Dreaming Green

I received the nicest gift in the mail the other day from the very kind people at Environment Furniture. You may remember this blog post. Environment Furniture is an eco-friendly and very stylish maker of sustainable furniture...as they say....they "put the chic in eco-chic!" I would have to agree.

So.....I open the package and was very excited to see it was this book: Dreaming Green by Lisa Sharkey and Paul Gleicher (All photos from the book by Linda Bell Hall). Books are my favorite gift to give and to receive....so I of course started to flip through it immediately! As I am flipping, I came across this chapter...which I now have to say is my favorite, called the EcoManor :

Foyer

(Because the couple are co-educators, they give frequest tours of the space and needed a grand entryway for assembled crowds. The large doors are made from wheat instead of solid wood, saving trees - pg. 149)

EcoManor is the home of Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Laura is the daughter of Ted Turner, CNN founder. Taking her life's cue from her environmentally active father, Laura became an environmental activist who happened to marry an environmental lawyer. Laura is the chairman of Captain Planet Foundation and cofounder of Mothers and Others for Clean Air. It was only natural for the couple to build a house with the environment in mind. It is the first ever LEED-certified manor home and the first LEED residence in the South, South being Atlanta Georgia.

Dining Room

(Custom-made recycled scrap-iron chandelier. 19th Cent. Dining table, 18th Cent. Dining Chairs)

The couple brought in their friend Jillian Pritchard Cooke to help with the interior. Pritchard Cooke specializes in sustainable projects. Everything is energy efficient, chemical-free, and recycled or sustainable.

Family Room

(Throw pillows are from vintage remnant fabrics. All fabrics are sustainable and toxin-free. - pg. 150)

It doesn't look like the typical "green" house does it? And this is why I am impressed. The "green" anthem may end up playing itself out unless it appeals to a very broad spectrum of tastes. Not everyone is comfortable in a contemporary home. I think it is wonderful and important that this home was included in a book about green design. Antiques are a pretty green way to furnish a home....perhaps the greenest. Cooke incorporated as many antiques and family heirlooms into the design as possible.

This Secondary Dining Room moves outdoors during warmer weather

Kitchen

(Concrete and Glass counter tops and renewable hay cabinet interiors - pg. 153)

Many of the light fixtures and counter tops were made using recycled products. The chandelier here was made from scrap iron and the counters were created by Dex Studios using concrete and recycled glass, mother-of-pearl and marble.

Study

Cooke used the theme of Four Seasons to create the interiors for the home. This study off of the Family Room represents Autumn. All paints used in the home were low-VOC.

Master Bedroom Reading Area

One might never guess just how green this pale blue room is. The contrast between the pale blue white upholstery and the almost black drapery and ottoman are quite striking!

To find out more about EcoManor project and Jillian Pritchard Cooke visit the website here. You can see a tour of the manor which shows many more pictures, learn about all of the green products used in the home, and find out how EcoManor is being used as an "educational tool to builders, architects, designers, vendors, landscapers, educators and homeowners in an effort to promote green living, conservation options and improved residential building practices."

I want to say a hearty THANK YOU to the team at Environment Furniture for sending me this wonderful book!

If you are in the Los Angeles Area, you might want to check out their new flagship store on Beverly Boulevard: