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!

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!