Pretty Little Green Things

Posts Tagged ‘Green furniture’

I just got back from a design meeting with Laurent Charlet, owner and founder of Charlet Design, a small custom furniture company based in Brooklyn.  His furniture pieces are really beautiful so I just had to share  it with you.  Laurent makes everything to order and sources reclaimed wood where possible.  You can specify the wood in an oiled finish rather than polyurethane, which is the non-toxic and, I think, much prettier way to go.  Plus if you live in New York, both the production and the delivery are local.  These are a few of Laurent’s pieces from his website, but since everything is custom, you can really get whatever you want.

Coffee table

Sideboard

Dining table (the picture is deceiving, the top is 10 feet long!)

A detail of the dining table

Another sideboard

Photos from Charlet Design

I spent most of yesterday walking through the very crowded Architectural Digest Home Design Show at Pier 94.  I’ve attended the show for many years now and I have to say this was the best show I’ve seen in terms of quality of products and number of attendees. Maybe it’s due to the addition of Margaret Russell to AD (formerly the editor in chief of Elle Decor) or maybe it’s that projects have started to pick back up.  Whatever the reason you could feel the buzz and excitement in the air.  And the products and vendors I saw were absolutely the best of the best.  Of course I love looking at everything, but it’s always the eco-friendly or socially responsible products that really catch my eye.  Since this year’s show was so great and I found so many amazing things, I’m going to break my pics into two posts.  Check back tomorrow for more!

These are my top eco-friendly finds, in no particular order:

These gorgeous pillows come from D. Bryant Archie Textiles who also won an ASID Imagine Top Pick for her presentation.  Her wool blankets and pillows have always topped of my list of favorites and this award couldn’t have gone to a more deserving, talented and lovely person.  Her newest line made from metallic vintage fabric as shown in the two pictures on the right, is super chic.

This awesome little console table comes from Jeff Soderbergh, who if you remember, also made the beautiful reclaimed wood table featured in the 2010 House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year.  This new console is made from wood taken from the hull an antique schooner that was built in 1885.  I love the copper nailheads spotted all over the wood which gives it such character.  Jeff has plenty of this unique wood left so hopefully we’ll be seeing more pieces from him soon.

I’m really in love with these clocks from Palo Samko.  I’ve always known him as an incredibly talented furniture maker, so it’s great to see that he’s added accessories to his repertoire.  I would mind time passing by quickly if I had one of these clocks to stare at.

This gorgeous chandelier comes from Elizabeth Polish Design and it’s made entirely of paper (except for the framing of course).  I just love the organic feel of this fixture and I can only imagine the soft light it casts in a room.  Custom options are always available for any project.

How cool is this table from Studio Roeper?  I love the contrast of the salvaged bleached wood and the metallic faceted legs.

I have to say that my pictures don’t do any sort of justice to these stunning art installations from Moran/Brown.  They’re made of small copper tiles that have been heated so they change color into these vibrant shades you see here.  And all without any chemical processing.  You have to take a peek on their website at some of their larger pieces to really get an idea of what Moran/Brown can do.  I’m not sure I’d want Lady Gaga hanging on my wall, but you get the idea of their capabilities.

I’m always a fan of the industrial vintage look so I’m loving these light fixtures from Strawser & Smith who are based in Brooklyn.  Each one is made out of various industrial parts like chains, pipes and cogs.  The glass is also hand blown right here in New York.

And of course, I’m always a fan of the New Traditionalists and their elegant and tailored line of eco-friendly furniture.  They have a few gorgeous new finishes which was great to see in person.

You know the saying, the shoemaker’s children go barefoot?  Well, sometimes that’s how I feel about my house.  The projects I do for work are amazing, but my own abode is sometimes lacking in style.  Sure we did a bit of a renovation and the walls and doors look much better.  But I have drapery left to hang, dining chairs that have been begging for reupholstery and my aforementioned lounge chair that has to go (apologies to my friend Lizz who has the same chair).  So I’ve decided that I’m going to tackle one project a week and finish up this house.  I may not finish each one every week, but you’ll get a peek at some of my DIY projects and I’ll finally get this ball rolling.

So first up, my dining chairs.  Here’s the before picture.

We inherited these bad boys from my husband’s grandmother.  I love the shape of the curvy shape of the frame and for both sentimental and aesthetic reasons, I didn’t want to change the wood color at all.  One less project to tackle too!  The seat fabric however was a different story.  It was stained from years of grandkids plus the light colored ikat-ish print is really not my taste.

Here’s a close-up of the old fabric.  See what I mean?  Time for a change.

Fortunately, I also inherited a large piece of silk from my best friend’s mother that I think was destined to be a sari.  It’s colorful, unique and oh so perfect for these chairs.  So here goes, my first attempt at reupholstery.

So first things first, I had to rip off all the old covers.  I cheated a bit because I could see the previous bright pink under the ones I ripped off, but I just couldn’t bring myself to take them off too and open up a potential can of worms.

Covers are off!

Thankfully the previous reupholsterer had added a bit of cotton batting to the top of the chairs, so all I had to do was put my new upholstery on.  If you look really close, you can see a bit of the pink fabric underneath.

And here goes nothing!  This was my first experience with a staple gun, and let me tell you, I sort of wish I had purchased an electric one instead.  My hand is all kinds of sore!

The new covers are on and the chairs are almost done!  All that I have to do here is add a bit of trim at the bottom to cover up the staples.

Ta da!  All done.  I decided to go with a navy blue trim to contrast against the lighter silk ikat.  I’m going to try to take a better picture tomorrow morning.  It was dark out by the time I finished up and my nighttime shots never seem to turn out as well.

Here’s a detail of the chair seat.  You can see the trim a bit better in this shot.

All in all, I’m super excited about my new chairs.  It was a bigger and tougher project than I anticipated.  I give reupholsterers and furniture makers so much credit for the amazing work they do.  As for me, I’m taking the rest of the night off.  And tomorrow I might just treat myself to a well earned manicure to clean up my hands after all that staple gunning.

When I was a little kid, I had a double duty step stool that also flipped up into a chair.  I loved that little thing so much that I would carry it around everywhere.  This Lex Mini Stool from Digs isn’t quite the same thing, but it’s so cute and colorful I just couldn’t resist.  At only about 10 inches on each side, it’s the perfect size for a little person.  And made from sustainably harvested Acacia tree wood with brightly colored recycled fabric for the woven seat, it’s just about as eco-friendly as it is fun.  These mini stools come in a variety of colors, and at only $35 each, there’s no need to limit yourself to just one.  Now if only they made a grown up version…

Photos from Digs

We’ve had a sad looking lounge chair sitting in our living room for what feels like forever.  Although I’ve eyed a few other options before, it’s finally time for this thing to go.  The reason is not so much that I hate the chair (even though I do).  It’s more because the low seat means that when you sit in it, you’re WAY to far away from our sofa to have any sort of conversation with even the nearest person.  So why haven’t I replaced it yet?   My problem is not that I can’t find what I want, my problem is that I have too many great options and I get cold feet.  Yes, it’s true, even designers get indecisive sometimes.  But I thought, why make myself crazy when I have all of you lovely readers.  So I gathered my top ten eco-friendly lounge chair choices for my apartment, in no particular order.  They’re all a bit unique, not too big, not too traditional and totally comfortable.  Tell me what you think and vote in the comment section below.

I’m always a fan of the casual chic style of Cisco Brothers.  The curves of this Grace Chair would complement our sofa quite nicely (in a fabric to match our decor of course).

My recent post on Kelly LaPlante’s new Jak furniture line may have been a bit selfish since this little Deleon barrel chair would look stunning in our apartment.  You’ll forgive me, right?

1stdibs is always a go-to for really elegant pieces.  Most everything is vintage so you’re good to go (I was going to say green to go, but even I was groaning at that one).  Much of what I find and fall in love with is well out of my price range, but I did find this cute chair from Lost City Arts just a few blocks from my apartment.  How’s that for local?  It would of course need some chic new upholstery fabric to pull the look together, but I’m kinda liking the unique lines of this piece.

I’m absolutely in love with just about every piece from Lawson-Fenning, so I couldn’t help picking two options from them.  This is the Rolled Arm Chair.  I love the slightly masculine look that’s balanced out with the curvy shape.

I’ve always been a wing chair fan.  Maybe there’s something about hiding behind those huge wings that really appeals to me (not that I normally hide behind chairs or anything).  This Wing Chair is also from Lawson-Fenning.

This really unique lounge chair comes from Suite New York.  It might get a bit too low and thus not solve my low-rider problem, but there’s no shame in looking, right?  I’m not a big leather upholstery fan, so of course I would pick a fun eco-friendly fabric to match our decor.

For something a bit more traditional, I also like this upholstered linen chair from VivaTerra.  It, unfortunately, only comes in two fabric options so the Java would be my choice.  And I’d add a few colorful accent pillows to spice it up a bit.

As always, the furniture from the New Traditionalists is elegant with a slightly irreverent edge.   I love this tailored take on a traditional barrel chair.  And the added strap detail at the bottom is quite chic.  Why let handbags have all the fun?

Don’t let the clean lines fool you, the Todhunter Club Chair from Q Collection is totally chic.  It would be the perfect contrast to the much more ornate Hepplewhite style dining chairs that are next to my lounge chair’s future home.

And last but absolutely not least are these fixer-uppers from Chairloom.  Although the crushed olive green velvet definitely needs to go, I love the lines and the raw potential of these two chairs.  I might not end up with these exact chairs, but I’m definitely leaning toward buying something from this awesome company just because I love what they stand for.  The wonderful people at Chairloom scour markets and dealers’ inventories to find interesting chairs that just need a little bit of love to turn them into the beauties they were meant to be.  Take a look at their gallery of sold chairs for a bit of inspiration.

So there you have it, my top ten eco-friendly lounge chair choices!  What do you think?  Which one is your favorite?  Vote in the comments section below and as soon as I get my indecisive butt in gear and purchase something, I’ll reveal my final choice!

After the success of painting my kitchen cabinets from an ugly cherry color to glossy white, I’m ready to paint just about every piece of furniture in my apartment.  So when I saw these zinc wrapped tables from Scarlett Scales Antiques, I thought this was right up my alley.  While I probably don’t have the space or the technical skills to pull off a zinc creation like this chic tables, I can certainly enjoy them.  Scarlett and her father, Barry, take vintage tables and wrap them with zinc scraps rescued from old buildings near their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.  I think they would be perfect in an entry foyer with a colorful bunch of flowers on top.

Scarlett Scales has a lustworthy collection of antiques so make sure to pop on over to her website and check out some of her items.  Maybe I’ll even be lucky enough to score something from her at this summer’s Brimfield show.

Photos from Scarlett Scales Antiques

I’ve been hoping to get out to San Francisco soon to visit a few friends and it looks like I now have a new reason to get myself out to the west coast.  Adding on to their first location in Los Angeles, HD Buttercup just opened a new 35,000 square foot store in the city by the bay.  Started by co-founder of ABC Home, Evan Cole, this chic store sells a huge range of products including many eco retailers such as Cisco Home, Urban Woods, Lee and Green Home to name a few.  HD Buttercup’s inventory is hand-picked and ever changing, so you’ll never quite know what you’ll find (or miss!).  The pictures below are shots of the new store, although I’ll bet it doesn’t look this this anymore!













Photos from HD Buttercup via Interior Design Magazine

I’m not sure where I’ve been, maybe hiding under my computer, but I just discovered Jak, a super elegant furniture company.  And to show you just how oblivious I can be, I’m a huge fan of one of the founders Kelly LaPlante!  (Kelly’s fellow co-founder is James Saavedra).   To jog your memory, Kelly is the creator of the Standard Magazine, an eco-friendly online shelter mag that treats green as a quality standard, not a style.  Just like the magazine, Jak’s furniture is totally eco-friendly and of course chic and sophisticated.  I love that not only have they considered all the sustainable elements of the actual furniture, they also take a wider view of the process.  Case in point, Jak offsets carbon emissions created from transporting their products and has a recycling program to dispose unwanted furniture in a responsible way.  Now that’s something you don’t see with many furniture manufacturers!

I’m loving their collection, but the selection is still a bit limited.  I’m hoping that since Jak is still a fairly young company, we’ll see lots of great additions to the line.  Enjoy!

This is my favorite piece in their collection.  I love the clean lines and elegant shape.  Hmm, maybe this could be the piece to replace the awful lounge chair in our living room that I hate.  Don’t worry, when I do in fact get rid of the chair, it will be donated to a worthy cause.

This is my second favorite chair.  There’s something about slipper chairs that I just adore.  And this one isn’t too feminine, which is sometimes hard to find in slipper chairs.

And of course the sofa version of the slipper chair above is pretty cool too.

Photos from Jak

I was wandering around during lunch a few days ago and popped into Lillian August’s new showroom in New York City to check it out.  And guess what I discovered…they have a green line!  I couldn’t be more excited that this chic retailer really gets it.  Their Environments collection so far is the only line that is eco-friendy, but I’m hoping the rest isn’t too far behind.  According to Lillian August’s website, “Environments embrace the authentic link we have with our natural surroundings. We work with companies that are finding innovative ways to build products with sustainable, natural and organic components.”  In addition, they are a founding member of the Sustainable Furnishing Council which is a group dedicated to promoting sustainable practices within the furniture and design industry.

I’m going to leave you with a few pictures from Lillian August’s website.  If you’re in the area, you should definitely stop by one of their stores and take a look for yourself!

These pics are from the store, not necessarily the Environments collection.

Photos via Lillian August

I always feel so inspired after browsing through the beautiful antique furniture, lighting and accessories on 1stdibs.  So I thought I’d share a bit of the same for you.  Most of these pieces I couldn’t hope to afford, but that doesn’t make looking any less fun.  If you want more information on a specific piece, click on the picture to jump to the gallery.  Everything I picked comes from New York City, so not only are they vintage, they’re also local (for me).  Happy *almost* wordless Wednesday!

Pair of Caola Armchairs by Sergio Rodrigues from Espasso

Vintage Modern Swedish rug from Doris Leslie Blau

Pair of brass and glass side tables from Duane (one of my favorite galleries)

Edward Wormley flip top bar/server from Downtown at Claremont

More furniture designed by Edward Wormley.  These side chairs are from Showplace Antique + Design Center.

Art Deco streamline table from High Style Deco

Chrome Morphic sculpture lamp from Space107

Art Deco side table from High Style Deco

Photos from 1stdibs