CasaSugar

Casa Verde: A Handmade Home Gets Some TLC

CasaSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:15:18 -0700

Last year, I told you about my brother's handmade home, which he built in an eco fashion for a surprisingly small amount of money. However, nothing much had been done with the home's interior. This year, he and his wife made a lot of interior changes in the home to spruce it up. To see what this previously unfinished home looks like now, check out the slideshow.

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Dressing My Walls: Blue Bedroom

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 07:06:33 -0700

One of the changes I made this month for Dress Your Walls was to paint the bedroom blue. It used to be a drab beige with a weird brown border along the bottom (this was pre-CasaSugar move-in), and it took two coats of low-VOC primer and two more coats of low-VOC paint to get the color right.

Cool colors, such as blue, brown, and grey, are thought to promote concentration and calmness. so they're great for bedrooms and offices. I know that I feel calm and happy whenever I walk into our new blue bedroom.

Casa Verde: Zero and Low VOC Paint

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:00:06 -0700

Most of us probably don't think much about the hazardous chemicals we inhale in our own homes, but using low or no VOC paint is a simple way to improve your indoor air quality. VOCs, or "volatile organic compounds," are the chemical solvents found in most house paints, and because they evaporate at room temperature, the preservatives give off unhealthy fumes.

The safest interior paints contain no VOCs. But zero VOC paints, such as those made by Yolo Colorhouse tend to be pricey. For a cheaper option, try low VOC paint; Treehugger has some great recommendations about the best brands. Whether you choose a zero or low VOC option, look for the Green Seal certification on the label.

Win an Eco-Chic Painting Makeover!

CasaSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:16:16 -0700

I've been pushing low-VOC paint for a while now, but I know that painting in general takes a lot of time and energy. Who needs the hassle, right? If you've been too busy or uninspired to try low-VOC paints in your home, then I'm here to help - with a lot of help from CertaPro.

To wind up this month's theme of Eco Chic, CertaPro is giving away its services to provide paint for one room in your home (an approximate $1000 value). All of the materials and labor will be included in this prize. All you have to do is pick out the room color! CertaPro will do everything from provide the paint to move the furniture to follow up after the job is complete.

If you're interested in winning an eco chic painting makeover for one room of your home, just take our quiz! To enter, you must log in and take the quiz below. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just by completing the quiz once you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member and log in before you take the quiz. If you're not already a member, just register here for an account. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Contest ends Monday, July 7, at noon (PDT), and is only open to US readers. Click here for Official Rules.

To find out more about CertaPro's green business practices, read more.

CertaPro uses low VOC paint which prevents smog, and air pollutants in the ozone, and Zero VOC paints are now available for residential projects. CertaPro will only use solvent primers when necessary. When using solvents, which can cause health problems, they use low odor products. CertaPro does careful calculations to buy exact amount of paint needed. This reduces excess paint. The leftover paint is labeled for future touch-ups, used in future projects, or donated to charity. In addition, CertaPro uses quality paints that eliminate the need for multiple coats and repainting.

To find out even more about CertaPro’s commitment to eco-friendly techniques, check out Thinking Green.

Take the quiz

October is Dress Your Walls Month

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:31:58 -0700

Welcome to October! This month we're going to have a ton of posts that help you to figure out how to take best advantage of your home's walls. From the best online stores for affordable art to low-VOC paint to contests giving away silk-screened posters and wallpaper, we've got it all. So settle in, bookmark your favorite posts, and get inspired to dress your walls in style with Casa! And please let us know: What's your most urgent wall issue? Art? Paint color? Wallpaper? Paint techniques? Bring on the questions; we'll get to the answering!

Casa Verde: Hazardous Chemicals in Paint

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:19:51 -0800

If any of you are painting during Renewal month, you may want to get some more information on what's going into your paint.

For a video that will tell you more about safe paints, just read more.

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Home Away From Home: A Skate-Inspired Hotel Suite

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:00:30 -0800

Skateboard label Etnies is rolling into the world of hospitality. The California-based brand has designed a skate-inspired hotel suite in Laguna Beach's Casa del Camino. But you won't find any Etnies logo monogrammed sheets here. "We didn’t want to make it look like a trade show," said VP of marketing Don Brown. "We focused more on the culture of skateboarding, taking the movement, curves and shapes and injecting that into the design."

Elements include wheel tracks on the ceiling, a mirror framed with skateboard wheels, mounted skateboards for guests to use, and "Go Sk8" artwork in the bathroom. My favorite piece is the God Father Lounge Chair, a leather chair and ottoman inspired by Eames's iconic Lounge Chair, made of pieces which remarkably resemble a skateboard deck. It's part of the Skate Study House collection, which I wrote about back in 2008. Continue reading.

Casa Verde: Kelly-Moore Unveils Two Zero-VOC Paint Lines

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:00:09 -0700

Keeping your home free of hazardous chemicals just got a whole lot easier. Kelly-Moore has just unveiled two new, zero-VOC, low-odor paint lines - Enviro Coat and Green Coat - as well as 16 stock colors of its innovative recycled paint eCoat. Enviro Coat is a 100 percent acrylic interior paint which can be tinted a wide range of colors, is washable, and contains an anti-microbial agent to control odors. Green Coat is a professional interior paint which is free of air-polluting solvents, can be custom-mixed, and will be available in six stock colors starting May 1. Both paints have received the industry’s most rigorous and reputed certifications, including Green Wise, Indoor Advantage Gold, and Master Painters Institute’s Green Performance Standard, making them ideal for anyone seeking eco-friendly indoor paints. As for eCoat, the recycled paint line Kelly-Moore developed in 1995, the company has just introduced 16 ready-mixed colors for both its interior and exterior recycled paints, which are available flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss enamel. Have you used low-VOC or zero-VOC paints in your home?
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Leo Says Goodbye to Malibu

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:00:39 -0700

Leonardo DiCaprio has sold his Malibu home for an undisclosed amount, according to the LA Times. The oceanview property was initially put on the market last November for $8.999 million, and was later relisted for $7.999 million.

The 2,374-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath midcentury oceanfront Malibu home boasts ocean views as well as a separate guest house with two one-bedroom suites. A staircase provides easy beach access for the new owners. The sale was prompted in part by DiCaprio's purchase of an eco-friendly Battery Bark condo last November, paying nearly $3.7 million for the condo. Riverside's green features include programmable thermostats, filtered air, filtered water, locally quarried bluestone, recovered barn wood, low- or no-VOC adhesives, paints and carpeting, and recycled, salvaged, and biodegradable materials.

To see more photos of the Malibu house, read more.

The listing for DiCaprio's Malibu property reads:

Distinctive contemporary on the bluffs above the ocean complete with new stairway to the cove below. The interior is a collection of elegant open spaces looking out to beautiful gardens and your hot tub tucked away on the ocean front. A separate guest house containing two 1-bedroom suites. A four car garage and long winding driveway complete this beautiful estate.

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Coveted Crib: An Austin Green Home

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:47 -0700

When planning a new home, the owners of a home in Texas wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous views in the neighborhood. Thus, a three-story, 3,100-square-foot home was envisioned for a steep hillside in Austin. The public areas of the home, such as the living and dining areas, are located on the top floor, where the family and guests can gaze out at the stunning views. The house's expansive glass walls not only encourage gazing, but also provide natural lighting for the home, minimizing the use of electricity.

This home's cutting-edge look and smart, eco design shows that green building is compatible with any number of designs, whether they be traditional or modern.

For many more photos, as well as information on the green features of the home, read more.

Rated a four-star (out of a possible five stars) project by the Austin Energy Green Building Rating System, the home boasts a number of green features in the design itself, including passive heating and cooling and daylighting. Water-saving features include low-flush toilets and waterwise landscaping, and electricity is saved through the use of fluorescent lighting, a high-efficiency water pump, and Energy Star-compliant washer, dishwasher, and refrigerator. The home also used low formaldehyde insulation, double pane LowE windows, sustainable lumber, and non-toxic/low-VOC finishes and paints.

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