Eco-Friendly Textured Wall Coverings

By Melissa Higgins
Vero and Cottonwall, ASID Industry Partner

There are times when we are challenged with making a space feel more intimate and cozy. Textured wall coverings can help accomplish your vision bringing an organic architectural element to a space. Now more than ever, we have many sustainable design options.

100% Silk with Effect Material

In the past, most textured wall coverings contained vinyl. The vinyl used in these products consisted of high VOC’s and solvent based inks and dyes. Today, there are more eco-friendly finishes offered that are vinyl free, use water-based dyes and inks and contain little or no VOC’s. Recycled paper, cork, bamboo, grass cloth, and cotton are some of the materials used to create textured coverings. Grass cloth and cotton comprised of all-natural fibers generate a breathable, mold-resistant living space. Some like US Cottonwall, for example, offers acoustic values reducing noise and echoes, making the product ideal for theater rooms, large noisy office and restaurant spaces, and anywhere indoor comfort and serenity is desired.

Bama Silk



When choosing a recycled paper, V2 tiles by Mio are preferred. The tiles can be arranged in various ways to add unique architectural design and depth to a room. Another option is Japanese plant based wall treatments like straw which claim to give “spiritual healing.”  US CottonWall, is a hand trowelled, seamless, bio-based cotton plaster. Made with renewable materials, this high-density wall finish offers customizable creations with the use of mica chips, a selection of glitters, and metallic threads. Each individual order is hand dyed specific to the job and no materials are wasted. All extra material is set aside in case of future repairs, which are simple and not noticeable for the life of the plaster. Most wall coverings on the market today last at least 10 years. Less waste is created when you can patch a damaged wall opposed to striping and re-plastering or re-applying wallpaper.

Gray Granite

How and where these products are manufactured are also important questions to ask when helping to create a viable ecologically friendly space. All of these natural products help designers, architects, and engineers earn LEED points and at the same time, improve the quality of our environment and that of generations thereafter. There are innovative products being introduced to the market every day. It’s your responsibility to get educated and make sure the products you are selecting are indeed green, so you can put these fine finishes to work on your next project knowing you have made a responsible decision for our environment as well as a warm, welcoming atmosphere for your clients to enjoy for years to come.

Vero, founded in 2001, is the national distributor of Italian seasoned slaked lime and resin plaster finishes for interior and exterior wall surfaces. The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, CA is an example showcasing the authentic products. They recently introduced a line of all-natural, bio-based cotton fiber plasters for interior quiet and cozy spaces. Customers may choose from hundreds of standard colors, or they can match any color specified.  Visit their showroom in Orange, CA. Instructional classes offered. Please contact Melissa Higgins at 714.637.7341.

2911 N. Orange-Olive Rd.

Orange, CA 92865

Blog address, Spread The Plaster

http://verorialto.blogspot.com/

Help Your Clients Make Environmentally Friendly Decisions

By Lynn Wyndham Morris, Allied ASID
Director of Communication for ASID
As a member of a profession that directly impacts the built environment, designers serve as ecological stewards to guide clients on simple ways to incorporate sustainability into their lives.   With dwindling natural resources, overburdened landfills, a growing population, and energy and toxicity concerns, it's imperative that everyone do their part to help.  Here are five quick ways to jump-start someone after you’ve helped with their interior update, a remodel or even replacing lighting in their home. The benefits to everyone will be long-term.

1) Lights off is OK.  Many clients have children who forget to turn lights off when they leave a room.  Most people leave their closet lights on all the time. When you’re busy with family events and tasks, an unforgotten light can drain energy and produce heat; not a good idea in a small closet.  The answer is as simple as installing a vacancy or occupancy sensor.  For closets, children’s rooms, and shared baths, a vacancy sensor can be installed right at the light switch. They can be adjusted to turn lights off 5-15 minutes after the room is unoccupied, and a homeowner can be taught to easily make adjustments.  For a kitchen remodel, recommending occupancy sensors for clients is ideal. The options are as inexpensive as a big box store item for $30 or part of an automated system. Paint a picture for your client; they enter the kitchen – often from the garage – with a load of groceries or dry-cleaning in their arms.  Voila, the lights go on so they don’t trip on the toys left on the floor, or smack into the edge of a cabinet. Priceless.

2) Check the thermostat. After completing interior paint projects and remodels, check the position and condition of the client’s thermostat. Deciding whether to paint the housing, relocate it, or update it, is a common practice. With a little bit of knowledge, you can assist your client with both energy efficiency and aesthetics.  Programmable thermostats will save them money right away. It’s a quick step (depending upon the season) for a quick lesson in use.  Rather than heating their home to a toasty 72 degrees in the winter, tell them to wear their beautiful sweaters and turn it down to a cozy 68 degrees. Statistics show that they can save even more - up to 15% of their bill - by turning it down another 5-10 degrees during sleep. An automatic thermostat can be programmed so there is no need for them to adjust the thermostat manually. For those people who are in the habit of heating their home to 72 degrees, let them know that they can acclimate to a lower temperature by lowering the thermostat one degree per day. When they come in from the cold, 68 will feel toasty and warm.

3) Insulate.  Many clients don’t think of insulation even during a remodel. However, whether they try to keep their home cool or warm, eliminating the loss around windows and doors is key to energy savings. Advise them to check the seal around windows and doors that are not being replaced, since they’re likely the largest points of air exchange.  For every receptacle and switch, especially when specifying new ones, have the electrician check for air leaks; most exterior walls have leaky boxes and there are inexpensive gaskets at hardware stores that fix them quickly and inexpensively.  Pipes are easy to insulate when the walls are open. Recommend that clients add foam covers to their hot water pipes in the kitchen and bath, especially if the ‘run’ from their heater to the faucet is long. Why heat the walls in summer and lose heat as the water travels in winter?  If a client does not want to switch to a tank-less water heater – you can investigate the cost-benefit and savings easily - how about recommending a blanket on the hot water heater? It will keep the water hot longer, and save money on re-heating. If a large project is underway, including exterior updates, also address leaking air from chimneys, vents, and attics. A small investment in insulation does add savings to heating and cooling a home for the long-term.

4)  Use energy efficient lamping. Whenever you specify a light fixture, provide the lamping; it’s a small cost to absorb and can put clients on the right path for the future.  Whether you select compact fluorescent (CF) or light emitting diode (LED)m lamping becomes a professional decision that clients will be happy to have you make. Most people aren’t certain of the differences, how to select them, or what wattage to purchase.  You will find that many clients stock incandescent bulbs fearful that they will ‘run out’, yet they don’t realize the benefits of other light sources.  Since incandescent lamping is being phased out, this small gesture will help them with other fixtures in their home as those bulbs burn out. With the new bulb already in the fixture, you can advise clients that they will be saving money on energy as well as bulb replacement costs.  Since CFF and LED offer better lighting, dimmability, recycling ability, and energy savings, what's not to love?  Many municipal energy companies offer instant rebates to purchase energy efficient lamping, so the costs to replace bulbs will be low.

5)  Compost?  Indeed. Creating a compost pile for yard clippings is easy when clients have the space.  Many people know that the resulting mixture provides fabulous fertilizer for flower pots and gardens. For outdoors, there are many companies that sell ready-to-use compost bins, or you can make a  pile in a corner of a yard.    But what if they don’t have a yard or even a balcony?  Fear not. For indoors, composting is now easy, small scale and attractive.  Small ceramic composters that look great and take up little space, can sit on a countertop.  When used with a compost starter they won’t attract fruit flies, produce an odor, or grow mold. If you have cabinet space, a 4-5 gallon bucket from a hardware store works well. Houseplants will love it, start an herb garden with it, add to your outdoor planters, and the ecological benefits are many!

Lynn Morris is the principal designer for A Touch of Tradition Home & Garden Shop, a full service design studio & furnishings, lighting & accessory shop. From fabrics, window coverings, ready-made and custom furnishings, to fabulous lighting and accessories, TOT-HOME offers something for every style of decor. Lynn creates stylish interiors with enduring appeal and loves to incorporate classic, sustainable and luxurious details. Please visit her at: www.tot-home.com

How can you turn your green expertise into green in your wallet?

by Lexine Schroeder, ASID Eco Committee member
Botanika Interior Plantscapes, ASID Industry Partner

Editor's note: These are Lexine's presentation notes from the ASID San Diego's Eco Committee's presentation “Green Your Bottom Line & Meet The Eco Committee” from November's ASID General Meeting at Illuminating Interiors. 

How do you turn your sustainable design knowledge and eco-friendly products into profit? 

First and foremost, you need to clarify what your green expertise is.  If you don’t have any, get some!  Free or inexpensive workshops are available through USGBC San Diego, CA Center for Sustainable Energy, and SDGE.

1)   What specific skills and abilities can you offer clients?  What experience and education do you have?

Your business card, email signature, and website should all include any certificates or credentials you have (Green Associate or LEED AP, or 3^rd party product certifications if you are an IP)

2)   How will these things benefit your client and the planet?

(Hard to quantify, so use measurable things, such as how much energy will be saved, percent lower air toxins off-gassed, quantity of recycled material).

3)   It helps to write a “Green Mission Statement” so that your offerings are clear.  Put it on your website and any collateral materials you hand out. 

Example from one planter manufacturer: “Our focus is to design and manufacture architectural elements in the USA using post-consumer recycled materials and sustainable methods.”  It can be that simple!

4)   You can list the things you do to support your green mission statement on your website too: in-office recycling, recycling packaging or demolition materials, energy-efficient lighting in office or factory.

In this process, be careful to avoid “greenwashing”, which is promoting a product or service as more environmentally-friendly than it really is. 

1)   Be realistic about what you can and can’t do for your clients.  It’s always best to under promise and over deliver.  Don’t risk your reputation with false claims.

2)   Do your homework; don’t just take a vendor’s word for it that their product is green.  Ask for concrete details, percentages (Ex: pre- vs. post-consumer recycled), certifications, or use products made of simple natural materials that are sustainably harvested. 

To paraphrase ASID designer Laura Birns from a recent talk on sustainability, if what the vendor is claiming doesn’t make sense, it probably isn’t as green as they say.  And if it stinks, it isn’t green!

Take advantage of other opportunities to share your expertise and be seen as an expert:

1)   Update your business Facebook page with sustainable solutions and projects (or LinkedIn or Twitter).

2)   For IPs -- Eco Expo contest at IP Expo in Feb. – greenest booth and products gets free PR in Design Perspectives newsletter.

3)   Designers, IPs and students: Write an eco-tip for the ASID Eco blog, get guidelines from Amy – if nothing else at least read the blog and get inspired/educated! J  Follow it.

4)   Start your own green design blog or email campaign.

5)   ASID newsletter Eco page:  Designers, we are always looking for articles on your sustainable projects; contact Kristianne Watts at kw [at] kwdesigns [dot] com .

6)   Civic involvement in green causes -- volunteer and brag on your website, social media, email campaigns.

7)   Put a case study (with gorgeous professional photos) on your website; list the benefits of the sustainable elements.

8)   If you do a sustainable project, or one that has sustainable elements, tell the press!  Local media is increasingly interested in eco-friendly design solutions.  Green is sexy.

Finally, many clients don’t think to ask for green unless you ask them first!  Ask them if sustainability is a priority during your first interview or on your uptake form.  Their health and safety is your responsibility.  They will thank you!

In summary: Clarify your green expertise (or get some!), state the realistic benefits, know your products, and let people know what you know!  The result will be increased profitability for your business that you can feel good about.

Lexine Schroeder is owner and lead plantscape designer at Botanika Interior Plantscapes, a boutique indoor plant service based in San Diego serving residential and commercial buildings. Her mission is to bring the beauty of nature indoors, enlivening spaces while cleaning the air and providing a sense of well-being to her clients. Call her for a free initial consultation at 619-729-5715, or visit http://www.botanikaplants.com/.

A Turn Toward a Healthier Built Environment

by Denise Colestock, LEED A.P.
ASID Eco Committee Member

It has become apparent that sustainable design directly affects human health and building economics in positive ways.  For this reason, the San Diego chapter of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) will be hosting an ASID member this month to address sustainable interior design at USGBC's popular "GreenMeet" event. 

Laura Birns, ASID, LEED A.P. will speak about the values and innovations in sustainable design in the built environment. Interior design isn’t just about pillows and colors; it’s about efficient lighting, appliances and plumbing fixtures, eco-friendly fabrics and finishes, and innovative ideas about reuse and recycling. With the movement toward more efficient and healthy built environments, interior design has taken its place among the LEED rating system and other sustainable strategies.

Sustainable kitchen by Laura Birns Design

The USGBC-SD chapter warmly welcomes ASID members to join them at the chapter meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 from 5:30pm-8:00pm at the Soledad Club (this a “dark” month for ASID general meetings). There will be appetizers and refreshments from 5:30pm-6:30pm and the program will take place from 6:30pm-7:30pm. For more information and to register for the event, please visit the USGBC SD website at http://www.usgbc-sd.org/ or http://bit.ly/kLrFmQ.