On a recent visit to one of my stone and countertop suppliers, I started looking at some wonderful glass products that offer beautiful and environmentally friendly alternatives to stone. I specified Bio Glass for a kitchen and bar area countertop and adjacent family room fireplace surround in a seaside home in the color "Oriental Jade," which picked up on the aqua color of the nearby ocean.

 

The unique, translucent qualities of Bio Glass are produced by recycling hollow glass, tableware and factory shards, and the results are reminiscent of sea glass.

 

The possibilities for kitchen countertops, bathroom vanity tops, shower seats, bar tops, and even walls and partitions are very exciting. The really wonderful thing about Bio Glass is that it offers a fresh and new approach for countertops and other surfaces.

 

Another product that offers recycled glass and great possibilities is Vetrazzo, from a company named Polycor. With a great website and a story behind each product, the Vetrazzo line offers countertops and surfaces for residential and commercial use.

 

Vetrazzo uses 100% recycled glass - most of the glass used for Vetrazzo products comes from curbside recycling, and 85% of the finished product is made from the recycled glass (the other 15% being cement, additives and pigments). The product selection ranges from finely grained to "chippy".

 

My current favorite is "Charisma Blue with Patina," which is made from recycled beer, wine and soda bottles. The color descriptions for each variation are really fun to read, and are powerful reminders of how effective recycling can be.

 

Another company, Fireclay Tile, offers products with recycled content. I particularly like their "Debris" tile, which is fashioned from recycled glass bottles. The Debris series is available in more than 100 fantastic glaze colors and in several sizes, shapes, trims and decorative options. The company is also developing a countertop surface called "Bottlestone" with 80% post-consumer recycled glass content. "Bottlestone" looks like it will offer a fine-grained appearance (rather than chunks of glass) in four unique colors.

 

Yet another company, Stardust Glass, offers tile with very high recycled glass content (87-97%), using pre-consumer recycled glass that is collected and harvested within 250-500 miles of the company's manufacturing facility that's located in Portland, Oregon.

 

With a wide variety of fun colors and shapes, Stardust offers some terrific ways to use tile in kitchen and bath design, as well as solutions for fireplace surrounds, floors, tiled walls and more. Commercial applications are highly possible as well, for interesting counter/service areas, funky commercial bathroom designs, and beautiful display areas.

 

Are you familiar with the Forest Stewardship Council?

 

The FSC is a non-profit dedicated to promoting responsible management of our world’s forests by offering certification for landowners and companies that purchase or sell timber or forest products to ensure that forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way.

 

Independent, FSC-accredited certification organizations carry out assessments of forestry practices to determine whether FSC standards have been met. These certifiers also verify that companies claiming to sell FSC-certified products have tracked their supply back to FSC-certified sources.

 

Architects, builders and designers who purchase or specify building materials, furnishings, or paper or other products with an FSC label such as the one shown above can be confident that the products were harvested or manufactured using environmentally sustainable practices.

 

According to a recent study by The Freedonia Group entitled Green Building Materials, U.S. demand for green building materials will exceed $80B by 2013 and FSC-certified lumber and wood panels are expected to be the fastest growing green products, with demand more than tripling between 2008 and 2013.

 

The Forest Stewardship Council maintains a list of retailers who sell FSC-certified product on this page where you can search for retailers or download an up-to-date PDF list of all retailers. Notable retailers on the list include Pottery Barn, Pier 1 Imports, Crate & Barrel, L.L. Bean, Williams Sonoma and Restoration Hardware. Buy Green! And remember, look for the FSC Seal!

 

 

I came across the Genuine Stone website recently, a very nicely done website indeed - one that's owned by the Natural Stone Council, a collaboration between various business and trade associations that wish to promote natural stone for commercial and residential design and construction.

 

On its website, the council bills natural stone as an earth-friendly alternative to competing materials. But as with most everything when it comes to environmental sustainability, there are pros and cons to using natural stone products.

 

Let me first say that I absolutely LOVE granite and other natural stone surfaces!

 

While I marvel at the wonderful variety of options offered by all of the different types of natural stone and am amazed and inspired by the beauty of travertines and limestone, river bed granites, fossilized stone, and other natural stone products, I'm also greatly concerned about the environmental and local impact of granite mining around the world.

 

Once stone is in place, it's durability and permanent beauty is very evident. Just think of all of the enduring monuments and buildings throughout the world that are made of stone. With regard to permanence, stone is very sustainable. However, while the mining industry has made improvements in recent years, the mining and transportation of stone is generally not very environmentally friendly at all.

 

Issues include heavy water consumption, what happens to the mining site once the natural resources have been extracted from it, radon and other gaseous byproducts, and the use of heavy equipment for mining, processing and transportation.

 

One way to minimize the impact upon the environment when using natural stone is to use locally mined products. Not only does doing so minimize the impacts associated with transportation of the materials, but it also helps the local economy.

 

Another is to purchase products that come from mines where environmentally friendly practices are used. For example, refer to this Green Building Matters blog page for an interesting and thoughtful discussion regarding the Cold Spring Granite mine in Minnesota and some of things Cold Spring is doing to minimize the impact upon our planet.

 

This product has been available for a couple of years, but just recently caught my eye when I was researching fixtures for a bathroom renovation project that required a contemporary direction.

 

The Kohler "WaterTile" shower head and body spray line features a vertical wall installation that ties in quite nicely with tile, and also features a fully adjustable, pivoting spray face.

 

The "WaterTile" is available in a wide range of Kohler finishes, and works well with many of their fixtures, especially the more chunky or angular fixtures such as the Memoirs, Pinstripe or Margaux lines, thereby offering a terrific way to introduce a contemporary element to a bathroom project, whether in an entirely contemporary setting or a more traditional one.

 

The "WaterTile" line also features a round body spray option, which is installed virtually flush to the wall, is adjustable up and down to alter the spray angle, and coordinates well with some of the Kohler round fittings such as the Forte or Coralais lines.

 

I love how the WaterTile shower head and body sprays can be so easily integrated into shower wall tile, the clean lines of the products' designs, and the wide range of finish options that are available, making it a great solution for many bath renovation or new construction projects.

 

Many construction and renovation projects include fireplace surrounds, hearths and mantels. There are a tremendous number of wonderful options out there to dress up and finish the fireplace, including stone, tile, glass, concrete, and wood. During numerous home renovation projects, I've proposed revamping the fireplace area, and when I've done so, clients who thought that their current set-up was fixed or permanent usually get pretty excited about making a change or improvement.

 

Some great options for surrounds and hearths include marble, granite, limestone, slate, soapstone, brick, tile, concrete, and recycled glass. One of my current favorites is a stacked stone surround with a coordinating slate hearth, especially in casual settings. The stacked stone is reminiscent of exterior stone walls and provides a nice connection to the outdoors. It also relates well to earth tone color palettes. Stacked stone color options tie in with slate tile or slab options for hearths:

 

 

Glass or recycled glass used as a surround is heat resistant and creates a softly colored, translucent look that works well in seaside homes or contemporary settings where stone might look a bit heavy. Glass surrounds can be combined with tile or stone hearths, or glass can be used on the hearth as well. Studio G3 features glass as fireplace surrounds in several applications:

 

Mantels run from traditional to rustic to minimalist/modern and can be purchased pre-fabricated or custom-built to fit a specific application if desired. Wood mantels are generally traditional but can also be contemporary.

 

 

Limestone, marble, or cast stone mantels can create an old world, classic look, or can be streamlined for a more contemporary appearance.

 

 

Shelves above a fireplace and surround fit the bill if there is limited width and if a minimalistic or rustic look is desired. Custom cabinetry around a fireplace can also finish the look.

 

One of my main goals for 2010 is to earn LEED "Green Associate" status and then LEED Accredited Professional (AP) status in Interior Design and Construction (ID+C).

 

One can earn a Green Associate credential separately or in conjunction with a LEED AP exam, depending upon one's past experience on LEED registered projects.

 

There are three tiers to LEED Professional credentials: Green Associate, AP, and Fellow. The "Fellow" status criteria is currently under development, but will feature an elite group of professionals who are leaders in the field.

 

Green and sustainable design will remain on the forefront of the construction, architecture, and design industries. It seems that there is less hype about green design as it becomes more mainstream, and projects and building materials/products will continue to incorporate aspects of sustainablity in order to be relevant and to be viewed favorably.

 

A recent report from Design Intelligence states that green and sustainable design has become "an integral aspect of good design". Indeed, focus upon good design often now starts with the use of environmentally sustainable practices and materials, and projects are evaluated equally for their "green-ness" and aesthetics.

 

I've already been working with a variety of environmentally sustainable products for several years now, but having a LEED accreditation can only help me with my design business.

I recently had the pleasure of shopping for tile at the Ann Sacks showroom. Every time I’m there, I find something new and inspiring. From glass to metal to natural stone, each product is top of the line.

 

Lately, I’ve been admiring all of the fabulous glass tiles from Ann Sacks and Oceanside Glasstile. The wide range of colors and finishes from clear, sea glass like colors to dark, stormy, metallic colors is amazing. The Lake Garda wall and floor tiles are really cool too.

 

The Lake Garda tile comes in 40 different matte colors and in a range of sizes from 2x2 and 12x12. Just beautiful!

 

I’m looking forward to using glass tiles on a couple of kitchen and bath renovations projects soon, for both flooring and wall tile in the bathroom spaces, and for backsplash accents on the kitchen job.

 

One would think that glass tiles for floors would be out of the question, but the Lake Garda tiles and some of the Oceanside Glasstile mosaics are manufactured for residential use, creating a new and exciting way to use glass tile.

 

Make sure you check out Oceanside's www.glasstile.com pages. The Glasstile products are made from silica sand and recycled glass material, are very strong and impervious to water, and can be used for a wide variety of commercial and residential applications. Simply gorgeous!

 

A plain manila envelope arrived in the mail the other day with return address "Farmboy Fine Arts". Out of a sense of duty rather than curiosity, I opened it, planning on adding another brochure to my ever growing pile of "stuff to look at some day"... Inside was a wonderful array of beautifully creative artwork including backlit art, acrylic digital art, art on canvas, art on glass, 3D sculptural art and more. I was captivated by each page. Both the catalog and the website that I subsequently visited provide a comprehensive look at all of the offerings and mediums available. With over 40,000 images to choose from in many different types of applications, the possibilities seem endless.

 

CEO Todd Towers and his team have put together quite an enterprise. Here's a PDF of a recent article that I found on their website. The catalog and website illustrate many projects and installations, including hotels, restaurants, casinos, offices and residential applications. Each project is unique and dramatic in its own way, and the website's client list is impressive. Their site also offers a newsletter, blog and a podcast that changes monthly, featuring music mixes from guest DJ's.

 

The print brochure is available through a link on the website, and Farmboy Fine arts says they will be at the HD Las Vegas Trade Show, May 14-16 2009. Here's a sampling of just some of their creations:

 

Farmboy Fine Arts - ADA Designs

 

 

Farmboy Fine Arts - Architectural Elements (AE)

 

 

Farmboy Fine Arts - BADA BOX

 

 

Farmboy Fine Arts - EGO Tempered Glass

 

 

Farmboy Fine Arts - LUMA Acrylic Panels

 

 

Farmboy Fine Arts - META Aluminum Composites

 

 

Farmboy Fine Arts - OPTICA Lenticular Imagery

 

All photos courtesy of Farmboy Fine Arts.

Roughly 75 awards were recently announced for contract furnishing products during NeoCon® 2009 at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. It was the 20th year for the "Best of NeoCon" awards, co-sponsored this year by Contract magazine, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), and McMorrowReport.com.

 

Products were judged by a group of management executives from corporate, government and institutional facilities along with selected international designers and architects. The 42 jurors were split up into seven teams, with each team visiting the product showrooms and market suites to view and judge the products in person. Over 1200 companies competed in 44 product categories for the awards.

 

Powermat won Best of Show and a gold medal in the Technology Support category for its ultra-thin wireless technology by showcasing its streamlined wireless charging devices for kitchen applications and wire-free charging and real-time powering capability which Powermat had embedded into Teknion Corporation's FX workplace accessories collection.

 

"Powermat was an 'unknown' to the contract furniture industry," said Eileen McMorrow, Director, Best of NeoCon 2009. "As a technology provider, the judges realized how the product contributes to all contract office furniture and how it will impact office planning in the future. This is why it received the Best of Competition award from 42 best of NeoCon jurors."

 

To see all award winners, visit Contract Magazine's Best of NeoCon 2009 page.

 

 

The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA), a trade association for the North American office and institutional furniture industry, recently announced "level",  a multi-attribute, sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the furniture industry.

 

The program offers a means for evaluating and communicating the environmental impacts of furniture products by accounting for companies' energy consumption, material selections, manufacturing, shipping and handling practices, social actions, and impact upon human health.

 

Retailers and consumers can use the level brand to make better informed choices knowing that a given commercial furniture product has been tested by an accredited third-party certification organization such as NSF International or SCS. A marking of 1, 2, or 3 indicates the level of certification that a particular product has achieved. And manufacturers can use the level brand to describe the environmental footprint of a given product in simple to understand terms in a consistent manner.

 

For more details, check out BIFMA's www.levelcertified.org website.