Ellipse II Table - Sculpted From Bamboo

In a previous post I described the creative process behind making the Ellipse II Table out of bamboo.

Bamboo has been available to custom furniture makers in veneer and plywood form for a number of years. It's use as a "green" material, however, has not been without questions and controversy.

In simple terms bamboo is considered a sustainable alternative to wood because bamboo is actually a grass and not a wood. Ironically, as demand for bamboo has grown many forests in south-east Asia have ended up being cut down to make way for bamboo plantations. This reality can hardly be interpreted as protective of trees and forests.

In addition there have been many questions about herbicide and pesticide use on these plantations, as well as the use of urea formaldehyde glues in the making of bamboo ply. And this doesn't negate other questions having to do with issues of fair labour practices in the growing, harvesting and processing of bamboo as a material.

In recent years these issues have been addressed with the introduction of FSC certification to the bamboo marketplace.

Given this availability of FSC certified bamboo that is also NAUF and CARB2 compliant I decided in early 2010 to prototype a custom made version of the Ellipse II Table crafted exclusively from carbonized bamboo plywood. The actual material came from a company called Nadurra in Toronto.

The sculpted elliptical cone base was made from stacked laminated bamboo ply sheeting that was milled and sanded to achieve its final shape. The top was made from a full sheet of bamboo ply, with the corner offcuts being used to make the built up aprons for the undercut bevel edge.

All surfaces were then sanded smooth and rubbed in a low-VOC natural linseed oil finish.

The table as shown here was unveiled at the Green Living Show in Toronto in April, 2010.

It measures 60" long x 37" wide x 29" high.



The end grain effect of the bamboo on the tapered elliptical cone base is spectacular, don't you think?


Sustainable, Environmental, Eco Lifestyles, Healthy, All Natural, Home and Garden, Interior Design, Eco Friendly, Green Furniture, Green Furnishings, Green Designs, FSC Certified, Reclaimed Materials. Organic, LEED compliant, NAUF. CARB2, Bamboo, Natural Fibers. Non-Toxic, low-VOC, Non VOC, Natural Finishes.

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Easing Into Green Design

As a consumer, if you aren’t familiar with the Sustainable Furnishings Council, let me take a brief moment to introduce you to them and why this connection will be a valuable tool as you make your next furniture buying decisions.  I do promise to be brief as I’m working fast and furious so that I’ll be ready to get to all of the showrooms during my upcoming trip to the High Point Furniture Market.  I’ll also give you great links so that you can further explore some of the details! 

(A composite of manufacturers who belong to the Sustainable Furnishings Council.)

As a Charlotte, NC area interior designer, I know the jury may still be out, regarding green or sustainable design practices, mostly due to concerns about this being a “trend” or just some type of marketing tool, as well as the expectation it will create higher costs.  I do find; however, when I have a client who is getting ready to plan a nursery or a small child’s room, there is great attention paid to the sourcing of the furnishings, the bedding, and how we treat surfaces, such as the floor, walls, and ceiling, so as to keeping the environment as non-toxic as possible.  It’s certainly understandable that any parent would desire to provide their children with the best possible place to be nurtured, not only by them, but by their home.  Here’s the catch . . . What’s happening in the rest of the house?  Living goes on outside of the nursery and/or the playroom doors.  And, shouldn’t the rest of the family members and visitors receive the best of which any interior environment can offer? 

  

(Great examples of “pretty”, green design from SFC members.  Click on a photo to visit their websites!) 

Wouldn’t it be nice to take some of the guesswork out of the process of making selections?  First, part of that responsibility falls on my shoulders, as your interior designer.  My charge is to be sure I learn as much as I can about the various sources, not only from the way they manufacture their products, but equally important would be how they travel to get to the consumer.  I also want to see if the vendor offers an aesthetic quality and comfort, which would be pleasing to my clients.  What makes the process much easier is knowing about the Sustainable Furnishings Council and the manufacturers who have been able to join as members.  Just being able to head to their website and browse the roster gives me a valuable tool to share with clients and the consumer public.  (An important note:  Some of the manufacturers, who are SFC members, may not have updated their websites, to acknowledge their memberships, and there are some manufacturers who do subscribe to green practices, who may not be members of the SFC.)  The benefit I can share, from my attendance at the High Point Furniture Market, will be seeing most of these sources, firsthand!

I’ll admit, I’m a discerning client, too.  I like to take my time to research and discover all of the details before I decide to make purchases, not only for my own home, but for my clients, as well.  I’m easing into the world of green design and thank you for allowing me to share my newfound knowledge with you!

Take a softer step to leave a smaller footprint.  All my best! ~ Wanda

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Making A Beautiful Choice in Interior Design

 

Sustainable . . . It’s not exactly a word which brings to mind a sultry, sexy image.  In fact, the concept can be so complex it can create a bit of a yawn. 

Paul Hawken has said:   "Sustainability is about stabilizing the currently disruptive relationship between earth’s two most complex systems—human culture and the living world.” 

A titillating discussion for some, while not so much for others.  I promise, if you’ll stick with me, this post will become more exciting!  (And if you’re an interior designer, who will be attending the High Point Furniture Market, you should continue to read on to the end.  There’s a juicy tid-bit waiting just for you! . . . No reading backwards, either!)

First, here’s the “skinny” on BiOHpolyols ' Project UDesign:

It’s a contest, in collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design (On Twitter as @SCADdotedu), Century Furniture, and Toray Ultrasuede, to crowdsource the next generation sustainable wing chair.  (Crowdsourcing is simply where a group or community is asked to participate,through an open call, in order to collaborate on an idea or a project.)  In the case of Project U Design, you get to help to decide, (via your vote), which design, created by one of the students at SCAD, moves forward to actually be manufactured by Century Furniture, a truly glam furniture manufacturer who also happens to be interested in incorporating eco-friendly, sustainable products into their production process.  Beauty isn’t always in the eyes of the beholder, it’s behind the scenes, too!

There are currently six designs and five semi-finalist students in competition for the decision. Between now and Oct. 3rd at 11: 59 pm, everyone can vote for the three finalists. They will be selected only by those who vote online and the 3 finalists will be announced on Monday, Oct. 4th on www.facebook.com/BiOHFans.   

(Okay, I promised to spice things up so I thought you might enjoy a visual reference for all of the key partners in this historical design adventure.  The Tortoise Chair is one of the six designs, for which you can place your vote.  You’re getting warm if you’re wondering about my vote.)

(The Tortoise Chair, designed by Colin Jones.  You can click on this picture to read his comments about this design’s inspiration.)

How can you place your vote?

The voting for the three finalists, (who will be announced on Oct. 4th), will end at 11: 59pm, Tuesday, Oct. 19th. The designer of the chair who has the most votes will win. The winner will be chosen only by online votes and none of the partners or related parties have any say so in the winner. It is completely the public's choice.

What will the winner receive?  (Aside from your vote of confidence?)

1. A thousand dollars from BiOH – immediately!  (What budding new designer couldn’t benefit from that?)

2. Their winning design will be produced and put into Century's regular line up for intro at the Spring 2011 HP Market!  (Can you imagine?  I would have to be tied down with a ton of bricks to keep from hitting the ceiling!)

3. The winning student will be paid royalties by Century on all sales of their winning chair, once it's produced! (Mom and Dad would sure be proud to know “sustainable” could live up to it’s other application!)

4. A lot of publicity!  (You can say you knew them “when” and helped to put them in the pages of “House Beautiful”, “Forbes”, “The New York Times”, or perhaps they’ll even be chatting it up online, with you, as they develop their next big idea!)

Now for My Big Reveal!

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m southern born and bred.  Having created interiors in the Charlotte, NC area, for the last fourteen-plus years, I like to say I have a foot in the past, (as I have an affinity for antiques and history), but with an eye towards the future.  I happily embrace the style which is being referred to the “New Traditional” or “New Classic”.  The Tortoise Chair, by Colin Jones, appears as if it would nest just as comfortably within an antebellum estate or in a mid-century modern ranch.

(Please click on my inspiration board to enlarge it for a better view.)

When I looked at Colin’s design, I thought about some long past days when I was in interior design school.  I imagined it might be fun to see if I could utilize the colors of my alma mater, East Carolina University.  They aren’t always the first hues I would think about bringing into an interior – purple and gold – but then . . . 1.  I am an interior designer, after all, and I should be able to address most design requests  . . . and . . . 2.  Purple has been making a grand entrance at recent market events. 

(This was my color combo challenge!  How well did I do?)

Thanks to Alluminaire.com, I was able to create a custom shade, for a ceiling pendant fixture, which helped me to incorporate another accent color, timely for the fall season. . . Pumpkin!  I also added in a little gray as I envisioned it to be the background color of the walls in this room.  (Painted in Sherwin William’s Harmony paint, of course!)  It was fun, as well, to peruse some of the latest runway fashion statements, as I knew those trends can eventually work their way into the lines created for home interiors.  I loved this photo of singer, Joss Stone.  She had the perfect backdrop as she posed in her embroidered silk dress and with a lovely plum shock of hair!  (I could just envision that dress being made from some draperies yanked down from windows, Scarlett O’Hara style.)  I decided to tweak the original chair’s covering and selected Wild Plum from Ultrasuede’s line-up of eco-friendly fabrics.  (A soft landing at the end of a hard day.)  Duralee provided a great little accent pillow fabric with their line from Clodagh - coincidently, in the color pumpkin!  The modular carpet tiles, from Flor, offered a curvilinear backdrop as well as the “Sensuous” gourd vases from a local Charlotte area gallery, Red Sky.

Good design should always be about making a beautiful choice.  The beauty of the choice will be the one where it’s based on being all about you!  As a designer, I bring it to your home with the selection, the knowledge, and a bit of gentle guidance. 

Please be sure to vote.  The industry needs your feedback to develop sustainable products, which are stable, sultry, and sexy!

PS – I didn’t forget my interior designer friends!  Are you attending the High Point Fall Market?  Be sure to put October 18th at 5pm on your calendar.  All registered market/trade attendees are invited to share time with the traditional shelter print press in the Century Furniture showroom.  It’s a great opportunity for mixing and mingling.  Come meet the folks involved in creating your favorite publications!

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“Slow” Home Shopping

Slow is not a four-letter word!  It’s not that I can’t count . . . (smile), it just seems to be, whenever we use this word in most everyday conversations, it can conjure up the following derogatory aspects:

• Slack; not busy. 
• Passing heavily or dragging, as time.
• Not progressive; behind the times.
• Not prompt, readily disposed, or in haste.

I prefer to think more in terms of the definition:  “Moving or proceeding with little or less than usual speed or velocity”.  I like the idea of slow referring towards being deliberate in action.  It’s a more positive position.  Taking your time can be wise in many aspects of life, and so it goes with your home.

Part of the enjoyment in creating a “Slow Home” can be the process of shopping.  I know I personally love perusing through various shops and tucked-away places, as I source for a client’s interiors!  By taking my time, I get to know the vendors or proprietors, on a first name and handshake, or even hug, basis.  We chat about my projects and what I have in my mind as the vision for each client.  If they don’t have the solution, they can make a note to find it or send me to another source.  Great vendors are open to sharing and collaborating.  They know, even if they miss my purchase this go round, I’ll be back on another day.

If you promise not to rush, I’ll take you with me, on my “Slow” Home Shopping Saturday.  Come stroll the aisles with me to see some of my latest finds:

I stood and looked at this zinc pediment fragment, for the longest time.  My mind went whirring with the possibilities.  A fabulous shelf for a stove hood.  A great corona for a bed canopy design.  A top treatment for a floor length closet mirror.  Slowing down allows for more creative possibilities.

These antique violet/amethyst bottles make such a color impact, by grouping them in mass.  Manganese creates this rich hue.  It has been used since ancient Egyptian times to color glass.  Slowing down allows you to become better educated.

This has found a home as an “objet d’art” in the Horton’s garden!  It’s a ceiling vent from an industrial building.  The dealer was happy to find someone who actually “got it”.  Slowing down allows for mutual appreciation.

To reproduce these doors would cost twice as much, or more, than their selling price.  While it might be easier to go to a catalog to order a set of doors, taking your time to search for something this unique gives you the satisfaction of renewing a find.  Slowing down can save you money.

Sometimes there is a weird and wonderful item which captures your attention.  This was big and heavy.  I know because my husband carefully carried it away.  Slowing down makes for more interesting finds.

Slow Home, to me, also means that the process of selecting and filling the home with items you love, shouldn’t be rushed.  I think the housing heyday created a lot of mass-produced dwellings with copycat interiors by well-meaning folks who thought their neighbor’s home and style was the one to emulate.  I’ve seen a lot of catalog/internet cloning, along with the attempt to take Colonial brick dwellings to an inappropriate level of European Manor House – and to do it F-A-S-T!  Taking your time means taking a good, long look at who you really are, what your needs might be, and if your home is an accurate reflection of it.

“The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”  Moliere

Post Script:  I’m very excited to see more people in the design world speak of a process called, “Slow Home”.  You can even read about it in a trending topic on Twitter.  There is a website, by two Canadian architects, John Brown and Matthew North, who believe it’s best to approach anything to do with home design and building, in a slower manner.  Their website, Slow Home, is totally dedicated to this cause.

Update:  Please be sure to read another Slow Home post by my Twitter friend, Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo. A Smaller Life – Signs of a Slow Home Movement? Her comments are spot on!

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Springtime Means “Green” Time

While some parts of the country may still be experiencing a few last wintery, weather events, we have now officially entered into the spring season, or the Vernal Equinox, the transitional period between winter and summer.  As the days will become longer and we’ll have more temperate weather, many consumers begin to think about opening up the windows to let in the fresh air, as well as to catch up on spring cleaning and some household maintenance.  Interior designers, remodelers, and other trades people know their phones will be ringing! 

A lush, green garden.  Wouldn’t it be nice for your interior spaces to feel this fresh?

My “dance card” has already begun to be filled with the process of project planning and implementation, for quite a few clients.  Almost all of these projects are requiring either a refreshing of painted surfaces, due to lots of “love”, or it’s just time to change up the palette.  I do love how paint can transform a room and give it a new lease on life, so to speak.  I’m also more aware of how important choosing the right paint product can be.  In this day and time of better home insulation products, and where tighter windows and doors allow for less outdoor air exchange, (great for energy efficiency but not so great for holding in toxic fumes), I make every effort to steer clients in the direction of low voc or no voc paints.

Sometimes there is a misperception of less color choices being available in eco-friendly paints.  All of the colors of a spring bouquet, and then some, can be customized for your room!

I’ve found a great site, which shares a lot of information about these harmful compounds.  Many of you may be familiar with these products, but this site shares an eco-paint primer, (pun intended), on terminology, facts, and sources.  If you click on this > Simple Earth Media <, you can see more details.   

I’ve always been a big Benjamin Moore fan.  Now, their Aura line really has me cheering!

As an interior designer, who likes to create healthy homes, I recognize how the walls, ceilings, and trim work cover a larger surface area than some of the other products I specify.  If I can offer guidance, for just one element in green living, it would most definitely be the paint.  Even though the initial cost-per-gallon may be off-putting for some consumers, those with allergy issues and asthma will make a few less trips to the doctor.  On average, for eco-friendly paints, you could be paying $40-$55 per gallon, as opposed to $23 per gallon for a budget paint.  Here is a 2008 comparison on the top four best paints, reviewed by Consumer Search.  If you’ll notice, Benjamin Moore’s Aura was number one.

   

Sherwin Williams has stepped up to the plate with a real winner – Harmony.  Their Green Sure designation indicates a paint which minimizes the impact on air quality and maximizes performance.

A slightly lesser known brand, Mythic, was recommended to me by my painters.  This non-toxic paint, is minus the VOC’s, which can be off-gassed many years later, and can contain carcinogens.  It’s low odor, too!

One more important note - if you are considering a remodeling project, requiring any removal, sanding or disturbing of a painted surface, you will want to check out the latest information in this EPA brochure: “Contractors Lead Safety During Renovations”.  As of April 22, 2010, Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating six square feet or more of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects in housing, child care facilities and schools built before 1978.  They must also provide a copy of this Renovate Right brochure.

Aaaahhh . . . .  a green springtime!  Don’t you feel like you can breath a little easier?

Cheers to your health!  Wanda  

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