Category Archives: Sustainable Design

Feeling Bubbles

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I’ve always loved house plants and gardens ever since I was a child. My parents would slave from before the thaw, through to the late fall to maintain what could easily be our family’s pride and legacy, the garden. Many species of plant made their way into the garden and with time, my parents had taught me to grow my green thumb. We all had our fortes in the diverse range of plant life. I, who could breed orchid plants, cold not grow a simple pot of grass… My father grew giant pumpkins. My mother would make preserves and tomato sauce with 75 plants worth of tomatoes. Watering and weeding became regimental. But along with all of that work come the wonderful feelings of joy and pride in watching something that you care for grow. Ergo, I try to have as many plants as I can in my balconyless apartment.

I’ve had these clay figurines that were sentimental to me and therefore thought it would be a great idea to showcase them with greenery. So I brought them to my florist Sonia across the street. Together we decided to showcase them in glass bubbles dressed with succulents and mosses. The first two I had put together myself with the plants that she had recommended. But the third and largest one was entirely her creation.

She showcased the miniature temple and bridge in a beautiful micro landscape… This thing completely captivates me whenever my mom calls.

Now my kitchen has a beautiful touch of greenery without taking up any of my already scarce counter space. The figurines add a sense of scale to the plant life lending an element of fantasy. My guests are easily distracted whist I cook as well.

Thank you Sonia!

Teal

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As someone who impulsively rescues stranded furniture from the sidewalk, it’s no surprise that this is the third rescued coffee table to come through my living room.

I’ve always had a soft spot for all that is abandoned.

As a creative, it is almost always mandatory that our creativity be challenged when we see something being discarded. As if our intuition is communicating the fact that “this circumstance will simply not due” and now “it is your job to figure out how to save this and make it function / beautiful / and useful again.”

Sometimes, if we’re lucky enough, the makeover is purely cosmetic and only requires a little tender love.

But the question, isn’t simply how do we fix it. But how do we make it better along the process.

When taking on a project such as this, one must always be ready for the unexpected. Ergo, always proceed in stages before purchasing all your materials.

It’s ok to want to ‘one-stop-shop’ and gun to finish over the weekend, but it is also ok to take the time to enjoy the project and do the work properly without wasting too much money. This may be a seemingly obvious statement, but we tend to waste money when we rush. The perfect example…

From the moment that I saw this table I knew that I wanted to stain it in a blue color.

Now for those of you who need to be brought up to speed, this means that the table can only be stained if it’s made out of wood. Because only wood finishes can be stained. Thankfully I hadn’t bought the stain because as I was sanding it, I discovered that all four legs of this table were made of plastic…

So after losing my wind, I went to the hardware store, vetoed the stain and bought paint instead. I was urged by the paint specialist to use the Benjamin Moore Aura collection because it dries fast.

It dries a little too fast for my liking as I was half way through painting and it already started to tack before making my way across the top. But the opaque finish of the color did leave my table with a much more contemporary look that I had originally intended with the stain.

The teal color will now be the staple of a series of random blues, greens and turquoises that will start taking over my living room.

Now it has a much bolder presence and holds the middle of the room quite perfectly.

 

Bamboo Realness

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As I sat in front of my computer this morning I figured, what better place to start my interior design blog than ground zero… my desk.

I don’t mean to sound like Echo herself however… I’ve always found it tragic that the world creates, uses, and discards so much plastic. Just the thought of all the plastic office supplies that every single one of us goes through on a daily basis is truly concerning. I’m not saying that we should all ban pens and regress to the archaic HB Papermate but there is a very romantic alternative!

Onyx + Green

Onyx + Green is an ecological line by Onyx + Blue showcasing sustainable products. It is more specifically and conveniently a collection of office supplies involving pens, styluses, calculators, even a wireless computer mouse all made from bamboo.

When I first came across these products, I thought to myself, what a wonderful little wink to the environment.

Here is a little excerpt from their catalogue which is also a bounty of eco information:

“Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth. It is known to produce greater biomass and 30% more oxygen than a hardwood forest of comparable size, while improving watersheds, preventing erosion, restoring soil, providing sweet edible shoots and removing toxins from contaminated soil.”

Now how charming of an idea is that!? It looks and feels so natural, that on a wooden desk, they just seem to blend in seamlessly, as if they belonged there.

The wonderful thing is that if they ever break or run out, most pieces can be recycled, and the bamboo will not take 1000 years to decompose as the plastic does if thrown away.

Even their packaging is made from recycled carton with no use of plastics in most cases, papers and printed with soy based inks. The extent of intelligence put into all facets of these products it truly remarkable.

As an interior designer, it’s always a little challenging to dress a desk. Making a place of work enticing can only go so far… Not only do these beautiful tools help bring awareness, but they even manage to make the work a little fun!