Fast becoming a refreshing fixture among the flashy mega-designs (and matching mega-egos) that tend to dominate design fests, exhibits that feature "friendly" design for society and the environment are often not only the most down-to-earth designs, but also the most inspiring.

The [re]design show Good+Gorgeous is an impressively large exhibit highlighting the need for responsible design. Ryan Frank’s Inkuku chair (pictured above left) is a great example of stylish recycling inspired by crafts from his native South African—at first glance you wouldn’t realize that the orange seat was made from plastic shopping bags. Another chair that got a lot of attention was Guy Arzi's cinema chair. William Warren's "Shelves for Life (below) were a clever conceptual take on recycling.

Greenwich Village hosted the opening of a show combining the work of the Dutch/ Belgian partnership of Studio Job and the British design duo Committee . It was a bustling party full of enthusiastic folk trying not to knock over one of the Committee’s amazing Kebab lamps (below, click for detail) or put a wine glass down on one of Studio Job’s beautifully painted paper tables.