Earth-friendly, homestyle inspiration for “re” designing your digs
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Whether your home is big or small, you need a place to sit, eat, sleep and play—and storage for your stuff. But finding home décor that reflects your personal style can be a challenge, especially if you’re dedicated to creating a healthy home (and contributing to a healthy planet). We’re here to help with a roundup of lovely, earth-friendly options to help keep your home sweet home just that.
dining
This “River Runs Through It” dining table, $1,799, is a definite statement piece. It’s made of reclaimed hardwoods likely pulled from former barns, schoolhouses or other sources, and includes reclaimed Brazilian peroba rosa wood that makes up the central butcher-block application.
Where we found it: BedDown’s large gallery in Midtown Atlanta’s Amsterdam Walk features soaring ceilings, exposed brick walls and lovely room vignettes (just don’t try to nap in one of their gorgeously made-up beds).
BedDown
500 Amsterdam Avenue, Suite R
Atlanta, GA 30306
404.872.3696
beddown.com
bath
The “Cheshire” bathtub by Victoria & Albert, $2,258, is made of a blend of more than 50 percent naturally-occurring volcanic limestone. With special insulating properties, the bathtub is more energy efficient than its cast iron or acrylic counterparts (it keeps your hot bath hot for a good, long soak), and is shipped in recycled, post-consumer cardboard on pallets made of reclaimed wood.
Where we found it: Steakley Plumbing & Showroom has a staff of master plumbers. They offer remodeling services and a huge showroom on the corner of I-65 and Harding Place in Nashville.
Steakley Plumbing & Showroom
4281 Sidco Drive
Nashville, TN 37204
615.333.3030
steakleyplumbing.com
lighting
Handmade by Costa Rican artist Hennig Dyes of renewably farmed pine from plantations in the Costa Rican highlands, the Plantation Pine Globe Lamp, $98, casts a warm glow when lit. The artist, a third-generation Costa Rican of German descent, is in his 70s, and has been crafting for more than 20 years.
Where we found it: Bluehouse, a 4,000-square-foot, eco-friendly home furnishing store in the Baltimore area, offers furniture, accessories, housewares, gifts, mattresses and bedding, linens, and other necessities for modern living.
BlueHouse
872 Kenilworth Drive
Towson, MD 21204
877.276.1180
bluehouselife.com
walls
Printed with water-based, nontoxic inks on paper from sustainable forests, this Eco Chic wallpaper by Wallquest, $56 to $62 per single roll, is mold- and mildew-free because of the company’s manufacturing process, which allows the paper to “breathe.”
Where we found it: A flooring store just north of Charlotte, North Carolina, Burgess Supply Company, Inc. also features extras like wallcoverings, rugs, window treatments, art and accessories—and they offer installation.
Burgess Supply Company, Inc.
15435 Highway 73
Huntersville, NC 28078
704.875.1338
burgesssupply.com
living
A mod freestanding fireplace, the EcoSmart Cyl, $1,990, is part of EcoSmart Fire’s new Outdoor Range series. It’s fully portable and fueled by denatured ethanol, an environmentally friendly, renewable energy. A stunning piece that can be used both indoors and outdoors, its buyers qualify for up to 30 percent of the purchase price in federal tax credits because of its energy efficient properties.
Where we found it: Convenient to Asheville, Hendersonville and Brevard, Biltmore Hearth & Home is the only store in the Carolinas that carries the EcoSmart Fire product line. In addition to fireplaces, they feature grills, gas stoves and fireplace accessories.
Biltmore Hearth + Home inc
6724 Boylston hwy
Mills River, NC 28759
828.891.5200
ashevillefireplaceandstove.com
seating
Beautiful indoors or out, the organically shaped Vegetal chair, $555, comes in six earthy colors and is made of steel and polyamide, a thermoplastic synthetic material that’s 100 percent recyclable. The original inspiration for the chair came from historical gardens of the 20th century, where young trees grew into furniture-like structures through continual care and deliberate pruning.
Where we found it: Apartment Zero, a Washington, DC-based store that’s now exclusively online, features innovative home furnishings and accessories. Owners Christopher and Douglas encourage young artists who have the vision to create products of the future today.
Apartment Zero
apartmentzero.com
Aleigh Acerni is a Charlotte, NC-based writer and editor who has written about everything from gardening to youth hostels to women’s issues. Her first book, Justice at Guantanamo: One Woman’s Odyssey and Her Crusade for Human Rights, co-authored with Kristine Huskey, will be published this year by Globe Pequot Press. Find her on the web at aleighacerni.com.