ware {house}

With a collection of salvaged, found and re-furbished industrial wares, Cleveland Art is one of my favorite resources for unique furniture. A new shipment just came in and I wanted to share some of my favorites.

Blissful Bedroom

I just received the new trade catalog for the fall/winter collection at Bliss Living. I have to say, it couldn't have come at a better time since I had just attempted to make my bed (which rarely happens) with the various mismatched pillows and blankets. I did finally buy a quilt to fit our king sized bed a few months ago - prior to that we were using the one from our old queen!

Having the requirement of eco-friendly bedding makes it somewhat difficult. You typically can't just go to a store and pick up organic cotton anything, though it is getting better. Furthermore, bedding can be quite expensive and we have a standard king versus the ever popular California king...the excuses go on and on.

Getting back on subject, I was excited to flip through the pages and see a range of colors that felt new and fresh, like the Icelandic Dream collection

(I love the wooden mobile in the background)

and Amelie Green


I'm really drawn to the varying shades of green, especially the touches of olive and dusty sage together. Notice the Canada passport pillow too. How cool is that?


I'm also a fan of the reclaimed wood shelves


Needless to say, it sent me into a bedroom redecorating frenzy so you may be seeing my bedroom before/after posts in the near future.

my {little} dream office

Oh my, how things do change. Once upon a time I may have wished for a large open space to scatter all my design paraphernalia about, but not so anymore. Now I crave efficiency and organization, mixed in with some personal touches (i.e., things to inspire me everyday).

That's why I love this small office space shown in the new Pottery Barn catalog. The 'office' is actually a closet, so not only does it not take up any additional space but it also creates a lovely little enclave to help you focus...at least that's what I'm hoping it would do. I love all the details; the lighting, the blue wall, that ceramic bird and the re-purposed jars to house office supplies (which, by the way, is what I use in my current office. I guess I'm off to a good start, eh?)

making the old new

Refind Originals is an Indiana based company that takes old leather products (jackets, sofas, etc.) and deconstructs them to make
one-of-a-kind handbags. Often taking its cues from the previous product, these bags each have a unique style at a price that you could never find with first-time leather.

The online shop isn't up and running just yet, but you can order directly or check out the Etsy site.

Here are some of my favorites.

back to the grind (well, sort of)

Last week was Earth week, which meant a busy week for me. There were so many events going on in the area that it would have been impossible to be everywhere. I had a booth at several shows and got to attend a couple of others and am very excited to report that each place I went had a great turnout!

my table at the Mitsubishi Electronics Eco-Fair

But, alas, it's time to get back to the office. Lucky for me 'work' includes reading blogs and trade publications, researching new green companies and technology and selecting materials for client projects. This morning I got to attend a Wellness Day at Tangram, a local Steelcase dealer. The topic covered some new research that looks at Health as an important part of the workplace environment.

Steelcase is known for paving the way for ergonomic, functional and environmentally-friendly office furnishings. Now they are focusing on the rest of the picture; the health epidemic and how it affects both employee work habits and the company's bottom line.

Without going into too much detail (though I find this incredibly fascinating), research concludes that our brains process things much more efficiently when we are moving. Our bodies were built to move and doing simple things like walking around or changing positions can increase productivity tremendously. Not to mention that people feel better and enjoy work more.

One of the many products designed to fit this need is the walkstation. This 'workstation' features an adjustable height surface and a treadmill that goes up to 2 mph. Just fast enough to get our brains pumping without interfering with typing or talking on the phone. It has wi-fi so that anyone in the office can saddle up with their laptop and get right to work(ing out).

Of course I had to try it!

I hopped on, adjusted my height and set the speed. As I paced along at a comfortable level I couldn't help but wonder what my AutoCAD drawings would look like if they were done while walking...but it would be a great place to check email and return phone calls.

Then it was time to try out the wii fit. I practiced yoga and watched a sales rep hula hoop and then wandered over to get a massage. Seriously, it's been a rough day.

Green Depot opening shows that consumers are ready

The Green Depot (Home Depot's eco-friendly cousin) has opened its first bricks and mortar location in New York, based on the success of the internet company greendepot.com. The signs are all pointing to the fact that consumer interest is high enough to warrant it AND they are no longer satisfied by the eco-options given at normal retailers.

Read the article posted by the Wall Street Journal daily blog

Green Depot plans several other locations on the East Coast, but currently no plans are in the works for a California store.

battery solutions

We all know that it's bad to throw used batteries away, but do you know what to do with them instead? I currently have a pile of them, rechargeable and not, sitting with the rest of the e-waste that I have collected over the last year. Every once in awhile I see e-waste drives around Orange County but sometimes you just want the stuff gone-now!

So, here's a company I discovered at the Go Green Expo last week. For $24 they send you an iRecycle Kit postage paid box that you fill up with your e-waste and ship back to them. It holds approximately 12 lbs worth of stuff (you can't even ship a regular box that cheap anymore...) and they take most batteries and small electronics like cell phones, etc.

I have heard horror stories about how batteries get shipped off to third world countries and are disassembled there and then dumped into their landfills. Double whammy here folks! These people are exposed to the mercury and then get to drink it in their water later on. Yikes.

Well these guys aren't okay with that and their goal is to safely recycle the products here (under strict regulations) so they can re-use the precious metals and properly contain the toxic materials. And just in case you need to know more about the big bad world of batteries, here is the website. Please go check them out. And recycle your stuff!

www.batteryrecycling.com