Yesterday we had a great time debating about Green Prefab at Treehugger with our Master of Ceremonies, Lloyd Alter, Chad Ludeman of the very cool (and smart) 100k House, Allison Arieff and Preston Kroener, of Jetson Green.

You can watch it HERE (I recommend fast-forwarding through the first few minutes while we get our skype act together and therefore miss us talk about being hungover).

—Michelle Kaufmann

Having lived in New Jersey for more than 15 years, I’ve heard more than my share of jokes about the state and, to be honest, even I have those moments when I forget that it is, after all, the “Garden State.”

So it was with a mix of curiosity and some apprehension when a press release arrived in my mailbox announcing the launch of a a custom decorative tile collection from a builder in New Jersey (I know, I really should know better) and I asked for more information and images. I was pleasantly surprised.

The tiles are the creations of Yaacov Hemed, who came to this country from Israel a decade ago and, though he was a third-generation contractor in his homeland, had to relearn his trade. In doing so, and building a series of dream homes and mansions in the process, Hemed discovered that sources for the kind of artisan decorative tile he needed to enhance his homes were few and far between. Consequently, last year, he took matters into his own hands, developing a line of customizable tiles for his clients, as well as other building and design professionals. And thus was born Evan Stone Art Décor.

Available in 4-in. x 4-in., 6-in. x 6-in., 12-in. x 12-in. and 18-in. x 18-in. formats, the tiles are formed of stone but incorporate glass and a variety of striking decorative elements, such as real seashells, silk flowers and metal designs. The company also produces large murals for commercial applications. Following is just a sample of the company’s offerings:

—Alice Liao

I just wanted to post some additional images I took at ICFF not because they’re so wonderful but just because I really enjoyed seeing the actual products. Many are of decorative lighting fixtures, which, as I mentioned before, are always in abundance at the show. But I’ve also included something from Country Floors, which showed a beautiful new collection of ceramic tile created by Franco Pecchioli. Because it’s so new, there aren’t any professionally shot press images yet, so you’ll have to endure the two that I took:

From Laguna Beach, CA-based industrial design firm Cerno, Levis is a line of LED-lit pendants that come aluminum, beech veneer or polymer with aluminum shades.

If you’re into chandeliers, Baccarat had plenty of them, as well as this display featuring a design by Philippe Starck:

Mambo, a Portuguese company, makes furniture, rugs, accessories and lighting products, such as its Circus I pendant.

These next two were shown at the hive booth. They are Fandango, which measures 39 1/4 in. wide and is formed of organic cotton and metal wire,

and Cloud, which comes in four diameters ranging from 13 in. to 32 in. and is made of cotton fiber paper and metal wire.

Missed ICFF this year? You can always go next year, when the show will return to the Jacob Javits Center on May 19-22, 2012. For more information, visit its website.

—Alice Liao

Back in March, I wrote about Twirl, an installation designed by Zaha Hadid that features Lea Ceramiche’s Lea Slimtech porcelain stoneware. At the time, I had received only renderings and was hoping someone could send me the photos of the actual installation.

Well, I got them but forgot about them until now. Thanks to Stefania Di Somma in the press office at Lea Ceramiche for sending the following:

What can I say? I wish I had been there…

—Alice Liao