Earth Day 2009: Green Design Issue Round-up
- Good Housekeeping’s Green House
- 5 Eco Friendly Paints
- 10 Eco Friendly Flooring Options
- 5 Best Eco Friendly Luxury Linens and Bedding
- Eco Friendly Latex Mattresses
- Salvaged Woods: History Made Anew
- Eco Friendly Candles
- Eco Friendly Bath Design
- Eco-Friendly Kitchen Design
- Good Housekeeping Green Seal of Approval
- Top 5 Eco Friendly Chairs: Green Design Takes A Fashionable Seat
- Top 12 Stylish Eco-Friendly Rugs – 2009
- Organic Blankets: Wrapped in Guilt-Free Comfort
- Eco-Friendly Decor: Love Your Home, Love Your Planet
- Eco-friendly Tiles: Choices abound for those wanting to Go “Green”
- Eco-Friendly Bedding
- 5 Tips For Buying Eco-Friendly Furniture
- Eco Chic in Bedroom Design
- Sitting Pretty in Eco-Style: Sofas
Good Housekeeping Green House
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Green House Master Bath |
Green House Parlor Floor Wet Bar |
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Green House Kitchen |
For it’s third annual “Green House” program Good Housekeeping has given an old, tired brownstone an eco-friendly renovation. This time Good Housekeeping teamed up with “LEED for Homes” an environmentally friendly certification program from the U.S. Green Building Council. The brownstone was renovated in the Summer of 2008 and soon after received the “LEED- Silver Certification, making it the most environmentally-friendly private home in New York City”, according to Good Housekeeping.
The Good Housekeeping Green House is a four-story brownstone on Harlem’s West 122nd Street – a chic, urban example of the newest lifestyle trends and family-friendly home design. The home features all of the key environmental hallmarks, including low-flow plumbing, skylights with solar panels, denim insulation, tankless hot water heaters, no-VOC paint, recycled hardwood flooring, a back yard designed by a landscape architect specializing in truly “green” gardens, and more. – Good Housekeeping
Rosemary Ellis, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping, describes the magazine’s responsibility to provide eco designing information, ideas and inspiration to its readers– including Good Housekeeping’s recent introduction of the Green Seal. The Good Housekeeping Green Seal of Approval will help consumers make informed decisions with regards to “Green” products.
More Information : Good Housekeeping Green Home Makeover
Environmentally Friendly products used in the Good Housekeeping Makeover (source Good Housekeeping):
- Bosch – kitchen appliances; washer and dryer
- CaesarStone – kitchen and bathroom countertops
- Culligan – water filtration system
- Diamond Cabinets –kitchen cabinetry
- EASYHEAT – under-floor radiant heat in the kitchen
- Fresh Aire Choice Paint – no-VOC wall paint
- Kohler – low-flow plumbing
- Lennox – HVAC
- Lennox Hearth Products – fireplaces
- MI Windows and Doors – all windows
- Noritz – tankless hot water system
- Shaw Floors – all hardwood floors and floor coverings
- Velux – solar sky lights
Images courtesy: Good Housekeeping
Read More »5 Eco Friendly Paints
- Sherwin Williams Harmony (sherwin-williams.com)
- Benjamin Moore Natura (benjaminmoore.com)
- Lowes Olympic (lowes.com)
- Certa Pro (certapro.com)
- Green Planet Paints (greenplanetpaints.com)
10 Eco Friendly Flooring Options
- Cork
- Bamboo
- Salvaged Woods
- Recycled Glass
- Recycled Nylon
- Wool
- Cotton
- Sisal
- Sea Grass
- Silk
Cindy Crawford Home at JC Penney
Fresh off her successful run with the Cindy Crawford furniture collection for Rooms To Go, Cindy Crawford will now be lending her famous name and fashion style to a line of home decor, bedding, bath accessories, rugs, wall decor and furniture for J.C. Penney. According to sources at J.C. Penney, The Cindy Crawford Style collection will be moderately priced with a queen comforter set ranging between $170 and $180 and decorative pillows starting at $24. The Cindy Crawford Style collection for J.C. Penney is expected to debut in stores in September.
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| Cindy Crawford Style Lighting | Cindy Crawford Style Furniture |
5 Best Eco Friendly Luxury Linens and Bedding
Luxury organic bedding made The Decorating Diva.com’s “Hot 10 Home Decor Trends for 2009”. In that trend report we highlighted the fact that sleeping Green meant silken comfort as organic bedding manufacturers introduced Earth friendly linens that felt and had the appearance of high-end silks – from designers like Anna Sova who’s beautiful eco-bedding collection comes in at number one . Anna Sova’s eco-silk dupioni bedding collection is fair labor-made without resorting to the use of harmful, toxic fertilizers, petrochemical pesticides, formaldehyde, heavy metal or azo dyes and silicone sizing.
In our “Luxury Linens Organically Good” we highlighted the number two, three and five best eco-linens winners: Amenity Home (#2) and Maliaka (#4 and #5). Both of these eco bedding manufacturers prove that organically made linens can be beautiful, free of toxic chemicals and bursting with color. Malaika’s beautifully embroidered linens, in addition to being earth friendly, are crafted and embroidered by underprivileged Egyptian women – giving them the opportunity to better their lives and that of their families and community.
SDH Linens secures the number four spot with their Purists Collection. The Purists collection bedding is made without any chemical ingredients – no bleach, no formaldehyde, chemical based dyes or finishes. The Purist linen collections utilize all natural fibers including: Egyptian cotton, linen/cotton, silk, cashmere and SDH’s proprietary Legna fiber.
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| 1. Anna Sova Dupioni Silk Bedding |
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| 2. Cream + Lavender Organic Bloom – Amenity Home Bedding |
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| 3. Orange Naniwa Linens - Malaika Collection |
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| 4. SDH Linens Purist Collection (Jasmine). |
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| 5. Blossom Linens – Malaika Collection |
Images and Resources: SDH Linens, Malaika (Luxe-Brands), Anna Sova, Amenity Home
Read More »Decorating Spotlight: MattAndShari.com
Decorating enthusiasts will be happy to know that the talented hosts and creators of Home and Garden Television’s (HGTV) “Room By Room” show, Matt Fox and Shari Hiller, now have a fantastic decorating and DIY website, mattandshari.com.
Recently, we caught up with Matt and Shari and asked them a few questions regarding MattAndShari.com.
THE DECORATING DIVA.com: The economic downturn has affected home dwellers nationwide and globally. I’m constantly hearing from readers that they miss the days when decorating, design and craft shows were educational, inspirational and helped them create a beautiful home on a budget they could afford. Tell me how mattandshari.com can educate, inspire and help our readers create the home of their dreams.
MATT AND SHARI: Yes, we are all being affected by this economic downturn. We see the same thing with fewer shows on TV that show people HOW to do projects around the house that are of VALUE. That’s why right now, mattandshari.com is even that much more important to know about. Matt and I have taken all our knowledge, our understanding of budgets, and our willingness to help people get the home they are dreaming about and put those efforts into mattandshari.com. It actually makes more sense than watching the projects on TV. On mattandshari.com, you can come to the site at YOUR convenience. You can download the projects YOU are interested in, and you can stay as long as you like and visit as often as you want.
THE DECORATING DIVA.com: I love the Matt and Shari TV (MSTV) on-demand DIY, decorating and crafting videos at mattandshari.com. Many of our readers are a bit frustrated with the various design networks running non-design/decorating/crafting shows and will be excited to have access to videos that get back to the basics.
a. What type of programming can our readers expect to find at mattandshari.com?
MATT AND SHARI: The programming at mattandshari.com is all about the viewer. We have an area on our site called “Ask Matt and Shari”. In this spot you can request information and many of our videos are created to answer the questions people have asked. We have everything from the step by step process of decorating to how to paint, there are no-sew projects, crafts, fun for kids & family, even cooking videos!
b. How often is new programming added? And how can our readers be alerted to new content or MSTV videos (email subscription, RSS or both)?
MATT AND SHARI: Just like a monthly magazine, mattandshari.com has new material every four weeks. Our projects and articles follow the seasons and are practical and meaningful for whatever time of the year it is. There are approximately half a dozen new videos and a dozen new articles of information each month. Our new monthly e-newsletter, starting for April will alert members that new information is on the site and it will alert them of new contests, coupons and any mattandshari news.
c. Are there specific primers for first-time decorators that you would recommend?
MATT AND SHARI: We always suggest that folks take on only one project at a time, thus our show title “room by room”. Too many folks take on too many projects and get overwhelmed. Also, the first thing to consider is to remove all the clutter, if you haven’t used something in a year, gets rid of it by donating it to a friend and or charity or recycles the item. As far as getting started, we suggest they start with an inspiration piece, such as a piece of art, fabric or an item that can help you select color, style and mood for a room. The Decorating Planner that we offer to members is a great resource for the first-time decorator as well.
THE DECORATING DIVA.com: The internet creates a sense of immediacy and a level of interactivity that is lacking from television. For example blogs have opened up the dialog between the content producer (editor, video producer, writer etc) and their readership/viewership. The mattandshari.com feature “Ask Matt and Shari” allows site visitors to submit decorating, design or craft questions and have them expertly addressed by Matt and/or Shari. Can visitors also submit photos and/or videos? Are the questions answered by email or posted online?
MATT AND SHARI: Our Ask Matt and Shari feature is very popular. The questions are either answered directly by e-mail, or they are answered in an Ask Matt & Shari video segment that we produce about every other month. We would love visitors to submit photos of their projects or projects they have tried from the site. At this time, we are not taking videos from visitors, but that is something we are considering.
THE DECORATING DIVA.com: I see that the free “Decorating Project Planner” comes with account registration. What other features and benefits come with account registration? Newsletter? Does this include sneak peeks at upcoming articles and videos?
MATT AND SHARI: When you register an account or create one, you become a member of mattandshari.com. Currently, this entitles you to the free Decorating Project Planner, you are automatically put on our e-newsletter mailing list, you have certain articles, project sheets, and videos that are available only to members and more great benefits are coming.
THE DECORATING DIVA.com: Where else can our readers catch up with Matt and Shari? Twitter, Facebook, special appearances etc?
MATT AND SHARI: Shari and I have a fan Facebook page and we Tweet as well at our Twitter page they can also find where we are appearing at our appearance page.
Check out MattandShari.com for a wide range of decorating, crafting, sewing, DIY and lifestyle articles and on-demand videos(via MSTV). Read More »
Eco Friendly Latex Mattresses
Natural Latex, a product of the rubber tree, is organic, renewable and sustainable. Contains no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). VOCs can off-gas and lead to health issues in those with a predilection to chemical sensitivities.
A unique characteristic of a natural Latex mattress is its ability to spring back to form and to provide an extraordinary surface that molds to your body’s every curve. Latex mattresses do not have the spring coils often associated with traditional mattresses– so waking up with pains and aches will be a thing of the past. Allergy sufferers will delight in knowing that natural latex mattresses are hypoallergenic. Natural latex is resistant to mildew, mold and dust mites. Natural latex is made of millions of self-ventilating interconnected cells giving the latex mattress the ability to keep you cool, comfortable and dry on even the hottest evenings.
Most eco friendly natural latex mattresses come with equally Green mattress covers. Depending on the mattress vendor the cover options may include: bamboo, wool, and cotton.
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| Simmons Natural Care Latex Foam Mattress (Pike’s Peak). The Pike’s Peak luxury mattress features the best natural latex available, Talalay. In addition to the highest quality natural latex material, the Pike’s Peak mattress provides a firm seating edged composed of soy enhance foam. The Evenloft (TM) Design provides for a very even sleeping surface which can contribute to a better night’s sleep. |
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| Organic Mattress from Savvy Rest. Savvy Rest lets you customized your organic bedding experience, you can choose from 2, 3 or 4 layers of natural latex (your choice of Dunlop latex or Talalay latex) wrapped in organic cotton or wool. |
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| Cloud Mattress from Natura World made of an eco-balanced combination of natural latex and natural soy foam encased in an eco-friendly and hypoallergenic wool lining covered in a soft cotton blend. |
Images and resources: Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo, Savvy Rest, Natura World
Read More »Salvaged Woods: History Made Anew
Inherent in the use of reclaimed woods is the potential to protect the Earth from further deforestation, however that’s not the only reason to consider salvaged wood products for your home or next remodeling project. Salvaging woods and other materials from old buildings destined for demolition is clearly a labor of love by those who seek to recover materials rich with history and for the homeowner wishing to impart a piece of history to their home.
Many of the wood floors being stripped from properties slated for deconstruction are unique in a way that modern woods can not be – many of those woods were allowed to grow old, and gain characteristics that are not found in today’s harvested woods which are often cut down when they reach a certain age. Woods with these age-imbued distinct markings and visual history have been in high demand. Initially as replacement floors, joists and beams in historical building restoration projects, and then in the luxury home market as home owners paid premiums for wood flooring salvaged from buildings or 100 year old logs. In some cases, rare, nearly extinct species of wood have been recovered from deconstructed properties. In the past, those woods along with other materials from scraped buildings and homes would find their way to landfills today they are a treasured gem awaiting salvage and reuse.
Reclaimed woods salvaged from homes, mills and other commercial buildings built before 1941 and with little historical significance are being transformed into new furniture thanks in part to the efforts of companies like Turning House Furniture. Turning House Furniture plans to debut its new line of Green furniture crafted from salvaged woods at the Spring 2009 Highpoint Market. The furniture line will consist of three collections (Summer House, Fresh Heritage and Belgian Modern) containing about 100 furniture pieces designed by Caroline Hipple and Dixon Bartlett.
Read More »Eco Friendly Candles
Soy candles reign supreme in the world of eco friendly candles. Soy is a renewable and sustainable resource, biodegradable, water soluble , clean burning and non-toxic. Soy wax candles last longer than their less eco-friendly counterparts, the paraffin wax candle, since they burn at lower temperatures.
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| KOBO Anisette Orange Pure Soy Candle – hand poured soy wax, organic essential oils and clean burning lead-free cotton wick make KOBO candles safe for the home and the planet. |
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| Green Wisteria Soy Candle by For Every Body (FEB). FEB was started by Becky Anderson back in 1995 as a result of Becky’s concerns regarding the many harsh chemicals found in bath and body products. Her quest for safer and all-natural products resulted in a product line of organic and natural products “For The Home” (candles in this case ) and for personal use. FEB products can be found nationwide at the following retailers: Kohl’s, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Zellers. |
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| Soy Inspiration Crisp Cotton by Soy Basics. Soy Basics is one of the leaders in the earth friendly home fragrance industry and does not engage in animal testing of their products. |
Images and resources: KOBO Retail locations, For Every Body, Soy Inspirations candles
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