REDESIGN IS GREEN DESIGN

After such a wonderful post about the color GREEN from April, I couldn't pass up the lead in to talk about my passion for GREEN as in sustainability.

Think about these for a minute:

• By 2015, it is estimated that we will spend $121.7 billion to refurbish our homes with new furniture pieces.
• The U.S. EPA reported that furniture accounted for 8.8 million tons of our waste stream in 2005, quadruple the amount in 1960.
• About 3 million tons of Styrofoam was produced in 2000. Of that amount, 2.3 million tons were thrown away. How much of that Styrofoam packaged household decor items?

One of the nice things about redesign is the positive impact it has on the planet. By reusing, re-purposing and restyling a homeowner's existing furniture, art and accessories, redesign keeps these items out of the municipal waste stream and landfills.

Last night, I had the opportunity to present the concept "Redesign is Green Design" to a group of about 25 individuals at the Chicago Center for Green Technology. The 1.5 hour long presentation was well received by the group which included homeowners, interior designers, decorators and other professionals.

I know I'm preaching to the choir but I think it bears repeating: Redesign, by the very nature of the process, supports the three fundamentals of sustainability: reuse, renew and recycle.

With a bruised economy, people are naturally trending toward more sustainable lifestyles by reusing things they already own. But if the above estimates go unchanged, the damage to our planet will continue at an alarming rate. Redesign makes a lot of sense on numerous levels and should play a big part of your business marketing.

It's time to embrace a more sustainable, "green" lifestyle. We don't have a choice! Redesign isn't just about pretty.... it's about saving our planet.

Happy Green Decorating

Jeff

HUEmor me: decorating with green

There's a lot of talk about green home products and green decorating.

This post, however, is about the color green -- an always fresh color that ranges from pale sage greens to vibrant, lime green. Look around outside and you'll see every shade of green imaginable. The combination possibilities are unlimited and that's good because I'd hate to see you limit yourself!

The yellow green on the walls of this living room are balanced by the white wood work and furnishings and the beautiful wood floors and rug. Notice that they varied the value (lightness and darkness) of the green in the room by adding darker plants. The pops of orange keep the space interesting. Lovely! (Tuck the rug under the sofa and the room is complete.)

You don't have to paint your walls to bring color into your room. The lamp and accessories on this table are a great way to introduce a little bit of a color. Grouping the green items together provides a greater impact. Yellow, orange and brown pair nicely with the green.

This photo is from a spread from the June '09 issue of Living magazine (it was also the cover image). It's been sitting on my desk for months just waiting for this green post! I pieced it together on the scanner, hence the seam down the middle. Why the love? The mix of greens against the wood paneled walls and white furnishings is striking. The green on the skateboard and the green view from outside complete the space. Notice the pillows on the sofa? Varying values of green! Large-scaled patterns on the pillows and a smaller-scale pattern on the rug help create a great mix all around—all without paint.

If this soft green kitchen doesn't make you want to cook, what would? The light hued cabinets, the herbs and plants and the green cafe curtains all bring peace and calm to this space. Green doesn't have to be bold to be inviting!

This bold, green bed frame is balanced nicely by the brown bed linens, lamp and rolled towels. The striped bench compliments the green and the bedding pattern. The soft green walls provide high contrast to the room, which adds visual interest. There are two things I would change in this room. I would hang larger art or more smaller art over the bed and add fabric window panels to the windows. These would complete this traditional room with a green twist!

Here's a room you won't soon forget! Like the room or not, the color values are right on and the pop of orange with the green and violet creates a lovely triad color combination. The walls and other details could use some finessing, but we'll focus on the color.

Are you seeing a pattern yet? Green with orange, brown and white/cream are popular with me! This room adds color through paint, but without painting the entire room. The paneling on the lower portion of the walls add architectural interest to the room. The varying wood textures are great and the art is a nice size. My only wish is that they painted the ceiling one shade lighter than the walls. A girl can dream, right?

A few of my favorite green color pairings
(aside from what's shown here)
Green & yellow * Light green & light blue * Green, white & black * Green & red (they are complimentary colors, keep the values similar and it'll look great) * Green & pink and brown

Ballard Designs' Devon lamp
Shiny, happy & green lamp with textured lamp shade

Are you green with envy? Don't be! Add some green to your rooms in a small way (a grouping of accessories, art or a lamp) or, in a big way (paint all walls & ceiling) and sit back and enjoy the view!

What are you favorite green pairings? Leave a comment. It'll make me happy!

Design and Decluttering

Dear SDP Friends,

I hope you all had a good September! I am writing my October blog article a bit early as I'm attending the San Diego Style Weddings magazine annual big gala tonight and wanted to finish this up sooner rather than later. I love that party every year as the latest in color, design, and scrumptious food from San Diego's best wedding vendors is superb! While writing magazine articles for both the decorating and wedding niches this year, I've definitely noticed a cross-over from one industry to the other in color, style, and fabrics.

Speaking of design, I get ideas everywhere, and when I celebrated my birthday this month with my hubby at the When In Rome restaurant in Encinitas, CA I was immediately smitten with the flowing green chiffon fabric and white lights. How about you? I think I might have to try this out in a bedroom! If you are ever in San Diego, the food, service, and ambiance at that restaurant are fabulous!

Have you thought of de-cluttering your kitchen so that your upcoming holidays will proceed smoothly? Check out my decluttering tips article for divine dining. And once you're decluttered, how about a beautiful original floral cottage painting by my artist client Erin Houghton of The Painted Garden? You can see the two original paintings I had her do for my own kitchen here. And don't miss her blog, where her friendly dog Bentley inspires her to paint in her beautiful cottage garden yard. Erin has had her art featured in several magazines.

Wishing you all an awesome October!

Kathryn

www.KathrynBechenInk.com