Home Truths: ecoDomestica reDesign’s Decorating Philosophy
(This article was first published in January 2008 in vol.1, no, 1 of the ecoDomestica reDesign newsletter. It has been edited and updated.)
• Good design delights the eye, the body, and the soul, and is nothing if not personal.
• Good design is mindful of many factors – and if it’s not sustainable, it’s thoughtless.
• Going green isn’t just a trend, and it isn’t just about conserving energy. It’s my responsibility to the health of my clients and the planet to design with sustainability in mind.
• Making small changes to your lifestyle and habits can have greater ecological and societal impact than installing new green products. (I’ll cheer if you’re making big changes to reduce your footprint!)
• Buying local (<500 miles) is better for both the environment and the regional economy. If you can’t find it locally, try to find a Canadian source.
• Trying to hide the TV and other tech toys and tools never works. Luckily, it’s the 21st century, and we have the technology to make technology look good. For example, flat-screen TVs are actually (on average) 30% more energy efficient than their CRT predecessors, and their narrow depth makes rooms seem much bigger. (It also makes them much easier to conceal if you have philosophical objections to them.)
• Hotel and spa style can come off as sterile and boring, instead of soothing. What makes the space yours? What gives it authenticity and personality?
• They’re called throw pillows because they almost never stay on your sofa or bed. They also collect dust, other allergens, and VOCs, making them a healthy-home hazard. Please use them sparingly, and keep them clean.
• There’s clutter (tchotchke), and then there’s clutter (messiness). If you have a magpie’s tendancy to collect little treasures, by all means, keep them. You might need to edit your collections for scale and clarity, but properly displayed they showcase your unique personality.
• Designers who create bookshelves of identical-looking volumes without titles are clearly not readers themselves.
• Handmade and well-used are marks of beauty. Knowing the history of our possessions and seeing the hands of maker and user in them gives them meaning and soulfulness.