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On Saturday I was quoted as a Green Expert in the Sun News in an article by Elaine Gaston. It included some easy tips and you might be surprised that you have already incorporated some into your home. Give the article a peak and let me know what you’ve done to Green Up your space by commenting below! 
~Lorrie
10 Ways to Save the Environment and a Few Bucks
The Dominica Rectangular End Table from Green Culture has lovely carved details in a stunning mahogany finish. Eco-Friendly Factor: It's made of sustainably harvested wood.
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As an interior designer, I keep my knowledge current by taking continuing education classes each year. A wonderful benefit of the Internet is that cutting-edge classes that used to require travel and time away from my office in Wellington, Florida are now offered as online seminars like the one I am going to tell you about…
I just completed an intensive course in sustainability and received my certification as an Accredited Professional from the Sustainable Furnishings Council. The course is approved by the Rainforest Alliance, World Wildlife Fund and one of the co-founders of US Green Building Council /LEED. The course focuses specifically on residential furnishings and other interior design issues.
It provided a lot of detailed information on the environmental issues affecting our choices and the wide range of product solutions, most of which don’t cost any more than ordinary ones. It’s simply a matter of knowing the right places to look and the right questions to ask.
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Organic cotten draperies from The Antique Drapery Rod company. 52" wide panels - 30% off while supplies last!
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I am thrilled by how much of an impact we could all make by the choosing sustainable furnishings for our homes. You might picture that sustainable furnishings all have a modern or tropical (think Bamboo) look but that simply isn’t so! There are so many options our there and it’s all about the how a company sources and manfactures its products. Where they get their wood, how they process it and what types of fabrics do they use?
From Classic to Modern styles, there is a world of Sustainable options to explore in My Secret Database. When you Search by Style, one of your choices is Eco-Friendly, so click that button and check it out! I plan on sharing all I have learned as well as showing you some fantastic Green furnishigns here at My Design Secrets. So don’t be shy if you have a question. Just drop me a note and we will all start going Green together!
Join My Secret Database Today and start searching for Eco-Friendly Furnishings for Your Home!
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I get loads of questions about paint and I certainly understand why. It’s one of the easiest ways to make a bold design statement on a budget. Color is usually King but now I am suggesting that you make content Queen. This is what I mean…
I always recommend that you go with a “Low VOC” or “No VOC” paint. Volatile Organic Compounds (aka VOC’s) are the chemical compounds that make your room smell bad on Day 1 and then quietly emit noxious chemicals into the air over the years. I whole-heartedly recommend Benjamin Natura Paint. I have used it in my home so I can promise you that it’s durable, fast-drying and has no odor. It’s available in more than 3,000 Benjamin Moore colors and it’s available locally so that helps too. So I was interested when I saw this piece by Stephen Treffinger in the New York Times, testing out some of these non-toxic paints. He got down to business and tried them out himself. Click below to read the article. It’s very well done Short and to the point.
Finally, Good-Looking Nontoxic Paint?
I urge you to try a low-VOC paint on your next project. You get what you pay for with paint. For a small investment you will get better coverage and you can sleep in your room that very night without getting a headache!
I started My Design Secrets more than a year ago with one goal in mind: Help people who love home decorating by giving them professional advice and easy access to the best online interior decorating sources. After receiving a lot of wonderful feedback and learning that close to 100,000 people visted the database last year, I realized that My Secret Database was the answer to many of your decorating prayers! So, I was determined to continue sharing my interior design advice and resources.
A couple of months ago, I announced that we would be making some upgrades to the website. Now, the time has come! We wanted to make My Design Secrets even more useful, interesting, and fun for all of you decorating enthusiasts. (And for those of you who don’t know, my husband, Tim, is the what turns “me” into “we”.)
So, here is what’s in store…
The new database is PHENOMENAL. When it comes to home decorating, My Secret Database blows any search engine out of the water. Take that Google! Here’s why:
*While we wanted to keep doing all this for free, a girl has got to make a living! With all these great new features, we are confident that you will recognize what a great value it is. So starting this Wednesday at noon, My Secret Database is going to become a membership only site. We are sure you will agree that the nominal charge of $9.95 per month is a fair price for access to this incredibly valuable, time-saving database.
The blog will continue to be free of charge and will offer my professional design tips as well as introductions to some of the hottest new decorating sources on the web. I have lots of great ideas for new topics and, as always, you are welcome to make suggestions. Feel free to search my existing blog entries covering over 350 decorating topics!
We know you all love a Great Giveaway, so those are definitely going to continue. We have some great ones lined up for high quality paint, gorgeous home furnishings, and fabulous interior decorating/design books. And remember, your paid membership will automatically enter you into the giveaways.
I have appreciated your support over the last year and sincerely hope that you will find these upgrades very helpful as you continue to put your personal decorating stamp on your home.
~ Lorrie
One of my favorite prints is Ocean Breezes. A more classic take on the brown and blue combo with both colors having a gently worn feeling.
My Design Secrets is the perfect outlet for my obsessive habit of collecting decorating sources. Even with a busy design practice, and the homes of my friends and family, I still have overflowing amounts of advice and sources that are here for the taking! Today I stumbled onto a site that makes me giddy. Saffron Marigold carries exotic, handmade, eco-friendly bedding and linens that are bursting with gorgeous colors and good Karma to boot!
A versatile tablecloth that goes from everyday to festive and then just throw it in the wash.
This black and white shower curtain lends some modern flair to this traditional paisley.
The owner, Anisha, is a girl after my own heart. She has a Masters degree in Human Resources but her love of Indian Textiles was so overwhelming that it led her to create Saffron Marigold. It’s a small business run out of Petaluma, California that has a large heart that extends over the Indian Ocean and into Pune, India where the magic happens. All of their products are hand-crafted according to traditional block printing techniques and each piece is an original work of art distinguished by the work of the artisan, the particular lot of dye, and even varying weather conditions. They work with a couple of artisan studios with whom they have a close relationship. They visit the studios to make sure they follow Fair Trade practices that Saffron Marigold values, as well as helping the craftspeople become more economically self-sufficient.
These white lace curtain panels are perfect for a soft touch that's a bit more sophisticated than most country curtains.
A 17" x 17" pillow cover is only $19.99. This is the most stylish sofa makeover bargain you are going to get!
With a broad selection of bedding, shower curtains, table linens, pillow covers, and sheer curtains you are sure to find something to spice up your home. Cool blue and turquoise, spicy saffron and cinnamon, and breezy white on white. You can shop by the item or by prints with names like Lavender Dreams, Paisley Au Lait or Memories of Shalimar. You will enjoy browsing the site and the fantastic prices are a wonderful bonus.
Enjoy!
~Lorrie
A British company named "olli & lime" created the "George" pattern you see above. It's meant for kids, but with a color described as "milk chocolate", I have decided it's good for adults too! It's printed on paper made from sustainably harvested wood.
As I start using more eco-friendly paint on my projects, it has really gotten me thinking about wallpaper, too. Unfortunately, many wallpapers are vinyl and can off-gas harmful compounds into your home for years to come. Plus the adhesives, inks, and finishes can be hazardous as well. The good news is that fantastic eco-friendly wall-covering designs are popping up every day so you can have the beauty of wallpaper without the concern of harmful chemicals in your home.
I hope you consider an eco-frendly wallcovering when your walls need sprucing up. These great options will show you that they are short on harmful chemicals but long on style.
I LOVE these wall flats from Inhabit, but I am not sure why they are called wall flats when they are full of texture! They are made from 100% molded bamboo pulp, come 10 panels per box, and come in 5 textures. They an also be painted!
This beautiful wallpaper from Graham & Brown has a modern and classic feeling, all at once. The textural pattern is created from the bird feather patterns. All papers from their Eco Collection are printed on paper from managed timber sources and are printed with only water-based inks.
Mod Green Pod designs and sells beautiful eco-friendly wallpapers and fabrics. They use water-based inks on a cellulose paper and give the paper a water-based glaze that can tolerate light wiping.
Prefabricated houses have a long history in the United States. In the first half of the 20th century alone, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold more than 100,000 prefab homes. For less than $2,500, the home buyer received a kit containing about 30,000 pieces – including everything from lumber to nails and hardware to paint and shingles — plus a book on how to construct the home.
Since then, prefab homes have come a long way! Personally, one of my favorite architects of prefab homes is Michelle Kaufmann. Her firm, Michelle Kaufmann Designs, is a full service architectural design firm that specializes in sustainable, innovative, high-quality prefab homes. Check out the following video to learn more!
One of the most compelling books that I have read in the last several years is Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by authors William McDonough & Michael Braungart. Guided by the principle that waste equals food, McDonough, an architect, and Braungart, a chemist, explain how products can be designed from the outset so that, after their useful lives, they will provide nourishment for something new.
Using a cherry tree as an example, they note how “wasteful” it is. Each year it dumps a great pile of fruit and leaves on the ground to rot. But all of this waste goes back into nature to be reborn as new trees, bacteria, and other parts of the natural ecosystem. According to the authors, we should try to emulate this natural system instead of replicating the “cradle to grave” model that has been so popular since the onset of the Industrial Revolution.
The following video, which I highly encourage you take the time to watch, has William McDonough asking what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account “all children, all species, for all time.”
It is nice to know that there are forward thinking companies that have already instituted the cradle to cradle design philosophy. Take a look at these beautiful pillows from LoooLo Textiles.
Every pillow or blanket the company makes uses hand and machine knit biodegradable textiles. You can even throw them in your composter at the end of their useful lives and they will biodegrade within one year. That is truly eco-friendly!
Are you following me on twitter?
~ Lorrie
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If you are going to remodel your kitchen and would like to do it in an eco-friendly fashion, consider using the following materials in your new design.
Appliances- Certified with an Energy Star label. Use a convection oven versus a conventional oven to save energy.
Cabinets – FSC-certified plywood, wheatboard, bamboo, formaldehyde-free MDF, reclaimed wood, recycled timber, or recycled steel.
Countertops – Granite, engineered stone, recycled ceramic tile, FSC-certified wood, recycled steel, recycled glass, recycled plastics.
Flooring – Bamboo, cork, linoleum, stone tiles, recycled glass tiles, recycled metal tiles, reclaimed & sustainable woods.
Lighting – Copper light fixtures, recycled glass, recycled aluminum, recycled steel, sustainably harvested wood, and post-industrial waste products. Be sure and use energy-saving fluorescent bulbs.
Storage – Store food in glass and ceramic pieces instead of plastic. They are easier to clean, do not hold odors, and if on display, aesthetically much more pleasing.
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Are you following me on twitter? You should be!
~ Lorrie
Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Jenny Lee-Katz Designs. Born in Wales, Jenny Lee-Katz is an award winning textile designer. Now, working from her own studio in Pennsylvania, Jenny offers a variety of collections and standard products including pillows and eco-friendly floor cloths.
The beauty of the Welsh coast line, and a photograph of a seagull taken on a visit to Newport, Rhode Island, inspired many of the shapes and patterns used in her latest collection, called Glan y Môr, which translated from Welsh means Seaside.
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Jenny designs are printed using eco-friendly textiles. Both the hemp and 100% certified organic cotton have been whitened without the use of bleach. The water-based pigment inks contain no volatile organic compounds (VOC’S), and there are no post-printing chemical finishes applied.
Jenny’s bespoke designs have won international design awards, been auctioned internationally to support African charities and have been created for one of kind corporate gifts.
1. Visit Jenny Lee-Katz Designs website and browse around.
2. Leave me one comment below telling me which product from Jenny’s website is your favorite.
If you are receiving this via email, go back to the site to enter. Replies by email will not be accepted.
One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM EST on Wednesday, May 13th to enter. One random winner will be chosen and announced soon after.
Are you following me on twitter? You should be!
~ Lorrie
