Pretty Little Green Things

Archive for August, 2010

I have to admit that when I first saw this Knit Chair from Godoylab, I was on the fence.  But since then, I can’t seem to get Emiliano Godoy’s design out of my mind.  It’s well designed, totally unique and by the look of these pictures very comfortable.  And best of all, every piece is completely biodegradable.  I think this chair would look stunning next to some more traditional pieces.

Photos from Godoylab

Happy Monday!  I recently discovered Stina Persson and absolutely fell in love with her watercolors.  They’re colorful, artful, feminine but with a certain cool factor to them.  Make sure to check out her website so you can see a larger range of her work.  I decided to base this Monday’s room scheme around one of her beautiful pieces.  The one that spoke to me is more monochromatic than some of her other works and I think just stunning.  The coordinating pieces I chose to surround the artwork also have a level of artfulness to them which makes everything go together in a very unique way.  So without further ado, here is this week’s artful, chic and of course eco-friendly living room scheme.

1.  Pendant light made from reused Coca Cola bottles.  Cola 30 pendant from Sarah Turner.

2.  Reclaimed wood on a steel base.  Retalho Coffee Table from Rotsen Furniture.

3.  Handwoven wool and silk rug.  Linden rug by Liza Phillips Design.

4.  Handprinted linen pillow.  Zorah Navy on Snow from Christen Maxwell.

5.  Sofa made from reclaimed wood.  Trousdale Sofa 2 from Lawson-Fenning.

6.  Silk & linen fabric for drapery.  Silk Grille from Pollack.

7.  The gorgeous watercolor that this room is based on.  From Stina Persson.

8.  Solid wood TV console.  Visualizm from Izm.

Okay, I’ll admit it, my husband and I are totally addicted to the TV show Royal Pains.  I know it’s not the most intelligent show but we love it (and in our defense it could be MUCH worse).  One of the reasons I love it is for the Hamptons setting and the over the top houses.  So it was with great excitement that I found this house in the New York Magazine.  While not as grand as the mansions in Royal Pains, the indoor/outdoor plan is absolutely wonderful and the materials they used are organic and beautiful.  I’d much rather a house like this than a grand mansion any day!

The house was built by the owner’s brother, Paul Masi, of Bates Masi Architects.  You can read the full article from the New York Magazine here.  Enjoy the pictures!

Modern, natural and gorgeous!

Here’s the pool on the east side of the house.  I love that the placement of the pool extends the long line of the house.

Here’s a peek at the landscaping that was planted with native grasses and locally found bluestone.  Gorgeous.

You can see how open this house is to the outside.  I can just imagine the ocean breezes coming through.

This is the master bedroom on the second floor.  It opens to it’s own little terrace/breezeway.

This is the guestroom, which has it’s own entrance (and complete sliding door of course).

The stairs are located at the center of the house so as not to take up valuable exterior real-estate.  They used the same outdoor shading mesh here as they did on the outside.

Here’s the breezeway from the master bedroom.  You can also see the same outdoor mesh that they used on the staircase.

Photos from New York Magazine

A couple weekends ago when my husband and I were in Vermont for our anniversary trip, we stopped by an art gallery to take a look around.  The paintings on the wall were wonderful, but it was these turned wood vessels that really caught  my eye.  Made by artist and wood turner Tom Dunne, they’re all fashioned from reclaimed wood (usually naturally downed trees), are organic, gorgeous, and best of all, each one has it’s own unique story.  My favorite comes from one of his first commissioned pieces.  The tree was a huge magnolia over 150 feet tall named Big Maggie.  It dated all the way back to 1624 (crazy!) and was the largest magnolia in Louisiana.  It was unfortunately downed in Hurricane Katrina, but got a wonderful new life  (or should I say lives?) as more than 30 turned wood vessels.

Tom has lots more stories and I could definitely listen to all of them.  I love the idea of buying a wood vessel that comes with a piece of history.  Now that’s what I call a life-cycle.  Way to go Tom!

Here are a few of my favorites.  Some of them are new and not yet on his website, so you’re getting a sneak peak.  Enjoy!

Photos from Tom Dunne

I’ve just discovered Kimberly Rider and I’m already a huge fan.  This recent project, a mid-century hillside ranch in Northern California was featured in Traditional Home.  You can see from the pictures that her aesthetic is very chic and classic with a touch of elegance.  But my favorite part (of course!) is that the house is green!  This is something that Kimberly strives for in all of her projects.  From recycled materials, non-toxic finishes, organic fabrics and vintage pieces, it’s all there.  So without further ado, here is Lia and John Ray Fernandez’s home in Oakland Hills.

I love the color scheme of the living room.  And I could definitely cuddle up on that chair next to the fireplace with a good book and a cup of tea. (I’ll wait for winter first)

I’m a sucker for fireplaces, especially when they have beautiful molding and a screen like this one

This side table is gorgeous!  The mother of pearl “coins” are a wonderful accent especially against the carpet pattern.

I love the glossy white cabinets.  It really makes this room bright and airy.  I wonder where they’re from?  Hopefully somewhere with eco-friendly cabinet options!

If my bedroom looked like this, I might never leave!  The walls the walls are a damask patterned textured faux finish (of course in a low-VOC finish).  I wonder where that chandelier comes from.  It’s fantastic.  If anyone knows, shoot me an email.

I’ve always loved this vanity desk from Barbara Barry.  It’s such a stunning piece, but in a very understated way.  I know it’s not technically  eco-friendly, but it is something you’ll have forever, which is a huge plus in my book.

The countertop is an onyx remnant that Kimberly found at a slab yard.  What a great idea to reuse an otherwise unusable portion of a large stone slab for a small space such as this.

Photos from Traditional Home and Kimberly Rider

It’s such a rare treat when I get to go to the Decoration & Design Building.  An entire building dedicated to interior design products is a pretty great thing in my book and I always find trips there so inspiring.  I went for wools and furs for a work project, but figured I could keep my eye open for eco-friendly offerings as well.  After walking through showrooms for most of the day, I have to say I was disappointed by the green options available to designers.  There were a few showrooms that got it (Pollack among them), but most just didn’t even have it on their radar.  It’s a shame.

Here are a few of the things I did find.  Again, mostly slim pickings in the green department.  However, there was a good linen selection, which is always an option.  The fabrics and wallpaper below are only sold to the trade, but you can usually buy thru a design center for a small fee.  These pictures were taken with my camera phone, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.

This is an embroidered unbleached linen from Mokum.  They have a great selection of fabrics, although most tend to be woven for commercial use (i.e. synthetic fibers and finishes).

Although you can’t really tell from this photo, this is a gorgeous linen from Creations Metaphores.  They have a great selection of natural fibers in modern colors and textures.

This is a cork wallpaper from Philip Jeffries.  Cork is an incredible eco-friendly material – rapidly renewable and very durable.  Not just for bulletin boards, it can be used for floors, lampshades, or as you see here, walls.  Plus Philip Jeffries is a wonderful company with lots of natural wallpaper options and a commitment to the environment.

I’ve been a fan of Pollack for quite some time – they’re a fabric company that truly gets it.  So much of their time goes into fabric development, which really comes out in their end product.  Their fabrics are well made and just beautiful.  And now with their Pure line, they have many green options.  I’ll be talking about them in a later post so stay tuned…

This is just one example of the many eco-friendly fabrics from Brentano, which they call Brentano green.  They have a great selection of really beautiful eco-fabrics so you’ll definitely be hearing more about them from me.  They’re sold through Pollack.  Way to go Brentano & Pollack!

This sheer from Knoll Luxe is colorful, bright and truly beautiful, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.  Knoll has been working with high-end fashion designers for some of their fabric lines, including this sheer designed by Rodarte.  It’s gorgeous, fashionable AND eco-friendly.  What’s not to love?

I try to be positive and upbeat in this blog – if I find a green product that’s not up to my standard, I just don’t feature it.  But I was so disappointed with this selection from Kravet that I couldn’t contain myself.  Kravet has always been a leader in the interior design industry, so I was excited when I heard they had an eco-friendly line of fabrics called Kravet Green.  Until I saw them.  These fabrics are boring, uninspired and just plain ugly.  C’mon Kravet is this the best you can do?

Happy Monday!  I found the coolest vases the other day and decided to do Monday’s room scheme around them.  They’re from Phil Cuttance, who makes them from discarded off-cut ABS from a local London plastic fabricator.  They really unique and so cool.  So technically this isn’t a whole room scheme, it’s more of a table top setting, but you get the idea.  Enjoy!  Details are below.

1.  Perfect for your white wine, these goblets are actually made from recycled wine bottles.  Willow Goblet from the Green Glass Company.

2.  Why not try alternating patterned placemats to add a little interest to your table.  Linden & Maya Placemats in Plum from Hammocks and High Tea.

3.  I love the simplicity of these napkins with the reclaimed suede ties.  They’re made from vintage fabric of 80% hemp and 20% cotton from a family farm in Romania.  Napkins with Ties from Branch.

4.  No dinner party is complete without a fun apron for the hostess.  Try this bright colored Juniper Apron from Unison.

5.  These are the vases I mentioned above.  I mean, how cool are these?  Weld Vases from Phil Cuttance.

6.  I love the texture and the handcrafted feel of these glasses and carafe.  They’re hand blown from recycled glass.  Syrian Drinking Glasses and Carafe from Canvas.

7.  Instead of salt and pepper shakers, why not try little cellars?  These are made from low-fire ceramic which uses less energy than traditional ceramic.  Tiny Basket Bowl from Perch, sold through Branch.

8.  Instead of buying new silverware, buy vintage.  This set is old hotel silver.  Hotel Silver from P.O.S.H.

9.  Last but not least, you’ll need dishes!  These plates are also made from low-fire ceramic and really great quality (so you’ll never need to replace them).  Rim Line plates from Heath Ceramics.

You thought I was done with my New York International Gift Fair favs, but fear not, I have a few more amazing vendors for you. Again, my camera died, so no actual pictures of the show, but thankfully they all have good websites and pictures.  Here are another five vendors that give their eco best.

You can hang just about any plant from these planters from Boskke.  While the containers aren’t necessarily eco-friendly, the whole concept of bringing more green into our lives sure is.  This system allows you to grow plants where you otherwise might not be able to.  Even with my horrible luck, I might even have a fighting change trying to grow something.

I have to say that this pillow from Creative Women was one of, if not my absolute favorite pillow of the show.  I know what you’re thinking.  It’s so simple.  But there’s something about the texture, the little ruffles, the color and of course the green-ness.  It’s absolute understated elegance.  Sigh.

I have yet to do a post on bags.  I’ve been holding off because there are SO MANY people selling eco-friendly bags out there (some more eco-friendly than others if you know what I mean).  When I do finally get around to picking my top ten, Fluf will definitely be in that list.  Their fabrics are beyond chic and their bags are really well made.  What’s not to love?

I have to say I’m a sucker for contrasting welts, cording and borders.  If you don’t know what that means, well, all I’ll say is that these organic cotton towels got it goin’ on.  They’re from Joel Fitzpatrick and come in a variety of border colors.

No post is ever really complete without an area rug.  These outdoor rugs are super colorful (not as evidenced by this picture, but trust me they are) made from polypropylene recycled from soda bottles and can be hosed down.  Patterns range from traditional to what I’m a fan of, graphic.  They come from Mariachi Imports.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this second round of eco-friendly products from the New York International Gift Fair.  There were so many amazing vendors there, it’s hard to fit it all in a couple blog posts.  I’ll be following up with detailed posts about these and other vendors from the show in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned…

I know I just did a post about paper for my first wedding anniversary, but I found these RevolveR Bound Journals through Design Milk and just had to add them to my paper collection (think if it as round two).  They’re just about the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while.  I could play with one for quite some time, so fortunately for my sparse free time I don’t have one…yet.  They’re a great way to organize yourself since you’re really getting two notebooks in one.  Plus not only are they incredible cool, fun to play with and totally unique, they’re also handmade from100% recycled paper with FSC certified bonded paper covers.  And if you live in NY, they’re local.  RevolveR, if you’re out there, start writing up my order!

If you don’t get how they work, there’s a video of someone flipping the journal around over and over again to illustrate.  The video is sort of mesmerizing so be careful not to get sucked in!

Photos from RevolveR

I just want you all to know that I have the most wonderful husband – he took me on a surprise first anniversary trip up to Vermont.  He planned the entire weekend without me figuring out a thing about it – and trust me, I’m sneaky that way.  We had such a lovely weekend staying in Woodstock, VT that I wanted to post some of our gorgeous pictures.  If you’re ever up that way, I highly recommend staying at one of the super cute B&B’s or walking around town.  It is definitely one of the most charming New England towns I’ve been in.

I know I’ve talked a lot about reuse and the virtue of vintage.  And there’s no better way to be green than restoring gorgeous old houses (or a whole town!) dating back to the early 1800s.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to go into any of these homes, but I’m sure you can tell how utterly charmed I was by them.  Something to save for our next trip!  Enjoy!

I love brick houses!

Have I mentioned that I love brick houses?

Maple smoked gouda.  Who knew?  But it was delicious!

These peaches were also amazing!

Awesome old car

This is me, getting some sun in my pearls of course!


Photos by Lee Boykoff