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Top Design, Episode Six: "Eco-Offices"

CasaSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:15:08 -0700

In the latest episode of Top Design, the remaining designers tackled a project near and dear to my heart: renovating a space in a green fashion. Guest judge Danny Seo, whose green designs and ideas I love, offered the contestants advice on remembering the R words (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and be resourceful, among others) in their spaces.

The designers were challenged to use all materials in the office (including ugly desks and bad carpet). They were also given fabric remnants to work with instead of new fabric as well as low VOC paint. Contestants were paired with clients and challenged to renovate their office spaces in an environmental manner.

Some designers were gung-ho about this challenge, while others were immediately put off by the idea. In particular, Eddie came off as a snob, calling his client a dork, berating him for his use of the word "funky," and then repeatedly uttering "Ew" as he had to do the demeaning work of going through boxes of fabric remnants. Oh, the horror!

To see who won and who had to leave the show, read more.

Just as the contestants were beginning to ease into their design ideas, India Hicks presented the designers with a twist: the contestants had to hand the keys to the office space over to another designer. This meant that the designers then inherited the prior design decisions of their fellow contestants.

Overall, the designers did a much better job this week with their designs. I loved Ondine's water bottle chandelier, and I liked Preston's bookshelf and defined, elegant use of color on the walls. Oh, and I also was coveting India Hicks' dress. Was that eco, too?

Wisit had to leave for his dull, ultraminimalist, and uninspired office space, and Eddie won the challenge. Luckily though, we were treated to a final operatic swan song from Wisit.

What struck you as particularly good or bad about this decision? Who did you want to go? Did you think Eddie deserved to win?

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Eco-Friendly Outlet Banishes Power Vampires For Good

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:50:52 -0800

Vampire power month may be over (how appropriate that it was in October, no?), but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying to find ways to reduce our electric bills! We are living in a digital world, which means nearly everything needs to be juiced up to work. I've already got my laptop working overtime at the office and at home, so you can imagine that I'm a pretty powerful energy vampire on my own. But I wouldn't be if I had this outlet.

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A concept design I found while cruising Yanko, the Switch outlet allows you to keep your appliances plugged in (no more unplugging your power strip), but with a simple rotation, it cuts off all power to your gadgets, so you aren't draining electricity when it's not needed. Way to be eco-friendly and efficient! Power vampires, be gone.

Would You Be Interested in Leona Lewis for Stella McCartney?

FabSugarUK — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:44 -0800

Leona Lewis is a strict vegetarian and has been rumoured to be creating her own eco fashion line many times. This week the gossip is more specific as it is reported that she has been in talks with Stella McCartney. The two have similar principles as Leona once spoke about how she gave away a Burberry handbag because it was made from leather. She also turned down £1 million to open the Harrods sale last year because the store sells fur. Leona is particularly interested in designing shoes and handbags. If these two Brits collaborated, would you be interested in the range?

This (New) Home: Summa Canum, the Obama Dog House

PetSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:15:42 -0800

Perfect for a dog living in the actual White House, the eco-tastic Sustainable Pet Design created this habitat as a gift for the Obama family's future pet. Consisting of donated materials as part of Project Summa Canum (Latin for "top dog"), the house even has presidential origins – it's made with wood from Tennessee Aromatic Cedar trees that Andrew Jackson planted along the driveway of his estate, The Hermitage. This white house looks pretty amazing – see the sandblasted logo on the back – and I can't wait to find out what kind of pooch will be living inside!

Paperless Post Gets Holiday Parties Started

babysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:30:29 -0800

This holiday season, go green, go cheap, and go beautiful! Instead of sending out a tree's worth of paper invitations for your holiday soiree, consider using creative and gorgeous online invitations. While e-vitations have been around a while, few are as sassy, simple, pretty, and well-organized as the custom stationery from the Paperless Post.

A cinch to figure out, and party queens can choose between traditional, contemporary, modern, and casual templates and add the perfect touch with an embossed design, colorful trims, a grosgrain ribbon, or even their own photos. New members get 25 free virtual stamps (good for 25 email addresses) when they sign up and pay an additional fee when they want to send out their notice to more guests. If a hostess wants to blast the invitation out to 100 people, she would only pay the $8 fee for 100 e-stamps as opposed to a $44 bill at the post office. For an extra $5, mama can make the envelope fancy and add a liner. In the end, an $8 stamp fee and $5 envelope liner are peanuts compared to the snail mail option, and she never has to wait in that dreaded line! The bonus is it makes managing the party details as easy as one, two, three. Mommy can tell who has opened the invite, replied to it, and made comments on it.

So the next time mum's throwing a bash - holiday or otherwise - she should consider Paperless Post. The guests will be impressed by her fabulous and savvy eco-friendly ways, and it will give her the opportunity to spend the money on wine and music, 'cause that's what will make her party legendary.

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Preview Metropolitan Home's Modern by Design Showhome in San Francisco

CasaSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:00:25 -0700

Yesterday, I toured Metropolitan Home's Modern by Design showhome in San Francisco, a historic, 7,700-square-foot house in the heart of the exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood, which has been transformed into an exquisite example of contemporary design with the help of a savvy developer and a handful of the country's top designers.

The house, known as "Baker Acres," was originally built in 1904 as a single-family home, but over the years has served as a boarding house for service men and women, a guest house for recent graduates and San Francisco transfers, and a hotel. Along the way, the building's exquisite architectural details, grand rooms, and dramatic staircase were destroyed, and the home was stripped down to a shell. In 2007, San Francisco-bred developer Regina Callan of RBR Development purchased the property, and updated and restored it with the latest technologies, building materials, appliances, and surfaces. The building's eco features now include a GreenPoint rating, recycled brick, solar panels, and energy-efficient appliances.

To hear which designers participated, and see many photos from my tour, read more.

As for the design, Met Home called in 14 of the most sought-after interior designs to bring this home into the 21st century with a unique modern living and design interpretation. The team includes Martha Angus, David Olydroyd, and Greg Steart of ODADA, Min | Day, Jiun Ho, Gary Hutton, Jay Jeffers, Dowling Kimm Studios, Nicole Hollis, Erin Martin, Steven Miller, Phillip Parton, Sand Studios, and Surfacedesign. Each designer applied his or her vision to a room or set of rooms.

If you live in the Bay Area, you can tour the showhome on weekends from June 20 to July 12, any time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and proceeds benefit the San Francisco Ballet. Find more information here. If you don't live in the Bay Area, take a peek at my photos for a tour.

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Designer Spotlight: Susan Woo

FabSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:00:22 -0700

Susan Woo is new in fashion town so let's welcome her. The designer received her BS in fashion design and business, then put her degree to practice at Louis Vuitton, Derek Lam, and Chanel. Not bad. Because Woo has major love for fashion and the environment, her entire Fall collection is made from 100 percent all-natural and sustainable fabrics - organic wool, cottons, and cashmeres. Yet another example of eco being chic. Both day and evening options range from $345 to $1,250 and are currently available at H Lorenzo and Kaight in NYC.

To see a few more Susan Woo looks, read more

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Before and After: Landscape Makeovers From SB Garden Design

CasaSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:00:04 -0800

For over 10 years, Stephanie Bartron and her team at SB Garden Design have been transforming West Coast outdoor spots into livable, lush spaces. With a focus on sustainable residential design, the firm also offers design consulting and garden coaching. See some of the dramatic before and after photos from the firm's portfolio.

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Casa Verde: Ali Sandifer Studio

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0700

If you love the streamlined look of midcentury modern furniture, but want something that looks at home in your 21st century home, take a look at Ali Sandifer Studio. A furniture company based out of Chicago, Ali Sandifer Studio creates modern, beautifully designed furniture from sustainable sources.

Another thoughtful element of this furniture is that storage - a must-have in modern homes - is integrated into much of the furniture. All of the pieces are hand-produced in-house, so you can rest assured that the pieces are not only beautifully crafted, but that they're made in the USA as well. To see the full collection of Ali Sandifer Studio's furniture, read more.

As far as the company's eco cred is concerned, all furniture is made using domestic woods harvested from sustainable forests. Furniture is finished with natural oils and water-based sealants, avoiding the VOCs associated with veneers and stains.

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Green Habitats from Petchitecture 2008!

PetSugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:00:10 -0700

As you can tell from the partying pet piccys, this year's Petchitecture event was not only eco-friendly, but totally fun as well. The unique fundraiser to support the PAWS organization featured specially designed habitats that were auctioned off and all had two things in mind: pets and Mother Earth. Thankfully, that nod to the planet extended all the way to the inner workings of the event itself, which cut its mailed invites from 10,000 to 1,500 (printed on 100 percent recycled paper with soy-based ink), eliminated event programs, and had any posters printed on recycled paper as well.As for the designs, this one by William Duff Architects was my fave – with a solar device that cools the inside – perfect for your cat or small-sized pooch. It didn't stop there as the event featured tons of genius and hip designs! Check out more in the gallery when you read more.

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