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!

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

top eco holiday entertaining decorating tips

how can you spruce up your home for holiday entertaining?  try these easy, affordable and green tips!

Lead guests through your driveway and/or from parking to the main entrance with candlelit lanterns (use non-toxic candles of course!) using what you have even if they don’t match.  Don’t be afraid to mix it up with different styles and sizes!  Or you could rent them from an event rental company or perhaps a local showroom as some offer rental services like Berbere Imports in LA.

designer michael schaible image from architectural digest sep 2008

For something more festive, create a canopy, perhaps between 2 trees, either over the driveway or by the home’s entrance, with strips of fabric torn (better than cutting) from fabric remnants.  Or even just a few strips to sway in the wind to serve as a flag marking a driveway entrance and/or entrance into the house.

from flashdance, a collaboration of wedding vendors

Place a large plant in a planter/container or cluster of them on the ground by the main entrance or a smaller one could sit on a small stool.

from aimee herring at real simple 

Replace an old doormat with something like this coir one made from organic coconut husks, woven by hand.

restoration hardware

Create a gracious entry with a console or for small spaces, a chair with a tray on it or books stacked and coats can even hang on the back of the chair and for even smaller spaces, a shelf.

from erinn V style blog

Add a plant or flowers, a stack colorful coffee table books without paper sleeves, light a candle, group party favors in a large bowl perhaps on the books.  Gifts could be teas, jams, homemade candy, colorful orbs made from recycled magazines woven in traditional bamboo methods or seed orbs which contain a Goat’s Beard bud, picked May through mid August in northern NM, that opens inside a glass orb and reveals 60-80 seeds!

seed shaman places goat's beard buds in orbs which  open up and reveal 60-80 seeds!

upcycled magazine ornaments

for the powder room or guest bath, add an assortment of linen napkins (they don’t need to match) from the kitchen that can be placed in the bathroom for individual hand towels and/or drape a small piece of special linen over the counter.

from the perfect bath blog

Replace everyday soap with a new one, either a special scented liquid soap or a beautiful bar of soap placed in a special dish pulled from the kitchen or dining room.  Add flowers, even just a stem and leaf in a small vase from a large plant in the house or from the yard.  Provide hand lotion and perfume.  And of course, light a candle.

from perfect bath blog

Take throw blankets from bedrooms and drape on a sofa and/or chair.  Be sure to add layers of light and create balance by adding and/or moving floor and table lamps, dimmers and candles.

from interior design sense blog

Have a little firepit inside your home to gather around with family and friends, especially if you don’t have a fireplace to use.  For tabletop or inside the fireplace instead of burning precious wood.  Select one that uses Bioethanol, a wholly renewable source of energy that’s made from agricultural products such as sugar, potatoes, beetroot, and corn.  There are no emissions except for heat, water vapor/steam and low levels of carbon dioxide.  You may even get a tax credit via the US Biomass Tax Credit which allows for a 30% consumer tax credit of up to $1500 per year with purchase before December 31, 2010!

mercer brasa fire

Drape and even layer fabrics, cloths, or even a quilt over part or all of a dining table or even a small side table.  Cluster similar vases/bowls on a dining table, console or shelf.  Dig into your china closet and find little bowls, even a ramekin, or a small cheese tray and display interesting jewelry as a decorative table accessory.

from interior design sense

be creative and have fun!

stunning & cool new eco wallpaper

featured in O magazine, Town & Country, Dwell, In Style, Domino and House & Garden, among many others, mod green pod, the cool folks who make eco-friendly wallpaper and fabric, just launched a new pattern of wallpaper. its aptly named "delight" in 3 colors hand-printed on vinyl-free FSC-paper with non-toxic ink and finished with a water-based glaze for light wiping.

be sure to check out their cool room creator feature

to see what their products look like in a room!

their fabric is printed on 100% organic cotton! i love this pattern, even the name, glimmer.

check out their website to learn more about

the talented women behind this company and their environmental commitment.

how healthy is your home?

for those who are following my blogs and tweets regularly probably know that i love q collection for for their exquisite eco-friendly furnishings. they just sent me an email with shocking information. ABC News' reported that products on american store shelves now contain 89,000 chemicals! many of these have proven to increase the risk of cancer, neurological disorders or reproductive defects! why is this possible? the EPA is virtually powerless to regulate these chemicals due in part to lobbying by the chemical manufacturers.

however, a new senate bill, powered in part by dow and dupont, is pushing for the reform of outdated chemical regulations and is expected to be introduced soon and then would need to be passed. until we know that our laws are protecting our health, it is up to us to know how things are made and the impact it has on the people who make them and the environment so that we can make healthy choices.

q collection's primary goal is to eliminate all toxic chemicals. for example, their furniture is free of formaldehyde and polyurethane. their fabrics are printed with low-impact, heavy metal-free dyes. this fabric is durable enough for commercial applications and was used as welting on the chairs in sea wellness spa at casa del mar.

elegant mirror made with coconut

this is an excellent example of how an organic material can be quite elegant. the mirror at the top of the 1st photo and then shown in the next photo, #2, is so beautiful. offered by ochre, it's framed with white coconut strips! thanks to interior design magazine for sharing this mirror on p38 of the current feb issue and online at the link. i love reading my design mags...they are so inspiring!

home style trends from las vegas market winter 2010

home style trends from las vegas market winter 2010 at world market center las vegas include the color turquoise (inspired by sea and sky, it creates a sense of hope, healing and compassion), understated elegance (simple, elegant, subdued, large scale, and sparse), metallic/ iridescent textiles and rugs, and of course eco (naturals, tone-on-tone, light distressing, woven grasses, and subdued tones).

learn more from monica pederson in this style file video!

my adopted room's professional photos have arrived!

thanks to the fabulously talented photographer laure joliet who donated her time and the professional photos for all 18 rooms at the new family shelter for upward bound house!

thanks laure!

when i first saw this bunkbed, pre-selected by upward bound, it was in 'honey oak' and i was not excited. but then i painted it in snowfall white with benjamin moore's natura donation and it looks great! i will protect it in a clear coating to be announced soon.

the floor lamp is donated from hotel surplus, the mother-of-pearl curtain hardware donated from west elm via parent company williams sonoma inc. and the bed sheets are donated from gotcha covered with pillow inserts and comforters from kohl's.

i started planning the room concept with the beautiful eco-friendly elizabeth wallpaper in peacock donated from madison & grow which drove the palette. since it's such a small room, a whopping 130SF, i decided it needed to be light and bright, hence the white walls and bed.

the inspirational message on the wall is a cool removable sticker by ferm living.

the dark brown wall-to-wall carpet was also pre-selected by upward bound but it's a wonderful foundation actually. though dark rugs may hide dirt, be warned that they show threads, lint, and anything light, very easily so be prepared to vacuum regularly. on top of it, is an abaca rug, a highly renewable plant, from natural carpet company. the lounge chair was donated from a wonderful upholsterer and refinisher (who also sewed the curtains and pillows!) who had it leftover from a job in their warehouse!

the cute white wicker table was donated from a designer friend of bridgid coulter, a designer who also worked on the shelter and who also donated the mirror and side chairs!

that's me wearing eco chic linda loudermilk...look at that back! fabric was donated from f&s, duralee and another designer friend of bridgid's, plus pillows from dl rhein and french american paper. gorgeous silk drum pendants donated from zia priven, white vase holding the orchid donated from accessory preview (plus a beautiful green capiz wastebasket in the bathroom) and woven baskets below the air unit (and a throw on the bed) donated from pottery barn.

the woven window shade, made from rapidly renewable grass, is from the woven company. this detail shows how special these treatments are yet it was a simple solution. i re-purposed the "silk" panels from a donor by adding trim that although donated, came from f&s' outlet store and only sells for $2/yd!

out of sight at the moment, in the bathroom, are a beautiful polished nickel towel hook and wastebasket donated from restoration hardware.

on the table is a beautiful arrangement of succulents in a sweet little urn donated from grow on abbot kinney, along with an orchid in the bathroom.

the plant and planter donated from the talented group at inner gardens who not only offer landscape design services but have an amazing collection of new and antique containers!