound beautifully. The wooden base keeps the ceramic body from vibrating with the music and causing unwanted sounds to mingle with your tunes.

Tree huggers, look away for a moment. the iTree certainly isn’t for everyone – and even if it was, very few people could afford one. The $14,000 iPod dock/speaker is made from an entire hollowed out tree trunk. Since they are made from real trees, no two are ever the same. Buyers can choose the type of wood wanted – or even go on a ride through the woods and pick out the exact tree to be used. The iTree definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but people who can afford a $14,000 iPhone speaker are probably few and far between.

Sometimes, when we hear music sounding thin and tinny through cheap or underpowered speakers, we say that it sounds as if it’s coming from a tin can. In this case, however, that might just be a compliment. The Audio Can from designer Dean Brown is a simple, pared-down speaker that sits inside a plain metal can. Far from sounding anemic, the music that comes from the can is surprisingly full-bodied and robust.

Zooka is a Bluetooth speaker that is the perfect size to slide onto the side of your iPad, but it is also compatible with iPhones, iPods, laptops and any other smartphone or tablet. It is incredibly slick, streamlined and simple to use, with only a few buttons to fiddle with. If you can’t wait to get your hands on one, you are not alone: the Zooka Kickstarter project received nearly three times its initial funding requirement, so we could very well see these on store shelves soon.

Who doesn’t love Atari? Unfortunately, while Atari games are great for nostalgia, we still prefer playing games on an XBOX 360 or PS3…and there are untold numbers of old, unloved Atari consoles just sitting around gathering dust. One talented audiophile turned an old Atari 2600 into a very modern gadget by gutting it and replacing its insides with speaker bits. The external subwoofer adds a boost to the speakers hidden inside the case. Although this particular version has already been sold, it would definitely be possible for like-minded individuals to make a similar Atari iPhone dock.

Looking rather like a sculpture paying tribute to the great jazz legends, this recycled trumpet is, in fact, an un-powered iPhone amplifier. Artist Christopher Locke makes the Analog Tele-Phonographer from discarded trumpets and machine parts, and the sound they produce is wonderfully rich. The inherent acoustic and amplification properties of the trumpets must play the biggest part in their beautiful sound quality.

People who hate the look of clunky speakers all over the house will appreciate Irish designer Niall Diggins‘ creation, Ceramic Sound. The speaker features a removable watertight planter on top so that the speakers can be made to look just like ordinary household planters. As an added bonus, playing the right music on these speakers might actually encourage your houseplants to grow!

Finally, companies are getting creative with fans. From ceiling fans that look like they popped out of a time machine from the year 2100, to stand alone fans that would fit neatly into a Victorian library, there’s been a lot more innovation than you’d expect from glancing into the average home’s living room. Here are some awesome examples of fans that will surprise and delight you:

Old Fashioned Style

(Images via smarter, ceilingfantasia, cutiegadget, smarter)

These fans would fit wonderfully into any Victorian setting, but I can also see them having a place in a dusty, well worn private investigator’s office, straight out of an old film. I especially enjoy the double fans, a creative twist on an old favorite.

Unique Offerings

(Images via geekologie, geekologie, houseandhome, treehugger, thisnext)

It’s great to see fan creators (and consumers) getting creative with one of the most common household features. Considering how much time people spend picking out a television, you’d think they’d spend more than 10 minutes at the local hardware store to pick out one of the most obvious and featured aspects of any room. Don’t be afraid to pick a conversation starter!

Stand Alone Innovation

(Images via hansenwholesale, remodelista, design-milk, inventorspot, design-milk)

Standing fans have experienced their own renaissance, both in appearance, and in function. The growing Dyson empire has expanded into the fan business with their bladeless system. I still don’t quite understand how they work, but you can tell they do…

Two Blades Are Better Than One

(Images via nerdapproved, palmfanstore, tropicalfancompany, ario_)

Double fans are becoming more common, and I’m definitely a fan. For a small room, they can generate plenty of airflow while breaking free of the typical fan system you’ll find in everyone else’s home.

Fans From The Future

(Images via boingboing, sliceofawesome, sliceofawesome, luxist, thegreenhead)

Retractable fan blades are totally uneccessary, but also totally amazing. Fanimation creates wonderful fans, and the retractables are definitely my favorite. Why stop there, though, when you can leap a few hundred years into the future and grab a fan with only one, extremely fast blade, that looks like a piece of a spaceship.

Kid Fans

(Images via crookedbrains, raftertales, 10dailythings)

Time to liven up your kids’ room with an awesome plane propeller. If they’re not into aviation, be careful, however, as seeing a monstrous jet plane that appears to be crashing down at you could be a startling image when you first wake up in the morning (especially if you’re 6).

Designer Fans

(Images via janineonadime, apartmenttherapy, slashgear, inewidea, yankodesign)

Designers don’t like to be left out of anything, and fans are no exception. These cool designs are an attempt to update the ceiling fan into something more worthy of the artistic minded. These are a little too out there for me, but I’m sure they appeal to a lot of aesthetically minded art lovers.