Tuesday Treat: A bright and airy NYC apartment tour

This apartment belongs to the uber-talented founder of Rubie Green, Michelle Adams.

This image makes me fall in love with white all over again - but boyfriend likes the darker woods.

Michelle is all about sustainable, green design.  This cypress trunk side table is free of toxic finishes.

The striped modern upholstery balances out the traditional frames of the dining chairs

I love the idea of using what you already have.  Under the table cloth (which is actually a drape that Michelle already had but didn't fit any of her current windows), is a sideboard that she found at a thrift store.  She wasn't able to get it repaired as she planned, but instead of tossing it and buying something else, she worked with what she had and made it work.  I think it looks great.

The textiles you see around her home are from her store which carries green fabrics, Rubie Green.

What do you think?

via Lonny Mag (April/May 2010 issue)

Luxe and green bathrooms

Today we have more and more options for going green - and as the planet becomes more and more taxed with population growth and need for resources, sustainable living practices will become vital.

Below are some bathrooms that show that going green does not mean going unattractive - green styles are now just as gorgeous as traditional ones.

LOVE this shower!

There are many foundries that offer eco-friendly bath tile.  Just a few include Bedrock Industries, Aurora Glass, and Daltile.

2 images above via Apartment Therapy

Eco bathrooms can have a very "zen" feel by using a lot of natural materials and textures.
image via Home Furniture Mag

You can fine eco-friendly furnishings, such as a traditional or modern bathroom vanity, in FSC-Certified Wood, Ceasarstone, or Vetrazzo.

There are also a lot of options for eco-friendly bath fixtures, such as low flow faucets, shower heads, and toilets.

 If your budget doesn't allow you to invest in bigger ticket items, such as new floors or tiles, you can take many small steps.  Use earth-friendly  toilet paper and bathroom cleaners.  Also, look into all natural body products.  Everything that you put down the drain makes it's way back into the environment, so use care.

I like Seventh Generation cleaning products, as well as Trader Joe's line of green cleaning products.

Here are some helpful resources for "greening" your bathroom:

Use LEED as a guide to green your bathroom

Top 10 Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products for the Green Home

Information about Eco-Friendly Bathroom Furniture and Fixtures

What do you do to make your bathroom and bathroom habits more sustainable and eco-friendly?

I also use a vinegar glass cleaning solution:
1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent (I use 7th Generation Natural Dishcleaning Liquid in Free & Clear), and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. It works great!

I also fill up a soda or seltzer bottle with water, and put it in the tank of my toilet. It tricks the toilet into thinking the tank is full faster, therefore using less water to refill the tank.


*disclosure: this post is sponsored by Modern Bathroom

Make your bathroom proud with this eco-friendly material

Bamboo! I got Chris a pair of silky smooth bamboo pajama pants, and if he weren't wearing them almost every night, I would be. They're super light weight, and really soft. Understandably, I was really excited when the folks over at Pure Fiber offered me a set of bamboo towels to try out. Here's a little bit of info about Pure Fiber's bamboo towels:

"Unlike cotton towels which are slow to absorb water, bamboo terry soaks up that excess moisture in a flash. The difference is unmistakable, but you have to feel it for yourself to truly appreciate the wonderful bamboo fabric.

And bamboo isn’t all about a cashmere-like softness. Bamboo’s natural properties help to combat the accumulation of unpleasant odors from your bath towel. You will be able to use this towel for much longer during those warm summer months before that mildew smell starts to creep up.

Cotton towels typically get thicker to increase absorbency – all of that extra fabric can feel like you are wrapping yourself in a thick blanket. Bamboo does more with less! A bamboo towel can soak up more moisture than a thicker cotton towel, while remaining lightweight and extraordinarily soft."

The first thing I noticed when I opened the towels was "wow, they are really, really, smooth." They are also much lighter and thinner than typical towels. Chris said, "They are so soft they feel slippery."

So, the claim to super softness and being lightweight: True.
I've been using the towel for a little over a week now, and do not notice any odor. Granted, it's not technically summer anymore, but it's been extremely humid here in MD, and we've been having lots of rainy days.

I was most doubtful about the towel being able to absorb as well as my normal towels, but they actually dry me off just as well and in the same amount of time.

Long story short, if you have been thinking about trying out bamboo towels - go for it. The softness is unreal, and their performance is up to par with traditional towels.

Here are some photos of mine:

The bamboo towels are thinner than traditional towels

The washcloth.  This washcloth is wet now, but one thing I noticed is that the bamboo washcloth doesn't get crunchy after it air dries (which my normal towels do), they dry to the same softness as they are after being freshly laundered.

A close up of the texture.

Want some? You can purchase them at Amazon

Does anyone have any bamboo linens? If so, what do you think of them?


*disclosure: I received a set of Pure Fiber towels as a sample

Green and Glam... a house that proves you can have both

*tip - click on each image if you want a closer view

check out the gorgeous rough backsplash

A clever way to create a laundry room if you don't have one

amazing coffee table, amazing cabinet, amazing floors!

I've been loving navy lately

Not crazy about the laser cut mirrors - but otherwise this foyer is gorgeous...

What do you think about this home?

via Pure Green Living

Pure green beauty: eco-friendly interiors that can't get much prettier

drooling - those white curtains make this shot super dreamy...

love the archway which leads from the dining area to the living room

love this cozy home office

stunning windows, airy lush bedding

via Pure Green Living

Glamorous and Green

Once I own a home I hope to make it as green as I possible can. Luckily, "greenifying" your home no longer means uglifying it, and technology is coming down in price everyday. I've noticed many progressive cities are getting more and more green restorations in historic homes, like this one in Toronto. Enjoy!

The owner didn't want to rip out the authentic stained glass windows, so she added extra glazing on the exterior to improve energy efficiency... so beautiful.

Furnishings are mostly vintage and/or antique and refurbished/reupholstered when necessary.

oh I do love that rug

Here are 5 green things the owners did to improve the space:

1. Complete Geothermal Retrofit
2. Replaced windows and doors for high efficiency versions
3. Added Insulation
4. Used Zero VOC paints
5. Furnished with antique and vintage furniture

Not too shabby huh?
via Pure Green Magazine

A stylish - and eco-friendly substitue for the typical eye-sore dog bed

Props to Molly for coming up with this wonderful solution for all of us dog lovers who are also earth-friendly. Dog bed duvets! You can either cover your existing dog bed with a chic and stylish Molly Mutt duvet, or get the whole kit and get the stuff sack too, which is a mesh bag in which you stuff unwanted textile goods - old blankets, stuffed animals, towels, etc. It keeps textiles out of the landfills and gets you a stylish place for your beloved pup to lay his/her head.

Here's a description from the Molly Mutt site - where you can see and learn more about the product.

"molly mutt diy dog bed kits are an exciting new approach to keeping textiles out of our landfills. Cover your existing dog bed with the molly mutt dog duvet, or - here's the cool part - fill it with the old clothes and bedding you've got laying around your house. ready to toss those jams & one-eyed care bears from the mid-nineties? throw those in your new cover! Your dog gets a new bed, and you get a fun, easy way to recycle your old things - not to mention some extra space in your closet."

Here's the duvet I picked out for our 1 year old female Australian shepherd, Storm. I love the fabric design.

the mesh stuff sack

Empty stuff sack and duvet

I filled out stuff sack with some mismatched linens, and old throw rug, and an unraveling blanket. One thing to keep in mind is that if you plan on moving the bed around a lot, depending on what you fill it with it can be heavy. This can be a good thing though on hardwood floors because it keeps the bed from sliding around too easily.

The sack is easy to put in the duvet and it really shapes up nicely.


The bed stuffed and ready to sleep on. If it starts to look flat I just lift it up and give it a good shake to "fluff" up the contents.

Storm, positioning herself where she can guard her stuffed weasel and the table pedestal she chewed the life out of as a puppy

Here's my Remi - 70lbs but he sees Storm sleep on it (she's only 35lbs) so he does too; even though one end of him is always hanging off. Isn't he ccuuuutteee?

Another great thing about stuffing the duvet? When it gets stinky you can just toss the stuff sack and the fillers in the wash!

Now, your dogs may be well mannered and only sleep on their beds, but ours sleep on the beds, the chairs, and the couches. And that means that things that I can't fit into the wash end up a little...funky. Luckily Molly makes a great line of sprays and washes to keep your stuff smelling fresh. I really like the dog bed deodorizer because you can literally spray it on anything and it's perfectly safe and natural.

Check out all the awesome fabric choices -






They are all so cute! The pups too!

All of the sprays and washes, and the great duvets and DIY dog bed kits can be found on the Molly Mutt site.

What do you think?

disclosure: I received the Molly Mutt duvet, stuff sack, and bed deodorizer as a sample