A 200 year old New Jersey home gets a green kitchen makeover
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I recently completed a major renovation on a home built in 1800 in suburban New Jersey. The old kitchen was a hodge-podge of small rooms that had been added and subtracted over the years. There were exposed leaky pipes, walled over windows, and an array of dangerous looking electric outlets in odd places. The homeowners wanted to maintain a classic, casual farmhouse look that would blend with the rest of the home and not appear that the new space looked….well, NEW. They were very interested in being as ‘green’ or sustainable as possible, and also save money on their outrageous heating and cooling bills, due to the leaky windows and inadequate insulation.
It’s often a difficult task to make any new kitchen renovation look as if it’s been there for many years and still have all the ‘bells and whistles’, like the latest and greatest in appliances. Taking off the ‘new’ edge and giving the space a timeless look is difficult enough, but adding energy efficiency, water conservation, good indoor air quality and sustainability makes for a pretty tall order. And ‘green’ design isn’t generally known for it’s traditional look. Up to now, most of it looked pretty modern. But that’s all changing. It’s now become easier than ever to create beautiful spaces of any style.
Indoor air quality is one of the basic tenets of green design, and I specified plywood with no added urea formaldehyde to make the cabinetry, and finish them with a no VOC painted finish. The wide pine flooring was from a flooring manufacturer in New Hampshire, so it qualifies as a ‘local’ product. This particular company, Carlisle, practices responsible forestry and uses either recycled wood from old barns, or harvests lumber from local forests.
The homeowner wanted soapstone countertops, which is a gorgeous stone that’s enhanced with food-grade mineral oil, so there’s no chemical sealing. But since soapstone is imported from Portugal, the amount of fuel used to get it here had to be considered. We compromised by using a local stone from Vermont called Danby marble in the baking area. Also, selecting the highest tier Energy Star rated appliances was another way of trading off in order to justify the imported stone. The use of fluorescent lighting, and an under-cabinet water filter added more to the sustainability message. Just think of how many hundreds of plastic water bottles that didn’t get used because of the simple addition of a water filter.
Think locally, use what space you have efficiently without adding uneeded square footage, make trade-offs on items that your client can’t live without, and you’ve got a good start on creating a green kitchen that will endure for many years, and leave a smaller, gentler footprint on our planet.
YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THIS KITCHEN IN THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF TRADITIONAL HOME MAGAZINE
Posted: 7/25/2010 8:35:35 PM by
Heather Wallace | with 0 comments
Last week I did a live webinar on green interior design on a virtual trade show website called GreenExpo365.com. I’ve done presentations and seminars at trade shows, but this is the first time I’ve done one sitting in my office in my jeans, so it was pretty cool. The presentation was called “Sustainability with Style” and I discussed how far we’ve come in the realm of green interiors in the past few years.
Green design in its infancy was all about bamboo floors and fluorescent light bulbs. And as far as finding green furniture and interior products, it was all very modern looking, linear stuff that was arguably very pretty, but wasn’t for everyone. Today’s green furniture and cabinetry has many different looks and designs, from the modern to the traditional so there’s no compromise in terms of style.
Also, defining ‘green’ 10 years ago was very different that it is today. We’ve learned along the way that it’s not only about alternative products like bamboo, but it also addresses indoor air quality, sustainable forestry initiatives, water conservation, and more. The green ‘playing field’ keeps changing every day, as manufacturers are changing the way they design and produce their products. This is all good news, but trying to keep up with what’s going on out there can be confusing. For example, here are some questions that I’ve been hearing lately:
If bamboo flooring is so much better than using hardwood flooring, how come it’s okay to have it shipped half way around the world? If we used local hardwoods, wouldn’t we also save by not burning more fossil fuel to get it to us?
If I see a pesticide free organic cotton sheet set that’s made overseas, should I buy it? Or should I buy one that’s made in this country, but isn’t organic? How do I know it’s organic anyway?
If I buy a water saving toilet that’s made in Australia, am I really saving anything? What about the fuel it takes to get it here, and the CO2 emissions?
Many manufacturers are quick to tell you that their product is green, even though you have no way of knowing that it is. How do you find out? Navigating through the maze of green products that are out there can be so confusing that you might just give up and stick with what you’ve done in the past, green or not.
In my opinion, it’s all about trade-offs. We are in the business of selling products, green or not. We are all trying to make a living, and it certainly is challenging in the current economy. It’s NOT a perfect world, and being perfectly green may or may not happen. What I try to do is achieve some sort of a balance between what I think the client should have vs. what they want vs. their budget. It’s that simple.
Let’s look at a ‘not so perfectly green’ kitchen remodel:
MDF doors on maple plywood boxes painted with low VOC paints- The MDF and plywood have no added urea formaldehyde
Cabinetry is made locally
Soapstone countertop is a natural product, but comes from Brazil
Fluorescent pendants over island
FSC certified hardwood floor, waterborne finish
Energy Star appliances
Here’s the tradeoff: The client always wanted soapstone top, which is a mined product (not renewable) from Brazil. So it’s not only about the fact that the countertop is taken from the earth and doesn’t ‘grow back’, but that it’s also shipped from a long distance, burning fossil fuels and adding to CO2 emissions.
But that’s OK. It’s a natural product, one that can be re-purposed after its initial usefulness is over, and won’t leach out any toxic chemicals into a landfill. It’s sealed every 6 months with food grade mineral oil, so there’s no chemical additives, which is great for the user, and also doesn’t off-gas fumes and contribute to poor indoor air quality.
Also, because it was something the client really wanted, I asked her to try to use the highest tier EnergyStar appliances available as a trade-off to the imported countertop. And the FSC certified wood floor, fluorescent lights, etc. So, one non-green item isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker.
We may never be able to achieve perfection in green design. I honestly feel that anything that’s well designed, enduring, high quality and well built is halfway there anyway. As far as I’m concerned, the worst thing you can do is the ‘quick fix’. Too many of the TV shows you see on design involve quick, temporary fixes, satisfying the user for a short period. Then what? It’s the trip to the landfill, and buying more STUFF to replace the stuff you just threw out.
My advice is to THINK – just think about each product and what its impact will be, and decide from there what you want to do. It’s not that difficult if you tackle it that way.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy what’s ahead. It’s all good.
Posted: 6/28/2010 1:49:55 AM by
Heather Wallace | with 0 comments
The other day I was listening to an hour long webinar on the Green Expo 365 website by my friend and colleague, Sarah Susanka. I have known Sarah for several years now, and in recent years have designed the interiors for two of her show houses at the International Builder’s Show.
When I was first introduced to Sarah and her philosophy of building smaller, well designed high quality homes, I felt this immediate kinship and a sort of sense of relief that there were actually a lot of people out there that felt the same way I did about the current state of building in America. The McMansion was a fixture on the building scene, and it always bothered me that people actually liked the idea that they were walking into what I believed to be a bus or train station instead of their foyer or living room. As an interior designer, there’s nothing more challenging than trying to take a room with a 20 foot ceiling and making it not only livable but cozy.
More than ten years later, we’ve come a long way and there are millions of people who actually GET IT and understand the value of good building and design, and what it means to live sustainably. What I am still confounded about is the number of people who DON’T get it.
A good example of what I mean is something that came up last week with a contractor friend of mine. His clients are embarking on a kitchen renovation, and he asked me if I would look over the new design and layout and render an opinion, as he had concerns about it. Now I normally do not ever critique another designer’s work, so I told him I would look at the plan, but any comments I made were confidential, and he could decide for himself if his concerns were valid, and then inform his client.
The new design wasn’t very good, and had a couple of really bad flaws, like placing a 36 inch refrigerator directly behind a cook top, so whoever was cooking would literally have to move out of the way to let someone use the refrigerator. I think it’s pretty scary that a design professional with several affiliations (ASID, USGBC, etc.) and the like could make such an error. I don’t blame the homeowner at all, as dumb as that sounds. I think they figured if they pay someone with credentials a considerable fee, and get a glitzy 3D dollhouse rendering of the kitchen, that it’s a “good plan”. One of the other problems with the design was the appliance selection. The homeowner had selected very high end appliances, and a LOT of them. In a 14 x 13 space, there was a double oven, peninsula downdraft cook top, 36 inch single door refrigerator, 27 inch full height freezer, microwave, and a warming drawer. Hmmm. Apparently there are people out there who still feel it necessary to buy every expensive “status” appliance available that has every bell and whistle, and try to jam it all into a space that’s way too small.
I think it’s so important that the design professional, whoever they are, take a step back and evaluate exactly what the heck they are doing for their clients. I understand that there’s money to be made on expensive design packages, but letting you client know that they simply cannot fit all those appliances into such a small space should be the FIRST thing they do. I’m not saying that they’ll get a good response, some homeowners are stubborn and immoveable, and quite honestly some are downright irritating. But having a client spend well over 60,000 dollars on a kitchen renovation and not having it function properly at all can be a real liability. I don’t know if there would be any legal recourse when it comes to accepting and implementing a bad design, but I do know that if I paid that kind of money for a renovation that didn’t work well, I’d be really angry.
So what am I getting at? There are design professionals who are going to make a mistake, and clients who will pay no matter what. But we, as those design professionals, have an obligation to our clients to try to deliver not only a good strong design, but advise them if you feel what they want simply will not work. And try not to let a large sale blind you to the obvious bottom line- delivering the best, most professional design possible, even if it means that compromises have to be made. You can still make money, even though the number of appliances have been reduced. By using high quality cabinetry, lighting and materials, and eliminating just a couple of appliances, your design can still be a high end one. But first and foremost, it will be a GOOD ONE.
On June 16th, I hope you can join me on the GreenExpo365 website for a live webinar on sustainable interior design. I promise you it’ll be interesting and thought provoking. I’d love to get a great dialog going afterwards with some good questions and thoughts from you. What YOU are doing is so important, and I’d love to hear from you and find out what you’re working on.
All the best,
Pat
Posted: 6/6/2010 9:48:58 PM by
Gibson Ó hEalaigh | with 0 comments
MERCY MERCY ME
By Patricia Gaylor
For a couple of weeks in 1971, a song by Marvin Gaye was # 1 on the R & B singles chart. It was entitled “Mercy Mercy Me – The Ecology”. Here’s a link to listen to the song, with lyrics below:
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north, east, south, and sea
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Radiation in the ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
This particular song (and artist) has always been one of my favorites, and as a young girl in the 70’s, it had a profound influence on me. I’ve said it before that this particular era, and the fact that I was (or thought I was) a hippie had me thinking about what was going on around me. And now, as an ageing adult, nothing has changed. As a matter of fact, it’s gotten worse.
I try not to watch the news a lot. I find it much too disturbing being constantly bombarded with the events of the day. But once in a while, I like to catch up on what’s going on. This morning I awoke to a news video of the oil spill in the Gulf, with a close-up on the well that’s spewing natural gas and oil by the millions of gallons into the ocean.
We are now in about week 4 of this particular event. Nothing, but nothing has changed. The ‘blame game’ is being played over and over again, with no one taking responsibility for this tragedy. Washington has “formed a committee” to try to fix the problem. What’s next? I saw something last night about Kevin Costner getting involved with his idea of how to ‘fix’ the problem.
Enough already. What else can I say? It’s all been said.
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
Mercy, mercy me.
Posted: 5/21/2010 3:27:29 PM by
Gibson Ó hEalaigh | with 0 comments
This April 22nd is the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, created in 1970. As a young girl back then, I was too involved with being an adolescent to worry about the ecology. But what I do remember very clearly is the “The Crying Indian”. This was a 60 second public service announcement created by a government campaign called “Keep America Beautiful”. It featured a video of an Indian in a canoe navigating through polluted waters. If you haven’t heard of it, or want to see it again after 40 yrs, you can Google “The Crying Indian” or view it on YouTube.
If anyone asks me why I got involved with the ‘green’ movement, or why it’s so important to me, I honestly think I can trace it back to this video. Even though I was more interested in what I was going to wear than what was happening in America, I was aware that there was a looming problem with pollution. And this little video really made me open my eyes to the fact that we had to take action or suffer the consequences. OK, so recently I found out that the ‘Indian’ featured in the role was really an Italian actor from Brooklyn, but that’s not the point. The point is that I got it, Indian or not.
Forty years ago was also the first time I ever heard the words ‘ozone layer’. Growing up in the New York metropolitan area, I was witness almost every day to the pollution hanging over the New York skyline. And that the number of cars on the road across the country was staggering. The video also features factory smoke stacks spewing spirals of pollution into the air. So this little commercial cemented my feelings and made me aware that it was time to take action. But the campaign never really generated enough interest to create change. Yes, it created awareness, and we still ‘celebrate’ Earth Day every April 22nd. But what are we celebrating? Are there really enough people in this country that are willing to create the change necessary to really have something to celebrate?
We are still in the infant stages of what can happen worldwide within the ‘green’ movement. It’s gone from a grassroots level to federal policy in many instances. And that’s real progress. But to me it’s the day to day changes that we can make to create a cleaner, greener world. I’m still amazed by the number of intelligent people out there that aren’t aware that some of their habits are creating a problem. Like our use (or over use) of plastic bags and bottles. Or that we still insist on living in a disposable society, where out of sight is out of mind. And that the materials we bring into our homes have the potential to harm us.
Just to confuse the issue, there are claims by manufacturers that their product is a ‘green’ one, in order to stand out from the rest. Navigating through the mine field of green products and claims and getting real answers about what we are buying is confounding. Currently there’s no regulation for what constitutes a ‘green’ product. If you ask 10 people what a green product is, you’ll get 10 answers, and nine of them are probably wrong.
If you are reading this, I’m sure you are pretty savvy about sustainability. And that it’s on many different levels, from building products to cleaning products. It’s our job as leaders in the green movement to create the change. As Gandhi once said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Happy Earth Day, my fellow greenies!
Pat
Posted: 4/18/2010 5:46:08 PM by
Gibson Ó hEalaigh | with 0 comments
