Herb'n renewal: Greening the interior

BY P. RICHELLE WHITE

Spring nesting season is here, and not just for the birds. After a long winter spent cozying up beneath flannel sheets and staring up at boring beige walls, urban dwellers emerge to give the nest a feathering of fresh color and style.

This season, the color is green and the style is sustainable. And with so many eco-friendly options available this season, it really is possible to tread lightly on the planet without sacrificing style.

“Buy better quality. Buy better for the Earth. Buy fewer pieces and plan to spend a little more per piece.” That’s the green design principle of St. Louis interior designer Courtney Thompson, who specializes in green design (www.themodernenvironment.com).

To kick off a green design project, Thompson recommends starting with a few timeless elements.

“Antiques are great,” she explains. “They’ve already off gassed (making them less toxic than newer furnishings). They’re usually well made. And reclaiming an old piece is definitely green.”

When selecting larger pieces of furniture, Thompson recommends going neutral.

“Good furniture uglies out before it wears out,” she says.

And when good furniture has uglied out, consider giving it new life with new fabric made from all natural or 100% recycled fibers. Wool, organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and recycled polyester are just some of the sustainable textiles on the market. Many of these are extremely durable, feel great to the touch and can make for wonderful window treatments. Or if blinds are more your style, Thompson suggests bamboo matchstick blinds.

Bamboo has become a staple of green design because of its sustainability. An entire bamboo forest can renew itself in just five years. But before you invest in bamboo flooring, do your research. Some of the less expensive bamboo woods on the market aren’t allowed to age properly and are therefore less durable.

“Bamboo floors are easily damaged by pets and high heels,” Thompson explains. And while cork floors are also a green design trend, Thompson warns that its porous nature makes it a poor choice for certain spaces. “I don’t think I would ever put it in a kitchen.”

Still, the options for eco-friendly flooring are vast. Natural fiber carpets are readily available in jute, wool, sea grass and bamboo. And other more traditional carpet fibers can be purchased with backing made from recycled tiles.

Thompson also likes Marmoleum, a type of linoleum that comes in tongue-and-groove assembly. “It can have a great look, and the cost is comparable to maple.”

If you can’t live without the look of real hardwood floors, consider upgrading to beautiful reclaimed wood or an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified wood floor.

When designing green, less is definitely more. For a quick and easy green makeover, Thompson recommends simply painting an accent wall.

“Paint is obviously an affordable way to dramatically change the look. But you want to make sure to the label says it’s non-toxic and either low- or zero-VOC,” says Thompson. “Paint can be low- or zero-VOC and still be toxic, so look for both.”

Changing out some of your small accent pieces can also pack a lot of bang for your green designing buck. For a punch of color, recover or replace your throw pillows and add colorful throws made with recycled or natural fibers or handmade by local craftspeople.

And for an easy, fresh perspective this spring, Thompson suggests simply moving your existing furniture around. It’s a no-cost makeover that can make a striking impact in your indoor space with absolutely no impact on the environment.

P.Richelle White is a St. Louis-based freelance writer and co-owner of Herb’n Maid (herbnmaid.com). You can e-mail her at herbnliving@herbnmaid.com.