A Green Home Is A Happy Home + Week 4 Of The One Room Challenge!

We love finding great sustainable brands for our design projects and recently we got to know bedding brand Under the Canopy when they chatted with us about our design studio and projects for their blog. They had some great questions so I wanted to share our conversation with you! Also, this week we virtually visited High Point Furniture Market to shop for Week 4 of the One Room Challenge! 

First up, a quick visit with Under the Canopy with a few questions I answered on their blog this week. Be sure to check out the rest of the interview here!

UNDER THE CANOPY: WHAT TIPS CAN YOU GIVE ON CREATING A MORE SUSTAINABLE HOME? WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE KEEP IN MIND AS THEY STRIVE TO MAKE THEIR OWN SPACES MORE ECO?

Laura: Even if you’re just painting a room, I would look for no- or low-VOC paints and finishes. And if you’re working with a contractor, you can talk to them about what their day-to-day processes are like. For example, if you’re getting a new kitchen and they’re taking out all of your cabinetry, can you donate that cabinetry so it doesn't up in landfill? Can your countertops be reused for an outdoor kitchen or go to a salvage yard instead of being thrown away? Can you find new furniture from vintage and antique sources like Chairish or 1stDibs before you buy anything newly made?

Then there are the small things you can do in your day-to-day life, such as trying not to use anything disposable like paper towels or paper plates. You can use washable versions instead. I think especially right now, it’s hard; because of COVID, people want everything to be very clean and sanitary, so there’s an interest in disposable items again. But soap gets rid of it, so washing things is very, very safe. We are still encouraging people to think in terms of longevity and consider items that can biodegrade or be reused instead of being thrown away.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY IN DESIGN?

It’s one of those things that’s like, “Eat your vegetables; you have to be healthy.” Sometimes people think it’s not going to be fun, or it’s not going to be as pretty, or it’s not going to be as luxurious. Sometimes you just want to have a really beautiful room and not really worry about the impact of that room. I equate it to going to a fancy restaurant and having a wonderful meal. You don’t necessarily wonder about whether it’s healthy for you. You may wonder where everything comes from—Is it organic? Is it responsibly sourced?—that sort of thing. But if it’s a really lovely meal, you don’t worry much about the health benefits of every single thing you’re eating. So, we try to tell people that sustainable design doesn’t have to be “everything made of recycled materials and reclaimed wood.” I think that’s what people tend to imagine when it comes to sustainable interiors. They’re thinking about all-natural woods and everything being sort of “crunchy”…and it doesn’t have to be that at all. Realistically, if you get a piece of reclaimed wood, you can sand it down and stain it and it’s going to still be very stylish and sustainable.

So a sustainable interior is really about knowing what you’re buying; knowing where you’re buying it from; being thoughtful about where you’re buying it from; and making sure the people who are making it for you are being paid properly and are not working in bad conditions. It’s also about being a little more thoughtful and trying not to go into “fast” home furnishings—which is like “fast fashion,” where the thought of “I’ll just buy a new one in a few years” creates a disposable mind set. You can do better than that because you can buy something that’s meant to last longer and doesn’t have to be brand new. I always tell people: If it’s not in your budget to buy something that’s beautifully made and valued at what it’s worth, go for vintage... it's often better priced.

Now we're off to shop! One of our favorite furniture brands is Verellen, they have really beautiful designs and a sustainable fabrication and distribution process. This year we found lots of great pieces at their showroom on our virtual visit to High Point Furniture Market. Of course it wouldn't be any fun if we showed you exactly what we found for Oprah's living room just yet so we're going to show you some fabulous spaces around High Point that inspired us on our in-person visit last Fall plus a sneak peek at a few amazing finds this year!

We were very inspired by the soft shapes and curves at market last fall. Oprah's living room needs two sofas so we're going for one comfy, curvy design and one chic, leather design. Pulling colors from Oprah's inspiration mood board, we found the perfect camel leather for her Verellen sofa and we'll balance that with a chunky texture on the opposite sofa. We love finding unique side tables and we definitely found some fabulous pieces at some of our favorite showrooms: Oly, Noir, Palecek and Alfonso Marina. Here's a sneak peek at the four beautifully designed side tables that will flank each sofa, each with its own personality and style.

Next week we'll walk you through our design board and finally, on Wednesday, November 11 we'll reveal the full virtual design in a photo-realistic 3D rendering!

Don't forget to check back in next Wednesday to see the progress of our One Room Challenge and we hope to see you at Domain (or online) soon!