Pre-fab homes are all the rage in the eco-modern design world. Want to dabble in modern architecture and pre-fab homes? Why not start with a modern birdhouse? In a recent post Get Busy Building Birdhouses, here the plans are provided for making your own birdhouses/birdfeeders. While it is wonderful to create birdhouses from scratch...CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Image: modernbirdhouses.com
Recycling Can Make Being Green Hilarious (VIDEO)
The folks who design for our future are looking to us for clues to helping people go greener. How about using humor? I recently wrote about how designers are incorporating people's behavior in their "design thinking." This 'power to the people' premise only goes so far (although, it is virtuous to always consider the consumers needs). The next common sense step to sustainable design is to implement a shift in people's behavior towards, let's say - garbage and recycling. My family was recently reminiscing about a trip we took to Spain to visit relatives. I asked one of my kids...CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Less is So Much More: Living a Minimalist Life
Not long ago, troche I discovered a blog called “mnmlist.” I’ve been following Lloyd Alter’s Frugal Green Living series and he has added some interesting quotes from mnmlist creator, Leo Babauta, who also founded Zen Habits. What I really like about mnmlist is how refreshingly clean it is — no ads, no pictures, no clutter. What is mnmlist about? CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Bringing Heirloom Design Concepts Home
Are we replacing old items too often? Our culture has made it easier for companies to create disposable goods–or items designed to have a short life–that it’s hard to separate what we need, healing from what we want, treat from what will last. Then there are changing styles and trends. Can stuff be designed and built to be durable, ed beautiful and affordable enough to last generations? This is where the term “heirloom design” comes in. This has been a huge challenge in the design world. Products should be well made, attractive and affordable. Period. We only have to look at electronic technology and the automotive industry to know that this challenge has not been met. How many computers, cell phones and cars have you had in the last 20 years? CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Eco-Wallcoverings: Not Your Parents’ Wallpaper
It’s common knowledge among remodelers and interior designers that the easiest way to transform the look of a home is by changing the wall color. Often the design element used is paint. Not so in my childhood home.
See, pills I had a wallpaper designer parent (Dad), and my other parent was over the moon over wallpaper. My father’s flocks and my mom’s modern metallics were in full bloom all over the walls of the house. Along with the rolls of wallpaper samples and those thick, stumpy wallpaper books, there were tiny flecks of film that caught on all the textured surfaces of the house. My Dad’s handprinted silk-screening pieces from his graphic design process landed on more than just the walls. It gave new meaning to “wallpaper world” and let’s just say they had their share of wallpaper wonders and woes.
Now we know the lowdown on wallpaper is low. Traditional vinyl wallpaper leaks VOCs. The adhesives used in pre-pasted wallpaper emit vapors. The chemicals used in vinyl wallpaper have the potential to harbor mold. Mold growth behind wallpaper aggravates a plethora of health problems. No wonder wallpaper wallowed away from the home design scene. But lately, wallpaper has been popping up all over the blogosphere. Here’s an article from the Dwell magazine blog about the resurgence of wallpaper in homes.
There’s one basic credo about green home design: If it is eco-friendly, eco-chic and makes the homeowner happy, then bring it home. Wallpaper hasn’t seemed to fit this model … until now...CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Photo Credit: Echo Designs