JR Studio Design Blog

Interested in knowing more on our thoughts about current design trends, redecoration in today’s economy or making a statement with color?  We are adding links to our website with recent press coverage of our freshest thoughts (and we guarantee they are locally grown and sustainably harvested, too!) We will be adding new articles as they are published.  Check often and enjoy…

Click here for the articles in our “Print” section. 

In our own words, we encourage “Greener Living.”  We understand there are many levels to living the green life, and while we are always respectful of our environment, we work at making the best decisions we can with our client’s time and resources.  Working toward the highest standard of excellence starts with taking a few small steps in the right direction.  Here are a few thoughts on “Greener Living” you can start using today. 

Always shop for products with longevity. This applies to small household objects you use everyday (disposable razors vs. metal razors) as well as your furnishings (quality furniture vs. “too good to be true” finds.)  I believe that living with less and demanding better quality not only avoids filling our landfills with impulse purchases, it is also a great way to save money in the long run.  If you only pay once for the perfect lounge chair, you will fill your home with personality and, perhaps more importantly, save plenty of resources by avoiding poor quality “standbys” that fill the shelves of most mass market furniture shops. 

Repurpose vintage furniture.  Sourcing quality furniture with good bones that need only creative re-vision is one of our favorite ways to update your interiors (and quite a green one as well.)  Hand built furniture that has already survived generations indicates great quality, even if the mauve upholstery speaks more to grandmother’s house than your own. (Though I bet grandmother was onto something when it was first purchased-have you asked?)  Reupholstering furniture gives you the opportunity to not just update the fabric, but update the detailing as well.  Change tufting to buttons and oversized arms to tailored forms. Most quality upholstery is simply padding over a great wooden frame – there is much to be gained from reimagining the final look. 

Select reclaimed wood for cabinetry and flooring.  On trips to the Midwest I always come across rural barns that are in stages of disassembly.  Wonder where they are going?  Would you believe into your dining room & kitchen?  Aging structures such as barns, bowling alleys and declassified military outposts are rich deposits of old growth lumber that is high in quality and just waiting to be reused for interior projects. These old boards are of size and thickness no longer available on the market today, and their beauty is easy to reclaim with refinishing.  

Consider area rugs of natural fibers and avoid wall-to-wall carpeting.   Many modern interiors are forgoing carpet all together and using area rugs that are flexible enough to move around the house depending on the season.  Area rugs are far easier maintain than wall-to-wall installations which have been proven to cause poor indoor air quality problems, leading to asthma and allergy complications. Natural fiber floor coverings such as wool, silk, cotton and sisal (from organic mills, of course!) are long-lasting earth friendly alternatives to their nylon counterparts.  You can further increase their longevity with rug pads made of recycled materials.

Interested in romance with your green design?  Install dimmer switches. Nothing gives a room more subtle drama than low level lighting, and reducing the amount of energy flowing into your fixtures makes as great impression on Mother Earth as it does to your sweetheart.  Yes, green design can be sexy. 

Select low VOC paints when painting your interiors.  VOC’s, volatile organic compounds, are the unhealthy gases released from chemicals in most mass marketed construction supplies.  Thankfully, almost every major line of paint now has a low/no VOC option – you just have to ask for it when you order.  These cost a bit more, but having the ability to repaint a room and use it immediately certainly saves time as well as your health, and you will appreciate not having to clear the house while the fumes dissapate (though they never really do…)  Other great paint options come from vendors creating low VOC paints with natural pigments such as clay, creating colors as rich as the ones you find outside your windows.  

Follow these simple guidelines, and you’re off to a good start!  Greener design is yours for the living.  Check back with us as we continue to pass along insights of an entirely JR Studio approach to an environmentally friendly perspective. 

content credit: Gazelle Garner of JR Studio Design  

photo credit: Flickr by jared at http://flickr.com/photos/35468148654@N01/2109670236