Go Green

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors and according to the National Safety Council, we spend 65% of our time inside our homes. Let’s start being more aware of what we are putting in our homes and offices – they can be beautiful, sure, but beauty is absolutely more than skin deep.

Here are a variety of websites to help you “green” your home like the powder room above in our Lakeside New Build project. The ceiling is covered with eco-friendly grasscloth made from sustainable, natural materials, an antique sideboard modified and repurposed into a gorgeous vanity, and the stone vanity top, always an environmentally-friendly option for your home!

FLOORING

ECOTIMBER

Bamboo flooring is made from bamboo plantations – not from wild habitats. Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, harvestable only four to six years after being planted. EcoTimber has four formats of bamboo flooring: solid, engineered, strand woven, and tile.

VALLAREX

Cork Floating Floor from Expanko offers the beauty of cork with the ease and versatility of a glueless installation. During the manufacturing process, all raw materials are consumed, either for the finished flooring product or as an energy source. Additionally, all recommended finishes, sealers, and adhesives are water-based and environmentally friendly.

DMI CORK

DMI cork is responsibly harvested every 9 years by a time-honored method that does not harm the health of the tree. Cork is warm, quiet, comfortable and resilient, and naturally resistant to pests and mold. Comes with a factory-applied, acrylic-urethane matte protective finish. Multiple styles. Easy interior decorating with this easy to install and maintain option.

COUNTERTOPS

PAPERSTONE

PaperStone is an earth-friendly composite surface created from 100-percent recycled papers and a petroleum-free resin. It resists scratches and holds up well over time. Depending upon the project, the use of PaperStone may contribute up to nine LEED points.

SQUAK MOUNTAIN STONE

Squak Mountain Stone is an environmentally friendly slab and tile product company based in Washington State. This is a composite of recycled paper, recycled glass, coal fly-ash (a waste product from coal smoke), and cement. It’s unique to the green market due to its resemblance to natural stone.

ALKEMI

For an eco-friendly modern/industrial look, or just something different than what is out there for countertops and other surfaces, check out Alkemi. These surfaces have earned SCS certification as well as LEED credits. Aluminum milling scrap that would be burned into a heavy pollutant smoke, make up 60% of the surface volume.

ENVIROGLAS

EnviroGLAS offers the EnviroSLAB countertop made from post-consumer and post-industrial recycled glass.

BACKSPLASH AND TILE

CAESERSTONE

Caesarstone is dedicated to sustainability at every level. The company’s premium quartz surfaces are both designed and manufactured with our planet in mind. Their products meet American Greenguard standards and are credited by the National Sanitation Foundation as being safe enough for healthcare facility and commercial food preparation use.

ENCORE CERAMICS

Encore Ceramics is a ceramic tile business in southern Oregon that makes beautiful handcrafted ceramic tiles and has a strong commitment to eco-responsible manufacturing. The EPA has ranked them the #71 company in the nation in 100% green power purchase and #4 in the nation in the “Industrial Goods and Services” sector. Their next step is 100% energy self-sufficiency.

MODWALLS

The Viridian line from Modwalls is SCS Certified for a minimum of 98% pre-consumer recycled content. Contents include old windows and windshields. The Viridian recycled glass tile series comes in two lines: Viridian Pearl & Viridian Industrial.

DEBRIS TILES

Debris tiles by FireClay contain 50 percent post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials. Available in more than 200 colors and a variety of sizes and patterns, Debris’ clay and terra cotta bodies include granite dust from sandblasted electronic parts and glass salvaged from bottles and windowpanes.

PAINTS

AUROUSA

AuroUSA boasts the highest environmental, toxicological, and technical performance among natural paint brands. The company claims to have created the highest quality paint while making the fewest ecological compromises.

BIOSHIELD

Bioshield pledges to uphold the highest environmental and social standard of responsibility and accountability. They carry clay paints and plasters, solvent-free paint, color washes, kinder paints, and casein milk paints in a wide range of colors.

BENJAMIN MOORE

Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint has “the green promise” assuring the product meets or exceeds rigorous environmental and performance criteria regarding VOCs, emissions, application, washability, scrub-ability, and packaging.

Their Eco Spec paint has zero emissions and zero VOC’s. The environmentally responsible paint tinted with Benjamin Moore’s proprietary colorant system is available in over 3,000 colors.

SINKS

NATIVE TRAILS ULTRA RECYCLED HYGIENIC COPPER SINKS

When it comes to healthy metals, stainless steel immediately comes to mind as a sterile metal that is used often in sinks and medical equipment. While it can be beautiful it many applications, stainless steel has the ability to feel cold and lifeless. Native Trails is tapping into the natural hygienic properties of copper in their lines of handmade sinks. If you didn’t know copper had healthful properties, honestly, neither did I, but it is an exciting and eye opening discovery.

BAMBOO SINK COLLECTION BY STONE FORESTStone Forest is the creator of some of the most beautiful “nature inspired” sinks out there. Not unlike the way water naturally pools within indentations on a rock, Stone Forest’s sinks are at harmony with the water within them. Instead of forcibly containing the water, these sinks instead provide water with an intuitive place to rest. Materials such as stone, copper, bronze and bamboo put traditional white porcelain to shame when given the goal of designing a bathroom retreat inspired by nature.

DENVER KITCHEN REMODEL AND BATH DESIGN

All of these products are perfect for a kitchen or bath renovation. Contact Andrea Schumacher Interiors for creative remodel design!

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