Pretty Little Green Things

Archive for the ‘Interior Finishes’ Category

Today’s topic: porcelain tile.

What?  Yes, you heard me, porcelain tile.  Now I understand this topic isn’t always as sexy or beautiful as say, furniture or a new hotel.  And many of you may be against porcelain in favor of natural stone or even ceramic tile.  But when I saw pictures of this tile from Italian company, La Fabbrica, I was struck with how unique and elegant it is.  And you’d never know that it boasts some pretty impressive green creds.  The Cathay 4Fine series is made with a new and innovative process, making it a lot lighter than traditional porcelain.  What this means is that this tile is both easier to transport as well as install, can be used over existing tile (and thus creating less waste), requires less packaging (again, less waste), and is easier to cut and drill through (less energy used).  In addition, the new process reduces the amount of carbon dioxide created in the production of porcelain tile in half and all with less energy expended too.  Beautiful and smart?  I’m sold.

I gathered pictures of the digitally carved tiles but they also come as a plain coordinate as well.  If you’re planning to redo your bathroom or kitchen soon, I would definitely consider these tiles.  Enjoy!

Photos from La Fabbrica Ceramiche

First of all, I’m very excited to announce the winner of the Moss Envy reusable glass water bottle giveaway winner.  Thank you to all who entered.  I love reading each and every one of your comments.  Keep them coming even if I’m not giving anything away – I love to hear what you have to say, especially all your tips to live life just a bit better.

The winner of the water bottle (by random selection by my husband from a hat) is…Wendy!  Congratulations Wendy!  If you didn’t win, you can always stop by or visit Moss Envy online and pick one up for yourself.  And there’s still time left to enter giveaway 3 & 4 if you haven’t already.

Now that it has started to get really chilly out there, I’ve been longing to bring some color into my home.  These gorgeous Ethos rugs from ABC Carpet would do just the trick.  They’re made by skilled artisans from recycled vintage sari silk.  They use a unique knotting technique to create the amazing large scale Ikat patterns inspired by 19th century Central Asian textiles.  I love the melding of tradition and modernity to create something so stunning and new.  Now if I could just figure out which color was my favorite…

I picked out a few of the Ethos patterns and colors to brighten your day.  Enjoy!

Photos from ABC Carpet

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I don’t know how to knit, but don’t blame my mom for not teaching me.  As an amazingly crafty and creative woman, she’s tried numerous times.  But soon after every lesson, I manage to forget how to knit, pearl and cast myself off to a new scarf.  But that doesn’t stop me from loving knits and wool in general – sweaters, blankets, scarves, you name it and I love it.  Fortunately for me, eco-friendly wool knits and felt are definitely in for fall.  Here are a few fuzzy things I’m loving right now.

I’m loving the chunky knits of these Granny Lamps from Casamania.  The wool comes from grazing sheep in the Tyrolean Valley of the Alps and they’re hand knit by a cooperative in the Netherlands that supports senior citizens and people with special needs.

I first saw these rugs from Souled Objects at ICFF this year.  The chunky knit made me want to either curl up on them or romp through them like this little girl.  Either way, they’re super cozy and totally gorgeous.  The website for these rugs isn’t quite up yet, but there’s a great article about them and their creator, Dana Barnes, in the New York Times if you’re interested in learning more.

I’m so in love with this intricate Teardrop Vessel from Branch.  Not only is it unique and beautiful, it also supports a collaborative program between Crafted Systems and the YWCA Women’s Shelter of Portland, Oregon to train and employ homeless women.  Each vessel is made of 100% wool felt and assembled by hand with interlocking pieces of the felt that require no sewing or fasteners.

One of my favorite luxury organic bedding brands is Coyuchi and they definitely don’t disappoint with their decorative pillows either.  These Sweater Stripe Pillows are made of Mongolian cashmere, knit with organic cotton into the ribs.

For another pillow option, here’s a wool knit cabled pillow.  It comes from PreciousKnits on Etsy and is handmade from 100% wool.  In general I love cable knits, but this pillow is especially detailed and gorgeous.  No plain cable knit here!

There are tons of beautiful knit blankets out there, but I was drawn to the nubby version from Stansborough Wools.  They’re knit in New Zealand from Stansborough Grey fleece, wool of a special sheep bred for their gorgeous silky wool.  You can find them at Pfeifer Studio here.

I couldn’t possibly leave you without a cozy wool wallpaper to go with the other fuzzy items.  This fleecy Blanket Yarn and Stitch comes from Maya Romanoff and is available in a few different colors.  This paper would be perfect in a ski lodge with the Granny Lamp and actually everything else from above.

I’ve been at our apartment all day painting and giving orders to strange men. Even though our furniture is still under wraps, I’m starting to see some major progress! I thought I’d post a few quick sneak peaks from today for you.

Quick funny construction story of the day: as you may know, I’ve been commuting into the city everyday from Westchester. So as not to look too out of place, I wear normal clothes on the train and then change when I get to my apartment. However, with no doors and a bunch of unfamiliar men all over, I decided it would be best to sneak into my gym to change. All was fine until I put on my paint spattered sweats. I got more than a few stares from people who must have thought that was my workout attire. I mean c’mon people, really? Although it does make me want to work these awesome multicolor pants into the gym outfits. Just you wait…

A jumble of painted drawers and cabinet doors, waiting for coat #2. I’m hoping I’ll be able to tackle that tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted!

A view of our kitchen. That sink is not technically attached to anything. We’re waiting for the stone counter to come in next week. Fingers crossed!

Ta da! The finished crown molding in our living room. It looks fantastic in there now, like we have a real grown up apartment.

Here’s another view of the crown molding in the living room. I’m discovering that taking pictures of millwork is a) not easy to do and b) not very exciting. Bear with me, more exciting pictures will come.

A view of our hallway closet. First coat of paint on the door frames today. Doors are (again, fingers crossed!) coming tomorrow. It will be a relief not to keep retaking the plastic cloths over our clothes.

The door frames look so much better than what used to be there. I took this picture in the bedroom, looking toward the hallway.

This is probably the smallest crown molding piece you’ll ever see. We have some strange details in our apartment, hence, well, this.

Yup, that’s crown molding in the bathroom. I am one happy designer and make no apologies for it!

So that’s all for your sneak peak. I’ll have more pics to show you as we go so stay tuned…

If you’ve been following my blog for the past couple weeks, you’ve been hearing me talk non-stop about our apartment construction (Hey, it’s not everyday that your house is torn apart and you have to move in with your in-laws.  Although in all fairness I have great in-laws).  I’m going to save you from looking at more pictures of my messy apartment and instead tell you all about my soon to be new kitchen backsplash!  That’s right, no more plastic laminate & drywall for us.  It’s subway tiles or bust!

Ceramic on it’s own is a fairly eco-friendly option.  It’s super durable, made from plentiful raw materials and doesn’t emit any pollutants.  But Fireclay Tile has one upped these green creds by adding recycled materials to all of their tile options.  For our apartment I selected the Debris Tile series because it contains 60% post-consumer and pre-consumer materials.  By the look of the tile though, you’d never guess it was anything else but beautiful.  It comes in 112 rich colors in matte and glossy finishes and after much consideration, I chose Tender Grey in a small 2″ x 6″ size.  I can’t wait to see it installed!

Fireclay has other tile product options (although you can’t beat Debris for color range and size & pattern options).

- Vitrail Series is similar to the Debris Series but the backer is white ceramic and doesn’t contain the same amount of recycled content.  Great for high-end & custom installations when you’re looking for really rich and deep colors.

- Express series is a recycled content & fast ship option with six color options and limited sizes.  Great if you need something simple, fast and relatively inexpensive.

- Claymonde Series has 14 color options and comes in large sheet sizes.  It’s perfect if you’re tiling a wall and are looking for large oversized tiles.

Since my backsplash hasn’t been installed yet, I’ve gathered some of my favorite installation shots from Fireclay Tile so you can see it in action.  Enjoy!

Photos from Fireclay Tile

There are tons of interior paints on the market.  There are an equal number of product reviews about these paints.  Even as an interior designer, I’m overwhelmed by the information and choices out there, so I’m going to make this very easy on you.  I’m going to skip straight to one of my favorite brands and products and tell you all about it.  See?  Easy.

We’ve been using Aura Interior paint from Benjamin Moore for years and it’s definitely my favorite mass market paint.  Practically speaking, it’s super easy to use and covers extremely well.  One coat in most areas is enough to cover your wall.  And that’s WITHOUT priming the wall first.  Amazing, no?  Case in point – when we moved into our lovely apartment, the previous owner had decided that dark turquoise was a good shade for a room that doesn’t get a lot of direct sunlight (long story short, not a good decision).  One coat of Aura later, a perfect shade of ivory.  Done.

Second reason I love Aura?  You can get it in any color that Benjamin Moore makes (as well as most other manufacturers colors too).  That’s a ton of colors.  Their Color Preview palette is my favorite, plus there’s also an amazing selection of whites and the always sophisticated Historical Colors.  Benjamin Moore has also marketed their Affinity color line specifically for Aura – you can get any color Ben Moore makes in Aura paint, but you can’t get Affinity colors in anything other than Aura.  But then again, why would you want to?

I’ll bet you can guess the third reason I love Aura…  It’s low VOC!  According to Benjamin Moore, Aura has been certified under the GREENGUARD Standard for Low Emitting Products.

I’ll leave you with a few pictures of Benjamin Moore’s colors in action to inspire you.  Have you ever used Aura?  What was your experience?  Or are you a devotee of a different paint company?

A good gray is hard to fine.  Here are two beauties.  And a cute dog to boot!

I’m always so impressed with people who can paint gorgeous things like these flowers.  Maybe that’s why I’m such a fan of wallpaper.  It’s the easy way to get pattern.

I don’t know if I would want to live in this room, but I am loving the overscale zig-zag pattern.

Definitely a gorgeous color combo.

I’m a HUGE fan of purple.  And mixing it with orange here is unexpected and totally unique.

Photos from Benjamin Moore

And A Few Tips on Making Any Construction Project a Bit Greener

Today started off in a very green way – commuter train to work.  Okay, okay, you got me, I normally take public transportation (subway) or walk to work anyway, so this didn’t actually change my carbon footprint of the day.  But what did change my carbon footprint was the big load of material in my apartment being thrown away – the contractors ripped out our old baseboards, doors, door frames and kitchen counter.

As I’ve said before, by it’s very nature, construction can be a very un-green process.  You’re throwing things away and replacing them with something new.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  I put together a list of a few things you can do to make your own construction projects a little bit greener, even if you’re not necessarily using eco-friendly products.

1.  Reuse and refinish everything you possibly can.  We decided to keep our current kitchen cabinets.  Do I love them?  No.  Are they still functional?  Absolutely!  So I’m going to sand, prime and paint them white to give them a brand new life.  Plus it’s a much less expensive option than throwing the old ones out and buying new.

2.  Find responsible ways of disposing of your old appliances.  We’re replacing our dishwasher.  It’s old, gross & doesn’t actually get our dishes very clean (not really a dish washer I suppose).  Plus the appliances of today are so much more energy efficient that it’s definitely worth thinking about replacing.  But what to do with the old dishwasher?  Don’t throw it away!  There are recycling centers throughout the US and I know New York has a ton.  Plus oftentimes, the retailer where you bought your new appliance will have a recycling program to cart your old one away.

3.  Recycle don’t throw away unusable construction materials.  With a little research, you can find a place to recycle just about everything.  Here’s a great site where you can actually create a listing for what you want to recycle.  Wood can be turned into particleboard, metals can be melted and used again and even drywall can by recycled into new drywall.

4.  Use low-VOC paints.  Okay, so you may actually consider this an eco-friendly product.  However with the array of paints available now, finding a low-VOC version isn’t any harder or more expensive than regular paint.  Home Depot, Lowes, Benjamin Moore…I could go on, but you get the point.  We’ll be using Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint for just about every surface.

I promise I’ll start showing you pictures of the construction progress soon.  Today was spent ripping the old door frames and baseboards off the wall.  Needless to say, not a very pretty sight.  When things get a bit more exciting, I’ll make sure to show you!

Hello my name is Petra and I’m a wallpaper-aholic.

I’ll admit it, I want to wallpaper every flat surface I see.  But c’mon, the current wallpapers are not your grandmother’s papers.  They’re chic, they’re elegant, and they’re oh so beautiful.  So you can imagine my delight when I finally decided that our small entry would be getting its very own wallpaper.  My excitement, however, quickly turned to dismay when I realized that I could only pick one wallpaper design.  Even I, ever the maximalist (did you see my last post?!?) knows that you can’t wallpaper four walls in the same room with different designs.  Needless to say, it’s been a rough couple weeks.

So while I’ve been channeling my inner Simon Cowell, I thought you, dear readers would love to get a glimpse into my finalists.  Keep in mind all of these are eco-friendly in some way or another.  Would I pick anything else?

I’ve written about this amazing wallpaper from Shanan Campanaro from Eskayel before.  It is hands down my absolute favorite wallpaper.  However, Shanan’s amazing designs also come with a price tag.  And unfortunately my tiny entry also has very tall ceilings, which equals more rolls than you think you need.  Bummer.  Although in the short term, I might just buy a drop for inexpensive and gorgeous large scale art.  Madagascar Bay wallpaper from Eskayel.

I’ve been holding onto a sample of this gorgeous wallpaper from Farrow & Ball for months.  The pattern is beautiful, the color is perfect for my apartment and the pattern is surprisingly modern from a manufacturer known for traditional English papers.  (Although I will say choosing a traditional paper design in a surprising color is a great way to add a little unexpected modern glamour to your house, but I digress…)  In the end I didn’t select it, but I’m definitely keeping this pattern on hand for someday clients.  Lotus Paper from Farrow & Ball.

I love this pattern.  The sketchy lines and black & white color scheme make it totally modern, but the curved lines soften it into a very elegant paper.  In the end I decided that the contrasting colors and sketchy lines were a bit too modern pop-art for my husband & potential home buyers (because even though I’m all for smaller living, someday we will want more than a one bedroom apartment).  But I’ll definitely keep this wallpaper from Kreme in the back of my mind for that perfect project.  Furniture perhaps?  Spiro in Ivory & Black from Kreme.

This wallpaper is also from Kreme (they have tons of great patterns).  It’s a very subtle design – soft colors, slight watercolor paint look, and a Moorish pattern that I’m totally in love with.  I was so close to picking it as my finalist, but I ended up deciding that it was just a touch too subtle.  I know, I know, I’m tough to please.  But when you have a tiny entry with a super high ceiling, you have to make sure to find just the right thing… Watercolor Acorn Gate in Ivory from Kreme.

Which I believe I did.  Ta da, my final selection!  Was it worth the wait? This gorgeous gold and white paper comes from Ferm Living.  They’re out of Denmark and sell wallpapers and wall decals that are totally inspiring and cool, and this pattern in particular has always stood out to me.  I’m loving the touch of metallic gold glamour and the slightly feminine yet slightly edgy pattern.  I think it’s going to look fantastic in our tiny little entry.  Not overwhelming or too subtle at all.  And of course, you’ll get to see it and judge my final decision for yourself in a few weeks.  Wilderness in White/Gold from Ferm Living.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Which wallpaper is your favorite?

Now I’ve seen a lot of interior products – it’s what I do all day and how I unwind at night (what could be better than a new shelter mag and a glass of wine?)  I’m generally a lover of most things, but it takes something really unique to get me to truly sit up and take notice.  So when I first saw wallpaper and pillows from Shanan Campanaro of Eskayel, they stopped me dead in my tracks.  The patterns are beyond gorgeous and so different than anything I’ve ever seen.  (See what I mean?  A smattering of the patterns are above).

Shanan is an artist by trade but started experimenting by digitally manipulating portions of her artwork into kaleidoscopic patterns on wallpaper.  The result is what you see here.  You can tell that a few of these came from a painting of a sleeping polar bear (beyond gorgeous), while others it’s much harder to tell.  I imagine you can look at this wallpaper for hours and always see something different.  Here’s a link to Shanan’s artist website so you can see the original works of art for yourself.

Now for the green creds: Shanan’s pillows are 100% eco-friendly, made with organic denim, water based inks and digitally printed (and made locally if you’re near Pennsylvania and sold in Brooklyn).  The wallpapers contain no VOCs, are vinyl free and also digitally printed (no run off waste).  Gorgeous and eco-friendly?  Sign me up!

So what else will Eskayel be taking on you ask?  Fabrics and ceramic tumblers.  I have to save something for another post, so you’ll have to be patient.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few more pictures of Shanan Campanaro’s gorgeous patterns.  Enjoy!

Photos from Eskayel

I’m moving on from flea markets and antiques to a completely different subject – wallpaper!  (didn’t see that one coming did you?)  Phillip Jeffries recently launched their fall line and I wanted to share a few of these beauties with you.  The company specializes in natural fiber wallpaper such as grasscloth, raffia, paper, silk & wood and because of that, most of their papers are rapidly renewable and biodegradable.  Plus Phillip Jeffries backs most of them with 85-100% post-consumer recycled paper.  Beautiful and green?  I’m sold!

This wallpaper and the one below are Extra-Fine Arrowroot grasscloth.  This room is from Ty Larkins’ Baton Rouge home.

This room is from the Veranda Showcase House and was designed by Elizabeth Dinkel.

Voyage Collection – Arches

Voyage Collection – Ticking Stripe

Photos from Phillip Jeffries, Ty Larkins & Elizabeth Dinkel