ecofabulous

You're So Vain (So Are We)

Since we spend way more time in our bathrooms than we care to admit, Waterfall Bathroom designs has created a sophisticated way to go green. The Canadian company uses FSC-certified and formaldehyde-free wood and the lowest VOC paint possible for their sleek and stylish vanities, which combine modern and traditional tastes. Waterfall Bathroom’s optional countertops can be made from 100 percent 3-Form, which uses post-consumer recycled milk and detergent packaging. Or you can opt for CaesarStone, a quartz surface that adheres to high global environmental standards for production and materials. The line’s diverse style inspirations include a Chinese chest and a mailbox design, creating a collection with streamlined silhouettes that accommodate everyone from minimalists to those of us whose eco-friendly product obsession requires lots of glamorous drawers and storage.

Mod Rich Pod

Kiel Mead’s Apt Chair is sleek and modern. Aptly named, this simplistic piece of furniture may call to mind a pared down, bohemian lifestyle (or send you back to the 80's). Made from Richlite, a pulp material derived from certified managed forests, the chairs are then upholstered in organic cotton fabric from Mod Green Pod. Richlite is much more stable than wood so these would likely do well outside, though I would first treat the organic fabric with NexSystem's protective coating.

From Discarded to Dining

Unveiling contemporary, custom furnishings, the Moe Design Studio in New Mexico has taken what was once probably slated for landfill and turned it into timeless possessions for the home. Talk about extending a life! From such obscure places as a tobacco barn in Tennessee and an old textile mill in Massachusetts, discarded architectural elements are reshaped with non-toxic, eco-friendly adhesives and finished with materials mostly sourced through a local company, BioShield (see our recent post here). We've got our eye on the Olathe Table in particular; available with a variety of insertable tops (glass, stone or wood) and in reclaimed hickory or oak, this is a table easily influenced by your personal tastes, available from Vivavi. 

EcoCentric Wallpaper

Funky wallpaper is always a great conversation piece, and the goal of EcoCentric's newest line of wallpapers is to get people talking and thinking about the environment as well as interior design. The four stylistically diverse patterns are striking and inspiring without being overly obvious. “Rainforest” incorporates bold, brightly colored patterns in greens and browns to draw attention to agricultural issues in Latin America’s forests; “Eco Highway", patterned with futuristic cars that run on milk instead of gas, creats a fun atmosphere to communicate conscious design to kids; “Bittern” features fancifully arranged designs of the endangered bird of the same name; and “Fossil”, the most geometric and modern of the designs, was inspired by both the organic beauty of fossil footprints and a meditation on what our own footprints will likely be on the future. EcoCentric is wallpaper with a purpose: constructed out of material from FSC-certified forests, printed with water-based, VOC-free inks and reserving a portion of the sales from each roll to support Friends of the Earth, this is no ordinary paper!

What's the Repurpose of it all?

Had he not already had a side table, I would have gotten this for my son's nautically inspired room. It would also be chic in my tasting room...if I had a tasting room. I feel like writing about the reuse of wine barrels could be a little cliche, but if you like slightly rustic wood, this could be just the table you are searching for. After a couple years doing its job of imparting complexities unto fermenting grapes, these barrels generally find themselves tossed in landfills. This side table, handmade in Georgia, is a great example of finding a creative way to get the most out of something valuable - oak. What results is a well-crafted, salvage piece that honors the curvature of its predecessor.

Propelling Modern Eco-Design

Light fixtures that flatter CFLs can be difficult to find. That's why we were excited to find Propellor Design studio, in Vancouver, which has their own modern take on the ubiquitous chandelier with an inventive eco twist - inside and out. The Calvino is a grouping of seven pendants constructed from trusted Teragren bamboo (contributes toward LEED certification) with a 100% pure walnut oil finish and a canopy of upcycle-able aluminum, finished with natural linseed oil and beeswax. In addition, this fixture comes equipped with CFLs and is shipped in recycled packaging. It is sure to warm up any narrow space with a great deal of volume. I can see it illuminating a grand staircase...too bad I have a one -story!

Really Special Delivery

When I was setting up my first baby's room I scoured all of the the stores in my area and the web to find furniture that didn't compromise my aesthetics nor the health of my child. It was a futile experiment. Thankfully for any new ecofabulous moms, there are now a number of excellent options. Lullaboo line from Celery is firmly committed to providing nursery digs that are good for parents (think easy assembly with NO hardware needed), good for baby (healthy and safe) and good for the environment (no deforestation or nasty emissions here). Selecting bamboo with non-toxic adhesives and 100% recycled formaldehyde-free medium density fiberboard with zero to low-VOC finishes, you won't have to worry about damaging the Indoor Air Quality of perhaps the most important room in the house - the nursery. And it converts into an adorable bed for toddlers, extending its useful life! The Lullaboo Crib comes in quite a few color configurations and has complimenting accessories, such as the chic changing table, a kid-sized rocking chair and a modern take on the classic rocking horse. For an even earlier start, check out Celery's cool cradle. Celery focuses on creating great furniture but the website definitely leaves something to be desired, however, Lullaboo is easy to find on the web so I encourage you to buy from a dealer you trust and one that promises to deliver in time for your special delivery (with eco-packaging options, too)!

Building Bloxes

Get creative with Bloxes. Interlocking pieces of corrugated, recycled (and recyclable!) cardboard, Bloxes are easily pieced together. The folding system provides a strong support system, so they’re sturdy enough to use as a stool or a table. Reminiscent of construction toys we had growing up, Bloxes can connect to other pieces on each of their six sides. Let your imagination run wild and build anything and everything you can think of. Doesn’t work? Simply take it apart and try again. Bonus – Bloxes muffle sound, so feel free to build a wall to separate you and your noisy cubicle mate. Or, your noisy children, though it may end up the cause of new boisterousness.

Photograph: Rachelle Bowden

Uncage Your Whimsical Style

Woodson & Rummerfield interior design studio is an amazing resource for modern interpretations of period furniture. I have recently been wooed (or cooed) by their recycled/recyclable wallpapers, like the Victorian-inspired Bird Cages. Silkscreened using low-VOC vegetable-based inks and dyes, you can choose from White & Lime or  Pink & Ivory. These designers of the new PETA headquarters in Los Angeles play with the fabled romanticism of an empty bird cage without clipping any flights of fancy. If you are craving wallpaper with a different design, don't fret,  there are a plethora of other whimsical papers to please a variety of aesthetics. And while you are on the site, make sure to take a peek at their Hollywood glamorous furniture as well.

A Modern Take on Storage

In the newest from Izzy Design comes the Audrey collection - striking storage units that have countless possible configurations. Made from post-consumer recycled materials with non-VOC paints, the Audrey is GREENGUARD certified, meaning it's ensured to not compromise your Indoor Air Quality. Consider how important that is given that people spend  an average 90% of their time inside. To get organized in healthy, modern, and eco style, Audrey may be just the one for you.