Quick look into my design process...

I've spent much of the day working on a new design - I'm calling it "Spiral". I wanted to share a little bit about my design process with my readers. For this particular design, I was just doodling on a scrap of paper... Sometimes I start with a photo or draw directly in my drawing program, but this time it was a doodle. I though the shapes had potential so I took a photo and imported it into my software. Not so pretty right?!

After some manipulation to create an organized pattern and repeat, I came up with the final pattern which will be printed on organic fabric.

I experimented with the color and drop the pattern on a drawing of a piece of furniture to determine scale. Like the fuschia?

I had more fun by manipulating the pattern to create a new "Spiral" rug design. I really like the organic shape of the spirals once they were stretch out.

I love creating patterns. The possibilities are infinite - patterns, colors, scale, style.... Anything you can imagine!

Eco-Friendly Dish Racks (stylish?), Part II

My expectations were to find fabulous options for Part II of "Eco-Friendly Dish Racks", but there was not much out there! I guess most people just use their dishwasher or a towel like we do. The most stylish eco-friendly options where made of bamboo. I really like the clean lines and minimalist, almost spa style. A bamboo dish rack will look so much better than our towel dripping wet on the counter method. Below are my favorites. Oh and remember it is most important to use earth friendly dish soap, but that is a topic for another blog :)

Eco-Friendly Dish Racks (really?), Part I

A few years ago I got tired of filling and emptying the dishwasher... I told my kids that I hate that our sink is always filled with dirt dishes because no one wants to empty the dishwasher. So we retired our dishwasher and now wash everything by hand. At first my kids hated it, but now we all automatically wash our dishes once we are done eating. We have virtually no dirty dishes in our house! If we ever get a high efficient dishwasher, I may change my ways, but for now this works great for us. I'm also proud to say that my three kids are skilled dish washers, which is an important life skill!!

We still have one problem though, many times (or all the time during soccer season) clean dishes are left drying on the counter because we don't have time to hand dry and put them away. Below are some eco-friendly although unique (sort of weird or funny) concepts for air drying dishes. Not really what I was looking to share, but I just couldn't pass them up because they made me laugh. I will look for eco-friendly, stylish dish racks in Part II!

Eco-Friendly Fire!

In Minnesota today, it is super windy and rainy! This is just the beginning of the cold unbearable weather... Winter is long and hard here - I think this is one reason I'm so resilient and optimistic - why else would I live here! Today I was dreaming of the warmth of my fireplace, as I crossed a parking lot getting wind blown, frozen, and soaked...

This lead me to research eco-friendly fireplace options, and I came across EcoSmart Fire. Their fireplaces are beautiful and fuelled by bio ethanol. Bio ethanol is a renewable fuel that burns clean with no smoke or harmful emissions. The combustion of bio ethanol creates heat steam and carbon dioxide. So you get the warmth and ambiance without the negative environmental effects of a traditional fireplace. Plus the EcoSmart fireplaces are vent free, so they can be easily installed anywhere.

EcoSmart fireplaces are not only eco-friendly, but they are beautiful. They have every style from modern to traditional - I may just have to put one in my cold basement this year!! Below are a few of my favorites, which ones do you like?

Candy Corn Scheme

I thought it would be fun to create some color schemes for the seasons. Since I do custom colors for fabrics, sky is the limit! My first Custom Color Scheme is inspired by the "Candy Corn" - I have always loved the bright, happy colors. I had to add a chocolate brown to the mix to create some drama and sophistication. For real world implementation I would used the yellows and orange as pops of color grounded with lots of white with elements of chocolate. What do you think? What Color Schemes are you imagining? Send me your inspirations!!

Living Green Roofs

I not only have a passion for interior design and eco-friendly furnishings, but I also love architecture, especial when combined with green, sustainable building practices. One aspect of green building that fascinates me is Living Green Roofs - they offer great benefits for urban environments and the people who live in them.

• Planting beds provide insulation and protection for the building's roof.
• Vegetation naturally cleans the air.
• Covering the roof with plants helps prevent climate change (traditional dark roofs cause heat island effect making the area hotter).
• Living roofs create micro climates for birds and insects.
• Gardens provide beauty and additional areas of leisure.

Diagram of a Living Green Roof

Impressive Living Green Roofs

Time for throws...

I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for comfy throws! Maybe because I live in Minnesota and in the cold months (about 8 months in MN) our homes are full of blankets, throws, sweaters, and thick socks. We like to keep the heat down to save in energy so throws are an essential part of our daily lives. Below are some beautiful, cozy throws that are organic and eco-friendly - I really love the fresh colors and textures. Wrap me up, I'm freezing!

We offer a full line of Eco-Friendly Custom Upholstered furniture. We specialize in CUSTOM and can make anything you want as long as we have a photo or drawing and of course exact dimensions.

Below are slideshows of all the pieces in our private collection, and our recent CUSTOM pieces, as well as our Eco-Friendly Furniture Attributes. To see our complete collection, with all the specifications, visit our PURE Inspired Design Catalog. For further information visit our About page or Contact me, so we can get started creating something truly unique for your project!

Eco-Friendly Furniture...

PURE Eco-Friendly Furniture Collection

CUSTOM Eco-Friendly Furniture

Eco-Friendly Furniture Attributes:

• Frame: Solid hardwood harvested locally and responsibly.
• Seating: 8-way hand tied made with recycled metal.
• Webbing: Recycled polyester and natural materials.
• Padding: 100% pure unbleached organic cotton.
• Seat Cushion Options:
• Standard Soy (S): High quality 40% soy based foam core wrapped in down and feathers.
• Spring & Down Soy (SDS): Standard soy cushion with inner springs wrapped in down and feathers. This upgrade adds more resilience to the cushion but it still remains very comfortable.
• Latex (L): 100% natural latex core wrapped in down and feathers. Greener Alternative!
• Spring & Down Latex (SDL): Latex cushion with inner springs wrapped in down and feathers.
• Back cushion filling: Down blended with soy fibers, other options available.
• Glue: Water based with no formaldehyde.
• Stain: Water base finishes.
• All scraps are recycled.
• Fabricated locally in Minnesota.

Aqua Scheme Concept Board

Everything on this concept board is from my PURE Inspired Design's Aqua Scheme! The Aqua Scheme includes Aqua, Chocolate, and Natural. It is inspired by the water and is sooo fresh - I love to use it with a lot of the natural color because it feels so alive and fun. Remember everything is Eco-Friendly so you can truly relax in this room - so no worries!!

1. The Pattern Draperies are in the Bud Strand - the fabric background is Natural with Aqua pattern. It is light and airy against the aqua walls.

2. The paint color is Sherwin William's Tranquil Aqua SW7611.

3. I love the luscious Aqua Velour on the sofa - it is so soft. The 18 x 18 Pattern Pillow is in Petal Ring and the 18 x 14 Pattern Pillow is in Big Flower.

4. The Pattern Chair is in Fern and the 18 x 14 Solid Pillow is an Aqua textured fabric.

5. The Rug is in Petal Drop, which has a Chocolate background with Aqua and Natural pattern. Area rug tip: Make sure the front legs of your furniture can sit on the rug!

6. The cube ottomans are in Natural organic cotton canvas. I would suggest MicroSeal fabric protection which is totally eco-friendly - this treatment will keep the cubes clean forever!

I love the combination of all these colors and patterns. Let me know if you have any comments or questions - I would love to hear from you!

Re-Imagine Wood

A few years back I seen a dining table made from an old bowling alley floor. It was so cool and interesting. Since then I have seen all kinds of eco-friendly furniture made from reused wood.

Bowling Alley...

Here is an example of a bowling alley wood table - I love the way the arrows remain on the floor and also the heaviness of the top. It looks like it will last forever!

Collected Drawers...

This dresser is made from various drawers, which were collected over time. It is beautiful and eclectic, plus modern and rustic, what a combination!

Old Painted Wood...

This table is made from collected wood by an eco-friendly furniture builder in Hawaii. It is so fresh and beachy with tons of character.

Railcar Wood...

This console table is made from an old railcar and recycled steel. I love the texture of the wood and modern shape. It is hard to find long, thin, eco-friendly sofa tables and this one is perfect!!

New Eco-Friendly Furniture Arm Styles!

When looking at my standard furniture collection, I realized that I may need to appeal to the more traditional customer. I started exploring arm styles and added 2 new shapes that are more along the traditional lines - English and Sloped. The English arm is definitely more traditional - it is very refined and elegant. The Sloped arm is graceful and somewhat playful. In addition to the new arm styles, I introduced the Skirted versions of all my arms. I do like exposed wood legs, but I remembered loving a skirted sofa when my babies were little - I stashed toys, diaper bags, board games... under a lovely skirted sofa! Although these new styles are more traditional, they are still clean lined and reflect my PURE style.

We do a lot of CUSTOM work, so if you have a style in mind just let me know and we talk :)

Prefab Eco-Friendly Homes...

A few years ago I read the book "Terence Conran Small Spaces" - this was probably the beginning of my fascination with small, efficient spaces. Now combine that with my passion for the earth and what do you get.... Fabulous eco-friendly modular homes. I love the idea! Perfect sized home with all the eco-friendly materials already selected and ready to go... Now I wish I had a beautiful piece of land to plop in one of these wonderful homes!

Method Homes

Wee House

Blu Homes

Marmal Redziner Prefab

Eco-Friendly Living...

I know a lot about eco-friendly living... But I am not perfect and I have not implemented everything I know. It all takes time, energy, and determination. Small changes are easiest and quickly become part of your everyday living. I also find that great inspiring reading helps me to stay informed and on track. Here are some great books I found that will help you be more eco-friendly!

      

      

      

Slate Scheme Concept Board

Everything on this concept board is from my PURE Inspired Design's Slate Scheme! The Slate Scheme includes Slates, Camel, and Espresso. I love the contrast of these colors, so calming and sophisticated! And what I love even more is that everything is Eco-Friendly!!

1. The Pattern Draperies are in the Petal Ring - the fabric background is dark slate with camel petals outlined in espresso. It is graphic and dramatic, creating a lot of movement.

2. The paint color is Benjamin Moore's Kentucky Haze AC-16.

3. The sofa is in our textured camel fabric - the fabric creates a lot of depth. The 18 x 18 Solid Pillow is in soft velour dark slate and the 18 x 14 Pattern Pillow is in Petal Drop.

4. The Patterned Chair is in Bud Vine which is fun and adds some playfulness to the room and the 18 x 14 Solid Pillow is in soft velour espresso.

5. The Rug is in Twist, which has an espresso background with slate and camel Twist. Area rug tip: Make sure the front legs of your furniture can sit on the rug!

6. The eco-Leather ottoman is in Slate Eco-Leather.

I love the combination of all these colors and patterns. Let me know if you have any comments or questions - I would love to hear from you! I can even make a Concept Board for you own room!

Beautiful Recycled Glass

I love the organic quality of recycled glass - the imperfections, shine, and texture feel warm and inviting. I also enjoy the sea glass colors which create such a calming sense of serenity. Below are some of my favorites!

Recycled French Bottle Lamp (Viva Terra)

Recycled Glass Tile (Sandhilll)

Recycled Glass Vases (Viva Terra)

Recycled Glass Counter Tops (Think Glass)

Frosty Glass Lamp (Stray Dog Designs)