I SPI: Ten Great Green Design Products

It's that green time of year, which means everyone will be reminding you to buy CFL light bulbs and to start a compost in your backyard. Most of the advice you'll hear on prime time news, such as the $120 light bulb featured on MSNBC, will be flashy and outlandish. You probably can't afford a completely solar powered house or to trade in your car for a bus pass, but you CAN make some very savvy choices to surround yourself with beautiful, environmentally friendly products. Brighten up your backyard with a lime green hammock made of salvaged seat belts or a chaise lounge made from sustainable plantation grown teak. Add some light to your living room with brightly colored Mod Green Pod fabrics and Aura paint from Benjamin Moore. As co-owners of SPI Design, an interior design firm that has created spaces for celebrity clients with an environmental conscience, we have developed a list of our top ten green design products.

1.Eco Smart Zeta Fireplace

The EcoSmart Zeta Fireplace designed by John Dimopoulos is not only sleek and chic in style but fuelled by denatured ethanol, an environmentally friendly, renewable energy. Zeta combines timber, leather and stainless steel seamlessly to create a fully portable fireplace available in different leather colors.

2. Hudson Acacia Table with I-Base

Hudson's Acacia dining table is constructed of a solid acacia slab top with a polished bronze I-Base. The furniture company uses only wood slabs that are domestically sourced from either salvaged trees or wind/storm damaged trees. They are also New York's only repository for legally harvested petrified wood.

3. Mod Green Pod Fabrics: Glimmer in Water and Bloom in Persimmon Seed

All fabrics are printed on 100% organic certified cotton grown in the United States while the print is done with non-toxic pigments. The company also carries vinyl free wallpaper that is hand printed using non-toxic inks.

4. Benjamin Moore Natura and Aura Paints

Benjamin Moore introduces the Natura and Aura product line which includes their Green Promise designation that will be used to designate coatings that offer both fewer volatile compounds and a premium level of paint performance. The Green Promise designation is Benjamin Moore's assurance that its environmentally friendly coatings meet and exceed the strictest industry standards, while also delivering the performance you expect.

5. Paperstone

Paperstone is one of the best-looking contemporary countertop materials on the market. It is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and proprietary, petroleum-free resin. It is a highly durable, scratch resistant material recommended for residential kitchen, bath usage and some commercial applications. It is available in a variety of colors.

6. Ting Sling Hammock

Ting is a small company that produces luxury products crafted of salvaged materials. The Ting Home collection offers cushions, ottoman cubes and our personal favorite, the Ting Sling hammock, made from recycled seat belts. The collection is available in an assortment of bright colors that will add a bit of flair to your home.

7. Teak Chaise Lounge

Maku Furniture manufactures beautiful chaise lounges and other outdoor furniture made in Indonesia of sustainable plantation grown teak. Maku is a proud member of 1% for the Planet, which donates a portion of sales to an alliance of environmental organizations worldwide.

8. Pablo Link Task Lamp

Available in black, green, grey and orange, this LED task lamp surpasses all upcoming California energy mandate standards. At full power, Link consumes only 9W, or 97% less energy than a task lamp using a comparable incandescent light bulb. Additionally, it has an operational lifespan of 50,000 hours, or a minimum of 15-20 years when used daily.

9. Cork Tables

Designed by Jasper Morrison for Vitra, the cork pieces can act as either small side tables or stools. The versatile pieces work in both modern and traditional interiors.

10. Grown Green Area Rugs

Grown Green Rugs carries rugs made from natural fibers such as jute, sisal, wool, seagrass and coir, all of which are sustainable, biodegradable and environmentally-friendly. The company also encourages backings composed of jute, natural latex and natural rubber. The website makes it very easy to custom design your own rug with a selection of colorful material and border options.

 

Comments

[charlottepearlman]

07:10 PM on 04/23/2009

i checked the link they provided and the desk lamp is $380.

this article feels 3 or 4 years too late in lots of ways.

here's a good find that burns for 40,000 hours for less than 1/3 the price. enjoy!
http://www­.realsimpl­e.com/home­-organizin­g/decorati­ng/table-l­amps-every­-style-000­0000000957­8/page6.ht­ml

[NeekieAndJeff2]

03:08 PM on 04/23/2009

Why did they start it with "flashy and outlandish­" $150 light bulb and go ahead and suggest all these very very very expensive objects? That's life! It makes me think that overall we need to take time to re-evaluat­e what it means to be "responsib­le."
-Monique and Jeff in beautiful Taos, NM

[onlyhearts100]

02:36 PM on 04/23/2009

this is def out of touch but all really pretty though. it seems like something i would read in ELLE or something like that. i don't think they thought about the people who read this though. maybe larry david's wife and people who want to be like her. i hope to be able to afford it some day. cool and good for the environmen­t...

[JennaLee]

02:16 PM on 04/23/2009

I'm sorry, I've never been motivated to post before, but I would ask the Style Editor of this page to ask readers to post an affordable­, chic alternativ­e to each piece furniture listed on this page. Until then, us readers will have to "SPI" the design world through insanely warped glasses.

[SkiingLady]

02:26 PM on 04/23/2009

AMEN! Just finished wincing through this list with my husband and saw your posts. Their furniture is unaffordab­le. We're looking to put in a sunroom for the summer months. Anyone out in the real world have any ideas?

[JennaLee]

02:09 PM on 04/23/2009

OMG the cork side table is $405 for a 12.4" diameter by 13" height. Almost funny.

[JennaLee]

02:06 PM on 04/23/2009

Are you kidding me, HuffPost?! This is by far the most culturally out of touch article I've seen on your website. I'm currently in the market for some backyard furniture and was momentaril­y excited to see some eco-friend­ly options.

You can imagine how quickly that emotion faded when I I saw the CHAISE LOUNGE reccomende­d by Ms. Shetter and Ms. Palevsky is $1479.00!!­!!!!!! And get this: Maku's accompanyi­ng cushion is an offensive $319.00!!!­!! A $300 pillow? Don't even ask about that Hudson table. SHEESH! If you perpetuate the idea of "eco-chic" is something available only to the highest eschelon of customers, you will surely alienate the already hesitant majority of Americans looking to join the green movement. Alienation accomplish­ed.

[barbarylane]

01:48 PM on 04/22/2009

What helpful, wonderful suggestion­s! I've been looking for a way to be more green as I design my house and every single one of these will come in handy. I hope to hear more about design on this site. Thanks, HuffPo!