CasaSugar

House Tour: A Net-Zero Energy Home in Vermont

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:00:34 -0700

I recently visited beautiful northern Vermont, and the South Farm Homes development in Hinesburg. This six-home development aims for "net-zero" status, meaning that the homes will generate as much power as they use over the course of a year. Environmental features include active PV solar panels integrated into the metal roofing of each home and significant southern glass, which provide solar gain (as well as lovely views of the surrounding valley). The project is a collaboration between Rolf Kielman, AIA and Lee Grutchfield, AIA of TruexCullins Architects of Burlington, VT, and Reiss Building of Hinesburg, VT. The home that I visited also served as a temporary showcase for pieces and products made by local Vermont artisans and companies. I snapped photos of some of my favorite pieces in the house, which are definitely worth a peek.
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Get the Look: Spring Fresh Living Room

CasaSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:00:08 -0700

This room just shouts Spring, don't you think? From the lemony yellow wall to that uplifting lime green in the sofa pillows, it's just gorgeously seasonal. Even with a woodstove and cord wood in the corner, there's absolutely no Winter in this photo.
Since I'd love to re-create this Spring look, I went on a search for these same furniture and accents. To see how to get this look, read more.

Start by scouring vintage stores and online sites for a Danish modern teak sofa. This Danish Modern Sofa ($2,450) could be easily replicated from the one in the photo by sewing a yellow chiffon cover for the cushions. To get the same yellow shade on an accent wall, try Benjamin Moore Citron.

You'll want to also add a similarly striking branch table. Pacific Northwest artist Brent Comber makes the Alder Cubes (starting at $1,220), which are a close match to the branch table in the photo. You'll also want to add a beautiful wood stove - I'm partial to Jøtul stoves myself. To replicate the bookcase in the photograph, install two white Ikea Billy bookshelves on a corner wall. Then, mount a black, swivel-neck table lamp from the side of the shelf for reading. For a simple and stunning floral arrangement, add tall branches of eucalyptus to a simple clear carafe. You'll also want to add some potted plants near an open window, to replicate this room's organic look.

I've rounded up most of the other elements. Check them out below!

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How-To: Live Green Like Jessica Alba

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:15:36 -0700

InStyle currently has a great feature on celebrity interior designer Kari Whitman and her eco-friendly ideas for Jessica Alba's home. Whitman is known for her creative use of salvaged artifacts (like the vintage chandeliers shown here) that she finds by scouring antique shops, flea markets, and her clients' homes. For example, she says, "For Jessica Alba's house we bought almost every piece used." Snatching up second-hand pieces isn't the only way she has greenified Alba's home, though. To hear some of her other tips and tricks, read more.

Whitman also advocates using zero and low VOC paints, bamboo flooring, Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products, and eco-friendly pet and nursery furnishings. She has also purchased upcycled accessories for Alba's home, from stores like Uncommon Goods.

To hear more about Whitman's techniques for making Alba's interiors simultaneously stylish and eco-conscious, and to see additional photos of her home, check out InStyle!
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Check Out West Coast Green!

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:00:00 -0700

Earlier today, I told you that I'm hanging out at West Coast Green, a green building conference in San Jose, CA, which explores ways to make all structures more sustainable. If you live in the Bay Area you should certainly get your butt over to the San Jose Convention Center and learn all you can about sustainable home construction and design, as the conference ends Saturday. But, whether or not you're in the 'hood, you can still hear about what's going on thanks to this video from Day 1:

For more information, check out the West Coast Green website.

Roundup: My Turf

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:00:14 -0700

I just returned from a little midday break in the park nearby, where I basked in the sun and gave my eyes a well-deserved break by staring at some gorgeous greenery. Back in my quiet, sterile office, I've still got turf on my mind so I decided to round up home décor items with a grass motif. Soon when it's Winter, the real stuff will all wither and hide under layers of leaves and snow. We might as well all enjoy it figuratively in our homes, even if the grass is always greener outside.

To see my home finds that will have you ready for a day in the park, read more.

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In the News: Green Architecture Has a Ways to Go

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:15:17 -0700

Interested in getting the lowdown about green architecture? Then I suggest you read the Newsweek article, "The Bad News About Green Architecture." For a good while now, the reporting of green architecture practices has been nothing less than greenwashed, and I've been waiting for a mainstream publication to address our country's problem with its perception and definition of "green" architecture. In "The Bad News About Green Architecture," writer Cathleen McGuigan points out that "LEED rating" is an over-trumpeted catch phrase these days ("more than 16,000 projects are now registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as intending to go for a LEED certification"), and LEED isn't stringent enough with its awards - a long-held truth.
But more importantly, she stresses that building green if you're building big (i.e. McMansions), or unnecessarily, isn't green at all. There are various plans to build green resorts in Las Vegas, including the 8.3-million-square-foot Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino, likely motivated by the tax rebates that come with passing LEED certification. While that makes a great talking point in local papers, it still takes "tons of jet fuel that will be used to deliver millions more tourists to Vegas each year," and countless un-green materials to keep the place up and running once it's built. To hear more of my thoughts, read more.

Truly green architecture, she says, is "designed to suit their specific environments," such as New Orleans Shotgun houses, which are "built high off the ground to resist flood damage; they are made of local wood that dries out; they have high ceilings and cross ventilation to deal with the stifling summer heat." My favorite point is that "sustainability is about the practical systems of building, not the beauty of great design." Architects need to put aside the current trendiness of green architecture and just build so that ecological solutions aren't a calling card or a feature, but rather, invisible. I whole-heartedly agree with McGuigan, as she writes:

I look forward to a future when green architecture won't be discretionary but required of every architect and builder. Then we could all shut up about it. Sustainable features would become as exciting as the plumbing systems and as essential as a roof that keeps out the rain.

Now, I'll shut up about it.
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Casa Verde: Creative Coffins

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:30:37 -0700

I hate to be macabre, and I know the last thing on your mind this summer is where you'll be laying "when I lay me down to sleep" for good. But for those of you who want to be green-to-the-grave, I thought I'd let you know that there's an environmentally-friendly coffin alternative out there for you. Creative Coffins are made from cartonboard produced from unbleached pulp. The cartonboard is made from at least 60 percent recycled paper and uses wood pulp from sustainable forests, too. Beyond that, the coffins are available in an array of patterns and themes such as flags, nature, pastimes (guitar), or sports, and can be made-to-order. If you're a traditionalist, you can still go au naturale with light wood, dark wood, marble, or granite printed coffins. I personally think it's pretty darn tacky to go with a slot machine-printed coffin, but I guess for the right person it could add a bit of humor to a very sad event. What will they think of next?

Casa Verde: Listed Green

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:45:51 -0700

Interested in buying a green home? Then try searching through Listed Green, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) exclusively for green, energy-efficient, sustainable homes and housing developments for sale worldwide. Committed to reducing global warming by promoting sustainable, energy-efficient, healthy-building design, the service helps to elevate the market value of new green homes and eco-friendly residential developments. Like a traditional MLS, Listed Green accommodates sellers of all types, averaging over 20,000 visitors per month, but each listing is personally reviewed before it is listed to ascertain that it is actually green, energy efficient and/or sustainable; this prevents a sort of real estate greenwashing. The process also holds bigger homes to higher standards, requiring that they have an "extensive" list of green components, such as solar power, solar-thermal hot water, water-saving devices throughout, recycled materials, and LEED certification. It also offers a platform for green builders and developers to advertise their current or up-and-coming green, energy-efficient, sustainable housing projects to like-minded buyers, and helps to educate potential home buyers about the importance of and technicalities surrounding living green. If you're on the house hunt, consider one of these green listings, or at least educate yourself about them. If not, Listed Green has a new website called Listed Green Getaways, featuring green, eco-friendly resorts and spas worldwide; go green on your next vacation!

Home Library: Eco-Chic Weddings

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:15:17 -0700

What better book to review during June, when our theme is focused on eco chic living, than Emily Anderson's wonderful guide Eco-Chic Weddings? Since I'm trying to plan my wedding as DIY and green as possible, I knew that Anderson's book was a must-read for my planning. With simple, quick, and often economic ideas for making your ceremony and reception more eco-friendly, Eco-Chic Weddings was just the thing I needed to both inspire new ideas and reinforce other plans I'd already made. For instance, Anderson's suggestion to skip save-the-date cards made me feel environmentally responsible and modern, instead of irresponsible (some other guides had insisted that STDs were a must). Other tips include using in-season flowers, taking advantage of local food and resources, and renting items that won't be used after the wedding. Anderson, a former Martha Stewart staffer, is already at work on a second Eco Chic book. For now, catch up on all of her great ideas in her first book, which you can purchase here. For any bride who's concerned about eco entertaining, I highly recommend this book - it's a great resource for all of your eco-chic bridal needs.

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Casa Quickie: Reuse When You Move

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:00:34 -0700

Moving? Though it may be nice to support a local business by buying new boxes when you move, it's far from eco chic, and it ain't cheap either. When I've moved in the past, I've taken a day to drive around to local businesses like grocery and liquor stores to pick up used cardboard boxes. I prefer egg-crate boxes and wine case boxes; they're on the small side and not too heavy when packed. But, not all of you may have the time or patience to go on the hunt for used boxes. So, there's one company that'll relieve you of the task (and the headache) — UsedCardboardBoxes.com. As they rightly claim, they're the "cheapest, easiest, and most earth-friendly way to get boxes for packing, moving, shipping, and storage" — aside from getting businesses to give them to you for free. Basically how it works is they buy good quality used boxes from other businesses that have them in excess or they salvage brand new boxes that might otherwise be thrown away (misprints and overruns from box manufacturers), and sell them to you at a much reduced price. You can purchase the boxes in packages fit for a studio up to a six bedroom, or in stacks of mediums, larges, and extra-larges, or you can make a larger commercial order. They will also purchase gently used boxes from you if you have some you don't need! How 'bout that?
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Artecnica tranSglass Lidded Carafe - $1,000.00	Carl Hansen & Son ch008 low table - $1,735.00
Heather Amuny-Dey Bird Tree Print - $40.00	Heather Amuny-Dey Pear Bird Print - $40.00
Leaf Pillows - $115.00	Billy Bookcase - $59.99
Izzy Vase - $14.95	Antifoni Work Lamp - $24.99
Fern and Leaf Needlepoint Pillows - $95.00	Citron Cereal Bowl (0.6-qt.) by Emile Henry - $15.95