We're happy to announce that our iPad 2 case is online and ready for purchase. Yay! Joe and I had been tinkering with iPad case ideas since the first iPad came out and made several prototypes which we never brought to market.  We used bamboo of course and even made an all leather version.  Those failed prototypes are a necessary step to any healthy design process. 

 

We're excited to announce two new iPad 2 accessories to join our handcrafted bamboo iPhone4 cases. Our iPad 2 case merges a bamboo back and a customizable leather smart cover and is now available for pre-order. The cover is made of American vegetable tanned leather and incorporates magnets which automatically wake the iPad 2 when it is opened and puts it to sleep when closed. 

Panels of bamboo veneer give the leather cover structure and allow you to prop the iPad 2 up for typing or viewing. The cover has a soft Ultrasuede lining to help keep the iPad's screen clean and free of fingerprints. 

For added style, we offer laser engraving on the case's leather cover. You can select from a constantly expanding artist series featuring fresh and original artwork from around the world, or get hands-on and upload your own custom art. We'll also be offering a lighter natural leather color which will have great contrast when engraved allowing you to upload even black and white photos. 

Here at Grove, we're stoked about our new product and are sweating the smallest of details. We want to blow your mind with the quality and design of our new iPad 2 case. 

Apple announced the iPad 2 today and it is SUWEEET!  I was most surprised by how incredibly thin it is at .34" which is shockingly even thinner than the iPhone 4.  Here at Grove we have been developing an iPad case for the past 6 months.  We chose to wait for the iPad 2 to reveal our revolutionary design. 

 

Checkout this sick character-creator iPhone App from Grove artist Add Fuel to the Fire. Mix and match the top/middle/bottom parts to create your own creature. Share your creation on the Grove Facebook wall and the creature with the most likes by February 15th 5PM PST will win Diogo's "Flipside" bamboo iPhone4 case.

"PLANET FIRE allows you to create, save and share images with the artwork of Diogo Machado (add fuel to the fire), whilst rocking to the beats of Dj Ride. All this thanks to the magical development skills of André Assalino." <<< Click to download >>>

We just received our copy of Graphics Alive 2 here at Grove HQ and are stoked that our product is a featured project! Graphics Alive is a diverse collection of design projects ranging from iphone cases to architecture. They featured Grove artist Flavio Melchiorre's, case design. Checkout more information about Flavio and his design here. We're honored to be a part of this wonderfully curated collection. 

More about Graphics Alive 2: "Graphics envelope us as we go about our daily lives and act almost as a living medium through which we define and extend our personas. From the clothes we wear to the walls we sleep within to the accessories and household items we use, graphics are adaptable elements that are fully integrated with our lives, Graphics Alive urges the reader to ponder this omnipresence of graphics around us.
From big to small this book surveys a wide spectrum of projects encompassing all design discipline.
Contributors include: Chillichilly, eBoy, fuseproject, House Industries, Jeremyville, Klaus Happaniemi, Naughtyfish, Rinzen, Viagrafik, Zedz and many more."

- Joe

 

We'd like to thank everyone for their patience and support this year! We've done our best to reduce lead times while constantly improving the quality of our product. As we are no longer guaranteeing new case orders in time for Christmas, we'd like to offer a special gift with all gift card purchases. We designed a bamboo holiday card which transforms into a 3D ornament to place on your desk or mantle. Checkout the stop motion animation we made below! 

Happy Holidays! 

-Joe

Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to support us at our open house!  We had a great turnout and I feel it was a smashing success.  

It was really great meeting our fans and answering whatever questions they may have.  Many people were mesmerized by the laser demo.  Every now and then, even I will stop and think... the laser is so freaking cool!

Looked like people of all ages were enjoying the show!

Makes me feel fortunate that we have enough supporters (you guys) to keep us all employed, having fun making your stuff.  Cant wait for the next one!

-Ken

Come meet the Grove Team at our semi-annual open house. We will have product on display, exciting new collaborations, prizes and promotions, lots of pictures and videos, and free beer! The rest of the building is full of artists and designers too so its always been a fun event overall. Hope to see ya there!   -Ken

 

Thanks for playing everyone.  We had an incredible 123 participants.  Fun fun fun.  

Drumrolllllllll..............

 

Grove Holloween Contest Winner from Joe Mansfield on Vimeo.

Happy Halloween friends!  We posted a contest on Facebook where whoever guesses the weight of the pumpkin wins a free case!  Starring in video: Sean, Shay, Galen, Ken (in order of appearance/edited by Shay) ~Ken

Happy Halloween! from Joe Mansfield on Vimeo.

grove + mapleXO from Joe Mansfield on Vimeo.

A while back we got a really nice thank you note from one of our loyal customers, Steve K who bought a 3G case and later an iPhone 4 case as well.  He included 2 of these really nice laser engraved bamboo bookmarks as gifts for us that he sells at www.bamboodesignworks.com as a gift.  We emailed a few times back and forth talking about bamboo, products, design, and owning small businesses.  It was great to get detailed feedback from a fellow designer and customer.  Thanks Steve!  -Ken

I keep your current bamboo iPhone case on my desk at all times to serve as a daily reminder about designing products without compromise... plus it's really a fine example of industrial design as sculpture... for me it's as much inspirational as functional... yes, I'm a big fan!

-Steve K

We're stoked about our recent collaboration with skateboard jewelry maker, MapleXO! Lindsay has been turning broken decks and factory seconds into incredible jewelry since 2005. Creating a blank large enough for us to make an iPhone case from is tough and requires glueing up 10+ decks perfectly. The colorful dyed layers are completely random and every combination is unique. We'll be releasing a limited run of 50 cases soon. Priced at $200, they will each be super unique and individually numbered!  Checkout some of Lindsay's rad jewelry below.

Joel Johnson of Gizmodo has written up a very thoughtful review on our product.  

 

Joel really "gets it".  The review is candid, honest, and he sees our product the way I see it.  Ultimately my goal as a designer is to get people to love how are products feel and love how our products make them feel.  Here are a few excerpts from Joel's review:

With free iPhone cases abounding, an iffy economy, and a new truck project that's capable of taking every last dollar I can throw at it, why did I buy a $70 iPhone case? Because it's the one I've always wanted.....

Here's the thing: It's wood. It's not supposed to be perfect. And as far as the quality of the workmanship goes, I am seriously impressed.

The design itself is smart, with a modern-looking trough to expose the volume controls and a 45° bezel around both edges that comes from the workshop with a smooth hand finish. (Much of the sanding and polishing on Grove cases is by hand, although they're not afraid of sanders either.)

It feels about as thin and precise as a wooden case could be. I can't ask for more.

Plus it's wood. Wood that feels better the more I hold my iPhone. Wood that has taken a couple of short falls and looked better as it has weather scuffs and scratches. Wood that's just pretty to look at, to turn idly in the hand.

There's no doubt it's a luxury. But it's a luxury I've been craving for years. Try as I might, I can't muster much regret—only spare pennies for when Grove releases an iPad version. 

Thank you so much Joel for the thoughtful and thorough review!  -Ken

 We have 5 guys in production at Grove including myself. Sean (dude on the right) made this nice photo series on the handwork we do using the Hipstamatic iPhone app and i4 camera. Its pretty cool you can change vintage lenses and films to create different old manual camera effects. I highly recommend it!

Shay to the left, Sean to the right. These guys are putting in the sweat equity making your cases. Shay is a mechanical engineer and Sean is a student in product design at the University of Oregon. We start at 6 am and shut down the shop at 10pm. Were workin hard to get that lead time down to be more reasonable!

Grove artist Option-G just posted these awesome little bamboo birds we made for him. The birds are laser-cut out of FSC certified 1/2" thick bamboo plywood. The intricate hand drawn details are engraved deep into the bamboo. These look great perched on a desk or shelf! Head over to Cole's site and pickup a set. 

  

 

"Mea Ola" means creature in hawaiian. Designed by Eric Peet for Olukai footwear. Eric is our neighbor and co-owner of multidisciplinary design firm Peet Kegler. Olukai is a premium footwear brand committed to designing and manufacturing environmentally responsible footwear which is not only ridiculously comfortable, but stylish. "We draw from the relaxed lifestyle, pure and diverse ecosystems, comfortable climate, and close sense of family. OluKai was conceived from a desire to create a better class of products for the life we live in and around the water."

 

Checkout this fantastic new iphone 4 case design from UK illustrator Andrew Groves aka IMAKETHINGS! Andrew Groves is a freelance illustrator creating graphic works for a wide range of clients and projects. "With a particular interest in the natural world, I aim to invent characters that explore the grotesque beauty of it's many beasts and creatures and the folklore that surrounds them." The pattern fills used on the teepees create great textures when laser engraved onto the back of our bamboo iPhone 4 cases! 

Here are some examples of Andrew's personal work: