Space therapy works. Repeatedly, projects have proved that making intentional interior decor changes of all sizes and measures can support clients in living their best lives. Recently, a client said to me, “I thought I needed mental therapy. Turns out I just needed space therapy….You changed my life in one hour!”
How about you?
- What have you done in your space that has made an impact on your life, the way you feel every day, how you live, etc?
- Have you made changes to color, layout, furnishings, fabrics, art?
- Were you able to use eco-friendly concepts in your changes?
- What changes did you make that led to supporting certain changes in your life?
I want to hear from you! Send pictures if you want and let me know if I can share them with readers here. You can remain anonymous if you choose!
Change your space, change your life. Change your life, change your space! Looking forward to seeing what readers have to say and share!
Blessings,
Amy
Head Diva at EcoKind Design
It wasn’t long ago that the words attractive, eco-friendly, fabrics, textiles and easy-to-find were incompatible terms. I’m excited to say that no longer is this an issue. In fact, the term affordable *gasp* is even working its way in there too, as demand goes up for the market!
Here are some of the West Coast vendors from a long list of U.S. eco-friendly fabrics and textiles for your interior space needs, as listed in the Natural Home Magazine Resource Directory! There are plenty of guy and gal-friendly solids and prints available from the myriad of resources. Hooray!
Aurora Silk
Peace silk (doesn’t kill the silk worms), hemp, cotton, organic dyes – mostly solid colors.
OR
HarmonyArt
Organic, fair trade cotton prints and solids by designer Harmony.
CA
Live Textiles
Organic linen and cotton, bamboo, and hemp in exclusive, customizable traditional and contemporary prints, avoiding run-off producing dyes.
WA
OEco Textiles
Luxurious, opulent woven textiles including cotton, linen and velvet
WA
For more info: Visit the eco-friendly fabrics and textiles as listed in the Natural Home Magazine Resource Directory!
Greetings all!
Sorry I have been so absent of posting. I have been getting busy again, with lots of good things coming forth in my specialty niches for small business, bachelors, bachelorettes, and couples. Some is still top secret! What I can share now is…
EcoKind Design with Architecture 5¢!
I am now working with John Morefield of J Arthur Design and nationally-renowned Architecture 5¢!
Have you seen his press coverage?! John began Architecture 5¢ as a way to start conversations about architecture with the public. Not everyone understands architecture and what it encompasses – or doesn’t, so John saw fit to change that. As a result, he is now more busy that he ever imagined, running both businesses, as architects all over the country are writing in to become rep for Architecture 5¢, in addition to all the questions that come in to the website for architecture advice, and doing architecture design with the leads that come in from the website questions as well!
Drop a nickel in the cup, ask your question…no question or idea is too small! You can currently find him at the Ballard Farmers Market and at more festivals & events in the future. He was just at SPACE for the Greenwood-Phinney Annual ArtWalk this past weekend. Nickel proceeds go to the local food banks.
Welcome DaVinci Bakery & Cafe, becoming Wheatless in Seattle
My latest small business client, DaVinci Bakery & Cafe, is rebranding to become Wheatless in Seattle. We are re-designing her interior and exterior to match the new logo and look.
Kaili McIntyre is the head diva behind 1 of only 3 wheat and gluten free bakeries here in Seattle. Her food is incredible, and I’m not even wheat or gluten intolerant! They have baked goods, coffee, tea, soda, breakfast and lunch items and a fabulous menu choice for Sunday brunch as well!
Stay tuned for the announcement of the grande re-opening!
Myself with award-winning HGTV designer Vern Yip
This past weekend, Eye on Design 2009 was presented at Seattle Design Center (SDC), in partnership with Seattle Homes & Lifestyle magazine, who gave complimentary subscriptions to all attendees! I had the honor of attending as VIP and dragged along (willingly, of course!) my redesign and staging colleague Marlene Rockey of HomeWorks home staging and redesign.
Eye on Design is an annual panel of designers brought together to share design tips and talent with the public and to give the public a chance to visit both public and trade-only showrooms all in one day. SDC used to hold the panel events 10 years ago, and Marketing Manager Craig Cross saw the need to bring them back, beginning last year with featured guest designer Kenneth Brown of HGTV Redesign.
This year, our guest was award-winning HGTV designer Vern Yip, formerly of Trading Spaces and now of Deserving Design and Design Star.
Read more at my Examiner column…
.
Vern Yip will be at Eye on Design 2009 THIS Saturday!
A few weeks back, I announced I would be interviewing award-winning designer Vern Yip of HGTV’s Deserving Design (who will be here in Seattle THIS Saturday…read more below) and I asked my readers what you all wanted to know from Vern with regards to your eco-home interior design and decor ambiance.
At long last, here are the answers to your burning questions! First though, I must give proper credit and abundant thank yous to Nancy Juetten of Main Street Media Saavy, who contacted me with this opportunity and then made it all happen! Nancy is a spitfire public relations diva with affordable DIY publicity tools, and will coach you 1-1 if you wish as well. She has rocked my design world with this opportunity to interview Vern! Thank you Nancy!
And now…EcoKind Design’s interview with Vern Yip
Amy: What top 3 tips do you have for eco-friendly home decorating for $100 and below?
Vern: When thinking about home decorating, one way to stay eco-friendly and still watch your budget is to frequent used and second-hand furniture outlets. The Goodwill and the Salvation Army can often times have some pretty great stuff that is very inexpensive. Antique stores and flea markets are also a good resource for those who have a good eye. This keeps these kinds of items from ending up in a land fill somewhere…and supports the use of existing resources versus placing demand on the production of new goods.
Another tip that will brighten a space is to try hanging an inexpensive mirror on the wall opposite your natural light source. This will take the existing natural light entering the space and bounce it back into your room…reducing the amount of time you’ll have to turn on the artificial lights in your home.
When it comes to accessorizing, try forming an exchange group with some trusted friends where everyone brings decorative accessories, no longer employed in their own homes, to a central location for a swap. This will not only be a free way to get some new stuff in your home…but it will also help you get the stuff out of your attic that you just aren’t using.
Additional Tips from Amy: Check out the Shop Local link to the right of column for locating Greater Seattle 2nd use shops! Also check out Craig’s List and Freecycle for free stuff and passing on that which you no longer want!
Amy: What are your top 3 eco-friendly tips for high impact, low cost spring home décor?
Vern: Spring is often seen as a key time to inject freshness and life into your home. One of the most inexpensive ways to do that is to paint your walls. Use low VOC (volatile organic compounds) or no VOC paints which are now widely available in most markets.
Since spring is often associated with flowers blooming, bring some of those flowers inside with a beautiful orchid plant. Orchid plants are inexpensive and widely available…and the blooms will last up to eight weeks. The best part of having these great looking flowering plants in your home is that they require very little care and very little water! Orchid plants need watering once every two weeks and will bring great color and sophistication into your space. Just remember to place them in a location that receives bright indirect light.
If your existing wood floors are looking a little rough and you don’t have the ability or resources to fix them yourself, try a large rug made of bamboo slats. Not only are these rugs very inexpensive, they’re very current and can be taken with you when you move. A myriad of bamboo products…to go with your new bamboo rug…are on store shelves…and unlike many hard woods, bamboo is an easily renewable resource.
Additional tips from Amy: Check out the Benjamin Moore Aura and Natura lines for no VOC paint choices.
Amy: What is your favorite eco-friendly textile in the lower cost range?
Vern: Many wonderful fabrics made from organic cotton/ linen blends, bamboo and hemp are now widely available in great solid colors and prints. As more of these products have become available, cost has gone down and accessibility has gone way up.
Additional tips from Amy: Check out Shop Local textiles for Greater Seattle resources. I am also working on an internet resource list as well!
Amy: For kitchen remodels, what low budget tips can you suggest?
Vern: One of the best ways to freshen up a kitchen is to replace the existing pulls and knobs with new ones. A simple change like this can not only dramatically lower the cost of a renovation…but it also can make a huge impact.
If your existing cabinets are made out of wood…try freshening them up with a coat of no VOC paint versus replacing them with new ones. You’ll want to make sure that you prepare the surfaces first with a light sanding so that primer and paint will actually stick to the surfaces. Since faucets often act as major sculptural focal points in a kitchen, updating this one item can often make a big impact. Make sure installation is done correctly to prevent dripping which can be extremely wasteful.
Amy: Regarding changes to the house and home, do you make the changes that bug you most first, or those that neighbors and guests would see?
Vern: It is always most important to make the changes that bug you the most first! The days of designing your interiors to please the neighbors are long over. Design is now all about making your home a physical manifestation of you. This will ensure that the things you do will be things that will last a long time. If you stay true to yourself…and buy quality things that will endure…you will have rooms that you’ll never have to seriously change…which is one of the most eco-friendly things that you can do
Want More of Vern? You got it!
I’m a gal that delivers, the hookup – and I’m here to make your home interior dreams come true! If you want more of Vern, THIS Saturday, Vern will be at Eye on Design 2009, a rare open-to-the-public event for designers and public alike at the Seattle Design Center in Georgetown…for ONLY $10 folks!
Eye on Design 2009
including award-winning Vern Yip of HGTV Deserving Design
April 25, 2009
10am – 4pm
- Get environmentally inspired design ideas to welcome Spring
- Learn essential home décor editing tips to create a fresh, new look
- Get answers to challenging home décor questions from the experts – including Vern Yip
There is space for 600 guests at ONLY $10.!! TEN DOLLARS! Now when was the last time you got to meet and pick the brain of an HGTV expert like Vern Yip IN PERSON in your OWN CITY, for a price like that?! That’s about the cost of one theater movie and that isn’t LIVE!
You will also have access to browse the 55 luxurious Seattle Design Center showrooms and meet face to face with interior designers (including myself of EcoKind Design!) to find the professional that meets your needs.
So get your people together and make a day of it! Or a half day if that is all you have! Either way, I am most certain you will get your $10. worth – and MORE – this Saturday at Seattle Design Center for Eye on Design 2009 with Seattle’s interior design professionals and award-winning designer Vern Yip of HGVT’s Deserving Design!
Wish Tree at 2008 Leap for Green festival
Come play with us this weekend on Mercer Island for their locally focused 2nd Annual Leap for Green Festival!
2nd Annual Leap for Green Festival
Saturday, April 18
10am to 2pm
Community Center at Mercer View
FREE admission!
Family-friendly – bring the kids!
EcoKind Design will be there sharing a table with fashionista Candice Caldwell of Fashion Ethic and local green cleaner Gwen Wilson, also representative of ENJO cleaning products. These products are like magic, don’t use cleaning solution AND clean us the grease and germs! Holy Smokes!
Please stop by this fun and FREE event to shop some new Spring organic and ethical fashion, and pick up some new BAGGU reusable bags and SIGG reusable water bottles, and learn some quick tips for eco-home interior decorating, as well as chat with us ladies. This is a great chance to get your burning questions about eco home AND fashion answered in person, all at once! We LOVE to talk with YOU about what you want to know!
Also at the festival will be representatives and goodies from Full Circle Farm, Veraci Pizza, Whidbey Ice Cream, The Reptile Man, Puget Sound Energy, and more for an exciting day of hula-hooping, music, art projects, movies and inspiring ways to be kinder to the environment.
We hope you’ll join us!
