HOME DESIGN
More than a color, green is a lifestyle
Consumers hear a lot about “green” construction of homes, but eco-style has moved into home furnishings and decor as well.
Dining tables crafted from reclaimed wood. Bed sheets fashioned from eco-friendly organic cotton. Salad bowls made from bamboo — a fast-growing, renewable grass.
But for those with memories of a college roommate plopping an old door on a pair of orange crates and calling it a coffee table, the question arises: Can green style for home furnishings be chic?
The answer: Yes it can.
“The early stuff was made out of things like recycled tires and pop bottles, and it was not very attractive and it did not feel good,” said local interior designer Mark Taylor.
“Now they are coming out with a lot more products because everyone wants green. I read a quote that said, ‘Up until a few years ago, green was just a color. Now it’s a lifestyle.’ Everyone is talking, living, breathing, drinking and sleeping green,” he said.
These days, consumers are looking for more than just style and function; they’re demanding earth-friendly consumer goods as well, according to the American Home Furnishings Alliance, a trade association based in High Point, N. C.
Manufacturers continue to explore ways to adopt sustainable methods, while suppliers work to develop eco-conscious materials such as “greener” foams and fibers, the AHFA reports.
Elizabeth Bartolone, of Homeward Bound on Elmwood Avenue, agreed.
“It has come a long way because people in design and manufacturing have been forced to come up with a way to meet the demands for a green product as well as having it look fashionable and modern,” she said.
Furniture makers also include eco-friendly information as part of their company profiles.
On its Web site, furniture-design company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams issued an eco-statement describing how, for example, the back pillows on its sofas and chairs “are partially composed of recycled fibers that were once plastic bottles.”
Green styling is nothing new among designers and retailers in Western New York.
Many offer products made from recycled materials, such as a dining table at Conley Interiors on Hertel Avenue. The custom- made circular extending table is crafted from architectural salvage reclaimed hardwood — cherry and mahogany.
And last spring at the Buffalo Home & Garden Show, Michael Poczkalski and David Brugh — who own “room,” a home store on Elmwood Avenue where the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams collection is sold — decorated a series of rooms with many earth-friendly features.
Recycled terra cotta tile flooring, for example.
In the store, they have carried recycled aluminum tables for three years now, Poczkalski said. At home, they have a kitchen table crafted from salvaged teak from an old sailing ship.
Bamboo — a durable, quickly renewable material— also is used in many ways as an alternative to traditional hardwoods. It’s especially popular for cutting boards and salad bowls.
“It can be either traditional or contemporary, because it can be stained dark or light,” said Marsha Dautch, vice president of Jenss Decor, which is headquartered on Maple Road, Amherst, and specializes in gifts, collectibles and decor for the home and tabletop.
Striped effects also are possible, as are stylish colors.
“Some salad bowls are colored red, green or black on the outside; the inside is regular bamboo,” she says.
And when Jenss Decor/ Reeds Jewelers opened a store at 3515 Abbott Road, Orchard Park, bamboo was the choice for flooring. It has held up very well in Western New York’s climate, Dautch said.
Another use: Bamboo fibers are used for bed sheets, sometimes combined with cotton. Look for them in catalogs and linens specialty stores.
But green styling goes beyond buying new eco-friendlier pieces.
It’s also about choosing antiques, maintaining what you do own and recycling furniture.
A lot of the companies are making antiques more attractive — and it’s not just furniture, Poczkalski said. Old doorknobs are available from companies, for example.
Even old nails attract attention these days.
In the store, they took some old 2-and 3-inch nails and threw them into a bowl. People found them interesting.
They can be used to hang a picture, of course, but also as decorative items on a table.
Now that’s recycling.
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