Re-purposeful interior design: Home decorators can also recycle
The GoodWood second-hand home goods store in Washington carries many items for the eco-conscious home decorator. Illustrates SHOPPER-REUSE (category l), by Janet Bennett Kelly (c) 2013, The Washington Post. Moved Friday, April 26, 2013. (MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by John McDonnell)
Birch branches gathered in the forest were used to make the twiggy legs of West Elm’s side table ($249, in blackened metal or silver finish). Suitable for setting down drinks in a living room or books by the bedside. Illustrates SHOPPER-REUSE (category l), by Janet Bennett Kelly (c) 2013, The Washington Post. Moved Friday, April 26, 2013. (MUST CREDIT: West Elm)
The soft but sturdy Restore Basket (top, $99) by Finnish designer Mika Tolvanen is made from plastic recycled from beverage bottles. This 32-by-18-inch striped mat ($68), made from float-rope once used by Maine lobstermen, traps dirt and sand and is mold- and mildew-resistant. Illustrates SHOPPER-REUSE (category l), by Janet Bennett Kelly (c) 2013, The Washington Post. Moved Friday, April 26, 2013. (MUST CREDIT: The Design Within Reach, top; Terrain)
Blithe and Bonny’s Grapefruit Eco Dish Soap ($21) comes in a repurposed wine bottle. Peg and Awl’s cutting board ($80-$120) is made of reclaimed oak and fitted with aged steel boat cleat handles. Both available at GoodWood in Washington. Illustrates SHOPPER-REUSE (category l), by Janet Bennett Kelly (c) 2013, The Washington Post. Moved Friday, April 26, 2013. (MUST CREDIT: Anna Kehoe/ GoodWood, left; Peg and Awl)
Don’t have enough time and/or money to invest in geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels and such? Not to worry — decorating can be another satisfying way to go green. Reclamation is sweeping its way through the design world: Doors, windows, siding, shutters and hardware from demolished buildings are being rescued before they are dumped in landfills, while designers with a passion for the past are repurposing old furniture and accessories.
Green designer and consultant Topher Paterno uses these criteria for judging the eco-friendliness of decor: Is it reclaimed, repurposed, recyclable, renewable or have green intent? As for where to find it, Paterno, who owns Pazzo Verde, an eco-sensitive design, building and consulting company based in Washington, offers these sourcing tips:
1. Look for reclaimed doors, flooring and kitchen cabinets from salvage companies such as Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore resale outlet. There are more than 800 ReStores in the United States and Canada; a locator is at www.habitat.org/restores.
2. When shopping online, use “eco” as one of your search terms.
3. Frequent thrift stores to find furniture and recycle it. “It can be less expensive to reupholster an old couch than to buy a new one,” Paterno says.
Anna Kahoe would add another category to Paterno’s list of sources: antiques stores. “What could be more eco-friendly than a store filled with vintage and antique furniture?” she asks. To further cut down on environmental impact, Kahoe, co-proprietor of GoodWood in Washington, gathers her inventory from places no farther away than three hours.
The store is a tableau of planet-friendly items, including decomposition books (with 100 percent post-consumer-waste recycled pages manufactured in a mill powered by methane captured from a local landfill). Kahoe also shows customers how to reinvent antiques in a modern way: A feed bin can get new life as a bookcase; a factory cart with wheels can be a coffee table; and a library card catalog, a jewelry box.
Eager to get looking? Here are some striking, eco-friendly items.
— Made from plastic recycled from beverage bottles, the soft but sturdy Restore Basket by Finnish designer Mika Tolvanen can contain the clutter of newspapers and magazines as well as firewood and toys. Also available in red, gray and bright blue. $99 at Design Within Reach stores and www.dwr.com.
— Birch branches gathered in the forest were used to make the twiggy legs of West Elm’s side table (in blackened metal or silver finish). Suitable for setting down drinks in a living room or books by the bedside. $249 at www.westelm.com.
— Slice and dice produce on Peg and Awl’s cutting board made of reclaimed oak and fitted with aged steel boat cleat handles. When the hand-rubbed wood loses its luster, swab on a fresh dose of olive oil. From $80-$120, depending on size, at GoodWood or Pegandawlbuilt.com.
— When Kahoe discovered Blithe and Bonny’s Grapefruit Eco Dish Soap in a repurposed wine bottle, she immediately put it on her marble farmhouse sink. “I entertain a lot, and I like the look of it,” Kahoe says. Plus, it lasts forever and cuts grease, she notes. $21 at GoodWood or Nordstrom.com.
— Greet guests at the door with this 32-by-18-inch striped mat. Made from recycled float-rope once used by Maine lobstermen, it traps dirt and sand, is mold- and mildew-resistant, and will help keep pounds and pounds of rope out of landfills. $68 at www.shopterrain.com.
