June, 2009 - Browsing by month

In my Seattle interior design practice, I like to share the importance and benefits of building green. I saw this article on the website of Central WA Homebuilders.

Here are 10 reasons for Green

1. More Money in the Piggy Bank. A built green home typically saves $ on operating costs due to efficient energy use, natural daylighting and upfront construction costs.
2. Less ‘New’ Odors and Better Indoor Air. Using low VOC and low toxic interior paints and finishes reduces toxins and improves indoor air quality. Paints like Benjamin Moore’s Natura and Aura are my favorite choices.
3. Saves Old Growth Forests. Rapidly remewable materials like bamboo, cork, and strawboard can be harvested in a sustainable way. Plastic lumber made from recycled plastic jugs can be used for decking.
4. Happier Salmon. Water conservation using drought resistant plants and porous pavers are both techniques. Erosion control benefits salmon habitats.
5. More Couch Potato Time. Maintenance is minimized with durable materials like decking made of plastic and materials like stone, tile or slate.
6. Reduced Breezes inside the Home. The impact of outside elements is reduced using caulking to seal windows and doorframes.
7. Healthier Yard with Homegrown Topsoil. Topsoil removed for grading can be saved and reapplied for a better soil compositoin.
8. Reduces Dependence on Fossil Fuels. Local materials reduce transportation costs and the inclusion of pedestrian access to mass transit decrease auto use.
9. Less Trash. Built Green projects recycle large amoutns of scrap materials as well as include recycled content into the building.
10. Promotes Businesses Committed to Green. The supporting member companies go the extra effort and work with one another demonstating committment to a green, healthy home.

Tags: design, green, home, indoor air quality, recycle, Seattle
Posted in Green Design | No Comments »

As a practicing interior designer in Seattle, I know my clients love the sunshine! That means minimal window coverings. And even though view dictates a less is more approach, there is still the potential for sun damage, desire for privacy or room darkening issues. The solution? A window shade.

The shade is simple and straightforward and a sensible option for many windows. They can also be boring and unattractive. Thankfully, the industry is offering new designs that are stylish and practical.

The first two images are the straightforward, clean, effective version. They do what is intended but don’t add the softening which is ever so much more pleasing to the eye. Though the drapery panels are decorative, they are important to ambience and design detailing which sets a home apart.

In the final photo, the graceful treatment frames the windows and adds contrast in style and texture. At the top, the valance achieves a unified and cohesive touch to create function and beauty to the window and room setting.

Tags: drapery panels, Seattle, sensible option, sun damage, window shades
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | 1 Comment »

I live in an older area of Seattle, Capitol Hill, and love my walks in the neighborhoods. Melding my Midwestern roots and interior design background, I notice all the homes with a front porch. In Seattle you see lots of bungalows and Craftsman style homes often painted distinctively. I think a front porch invites ‘neighborliness’. Growing up I fondly recall lots of relaxing evenings and story telling on a porch. Given our disconnected and stressful lives, I am not surprised that porches are making a comeback.

The front porch trend coincides with a shift to a more casual lifestyle. The porch beckons to our need to connect and share community. And the front porch is an icon for that reason. Today new developments are taking advantage of our desire to interact and designing ‘new urbanism’ developments. These developments encourage walking and discourage cars and foster a sense of belonging.

Curiously, the front porch ebbed in popularity as ranch homes became the rage after GI’s returned from WW II. These homes were very simple and a porch was inappropriate. The NEW thing was the car not walking.

Saving the porch is the portrayal of the porch in movies and TV as a symbol of home. Viewers of this media yearn for that image of home. Starting in the mid-90′s the porch revived its place in home design. Today, porches are a detail desired to add that connection to our lives.

Do you have a porch? What’s your favorite memory?

Tags: design, front porch, Seattle
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | 3 Comments »

In this post I am pleased to share a local company familiar to my firm, Faith Sheridan Interior Design, Seattle, WA. Teragren is my first choice for bamboo application in my projects and my experience is totally positive. (as is my clients) An exciting addition to the expansive product line, bamboo countertops, adds even greater diversity to the possible applications in design solutions.

Teragren is a U.S.-based manufacturer of fine bamboo flooring, panels, veneer and parquet butcher block located in Bainbridge, WA. Teragren is also a company on a mission. The company defines success as not only high-quality products and excellent customer service but also environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing and business practices.

From the moment the company was founded in 1994, it committed to developing and manufacturing beautiful bamboo products.Bamboo flooring was a scant segment of the U.S. flooring market when avid environmentalists Ann and David Knight saw the need for environmentally sound building products. They co-founded the company they would eventually name Teragren.

In 2006, Teragren was named by Inc. magazine as one of “The Green 50″ companies that are setting the standard for environmentally friendly business, and as one of the top 10 local “Greentrepreneurs” by Seattle Metropolitan magazine. In addition, in August 2007, Teragren was named one of Inc. magazine’s 5,000 fastest growing companies in America.

U.S.-based Teragren is in a unique position because it develops and manufactures their own products. This allows quality control from harvest to distribution and provides you the highest quality bamboo flooring, trim, panels and veneer in the marketplace, as well as convenient documentation, tech support and custom orders.

Tags: bamboo, Green Design, Teragren
Posted in Green Design | 2 Comments »

At least 20 some years ago I witnessed the dramatic impact of adding a piece of Lucite furniture to a room. At that time, I was a recent transplant to Omaha and made the acquaintance of another designer who invited me to her home. Carefully and dramatically, she chose to showcase a collection of heirloom quilts in a clear Lucite trunk.

For a practical but dramatic accent, consider the Magino stool which does double duty as a magazine rack from Umbra.

The good news is that very often these acrylic furniture pieces will not break the bank!

Send me your comments about this post.

Tags: acrylic furniture, design, Furniture, Lucite, Seattle
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | 7 Comments »