Celebrating Earth Day with Interiors

Did you celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd? Did you do anything to make your home interior environmentally friendly? Here are some questions to ask yourself when considering a home improvement project or purchase.

1. Have you switched all your incandescent bulbs out for compact fluorescent light bulbs? If not, next time you are in your local hardware store, pick some up. You will have them ready when that next light bulb burns out.
2. Do you really need your heat or air set at the same temperature when you are out of the home or sleeping? Consider installing a programmable thermostat? It will save you money and help save the earth.
3. Is air flowing into your home under doors and windows? Plug them up! Air leaks allow air and heat to sneak outside, making it more difficult for us to control the air in our home. In turn, this makes the air conditioner or furnace work harder. It ends up costing you more money and wasting precious resources.
4. Buy local products. Products made overseas require tons and tons of fuel.
5. Buy items with post-consumer recycled content. This can range from clothes to fabrics, plastic containers to furniture, even coffee mugs.
6. Do you reuse? Reusing ensures less waste goes into landfills. Can you reuse that old piece of furniture? Can you reuse paint you already have in your basement? How about shopping at a thrift or antique store? It’s amazing what your mind can come up with when given the opportunity to save money and make something beautiful for your home!
7. Buy Energy Star Appliances. Replace old appliances with Energy Star models when they break. Your appliances will run more efficiently and can save you money in the long run. Remember to unplug your small appliances when they are not in use because they can still suck up energy.
8. Don’t forget to ask the experts. Decide if buying a sustainable product is an option for you before you buy anything for your home. If so, just ask the expert for more information. I bet you learn something interesting.

Celebrate Earth Day all 365 days in your home! How have you made the Earth better today?

Complementing Stone Floors: 5 Favorite Elements

Stone floors can be a gorgeous way to achieve a contemporary, earthy look but they often also have a “cold” feel. Warming up the floors with complementary pieces can take some creativity, but the work is well worth it. Here are my five favorite additions that are sure to warm up your home:

Eco-Smart Non-Vented Fireplaces: This is the most streamlined  fireplace I’ve come across that maintains the earthy feel of a stone floor. These fireplaces burn denatured ethanol alcohol and are naturally clean burning. Not only that, but the government offers incentives: Up to 30 percent or $1,500 in tax credits for the purchase of these fireplaces!

 

 

Chester Grommet Curtain: The Chester Grommet Curtain is a great option for softening the rigidity of stone floors, but maintaining a contemporary style. Grommets are in brushed silver or iron, to coordinate with the color of the linen.

 

 

 

Dover Artist Studio Rug: This contemporary rug comes from India and is made from 100 percent New Zealand wool. The stone-like circles are a nice contrast to the rigid lines of caulk stone floors sometimes have.

If this rug doesn’t match your style, consider how you can pull the subtle colors from your stone into a rug with contrasting colors. Many stone floors are darker, so lighter colors can both soften and better define areas of the room.

 

Cornice LEDs: LEDs are not only energy efficient, but they add the right amount of soft light to lift the textures of your stone floors. LEDs on top of a cornice gives the room a comforting, even romantic lighting effect. If you already have cornices, consider adding LEDs.

 

French chandelier: This chandelier dates back to 1920’s France. This total splurge (priced at $2,400) is a dream lighting piece. The ambient lighting is an earthier-feeling option than the contemporary style of the cornice LEDs.

3 MORE Eco-Friendly Fabrics You Need to Know

Eco-friendly material options are growing every day. As a follow up to the 4 Eco-Friendly Fabrics You Need to Know: Non-organic linen production processes may surprise you article, I wanted to further explore three additional options.

Seaweed: Not a lot of verifiable information exists about exactly what seaweed linens are created from. There are many products that say they include seaweed fabrics, such as the Seaweed Fabric Main Street Chair and Seaweed Fabric Main Street Loveseat, but additional information is hard to come by.

In clothing, some controversy surrounds some the Lululemon Athletica brand regarding whether or not their products (marketed as containing seaweed) actually contain any. (Source.)

Soy: Soy is softer than cotton and more durable, so it makes a great choice for garments that hug the skin (camisoles, yoga pants, undies, etc.). It’s also warm and absorbent, even though lightweight, so it makes a great all-season knitted sweater or fleece pullover.

Soy is the ultimate sustainable fiber, as it’s made from discarded tofu! It’s for this reason soy is sometimes referred to as “vegetarian cashmere”; “cashmere” due to its incredible softness and luxurious appeal. Leftovers from tofu manufacturing are gathered up, liquefied, and extruded through spinnerets to create filaments that are spun into fine yarns. The process is very similar to how bamboo fibers are spun.

Interestingly, Henry Ford first investigated the use of soy in textiles for his automobiles in the 1940’s, but the arrival of synthetics on the scene caused this effort to fade away. Now, manufacturers and consumers are looking for more sustainable sources for their textiles, and soy has been rediscovered.

Bamboo: Many agree bamboo viscose is a more sustainable choice than conventional cotton. Unfortunately, it is more expensive to process and requires chemicals; however, market demand increases are helping to fund alterative processing research. It is possible to make bamboo fibers from the plant’s stalk, rather than from pulp (the way hemp and linen are made), but currently few manufacturers are doing this, and true bamboo linen (as it would be called) is rare.

Bamboo is incredibly soft, making it ideal for linens close to bare skin. The finished fabric feels silky to the touch and is a good option for drapery. It’s naturally more wrinkle-resistant than cotton or hemp, and also warmer.
Great news: The fabric does well in conventional home washer and dryers.

4 Eco-Friendly Fabrics You Need to Know: Non-organic linen production processes may surprise you

What you don’t know about most fabrics will probably surprise you. Not only are there chemicals in the foods we eat, they are also found in our upholsteries, blankets, and clothes.

“Green fabric” includes any fabric made from sustainable or organic natural materials. Green fabric is also used to describe both recycled and fabric created using natural products and organic processes.

Organic cotton: Traditional cotton covers 5% of the world’s cultivated land, yet uses it uses 25% of the world’s insecticides and 10% of world pesticides (including probable carcinogens).

Organic cotton is weaved from non-genetically modified plants. It is certified as grown without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals, such as fertilizers or pesticides that damage not only the integrity of the cotton but the land and surrounding ecology.

Organic linen (Flax Fiber): Though many use “organic linen” to describe all organically (grown without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides) produced linen, true organic linen is created with flax fibers – the oldest crop in the world! Linen is naturally creamy white to light tan in color, pure white is only achieved through bleaching. It is notorious for wrinkling, but linen lovers just accept that as part of its charm. It is a great hot-weather fabric because it absorbs a lot of moisture (e.g. sweat) without feeling damp and dries quickly, which cools the skin.

Flax fiber is extracted from the skin of the stem of the flax plant. Flax fiber is incredibly soft, shiny and flexible (often resembling blonde human hair). Though flax fiber is stronger than cotton fiber, it is less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace and sheeting. Coarser grades are often used for the manufacturing of twine and rope.

Organic wool: Traditional methods for producing wool have an adverse impact on the environment and livestock welfare. During the production of non-organic wool, livestock is often subject to synthetic pesticides, non-organic feed, and possibly even synthetic hormones and/or genetic engineering. The livestock could also be subject to substandard health management, and live in substandard conditions.

Organic Wool During the production of organic wool, sheep/livestock are raised and treated in a different way to those which produce non-organic wool. The above treatment and conditions should not be present during the production of organic wool.

Hemp: Because of its biological association with marijuana, hemp is still illegal to grow industrial hemp within the United States. Legislation is being worked on to change this, but as of now, hemp needs to be grown elsewhere in the world (which causes it’s carbon footprint to increase). Hemp products can be manufactured in the US, though, and there are now on the market a wide variety of clothes that use hemp as the green fabric in their manufacture.

Hemp grows easily and is environmentally friendly. Hemp fiber is naturally mildew-resistant, antimicrobial, UV protecting and even fireproof! This makes it an ideal candidate for household pieces that get a lot of use, but isn’t the softest option around.

Water, Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink

As a designer I have always specified Kohler or Sterling products because they are well made, beautiful products and made in America. Their faucets, sinks and toilets have been  on the cutting edge
of  technology for conserving water. In taking some courses in LEED certification a few years ago, I learned that “Kohler has been concerned since the 1970’s about water conservation and have global teams of engineers working to improve water efficiency with beautiful designs, excellent performance and keeping them affordable.”

Kohler’s faucets have water saving aerators. The faucets with the WaterSense label will save over 14,700 gallons of water each year, unlike older faucets.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program reviews manufacturers products and gives awards to those whose products conserve water. In 2008, Kohler was named as a Manufacturing Partner in the WaterSense program. To obtain this prestigious award, there must be demonstrated overall excellence in the water-efficiency arena as well as increase the awareness and advance the overall mission of WaterSense. So why would a plumbing manufacturer get involved in this?

In their brochure, Kohler states “that less than 1 percent of the world’s water supply is accessible for human use. Nearly one billion people in the world lack safe drinking water.” By the year 2013, at least 36 states in the United States anticipates local, regional or statewide water shortages.

Toilets account for 25 percent of daily indoor water use in homes in the United States. Out of that, one-half of all toilets in homes in United States are older, less efficient models, which waste approximately 1.6 billion gallons of water each day. For a single individual, a High Efficiency Toilet can save 16,500 gallons of water a year.

What does this mean to you?

If you are paying for your water, multiply the rate they are charging you by 16,500 (per toilet in your house), and that is how much you could save by replacing your toilet. Do the same with the faucets you have in your house. If for no other reason than saving money, it is worth changing out your old toilets and faucets.

Altruistically, by conserving water we all work towards a better future for our families and our children’s children. After all, 2013 is not that far away. Kohler, in addition to creating water conserving products, also reclaims and reuses the rise water in their faucet facility and product testing labs, thereby saving millions of gallons of water.

Do you believe in doing business primarily with those companies that practice and produce environmentally conscious products? Are you thinking about replacing any of your toilets or faucets in the near future? Will you consider WaterSense labeled products?

Key Elements of Green Space Planning

Space planning is the act of deciphering solutions for a space based on client criteria and needs. During space planning, a designer will determine needed spaces, arrange the spaces as necessary to address flow of the space and also verify building codes – all at the same time!

Space planning is one of the most important rolls a designer can play – it is the basic step and most time intensive (can be at least) in order to finish selection and furniture planning of the space. When a designer is addressing space planning, they sometimes get to start from scratch. Other times they have to begin from an existing space that has obstacles like existing walls. But what are the challenges and added criteria when trying to plan green??

1. Use your walls – One of the greatest elements of green design is to use what you have. So if there are dividing walls in a space then why not use them to their greatest potential. When thinking green, you want to avoid using new materials when not needed. By using rooms and walls that are in existance you are not using any more virgin materials. And that is the key – what you are NOT using from scratch to make new.
2. Think about daylighting – Natural daylight needs to travel throughout a positive green interior. The use of daylighting does not only reduce the dependence on artificial light, and therefore reduce energy consumption, but it also saves money, increases employee productivity and allows space inhabitants to have a connection with the outdoor environment. All this from something that is free. You just have to plan for it.
3. Plan the height – 42” is a general standard of measure that is used in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and at this measurement, the inhabitants of a space can have clear view (meaning a view to the outdoors). If you can plan for this height you can once again increase productivity and make the office a more friendly work environment. Keep in mind that for LEED purposes you can have a clear line of site, including through levels of glazing or interior glass partitions.
4. Plan away from the windows – Be sure to save the aisle for next to the exterior – if you can place the offices and conference rooms toward the interior and the individual work stations on the exterior, all the planning for the above elements will be easier!

So these are just a few ways to plan smart and plan green! How is your office set up? Does it fit in with green design?

Art and Environmentally Conscious – Lumicor

Design solutions come about in unexpected ways. That was the case when I discovered Lumicor. The company creates innovative translucent materials encapsulating textiles, metals, papers, foliage, and imagination. I became aware of Lumicor when choosing wall scones for a client’s office. Lumicor products blend handmade paper with two sheets of resin to creat what the client described as “glowing art.”

They create from what we discard. The elements in architectural resin panels are made from recycled glass, organic and recycled fabrics, and botanicals harvested from sustainable crops.

The Lumiclear product has the same translucency as glass but is half the weight as the same size panel and has 10 times the impact strength. It can be formed into unique and complex shapes. So instead of using the same old 2 x 4 lighting fixtures, consider a luminous ceiling with the color and textures that reflect your style.

Or perhaps you can use panels between areas in your facility that allow the light to meander through the panels, creating subtle divisions that also have texture and color. By adding decorative elements, you can create a phenomenal countertop for a kitchen that is durable, non-porous and resistant to UV damage.

In their creation of architectural resin panels, Lumicor has also established a reuse protocol that saves more than 21 million gallons of fresh water each year by using a closed loop system. They also reuse the heat created in the manufacturing of their products to heat their facility.

Beyond all of this, Lumicor has developed a network of recycling facilities around the United States. When I look for companies that push the envelope of innovative products, it is nice to know that some care about our resources and are as innovative in their manufacturing processes as they are with their materials.

Would you consider using this product as a countertop? Have you found a company that is innovative in design and regarding resources?

This House Is In the Water, Intentionally

Somewhere in the middle of January I began thinking about warm, sunny locations to visit. I think it is an instinctive reaction to Midwestern cold and snowy winters, but Ageatic blue green water brings joy to my heart and serenity to my being.

When looking for a retreat, most of us look for a house on the beach so we are just a few feet from the water’s edge. For some of us, San Diego, Naples or the Carolina’s may be our destinations; others of us like to travel to islands of the Caribbean.

Two Polish architects, Jedrzej Lewandowski and Lukasz Skirzynski, of FORMDesign, an architectural and interior design firm, have taken their new design right into the water. Their project may be an eco-tourist destination. They have designed a single-family rental unit that is going to be located in the Ionian Sea off the coast of Zante Island in Greece.

This house is designed to have a counterweighted system that also utilizes seabed pilings and will be powered by solar panels on the roof (110 of them). The architects have used Corian as the white finish on this minimalist project that has a concrete and steel structural core. The white the surface of the Corian will allow light to bounce within the structure to create a feeling of illumination without using any energy. The vertical lines of the rails on the exterior are for another amenity – the shading system that is computer driven in addition to the radiation-reducing filters in the curtain glass walls.

The design will also be utilizing bouncing lighting from the exterior and underwater lights, which will be refracted through the water to reflect into the interior for evening lighting. LEDs and CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) will be used minimally for interior lighting throughout the project. Another aspect they have considered is having an interior garden. Whether it be green plants or vegetables, it will provide purification of the air within the structure as well as aesthetic beauty.

The project is said to have “eco-friendly features like the water desalination, energy accumulation, ventilation methods, water recycling, and tidal and solar energy systems.”

Would this be a destination of choice for you? What do you think of this design?

How to Save Water with Your Toilets

Looking for ways to save money on your water bill? Or do you have to replace your toilet soon? Have you considered going “green” with your replacement?

Depending on how old your home or office is will determine what gallons per flush (gpf) your current toilet is. I would recommend consulting with a licensed plumber or engineer to determine how to save the most water with your replacement fixture. If you are in an office building, water-use reduction calculations can be done that are determined by the number of full-time, part-time, and transient’s occupants.

If you have decided to install a water-saving toilet, there are several options that may work for you. The standard water closet is 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf); this is what the majority of people are going to have in their homes and offices.

If you are looking to save more water than this without making a big change, then the duel flush toilet might be the option for you! This allows for the user to select if a half-flush or full flush is needed to dispose of the waste. Most residential duel flush toilets have 2 buttons on the top and you can select which one is needed. Many commercial buildings have a lever that you either push up or down. Often a sign with pictures is posted to tell you which way is which. Sometimes a green handle is installed as an indicator that this fixture is different than the norm.

If you are looking to save water without the complication of selecting with button or lever you need, then a high-efficiency, single flush gravity toilet that is 1.28 gpf may be the option for you. This uses less water than the conventional toilet but still works great! The lowest water consumption toilet option would be a single-flush, pressure assist that is 1.0 gpf.

Now, if you are really “green,” a nonwater toilet may be perfect for you, in so many words that is a compost toilet. This is only for those that really want to be the most environmentally friendly. There are special cleaning instructions and maintenance procedures for this toilet. Personally, I am very environmentally friendly, but I wouldn’t be caught cleaning this toilet!

If you choose to replace your current toilet with a water-saving fixture, make sure to have a preventative maintenance program set-up. This includes plumbing fixture and fitting inspection to find any leaks or sensor issues. This will make sure that your flush and/or flow is appropriate at all times to save you the most water possible

Have you tried any of these alternative toilets? Which is your favorite? Would you ever consider choosing a compost toilet?

How Will You Get Out When the Lights Go Out?

When the grid system went down in Detroit it a number of years ago, it affected a number of towns and communities who were attached to this system. With warnings that it could happen again, especially with the emergence of electric carts that will be plugged into the grid system, concerns are already being raised by some of my clients on how to resolve emergency egress.

Commercial firms, entertainment venues, and health organizations are required by law to have emergency lighting, which will cast a light approximately 40 feet from the exit. This is wonderful, except in the case of fire situations with dense smoke – then these fixtures can be almost useless. Imagine being outside at an entertainment venue and the grid goes down. How do you find your way out of a Hart Plaza (Detroit), Rockefeller Center (New York), or Telluride Park (Colorado)?

Ecoglo is an “environmentally friendly”, photoluminescent strip that absorbs any kind of light. After about 20 minutes of charging, it then re-emits a light that will glow brightly for hours in light or dark. The strips can be re-charged repeatedly as needed. Here is what I have learned about this product:

“The Ecoglo product is built with a high-grade metal base that is corrosion and impact resistant. The high visibility photoluminescent strip is bonded to the metal for long-lasting durability, therefore the products can be used for both indoor and outdoor applications. There is an expected life time of 30 years for this product in outdoor applications and indefinite for interior. The product can be fixed to the edge of stairs and on handrails.”

Imagine a green glow showing you where the edges of stairs are or the handrail, yet during the day it resembles an edge treatment. Because the photoluminescent strip are integrated into the metal base, they require no additional care and are not affected by most industrial cleaning products.

I look forward to finding ways to utilize this product for residential projects in the future. When we tell our kids to drop and crawl in fires out of the space, it would be nice to know that there is a green glowing way-finding system for them to follow in a baseboard that allows them to get out safely. Or even for my elderly parents, to know that they would be able to find their way to the door easily without fear or panic.

What do you think about this type of system in residences? Have you been to a commercial facility that was using the photoluminescent strips as part of the emergency exit system?

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