Green Design

The advent of Green Design has actually been in place for as long as quality interior designers have appreciated timeless and well made pieces and utilized them in their designs.

The current Eco-design or sustainable design takes the concept further using renewable resources, products that do not off gas, and minimally impact the environment in the creation, production, and movement of goods to market.

Green Design does not have to be expensive design. I love using local artisans and craftsmen to create custom furnishings that will be what I deem “Generational” pieces. The pieces I create with my clients will be passed down to the next generation.

Perhaps a new fabric to cover the piece will be necessary, but the essential bones of the piece will withstand years of hard wear. Designing with hardwood, kiln dried frames and 8-way hand tied springs ensures that the pieces will stand the test of time.

Creating pieces locally boosts local economy as well as offsetting the environmental cost of importing furnishings from other states or countries. We save monetary costs by taking out the cost of freight.

Utilizing companies who work with sustainable goods is a must. My favorite fabric company is moving all of their operations into the eco-design phase. This includes how they do their billing and correspondence as well as the fibers that the fabrics are made from and the production of the fabrics.

Renewable bamboo flooring and furnishings are finding their way into the design marketplace. The texture creates a wonderful balance to certain designs.

Another company I work with uses found objects and recycled materials to create works of art. The local artists are always coming up with new and unusual ways to be prolific and conscious.

Companies I tend to stay away from include inexpensive Chinese imports that will find their way to the dump in 2-5 years. Cheap when it means replaced often does not mean inexpensive.

Consider spending money on a piece of furniture that breaks and needs to be replaced two times in 5 years or spending 1.75X as much on a quality piece that never needs to be replaced. Where is the cost value in purchasing the cheaply made piece? Where is the environmental value in placing more things in the landfill?

We need to become conscious consumers and begin to see our footprint on the earth. Good design, sustainable design will see us through many generations forward.

10 Jul 2008