Eco Luxury Home Decor: Tips from West Edge Design Fair in Santa Monica, including advice from Celebrity Realtor Madison Hildebrand

What a treat to attend the premier of West Edge Design Fair in Santa Monica at the Barker Hangar! I attended engaging panels and learned about many stunning eco products. I'm excited to share some of it with you.

Hi-Luxe Real Estate: Holding Value in a Dramatic Market" 10.5.13
Moderator: Ann Gray, FORM Magazine

Doug Burdge, AIA, Burdge & Associates Architects; Madison Hildebrand, The Malibu Life, Inc.

Sponsor: Benjamin Moore

One of the panels I attended, was "Hi-Luxe Real Estate: Holding Value in a Dramatic Market". A big takeaway was what top luxury architect Doug Burdge and one of the most esteemed luxury real estate agents in the nation Madison Hildebrand say about what the luxury home buyer wants:

• spaces designed for easy maintenance
• light colored wide plank flooring
• wall-mounted suspended vanities
• recessed baseboard
• radiant heat floors
• no granite

Over 100 exhibitors and so many beautiful eco elegant items!

Shimmering sconces with recycled glass from Astele.

 In a beautiful array of colors and patterns, The New England Collection's rugs are 
handmade with vegetable dyed natural fibers.

 Aviva's textiles are hand dyed and made in small batches with water-based materials, hand mixed dyes, and local materials whenever possible. 

The production results in no toxic waste and they re-purpose everything like taking leftover fabric and turning it into lavender sachets. In addition, the company supports micro businesses and Artisans who supply materials like Alpaca wool.

 Award-winning Egg Collective's timeless designs are sure to be tomorrow's heirlooms 

and are made with responsibly harvested wood.

 Skram Furniture uses responsibly harvested materials 
(like this cork bowl shown in plan view above), non-toxic adhesives 

and industrial-strength, low VOC, water-based polyurethane finishes. 

Plus, their veneered products are formaldehyde-free and made with  

LEED contributing 100% pre-consumer recycled content substrate.

Zia Priven's vintage and antique lighting collection is 

full of rare and whimsical items that are sure to top off any room.

 Satori's Harmony collection actually breaks down formaldehyde in the air! 

Plus, it counts for 1 LEED point and the sand is harvested without damaging the environment.

Ceramist Gregory Miller's organic wall sculpture included a shimmery layer that turned out to be metal filings from a neighboring metalworker, plus eco-friendly blue oxide.

 Mother nature proves again its beauty can't be matched in DLV Designs' L'Oeuf Round Mirror with a hand cracked eggshell finish made with organic eggs!

it's all in the details: smart & stunning decorating & design ideas from petit ermitage!

i'm so inspired by the clever details at petit ermitage in west hollywood.  take a look and see what inspires you for your home or business. 

 i love how this charming birdcage takes some of the spotlight away from the less than attractive wall panel.  i'd even add something inside like a candle.

 of course if you have disposable paper products, they should be made with recycled content and eco ink, 

but how about following the lead of the hotel shown above with a special message like lips and hotel phone #!

 sometimes a practical need can provide an opportunity to add just the right detail like 

these beautiful metal wall corner gaurds. 

 another example of how you can use hardware to your advantage as a special design detail like

in the elevator as a corner brace on the wood paneling joining the wall and the ceiling.

this thin metal baseboard is a great solution to the typical 'wood' baseboard 

that comes with some depth and could be a problem in a narrow space. 

 

another great example of embracing what could be seen as something that needs to be covered up. 

this electrical pole is clearly embraced as it's adorned with the same lyrical pattern found inside the hotel.

i just heard from a tile artist, carol francis, i met with her artist husband michael a couple years ago at hd expo, an interior design show for the hospitality market in las vegas and am thrilled to post this update after first sharing their talents with you back then.  first of all, the fact that this is a husband and wife team of artists who started their pottery studio in a thatched cottage in 1980, is just so romantic!  now, their studio francis ceramics, is based in wales and produces traditional delft, custom mural, and contemporary hand-painted tiles which are also eco-friendly!  their client list is extremely impressive and includes kensington palace and nina campbell!  

michael francis hand-painting bespoke tile panel

their recent winter newsletter highlights some recent projects and reminds me how versatile their tile is.  i love how they share in that newsletter, images of the process from start to finish, some of which i share below with you.  enjoy a stroll through this process for a vanity in the VIP restrooms at an exclusive london nightclub, chinawhite.

source material supplied by client

initial layout sketch

artist's isometric impression based on finished tile

finished installation

one of their tile panels for another project that also makes me swoon:

i love how the client's art on the console creates a 3d effect of the mural

what should a shelter look like?

upward bound house's new family shelter in culver city, ca is beautiful. in fact, some may be surprised at how nice the rooms are but why shouldn't a shelter be special? check out my videos for more visual peeks at the project.

first an introduction....

now for a tour....