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?

Can You Find Inspiration For Your Home in Your Summer Cocktail?

Looking for inspiration to transform your bedroom this summer? Well, look no further than your favorite summer cocktail!

That’s right many of the fresh colors we find in our cocktails are trendy today! Consider my personal favorite summer cocktail – the margarita. It comes in many different flavors and colors: golden, strawberry, lime, blue, etc. If you love the color in your drink, don’t you think you might love the color in your home? Beware – the bright pink cosmopolitan may not have the same effect on your walls.

The Walls

These fresh summer colors can be brought into all areas of the home. The bedroom is always a great place to use a refreshing color palette. After all, this is where we go to relax, refresh and recoup after a long day. For starters, I suggest painting the walls in your favorite cocktail color. Want to go the extra mile? Try painting one wall a couple shades darker than the main color for a stunning accent!

The Furniture

You will notice that you have a ton of the same color in the room once the walls are painted, so be careful not to use too much of just one color. I recommend using maple, white or ebony colored wood furniture. This will offset nicely off the fresh colored walls and bring a nice balance to your room.

The Accessories

Try pairing a white duvet cover with accent pillows that repeat different shades of the color on the walls. Keep the artwork of a similar nature. Flowers, seascapes and sunsets always speak well of a summer feeling and will most likely have corresponding colors.

Lamps on the nightstands should be kept light. Try a skinny silver base with a round white shade or perhaps a white or glass round base if you would like more of a weighted lamp.

Accessories that work well with these fresh colored themes are seashells, simple photo frames, candles and books. Don’t forget to buy some corresponding coasters. We wouldn’t want that glass of water to ruin your brand new nightstand!

The Flooring

Finally, keep the flooring a neutral color. Beige carpeting, hardwood or tile are great for creating a summer feel. If you are using a hard surface, try a simple solid colored area rug for under your bed to keep your feet warm when you get out of bed on those cool summer nights.

How do you create a light, summery feel in your home?

Gold Certified for Art: Is Your City’s Art Museum LEED Certified?

In the news, most of what we see about the Midwest details how poor Michigan is doing economically. Yet, when you look at sustainability, Michigan is leading the nation. Green design has been going on in Grand Rapids for the past 16 years and has been championed by retired Steelcase chairman Peter Wege. They even have a journal, Grand Rapids Business Journal, that compiles volumes of information on sustainable business practices, building reuse or restoration methods to bio-economy businesses.

Western Michigan has more LEED certified buildings per capita than any other region in the country. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is not only the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified art museum in the United States, but also in the world. It is not just a LEED certified building, but it is a Gold certified building.

When a building is certified green, it does not just refer to the materials used in the building. It also considers operational functioning. Anyone who has ever designed for an art museum knows that there are very exacting climate standards to maintain the artwork in pristine condition. Green features include energy-efficient lighting, use of natural light, heating and cooling systems, and recycling systems for water and paper supplies.

The water collection system is able to reduce the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s demand for water by 20 percent. So in addition to using less water, they will be paying for less city water, which affects their operational costs. Natural lighting was used in 70 percent of the museum’s space and courtyards that can be viewed from the museum are planted with indigenous plants and trees.

Green educational programs and activities are offered as part of LEED requirements. Even the gift store has environmentally friendly retail items e.g. items made from recycled paper and organic cotton clothing are just a couple of items.

In addition to these factors, consideration was also given to where the museum would be located so that transportation to the museum would be easily accessible to public transportation or commute by bike.

Do you have a LEED certified project in your region?

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?

The Debate Between Low Voltage, Solar, and Decorative Outdoor Lights

Low voltage lighting is a type of landscape lighting that uses 12 volt electrical instead of the 120 volts delivered by regular household current. These 12-volt systems do not require an electrician to install, which makes them safe and easy to work with, and thus popular with homeowners.

Another benefit is that light fixtures can be added and adjusted while the system is plugged in and turned on. Low voltage landscape lighting kits are generally affordable and available in most hardware and building centers. That said, professionally installed and designed low voltage systems using higher grade components will give you lasting satisfaction that stands the test of time.

Solar lighting is a relative newcomer to the outdoor lighting market but has captured homeowners’ fancy with a vast selection of fixture styles and dead-easy installation and upkeep. Like landscape lighting, solar lights can be used to illuminate steps, paths, and pools. However, instead of an electric power source, solar lights use a photocell that charges a NiCad battery during the day and then powers the light at night.

With virtually no wiring to speak of, solar lighting kits have become very popular and if you are not careful, very ugly! I can’t stand some of these little sticks with lights attached that you find at CVS, or your local drug store. People are going way, way, way overboard! There is nothing worse than seeing a neighboring home use twenty or thirty of these ugly lights to line their path to their home! What did you do a few years ago to “light the way”? I am sure that people will be able to find your house without them!

When I think of patio lights, I immediately recall plastic owls and plastic bee hives that my grandparents hung at their lake house back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. VERY TACKY! Yet so lovely! Now, strings of brightly colored party paper lanterns come to mind which can be tastefully done for PARTIES only! Please take these down when you are not celebrating a birthday or having a garden party. There is nothing worse than a backyard that is full of party gear all summer long. You wouldn’t keep streamers up in your house so don’t do it outside either. String patio lights are perfect for temporarily dressing up patio seating areas or entertaining spaces.

Lanterns may be low tech, but nothing beats the charm and versatility these provide. You can find garden lanterns in a huge array of styles, from Chinese to Victorian. Let go of the bamboo tiki torch. Unless you are having a luau or live on a tropical island, these should not become part of your normal backyard décor.

If you are fond of the torch style lighting, select something that is more stable like wrought iron or copper. Styles range from classic Art deco to metallic finish oil fueled torches and wall torches. It is a simple way to add a glow without having to run wiring for electrical ambiance.

Explore your options before you buy, and think of how you will be using your summer space. What kind of lights do you have hanging in your backyard? Do you agree with me about the tackiness of some lighting options?

Home Gym Inspiration

Now that the weather is nice it may actually seem like a chore to get yourself to your gym. You may opt instead for a bike ride or a jog in the park.

So what are you paying for? I’ll keep my membership going to access the pool. When it comes to lifting, stretching and cardio, it may just be easier to accomplish fitness goals outdoors, or at home.

If you’ve consider creating a space in your home dedicated to a gym, consider my list of do’s and dont’s when designing your space:

Design

1. Think of what you use at your current gym (if you don’t use a gym, think of what exercises you will plan to do).
2. Plan a space. Choose a space in your home that will be inspiring. Do not select a dark dingy basement; it probably won’t do the trick. Perhaps the patio or deck would work. You can put your equipment in a storage bin and take it out as needed.
3. Think of lighting and mirrors. Consider low lights, maybe halogens on dimmers. Make sure that the lighting is warm and inviting. Purchase some inexpensive rope lighting and backlight a cabinet that you store your gym towels or clothing in. Use a mirror from an old bedroom set and lean it against a wall. Make this space feel like a gym. You will be more inclined to use the space if it feels good!
4. Pamper yourself. Set up a tabletop with accessories like hair ties, bobbie pins, water bottles, maybe a spray can of deodorant and some small towels. Give yourself a club experience.
5. Turn up the music! Consider a speaker set to plug in your iPod or mount a small television on the wall that has an XM radio feed. Studies show that the proper music at hand can really pump up your mood!
6. Hang something on the walls! Find some sports related inspiration. Grab a wheaties box and cut the cover off, throw it into an inexpensive frame and viola! Instant inspiration art! The same would apply to a Sports Illustrated cover or a Gatorade ad. Get a group of images together and consider Word Art too! Words that have meaning: Strength, Endurance, Power, Energy, Strive, to name a few. Print them in HUGE varying fonts and hang them with your images.

Equipment

Here’s a tip – it doesn’t take a lot of equipment to make a good gym. It is all about incorporating a lot of creative exercises on a small amount of equipment. Use mine for example:

• I have a bike trainer for my road bike (for those of you who don’t know, it is basically a portable hamster wheel that hooks up to any bike and keeps you moving inside).
• We have a series of varying strength rubber bands attached to a heavy duty hook on the wall (make sure the hook is secure to a wall stud) for arm exercises (sort of like a makeshift bow flex) or leg lifts.
• I have a couple of yoga mats for floor exercises.
• I also have a bosu ball for ab workouts, push-ups and a few other core exercises.
• I have a balancing bar for “dead lifts” and something called a “wedge” for stretching my hamstrings

THAT’S IT! Most of these items can be stowed away. The bosu and the bike are the only exceptions.

What equipment do you have in your home gym? How have you created an inspiring space to workout in?

Don’t Stumble! Exterior Lighting Really Is Important

When I walk into a movie theater and find the movie has already started, I have to wait in the back for a while until my eyes adjust. I have the same problem when I get out of a car. After the moments of saying my farewells with the overhead light on and step out into the dark, I must take a moment to find the steps and make sure nothing is in my way. I hate going bump in the night.

It is important to all of us to take the time to make our entryways better lighted so we can safely get in and out of our homes during the evening. Imagine our guests who don’t even know our landscaping trying to fumble down from the lighted foyer of your home down the sidewalk to their cars.

Landscape lighting allows for small pools of lighting to show us the way from the porch to the driveway. With today’s technology, most of these lights are solar powered and only come on during the night (or for those of us in the Midwest, a third of the winter under our typically cloudy skies).

Most of us rely on our overhead lights on the garage to light the rest of the way. Many times I find myself running down the hall to flip the switch for the garage lights as my guests are half way down the sidewalk. Motion sensors added to these lights would make the trip much more safe for guests coming and leaving without relying on someone to turn them on.

My home has a deck on the back and a long flight of steps leading to the yard. The lights for the deck do not illuminate the stairs and the light at the bottom does not reach the middle of the staircase. Rope light is an inexpensive method to add an additional glow in this area. We fastened rope lighting under the stair lip, which illuminates each stair. Other options would be under the bottom rail of the handrail. There are also solar powered step lights that can be fastened to a wall that provide light to navigate the stairs.

The illumination of your house number is also of importance to your guests and in case of an emergency. Make sure that the numbers have contrast against your home color (white numbers against navy blue house color, black numbers against beige house color) and provide lighting over them so they can be seen from the street.

What have you done to reduce your stumbling in the dark and illuminate your exterior?

Not Your Grandmother’s Chandelier – The Best and Brightest Modern Day Lighting Solutions

On a recent trip overseas I came across a trend that I’m just crazy about! Chandeliers in the bedroom.

I have always been a fan of drawing attention to ceilings and bringing a little glamour to the room in a house where we spend the majority of our time.

 This awesome mix of a traditional concept within a modern interior is totally intriguing and practical. Why not have something gorgeous and sparkly to look at before falling asleep?

It got me thinking about modern lighting in American interior bedrooms and what we can do to bring in glamour. I found Boushka, a lighting companyfocused on modern chandeliers. They used light projection, so patterns will appear on close-by vertical surfaces. They also use stranding – multiple strands hang from the interior of the fixture. I think their work is a great mix of traditional elements applied in a modern way. They have some all black fixtures that are very chic!

Modern chandeliers include “multi drop light” fixtures. They take up a large footprint on the ceiling, but they offer multiple bulbs that can be dimmed to create a multi-faceted glow.

These fixtures can be made from simply purchasing a single unit or by installing many fixtures on one ceiling. I think this becomes more of a lighting installation than a single chandelier. If you have a vaulted ceiling in your bedroom you could make this happen.

Use some traditional concepts in a new way and add some mood to the bedroom with new lighting. What do you have on your ceilings? Have you tried multiple lighting options in a single area?

Lighting as Art

With the use of LED’s, lighting designers are able to create using many more types of materials than before.

Architectural Lighting Works is using handmade paper encased within laminated glass to create sconces that seem more like glowing works of art than wall sconces of old. Because of LED’s (light emitting diodes), these elegant lighting devices can backlight the laminated glass. The variety of options for the laminated glass is seemingly endless, as any handmade paper can be encased within the laminated glass to create the style, color and pattern that you desire.

The recessed lighting fixtures come in 12” squares, 12” x 24” rectangles and 6” x 18” rectangles and only protrude 3 ½” from a wall. The surface mounted fixtures flat glass units also only protrude 3 ¼” and their rounded glass units only protrude 4” from the wall.

This is an important element when designing for public spaces. Designers for public spaces need to consider people who are visually impaired or those with walking impairments who may need a wall for stability.

Why have LED’s made this possible? LED’s produce less heat than an incandescent or MR16 lamp. When an incandescent lamp is on, approximately 90% of the power consumed by an incandescent lamp is emitted as heat versus visible light. The laminated glass would become too hot to touch if you accidentally bumped into the fixture to this design to work with incandescent lamps.

The other issue is size. Imagine how large a sconce of this type would have to be to allow for an incandescent lamp to be located within the housing of the fixture.

MR16 lamps are much smaller than an incandescent, but put out a great deal of heat. They were originally designed for use in slide projectors. The other issue for MR16 lamps is the need for a transformer to convert 120 or 240 voltages to 12 volts or low operating voltage. The requirements for placing a transformer with the area of small, very narrow boxes set in walls have not allowed for designers to be able to utilize some of the more decorative elements that we are now seeing.

As technology has developed we are now able to have elegant, stylistic lighting elements in our homes and workspaces that produce less heat, allow the lamps to last much longer and have lower energy consumption. As technology develops, this new LED lighting should become more affordable for all.

Can You See in Your Home? Important Design Considerations for Aging Eyes

Is someone you know or love finding it difficult to read in a favorite chair or navigate the stairs? The Illuminating Engineering Society and American Optometric Association have completed a study that discusses focused on the aging population’s lighting needs.

As we age, we need higher light levels. We can begin by increasing ambient lighting, the general lighting we have in our homes or offices.

Task lighting is is additional lighting that is added in areas where we read, scrapbook, do puzzles, or prepare our meals. It can be placed under cabinets, on the floor or on a table. These are especially important as the daylight decreases throughout the day.

We have accent lighting to draw attention to pictures, special collections we keep or architectural features.

As we age, it takes longer for our eyes to adjust to the change in light levels. The ambient light levels should be kept constant throughout the interior environment to reduce the risk of falls. Painting your walls in lighter colors can increase the ambient light levels in homes. Creating a contrast between horizontal kitchen counters and floors is also important for aging eyes.

Bathrooms can be an especially difficult space. If the light is above the mirror in a valance, it will create shadows, making it difficult for men to shave and women to apply make-up. If it’s possible, place lights on the sides of the mirrored wall area so the light illuminates the face. Having a mirror that you can walk up to rather than leaning over a sink counter is also beneficial for those with back issues.

Matte finishes in the bathroom can reduce glare. Good lighting over the bathtub or shower area will minimize accidents. Remember we are doing these activities without our glasses. Ease of access and exiting is important in these areas.

Closets are another source of frustration for the aging population. If you don’t have the proper lighting it is impossible to choose clothing that matches. This issue can be further aggravated by lamplight. Lamps that cast a true “daylight” color are best.

How many times have you had to walk out of your closet and hold your clothes up in the daylight to determine if it “goes together?” When looking for a lamp, purchase those marked 3500K and a color index of 80 or above.

Have you noticed the need for more light? What changes have you made in your home?

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