From Desire to Inspire
From Cookie Mag
From Skona Hem
From Materialicious
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Swedish inspiration
So as I've perused various magazines and websites over the summer, I've found myself more and more attracted to simple, Scandinavian styles. I love massive amounts of white...on the walls, the floor, the ceiling. I love natural wood, the more rustic the better. And I love spicing up the two materials with a splash of color (red, yellow and blue being particular faves). Oh, and throwing in a couple of raw industrial elements doesn't hurt. In short, I think I am falling in love with Swedish interiors. Here are some inspiration shots that I find myself drooling over...can we bring a Swedish touch to our Vermont farmhouse?
From Desire to Inspire
From Cookie Mag
From Skona Hem
From Materialicious
From Desire to Inspire
From Cookie Mag
From Skona Hem
From Materialicious
Updates
So it has been awhile since we've posted, we know. But it's been a busy summer. I was out of town most of July for work (and visiting my folks in Bama) and Ryan and I spent half of August in Costa Rica with Sara and Jav. Trip of a lifetime. Anyway, we're back in the game now and buckling down to make some important house decisions. We plan to meet with our primary sub, Al Rossetto, later in the month to review the four quotes we've received from SIP and ICF companies (two from each). We're leaning heavily towards going with ICFs but want to ensure that it makes sense cost-wise.
We also received word yesterday that the sofa we were so excited about from www.greensofas.com is not coming. It turns out the company is having trouble with its suppliers and is refunding our money. We are disappointed to not have our sofa but appreciate the company's professionalism in the matter. I suppose it's back to square one for our green, affordable sofa hunt. Any ideas?
We also received word yesterday that the sofa we were so excited about from www.greensofas.com is not coming. It turns out the company is having trouble with its suppliers and is refunding our money. We are disappointed to not have our sofa but appreciate the company's professionalism in the matter. I suppose it's back to square one for our green, affordable sofa hunt. Any ideas?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Help us pick a sofa...(UPDATED)
UPDATE: Upon reading all of the research on the harmful effects of materials and chemicals commonly found in most sofas on the market today, we have decided to forgo the options we listed below (although we still really like the styles). In our search for eco-friendly furniture options, we quickly learned how incredibly expensive they can be. Imagine my delight to stumble across GreenSofas.com, a California-based company that, according to their website, strives "to positively impact the world by making safe, eco friendly furniture affordable to everyone." They are the first eco-friendly company to offer sofas for under $1500. A variety of sofa styles (including some great modern designs) and configurations are available but all are guaranteed to be made with sustainable, non-toxic, environmentally friendly materials. Here is some more information from their website...
"Did you know that over 90% of furniture is made with materials known to cause global warming, respiratory problems, breast cancer, and even leukemia over extended periods of time? As if that weren’t bad enough, the furniture industry is devastating the world’s forests with their careless harvesting practices. Eco friendly furniture offers a solution to these problems by using non-toxic glues, cushions made from natural materials (soy and latex), and hardwood frames from responsibly managed forests. Good eco furniture also replaces chemically derived fabrics (polyester, nylon, and viscose) with natural fabrics (cotton, hemp, and linen). These simple changes are vital to preserving the planet, and the health of our families. The problem is that most companies who offer eco friendly furniture are price gouging their customers. The average price for an eco sofa is now over $4,300. GreenSofas.com is not interested in these schemes. Our mission is to positively impact the world by making safe, eco friendly furniture affordable to everyone. In fact, we are the first company to offer genuine eco sofas for under $1,500. We allow you to feel good knowing that your family and the planet are protected at a fair price."
We are placing an order tonight (to take advantage of a 10% off and cushion upgrade sale) for the "Jodie" sofa in "Putty" colored natural hemp fabric. We're so psyched. Granted we'll be spending a bit more than we had planned but we know it's the safest and most responsible choice. An extra $200 or $300 seems like a small price to pay for peace of mind and for maintaining our commitment to going green.
(Original post below)
So as we continue to tackle huge things like what type of wall system to use (we're back to the SIP/ICF debate and are waiting to hear from four companies with bids), I'm keeping myself busy with smaller tasks like picking out cool furniture for our new abode. Today's quest...the perfect sofa for $1000 or less. Here are the top contenders. What's your fave?
Room and Board "Westwood" ($999)
Room and Board "Brooks" ($799)
Pottery Barn Teen Convertible Couch ($799 although not currently in stock, according to PBTeen)
Exclusively Home "Plaza Tufted Sofa" ($685 + free shipping!)
Ikea "Sater" ($399)
"Did you know that over 90% of furniture is made with materials known to cause global warming, respiratory problems, breast cancer, and even leukemia over extended periods of time? As if that weren’t bad enough, the furniture industry is devastating the world’s forests with their careless harvesting practices. Eco friendly furniture offers a solution to these problems by using non-toxic glues, cushions made from natural materials (soy and latex), and hardwood frames from responsibly managed forests. Good eco furniture also replaces chemically derived fabrics (polyester, nylon, and viscose) with natural fabrics (cotton, hemp, and linen). These simple changes are vital to preserving the planet, and the health of our families. The problem is that most companies who offer eco friendly furniture are price gouging their customers. The average price for an eco sofa is now over $4,300. GreenSofas.com is not interested in these schemes. Our mission is to positively impact the world by making safe, eco friendly furniture affordable to everyone. In fact, we are the first company to offer genuine eco sofas for under $1,500. We allow you to feel good knowing that your family and the planet are protected at a fair price."
We are placing an order tonight (to take advantage of a 10% off and cushion upgrade sale) for the "Jodie" sofa in "Putty" colored natural hemp fabric. We're so psyched. Granted we'll be spending a bit more than we had planned but we know it's the safest and most responsible choice. An extra $200 or $300 seems like a small price to pay for peace of mind and for maintaining our commitment to going green.
(Original post below)
So as we continue to tackle huge things like what type of wall system to use (we're back to the SIP/ICF debate and are waiting to hear from four companies with bids), I'm keeping myself busy with smaller tasks like picking out cool furniture for our new abode. Today's quest...the perfect sofa for $1000 or less. Here are the top contenders. What's your fave?
Room and Board "Westwood" ($999)
Room and Board "Brooks" ($799)
Pottery Barn Teen Convertible Couch ($799 although not currently in stock, according to PBTeen)
Exclusively Home "Plaza Tufted Sofa" ($685 + free shipping!)
Ikea "Sater" ($399)
Friday, June 27, 2008
House plans!
At long last, here are our house plans. Lori Buxton at Buxton Drafting Services has been incredible to work with and gave us a final product that really matches our original vision. We want the exterior to reference the vernacular architecture of rural Vermont but the interior to be light, airy, open and modern. We hope we have achieved the right balance of the two. If you click on the little rectangle in the upper right-hand corner of each Scribd window, you can see the frame in a larger size.
Our favorite design elements:
The steep pitch of the roof that echoes traditional barn design (silver/metallic standing seam)
Vertical siding (James Hardie or Certainteed product in white)
The mudroom/entry, a necessity in Vermont
The way the kitchen, dining and living areas flow into one another
The bank of windows facing east that frame our most beautiful views of the Vermont countryside
The open loft area that looks out over the great room, the perfect spot for both of our home offices (mine will be on the north wall, Ryan's on the south)
The way the bedrooms (i.e. private areas) are tucked into the west side of the house whereas the communal gathering spaces (kitchen, dining, great room, loft) are all clustered where the views are, on the east
1st Floor
2nd Floor
South Elevation
East Elevation
North Elevation
West Elevation
Our favorite design elements:
The steep pitch of the roof that echoes traditional barn design (silver/metallic standing seam)
Vertical siding (James Hardie or Certainteed product in white)
The mudroom/entry, a necessity in Vermont
The way the kitchen, dining and living areas flow into one another
The bank of windows facing east that frame our most beautiful views of the Vermont countryside
The open loft area that looks out over the great room, the perfect spot for both of our home offices (mine will be on the north wall, Ryan's on the south)
The way the bedrooms (i.e. private areas) are tucked into the west side of the house whereas the communal gathering spaces (kitchen, dining, great room, loft) are all clustered where the views are, on the east
1st Floor
2nd Floor
South Elevation
East Elevation
North Elevation
West Elevation
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Modern dining chairs
What's a fabulous farmhouse style table without the perfect chair to go with it? I'm oscillating between white and metal options. Which do you think best accentuates the rustic nature of the tables we like?
I love this metal chair from the Sundance Catalog, especially paired with their tables.
Pottery Barn has something very similar. It also carries a simple white, which I like.
CB2 has these options.
I love this metal chair from the Sundance Catalog, especially paired with their tables.
Pottery Barn has something very similar. It also carries a simple white, which I like.
CB2 has these options.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Modern farmhouse tables
So my latest obsession has become finding the perfect dining room table for our new house. Our floor plan (to be posted soon) is quite open. The kitchen flows directly into the dining room which flows directly into the great room/living room. We want cooking, dining and living to blend together into general communal activity. At least that is the idea.
Our dining room table will also be one of the first pieces of furniture to greet you when you walk in from the mud room. So I want it to make a statement. It needs to capture the essence of our home...the duality of natural and industrial elements, the seamless integration of wood and steel, the intricate balance of indigenous and foreign, man-made materials, the heart and soul of a modern farmhouse. I want a long, family-style farmhouse table that echoes the past but that has a modern profile. It will be our piece de resistance. Okay, that's a lot of pressure to put on a little dining room table. But those are my goals.
I've found lots of inspiration online. Here are some of my favorites along with their sources. Please feel free to add your own in the comments section!
*Companies marked with an [*] are committed to green furniture design including using wood that is from sustainably managed forests or that is recycled and/or low-VOC stains. Check out their websites for more information.
Sundance Great Falls Table
Sundance Holcombe Table
Bruce Marsh Designs*
Style Garage (featured in June issue of Canadian House & Home Magazine)
Michelle Kaufmann's Green + Wired Smart Home at Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Pictures from Apartment Therapy
Hudson Furniture* Renzo Piano table
Hudson Furniture* Matteo Thun Celerina table
Blake Dollahite House Pictures from Design Sponge Online
Our dining room table will also be one of the first pieces of furniture to greet you when you walk in from the mud room. So I want it to make a statement. It needs to capture the essence of our home...the duality of natural and industrial elements, the seamless integration of wood and steel, the intricate balance of indigenous and foreign, man-made materials, the heart and soul of a modern farmhouse. I want a long, family-style farmhouse table that echoes the past but that has a modern profile. It will be our piece de resistance. Okay, that's a lot of pressure to put on a little dining room table. But those are my goals.
I've found lots of inspiration online. Here are some of my favorites along with their sources. Please feel free to add your own in the comments section!
*Companies marked with an [*] are committed to green furniture design including using wood that is from sustainably managed forests or that is recycled and/or low-VOC stains. Check out their websites for more information.
Sundance Great Falls Table
Sundance Holcombe Table
Bruce Marsh Designs*
Style Garage (featured in June issue of Canadian House & Home Magazine)
Michelle Kaufmann's Green + Wired Smart Home at Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Pictures from Apartment Therapy
Hudson Furniture* Renzo Piano table
Hudson Furniture* Matteo Thun Celerina table
Blake Dollahite House Pictures from Design Sponge Online
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Ceiling fans and light fixtures
So we got a little purchase happy last weekend. We found great fan and light fixtures options at, of all places, Lowe's. I wasn't expecting to make any great discoveries there (we were checking to see if they had FSC certified slab doors, which they do!) but ended up walking away with some great buys.
We love the industrial look of this Harbor Breeze Ceiling Fan and the price is right at $74. We picked up two, one for the great room and one for the master bedroom.
This barn light fixture will hang above our dining room table. I couldn't find a photo on the Lowe's website but it looks essentially like this (this one is from Westside Wholesale). It was really affordable at $30.
I haven't actually bought these wall barn lights yet but I plan to next weekend when I go back to pick up the ceiling fans that I ordered. The price is right on these too at about $19 a pop. I don't know how many we'll get but I think they would be great for the bathrooms and maybe as reading lights for above our bed. Again, Lowe's.com didn't have a great photo but they look exactly like this.
We love the industrial look of this Harbor Breeze Ceiling Fan and the price is right at $74. We picked up two, one for the great room and one for the master bedroom.
This barn light fixture will hang above our dining room table. I couldn't find a photo on the Lowe's website but it looks essentially like this (this one is from Westside Wholesale). It was really affordable at $30.
I haven't actually bought these wall barn lights yet but I plan to next weekend when I go back to pick up the ceiling fans that I ordered. The price is right on these too at about $19 a pop. I don't know how many we'll get but I think they would be great for the bathrooms and maybe as reading lights for above our bed. Again, Lowe's.com didn't have a great photo but they look exactly like this.
First home purchases!
So a quick update on our construction timeline...it isn't official yet but a wonderful builder has agreed to trade phasing allocations with us so that we can begin construction this fiscal year instead of next. While we were initially thrilled about the prospect of initiating construction this summer (we can technically begin July 1, 2008 now!), we have decided to delay ground-breaking until early next spring. We feel like we have a lot more research to do and a lot more decisions to make before we begin building. We also want more time with our draftsperson to ensure that our plans are spot-on. Avoiding changes in the future means saving money. But knowing that we can begin construction a bit earlier than before has given us the confidence to go ahead and start making purchases when we find things we like at a good deal. We also figure that buying things slowly, over a period of months, will mean not having to plop down a lot of cash all at once next summer. So our recent purchases include...
We got gorgeous mixed yellow and red birch floors at a good deal ($4.69/ft) from our new favorite store, Planet Hardwood, in Hinesburg, VT, less than 5 miles from our building site. We first met these guys at the Green Expo in Burlington two weeks ago. They have an amazing showroom in Hinesburg, full of fantastic wood floor options as well as AFM Safecoat Paint and Marmoleum options. They are 100% committed to environmentally friendly building practices and only stock wood that they know has been sustainably harvested. Our particular wood (a mix of yellow and red birch) comes from a mill just over the border in Canada, less than 100 miles away. The guys at Planet Hardwood know the mill and the family that runs in personally, one of the many benefits of buying locally!
As for the wood, we love the birch texture and warmth. Yet it's light and airy enough to help us achieve the modern feel we're striving for. We also learned something new...that yellow and red birch actually come from the same tree. The darker coloring (red) is wood closer to the core of the tree whereas the lighter (yellow) is from the outer layers. We will be using this flooring for the entire second floor (loft area/offices, two bedrooms) as well as for the bed platform area in our master bedroom. We got this idea from a beautiful home built in Texas (inspiration photo below). More pictures are available on the Wilde Haire Ranch link to the right under "Modern Farmhouse: Our Aesthetic." We will post our floor plans soon.
We got gorgeous mixed yellow and red birch floors at a good deal ($4.69/ft) from our new favorite store, Planet Hardwood, in Hinesburg, VT, less than 5 miles from our building site. We first met these guys at the Green Expo in Burlington two weeks ago. They have an amazing showroom in Hinesburg, full of fantastic wood floor options as well as AFM Safecoat Paint and Marmoleum options. They are 100% committed to environmentally friendly building practices and only stock wood that they know has been sustainably harvested. Our particular wood (a mix of yellow and red birch) comes from a mill just over the border in Canada, less than 100 miles away. The guys at Planet Hardwood know the mill and the family that runs in personally, one of the many benefits of buying locally!
As for the wood, we love the birch texture and warmth. Yet it's light and airy enough to help us achieve the modern feel we're striving for. We also learned something new...that yellow and red birch actually come from the same tree. The darker coloring (red) is wood closer to the core of the tree whereas the lighter (yellow) is from the outer layers. We will be using this flooring for the entire second floor (loft area/offices, two bedrooms) as well as for the bed platform area in our master bedroom. We got this idea from a beautiful home built in Texas (inspiration photo below). More pictures are available on the Wilde Haire Ranch link to the right under "Modern Farmhouse: Our Aesthetic." We will post our floor plans soon.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
EcoTop
So I recently learned of a new, exciting green option for countertops. I've always been drawn to products like PaperStone and Richlite but they're not necessarily budget friendly. So imagine my delight when, in my typical evening web browsing, I came across EcoTop. According to the website, "EcoTop is composed of a Forest Stewardship Council-certified 50/50 blend of bamboo fiber, a rapidly renewable resource, and recycled wood fiber salvaged from demolition sites. These materials are bound together by a water-based resin formula that is both petroleum-free and VOC-free. Because of this, EcoTop products can earn you up to six points on your next LEED project."
Its creator is actually none other than Joel Klippert, the genius behind PaperStone. Read more about him and his product in this Get With Green article.
Right now, it seems that you can order only it directly from the factory (contact information on the EcoTop website). It apparently comes in multiple colors. I think I like the black best and it will fit in nicely with our modern kitchen design. And I've saved the best for last (no pun intended)...because this product is only $35 a square foot.
Its creator is actually none other than Joel Klippert, the genius behind PaperStone. Read more about him and his product in this Get With Green article.
Right now, it seems that you can order only it directly from the factory (contact information on the EcoTop website). It apparently comes in multiple colors. I think I like the black best and it will fit in nicely with our modern kitchen design. And I've saved the best for last (no pun intended)...because this product is only $35 a square foot.
Champlain Green Living
I guess this is the week of short posts...
While researching green kitchens, I stumbled across this website I had never seen before, Champlain Green Living. Not only does it have some fantastic articles about green living and green building, it's a local resource!!! Fantastic!
Here's a great post about green kitchens and another about green building.
Enjoy!
While researching green kitchens, I stumbled across this website I had never seen before, Champlain Green Living. Not only does it have some fantastic articles about green living and green building, it's a local resource!!! Fantastic!
Here's a great post about green kitchens and another about green building.
Enjoy!
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