Incorporating Interiors with Eco-Conscious Intentions

With product partnerships being created along the way, including interiors such as tile, paint, flooring and furnishings is an evolving task with an eco-friendly emphasis.

By Carrie Peltzer

The new generation of home building and merchandising incorporates environmentally sound and healthful green furnishings and materials into your home. Some say this is much like eating a healthy diet. If the pieces we choose to put into our home are organic, untreated and made of natural materials, they must be better for you, your family, our planet and the people who created them — much like that of a fresh, healthy diet.

The ABC Green Home brings this theory to life. In the home's entrance, the muted color palette of lichen, soapstone, mineral and linen define and adorn your senses, reflecting the subtlety of nature as what I would like to describe as an "Haute Bungalow". The engineered and handscraped wood floors by Mohawk flooring set against the pearly white moldings create a sense of warmth. This timeless floor and wall treatment reflects the nostalgia of yesterday's bungalow. All the paint colors in the home are from Glidden Paint's Lifemaster line which contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The foyer leads to the flex space made into the den where Glidden's Gravel Pit paint color brightens the room. Mohawk's Smart Strand Technology carpet adds texture and balance. This carpet offers environmental benefits through its use of ingredients made from corn sugar. Thirtyseven percent of the carpet fiber comes from renewably sourced ingredients that replace petroleum. Yet, there are no compromises with incredible softness and unbeatable stain protection, making our floorcovering choice simple and credible.

The kitchen brings several of the Universal Design components and a large open space for family gatherings. Beautiful slab counters and glass backsplash compliments of Dal Tile, make the room feel clean and updated. The glass front cabinets make it easier for all family members to easily view what's behind the doors. The many drawers, instead of doors with pullouts, as well as removable front panel on sink area reinforce the Universal Design elements in this space. The ENERGY STAR fans here — and throughout the home — offers a reversible motor for year-round comfort and air flow. The stainless appliances by Whirlpool update the kitchen with the latest in green technology. The design process specifically placed the microwave in the lower cabinet space for easy access for family memebers, adding to the Universal Design features.

Creating a calm space to rejuvenate the master bedroom incorporates Glidden's cool accent paint color on the back wall grounds the space well. The floor space easily warrants a king-size bed with great storage on each side. The barn-like door to the closet updates the look and creates more room in the closet for usable wardrobe space. The master bath is inviting with Dal Tile's stone and stunning glass tile which accentuates the room as if we stepped into nature. Fixtures by Design House reinforce the Universal Design attributes of the home with the contemporary single lever style faucets.

The home's secondary bedrooms emphasize the large windows situated congruently with the furnishings drenching the rooms with natural light, reducing the need for artificial light sources during the daytime. The window treatments, in addition to minimizing solar gain in the summer and maintaining warmth in the winters, lend a linen texture and accentuate the windows in all spaces.

The secondary bathroom and laundry room include Dal Tile's flooring and countertop materials. The laundry room's many large open cabinets create sensible storage for the entire family. This allows for bulk item storage for our growing families.

As the ABC Green Home continues to flourish, the furniture in the home is made mostly of sustainable, non-toxic materials. Incorporating eye-catching, ecofriendly fabrics on sofas and chairs lend interest and keep the experience interesting and the home warm. The reclaimed wood tables accent the clean-lined furnishings to deliver that of rejuvenated style and continue the green theme. We are fortunate to have IKEA as a product partner in this high performance craftsman-style home. The furnishings will reflect IKEA's simplicity and sense of practicality of today's environmentally-conscious family.

The ABC Green Home reminds us all how easily we can improve the health, comfort and performance of our society as well as reduce the operating costs and protect the ever-changing environment through our green products and practices, reinforcing the theory that less is more.

Carrie Peltzer is president and creative director of Venture One Design Interiors Inc. She may be contacted at carriepeltzer@cs.com.