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Archive for the ‘Green Living’ Category
The Beauty of Composting Toilets
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
I just got back from the wettest spot on Earth, Kauai’s Mount Waialeale. Having been told that it’s the prettiest and greenest of Hawaiian Islands, I expected the flora and fauna to be out of this world. It was. However, something utterly mundane impressed me so much more, a composting toilet at Limahuli Garden .
Having written an entire chapter on plumbing fixtures for my book Green Interior Design, I know quite a bit about composting toilets. But reading about them and seeing them in pristine showrooms was altogether different than actually using one. Walking into the small, public bathroom at Limahuli, I immediately noticed the toilet and a friendly sign posted above it (instructions for use). I confess, visions , and worse, smells, of outhouses danced in my head. Getting ready to lift the lid, I braced myself for “the stank”. The stank never happened. On an 87 degree, humid, sunny day in a public bathroom that had no air conditioning, IT DIDN’T SMELL… AT ALL.
I live in Southern California, literally a desert , where we import billions of gallons of expensive, fresh water from thousands of miles away. Composting toilets do the job without a drop of water. I’m thinking if the wettest spot on Earth finds the composting method useful, shouldn’t we start installing these in every public space in our arid state?
Tags: Architecture, ASID, Aspen, austin, Award Winning, Bath, Boca Raton, botanical gardens, Brand Ambassador, california interior designer, Celebrity Interior Designer, Commercial, composting toilet, Construction, Contractor, Custom Furniture, dallas, Decor, Decorating, Design, Expert, Expert Witness, famous interior designer, Furniture Rentals, green, Green Interior Design, HGTV, Home, home design, home remodeling, Host, houston, Interior Decorator, interior design, interior design expert witness, Interior Designers, Kauai, kitchen, La Quinta, LEED, Limahuli Garden, Lori Dennis, los angeles interior designer, Miami, Mount Waialeale, new york, Orange County Interior Designer, Palm Beach, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Santa Fe, Remodel, Renovate, Residential, Space Planning, Spokesperson, Staging, sustainable, sustainable gardens, Top Interior Designer, water conservation
Posted in Architecture and Design, Green Building, Green Living, Outdoor Living | 2 Comments »
An Artful Weekend in Beverly Hills
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
This spring’s Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens was the busiest I’ve seen in five years. The park, full of fine art, live music and gourmet vending trucks seemed to lure out every resident in the village. Kids were dancing, parents were shopping and the artists all had smiles on their faces, saying, “ the Affaire in the Gardens is back!” That means people were buying art and lots of it.
My “best in show” ribbon went to the geometric cocktail table made of reclaimed wood pieces by Terry Hansen. I’m hoping to use this in our funky, meditation room at Maison Luxe Greystone Mansion Showcase Event.
Came Sculpture playful metal pieces put a smile on every one’s face, captivating young and old.
A sucker for anything high glossed and nautical, I loved the combo by Neil Zeye.
Malen Pierson delighted with his life sized animals made of recycled iron.
The glazed pears by Ojima Ceramics were sublime.
Other worth mentioning were: Gabe Leonard’s spin on movie art, Iris Work’s large landscape photographs, Steve Keating’s photography and Veronica Schmitt paintings.
Later that night we headed over to Robert Reynold’s studio for a birthday bash. The beginnings of his latest body of work were on display - a Zen inspired boat. Perhaps he’s feeling a bit free these days due to the move he and studio director Gemma are making to LA’s Old Building District. They’ve scored an amazing studio on the roof with a birds eye view of the city from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The bonus here for all you art buyers is that the entire 5,000 square foot studio (in the LA Arts District) is on SALE. The studio at 821 Traction Ave. is open 9-8 throughout Memorial Day Weekend.
This one’s favorite and I’m trying to score it for a client, so hands off!
Tags: Architecture, Art, ASID, Aspen, austin, Award Winning, Bath, Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens, Boca Raton, Brand Ambassador, california interior designer, Came Sculpture, Celebrity Interior Designer, Commercial, Construction, Contractor, Custom Furniture, dallas, Decor, Decorating, Design, Expert, Expert Witness, famous interior designer, Furniture Rentals, Gabe Leonard, green, HGTV, Home, home design, home remodeling, Host, houston, Interior Decorator, interior design, interior design expert witness, Interior Designers, Iris Works, kitchen, La Quinta, LEED, Lori Dennis, Los Angeles Arts District, los angeles interior designer, Los Angeles Old Building District, Maison Luxe Greystone Mansion Showcase Designer, Malen Pierson, Memorial Day Weekend 2011, Miami, Neil Zeye, new york, Oijima Ceramics, Orange County Interior Designer, Paintings, Palm Beach, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Photography, Rancho Santa Fe, Remodel, Renovate, Residential, Robert Reynolds, Sculpture, Space Planning, Spokesperson, Staging, Steve Keating, sustainable, Terry Hansen, Top Interior Designer, Veronica Schmitt
Posted in Architecture and Design, Artists and Galleries, Events, Green Living, Outdoor Living, Parties | No Comments »
Poisonous Preschool
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
During spring break my daughter’s preschool refinished their wood floors. As excited as she was to see her teachers and friends on Monday after the break, our visit resulted in a big fat round trip right back to my house. In two decades of refinishing floors, I don’t believe I’ve ever smelled a more noxious interior. There was no way I was leaving those tiny lungs to fend for themselves.
I immediately turned to the smartest guru I know for healthy green interiors, Mary Cordaro. In addition to being a certified Bau Biologist, she deeply cares about the effects of built environment toxins on infants and children. Mary, of course, had plenty of answers for me and generously shared her time and research.
Mary Cordaro
The brain of Larry Gust , another green building expert, was also picked. Between Mary and Larry I had enough info to go back to the preschool and discuss options. Unfortunately there weren’t many because the product used was within the legal limits (unbelievably) for VOC levels in a preschool. The owners felt badly that they didn’t know more before they finished the floors and said they would research more for future renovations.
Moral of the story: GO OUTSIDE OFTEN and get fresh air for as much time as you can EVERYDAY. The design and maintenance of places where we work, pray, shop and study are mostly out of our control and these interiors are loaded with carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals). Most Americans are forced to work in very unhealthy environments for 40 plus hours each week, year in, year out. And many live in homes that contain materials that are toxic. It’s just not good for our bodies or souls. Human beings are meant to be outdoors.
Christopher Kennedy
During the week of research it took to determine how long my daughter would need to stay away from school while the VOCs dissipated, I was invited to Niche’s party for Kettal thrown by LUXE Magazine. Ironically Christopher Kennedy, the designer on LUXE’s current cover, was speaking about his concept of bringing the Inside …Outside due to the toxicity of most interiors. Unlike architects like Phillip Johnson (Glass House) and Frank Lloyd Wright (Falling Water), who strived to bring nature into our interiors, brilliant designer Christopher Kennedy proposed we do the exact opposite and pay special attention to our exterior rooms.
Kettal’s chic outdoor furniture
He echoed my sentiments about human beings not really being meant to live in boxes with manufactured air and toxic paint. He talked about the interior air being much worse than outside air and the positive effects that sunshine and fresh air has on us. He even reminded the designers in the crowd to include outdoor spaces in their interior budgets so clients wouldn’t be tapped out at the end of their projects and miss designing quite possibly the most important spaces- the outdoor spaces.
(Falling Water and Phillip Johnson’s Glass House, beautiful, yes, but not necessarily designed for outdoor living.)
Thankfully my daughter’s preschool has a great playground that the children use for many hours during each day. And… those floors have almost finished off-gassing.
Tags: Architecture, ASID, Aspen, austin, Award Winning, Bath, Bau Biologist, Boca Raton, Brand Ambassador, california interior designer, Celebrity Interior Designer, Christopher Kennedy, Commercial, Construction, Contractor, Custom Furniture, dallas, Decor, Decorating, Design, Expert, Expert Witness, famous interior designer, Frank Lloyd Wright, Furniture Rentals, green, HGTV, Home, home design, home remodeling, Host, houston, indoor air quality, Interior Decorator, interior design, interior design expert witness, Interior Designers, Kettal, kitchen, La Quinta, Larry Gust, LEED, los angeles interior designer, Luxe Magazine, Mary Cordaro, Miami, new york, Orange County Interior Designer, outdoor living, outdoor rooms, Palm Beach, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, PHillip Johnson, preschool, Rancho Santa Fe, Remodel, Renovate, Residential, Space Planning, Spokesperson, Staging, sustainable, Top Interior Designer
Posted in Green Building, Green Living, Outdoor Living, Outdoor Living Rooms | No Comments »