April 22 is Earth Day – Designers Celebrate Green Home Picks

April 22 is Earth Day – Designers Celebrate with their Top Green Home Picks

Designers have always put their own spin on things, so when I wanted to
get the skinny on the best new green products for your homes (and
mine!), I went to my designer friends, and a few other folks in the
know. Here are their finds, along with a few of my favorites.

WALL CANDY

My favorite sustainable product is Kirei Board.
Kirei is a pre-finished sheet good that’s made from sorghum straw.
Unlike a lot of products that disguise the fact that they’re made from
agricultural waste, Kirei draws attention to the fact that it is
essentially a board made out of straw. It has a natural geometric
pattern to it that I find irresistible. Kirei can be used anywhere
you’d ordinarily use a veneer –on cabinets, furniture walls and even
floors. It’s made with a formaldehyde-free, water-based bonding agent
that produces zero VOCs. I sheathed a knee wall in a kitchen with it
last fall and have another, similar use for it coming up in June.

Paul Anater – Designer/Blogger
kitchenandresidentialdesign.com
St. Petersburg, Florida

I love 3form‘s products: Their resin-based Varia
is made from 40% post consumer products. They have virtually endless
finish and color choices, and each piece is made upon order. You can
also place anything inside of the resin – grasses, flowers, fabrics
etc. – for a truly unique look. We have used this product to replace
the glass traditionally used in cabinets, wall screens, exterior
canopies, and even for custom-built furniture. 3-form has truly proven
to be one of the most versatile products we ever found and is specified
in almost all of our projects.

Dean Larkin, AIA – Architect
Dean Larkin Design
Los Angeles, California

The gold star I would give to a green interior design product goes to the Ripple PaperForms wallcovering from MIO.
It’s strikingly modern and helps with both acoustics and insulation in
a room. It’s made with a modular design, so the tiles can be arranged
to create different patterns. Because they’re modular, you can also
replace tiles that become damaged. And you can paint them so they can
be any color needed to match the interior design scheme. The tiles are
made from renewable and recycled content (100% post and pre-consumer
waste paper), and are recyclable. Twelve square feet of this tile costs
$32, so they’re affordable in the bargain.

Nicolette Toussaint – Designer/Blogger
Living in Comfort and Joy
Comfort and Joy Interior Design
San Francisco, California

Interstyle Ceramic & Glass, one of North America’s leading glass tile manufacturers, has a new collection of linear mosaic tile with recycled content. Icestix
comes in 1/2