5 Eco Friendly Chairs: Green Design Takes A Fashionable Seat

When I set out to write about eco friendly chairs, I first thought about spotlighting pieces that were new and crafted from sustainable materials like cork and bamboo. There were plenty to choose from, some were beautiful while others, well, as they say only their creator could find them attractive but none seemed to tug at my heart strings. Then I remembered how excited I was when I spoke to Huda Bari of Bokja Designs.  Bokja Designs crafts beautiful, environmentally friendly contemporary furniture from vintage textiles-creating the new from that with a history.

I’ve also been an outspoken proponent of using what you have interior styling since my early decorating days  so it was only natural for me to embrace flea market, garage sale  and estate auction finds. I would relish in the knowledge, that an ugly, beat up chair with multiple holes and the stuffing poking out  like a discarded stuffed animal could be transformed over a  few weekends into a stately beauty with a few coats of paint, fresh stuffing/cushion foam and new upholstery.Back in those days,  I was a cash strapped teenager with  time and creativity as my only resources, and unbeknown to me,  I was designing and creating eco-chic decor – thanks to my economic status.And decoration  inspiration In these economically trying times with so many bantering about phrases like  “ credit crunch chic” and “recessionista style”  seems to be just what we all need.

With that in mind, I think you will be clearly inspired with these beautiful and stylish chairs that have a history, are eco-friendly and from a design perspective – have the inherent ability to inspire.

1. Bokja chair I spotted at Design Miami/. It captured my design soul.  This contemporary styled eco-friendly chair is more than a pretty face  – it has a spirit deeply rooted in tradition. You see, all Bokja designed furniture is crafted from opulent, embroidered vintage textiles rich with the color, patterns and history of Central Asian culture.The creative design team of Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri of Bokja Designs love their craft and each one-of-a-kind  eco-friendly piece (crafted by local artisans) shows their deep love for historically inspired contemporary design – perhaps that’s why the designing duo behind Bokja designs have a loyal following among design aficionados and Hollywood stars including Salma Hayek,  Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock.

2.  Jeffry by Chair Couture – One-of-a-Kind 1940s vintage armchair painted in an ivory lacquer and eco-dressed in a refreshing aqua material.

3.   Floribunda Chair by BluGirl Art (photo credit: Dan Minicucci). The Floribunda is a wicker armchair that has been given a second life with a bold, red lacquer finish and dressed up in an eco-savvy  floral printed cotton twill  fabric splashed with a a color palette that embodies the natural beauty of Florida – from her turquoise waters to her citrus groves and her unforgettable pink tinted sunsets.The chair also comes with an environmentally friendly stain protection courtesy of VECTRA, the eco-safe alternative to Scotchguard. 4.  Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen available through Bond & Bowery.  This iconic Mid Century Modern chair and the number five pick below illustrate why buying vintage furniture and antiques with a defined sense of history and timeless beauty  is the pinnacle of  stylish eco decorating. 5. Barrel Chair from 1stdibs.  This 1950s era beauty fits nicely into the Hollywood Regency style – currently a hot trend now.

All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown.

Green Christmas Gift Guide 2009

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Meyda Venice Collection of Cut Wine Bottle Pendants – Eco Chic Lights

Meyda’s Cut Wine Bottle Pendants breath new life into old wine bottles. The Wine Bottle Pendant lights are created by cutting off the bottle necks and refitting the remaining portion of the wine bottle to function as a light.

The cylindrical shape gives these unique, and eco-friendly lights a modern feel. We like the blue (on far right) and the clear pendant lights (on far left) and think they would be well suited for over a counter, bar or a dining room table (several of the pendant lights).

Images copyright of respective companies.

Home Decor Buyer Resource: Meyda

Eco-Friendly Kitchen Design

KITCHEN CABINETS

Eco friendly wood cabinets are easier than ever to find .  Bamboo is a wildly popular material for kitchen cabinets. Though not truly a wood – it’s a grass plant – it does have the look, feel and strength of wood.  Salvaged wood cabinets are seeing a renaissance of sorts. Homeowners looking to add a bit of history to their homes as well as being eco sensitive are looking to the past for cabinet materials. FSC certified woods harvested from sustainable forests provide the option of beautiful hardwoods without damaging the earth.

Look to manufacturing processes in kitchen cabinet production – steer clear of kitchen cabinets produced with environmentally damaging practices including the use of Volatile Organic Compounds,(VOCs) , Formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals.

KITCHEN LIGHTING

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and fluorescent lights are the best  energy saving options for lighting your kitchen and home.  Kichler Lighting offers the prestigious  “Lighting for Tomorrow Award” winner Design Pro LED Cabinet Lighting (shown above) an innovative and easy to install under cabinet lighting  – whether you choose to DIY the install with the Kichler Cabinet kit or hire out the installation to a pro.  The Kichler LED Cabinet lights provide a bright, warm, white light that shows your kitchen off beautifully,  is a non-heat producing light that uses 75 percent less energy than incandescent lighting, and best of all LEDs are long lasting. On average the Kichler Design Pro LED Cabinet lights will last over 20 years. Kichler also offers incredibly slim and stylish LED discs (shown on left)  that can be used inside kitchen cabinets to provide additional illumination or for under-cabinet lighting  – the choice is yours.

KITCHEN APPLIANCES

Kitchen appliances including refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers can be extravagant energy wasters. Focus your energy and budget on replacing your old kitchen appliances with Energy Star rated products – doing so will pay off for your personal finances with long term savings, and while you’re saving money you will also be helping better the planet with the reduction of your household’s carbon footprint.

The Whirlpool Resource Saver refrigerator (shown on left) is an attractive eco-friendly addition to your kitchen, The Resource Saver beats Energy Star standards by 10 percent – generating power that is the equivalent of a 60-watt light bulb.   The Resource Saver refrigerator is one of several environmentally friendly appliances in Whirlpool’s Eco Kitchen collection which includes a dishwasher that uses a third less water, and an energy-savvy stove that “intelligently” enters a sleep mode to conserve energy.

KITCHEN FLOORING

Linoleum, glass tiles, salvaged stones or recycled flooring materials are perfect eco-kitchen flooring options. Linoleum is a biodegradable natural flooring material that is affordable, strong and easy to keep clean – a must in the kitchen. Recycled  flooring materials like the Ann Sack’s Trend Q collection (shown on left) is created from  up to 72 percent post-consumer waste and comes in a number of gorgeous color combinations. Salvaged stones and ceramics while an expensive environmentally-savvy option are the ultimate in recycling and repurposing. If you decide to use salvaged materials in your kitchen, then seek local sources as opposed to buying salvaged flooring that will require significant transportation.

KITCHEN WALLS

Walls can be painted with low VOC paints (Sherwin Williams’ Harmony paints, Ben Moore’s Aura paints, Certa Paint Pros and Lowes’ Olympic paints), covered with organic, handcrafted  wallpaper or tiled with gorgeous eco friendly tiles made from renewable resources like glass.

If you can find it , Natura by Ben Moore (recently debuted nationwide – ask your Ben Moore retailer)  is the Green Living enthusiasts best option for wall paint:  it has zero volatile organic compounds, is almost odorless, comes in a range of stylish colors and provides a long lasting finish.

If tile is more your style, then consider installing Bedrock Industries’ Blazestone tiles  (shown on left) which are handmade from post-industrial and post-consumer glass – with no added oxides or colorants.

KITCHEN COUNTER SURFACES

Concrete, recycled glass, salvaged stones and surface materials produced from post-consumer and post-industrial products provide a variety of counter top options. Ann Sacks’ Trend Q (shown on right) engineered flooring material previously highlighted in the eco-friendly kitchen flooring section can also be used for counter surfaces and wall covering.

Images courtesy of Whirlpool, Ann Sacks, Kichler Lighting, Bedrock Industries,

Eco Friendly Bath Design

BATHROOM CABINETRY

As is the case with eco kitchen design, there are numerous wonderful, eco friendly cabinetry options for the bathroom. Vanity Flair, a Canton, Georgia manufacturer of bathroom furniture, has crafted an environmentally friendly vanity and medicine cabinet made from Bamboo plywood (Plyboo).  The contemporary styled  Avalon bathroom vanity (shown below) provides stylish storage in an eco-savvy fashion.

PLUMBING FIXTURES

Napola dual flush toilet by Wasauna (shown on left) solves the dilemma often associated with environmentally safe toilets – low flow flush.  Those low flow toilets sort of defeat the purpose of being environmentally friendly if one has to flush them repeatedly. Another great option in the eco-toilet category is from TOTO. TOTO has three categories of high efficiency flushing toilets that provide a1.28 (water) gallon per flush: Dual Double Cyclone Flushing System, E-Max Flushing System and Dual-Max Flushing System. A typical non-high efficiency toilet uses on average 5.5 gallons per flush, and according to TOTO for “a household of 3.2 people over 365 days” that equates to 32,120 gallons of water used. Replacing the non efficient toilet with a high efficiency toilet can add up to a water savings of 24,665 gallons per year – leaving a positive impact on your household budget and the environment.

BATHROOM ACCESSORIES

Some of the eco bath designs discussed here have a sizeable expense associated with them. So what to do if you want to Green  your bathroom but a bathroom remodeling or new plumbing fixtures aren’t in your home’s future?  You can still Green the bathroom by decorating with eco friendly bathroom decor like the sophisticated. black and white Patrick McMullan “So 80s Studio 54”  PEVA shower curtain (shown on left)  from Izola Shower.  The shower curtain is made from PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate) instead of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) , is biodegradable and durable. According to the Healthy Building Network, the critical difference between PEVA and PVC is the chlorine molecule – absent in the PEVA. The Healthy Building Network notes that :

Chlorine is the source of many of the environmental health concerns with PVC, such as the generation of dioxin, a highly carcinogenic chemical produced in both the manufacture and disposal of PVC. Due to its persistent and bioaccumulative nature (it travels long distances without breaking down and concentrates as it moves up the food chain to humans) dioxin has become a global problem and an international treaty – the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) – now prioritizes the elimination of processes that produce dioxin.

Some of the non chlorinated vinyls (EVA, PEVA, PVA and PVB) are now beginning to be used as direct substitutes for PVC.

TILES

The hand-made glass tiles from  Bonfire Glass Tile (sample of tile colors shown above) are made from 90 percent post-industrial recycled materials.  The recycled glass tiles are available in numerous patterns and designs. Custom tiles for the bath or kitchen can be commissioned.

Image credits and  resources:  Vanity Flair, Wasauna, TOTO, Izola Shower, Healthy Building Network, Bonfire Glass Tile.

Good Housekeeping Green House

Green House Master Bath	Green House Parlor Floor Wet Bar

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 122^nd 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

5 Eco Friendly Paints

1. Sherwin Williams Harmony (sherwin-williams.com)
2. Benjamin Moore Natura (benjaminmoore.com)
3. Lowes Olympic (lowes.com)
4. Certa Pro (certapro.com)
5. Green Planet Paints (greenplanetpaints.com)

10 Eco Friendly Flooring Options

1. Cork
2. Bamboo
3. Salvaged Woods
4. Recycled Glass
5. Recycled Nylon
6. Wool
7. Cotton
8. Sisal
9. Sea Grass
10. Silk

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.

1.  Anna Sova Dupioni Silk Bedding

2.  Cream + Lavender Organic Bloom – Amenity Home Bedding

3.  Orange Naniwa Linens -  Malaika Collection

4.  SDH Linens Purist Collection (Jasmine).

5.  Blossom Linens – Malaika Collection

Images and Resources: SDH Linens,  Malaika (Luxe-Brands), Anna Sova, Amenity Home

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.

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.

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.

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