Dominant approaches to developing more sustainable ways of living are often underpinned by the modern values and knowledge that have been instrumental increating our unsustainable world. Such approaches tend to emphasise reducing unsustainability via technological fixes rather than addressing sustainability more holistically. This paper argues that more traditional forms of knowledge (associated with deeper ecological, spiritual and ethical values) are important for addressing sustain ability more holistically. To demonstrate this, we present and discuss a conceptual design for a contemporary toothbrush that incorporates traditional knowledge about tooth cleaning in rural India. This design demonstrates an interpretive, imaginative process that combines practical needs with enduring human values to modern sensibility