{ Posts Tagged ‘bamboo’ }

ripping out the old floors

condo old floors ripping out the old floors
Now we’re getting to the good stuff! Today I’m having the new floors installed in my condo. I have chosen a bamboo hardwood in Solid Onyx (a deep, dark chocolate brown) from Tarkett. They’re being installed by End of the Roll Milton and the process got started today. The guys showed up before 9am and within 20 minutes, they had all the old laminate floors ripped out.

I have to admit, there’s something a little bittersweet about the process. I’m super-excited to have the new floors installed and to see what the final product looks like. But watching the old floors come out, I found myself flooded with memories of when I first bought this condo seven years ago. My father and brother-in-law worked tirelessly one weekend to rip out the awful pink carpet that was there and lay the new laminate for me. They were no experts at the process (neither had done it before) but they did it with love for me and I’ll never forget that. My entire family chipped in and dedicated their weekend to helping turn my first condo into my first home.

But the time has come for a change and it looks like that time is now! The installers are busy working away – I’ll keep you updated on their progress!

lounging like madonna

2 bamboo occasional chair l geooc0906 lounging like madonna

I think I`ve found the perfect reading chair — oversize (for those of us who like to curl up with an organic blanket as well) and eco friendly, not to mention très funky!

Both the frame and the cushion are made from bamboo sourced strictly from sustainable farms. Available in a variety of finishes with a blue, green, grey or black cushion, this Madonna Lounger by LDK design will match any eco chic home!

Price: $755 US

Available at: www.fashion4home.com

garant decorative planters

garantgreen garant decorative planters

garantgold garant decorative planters

garantbrown garant decorative planters

garantrust garant decorative planters

Maybe not warm enough yet in your part of the country to plant seeds outdoors? Start them in Garant’s Enviro Eden Collection planters.

The planters contain 80% durable and renewable materials, including bamboo and rice. Planted, they last for at least three years; discarded and placed in the ground, they biodegrade and turn into compost.

They come in four attractive colours that would look great indoors and fantastic in any garden — Cilantro, Goldenrod, Persimmon and Mocha — and two sizes, 6″ and 9″ in diameter.

Available at gardening centres and hardware stores across Canada.

Price: from $4 each

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have yourself an eco little christmas

Five fabulous green gift ideas for kids.


Mobiles by Petit Collage
Both peaceful and playful, these mobiles make an artistic, organic addition to a kid`s room. Made with sustainably harvested bamboo plywood, the retro animal motifs are super ‘70s and super cute!

bird2 have yourself an eco little christmas

owls have yourself an eco little christmas

Price: $75
Available at: www.saplings.ca 

 

 

Stylish Organic Cotton Bedding
I wish I could find these eco-chic sheets in grown-up sizes. They`re made in B.C. with sustainable, fair trade cotton harvested in the USA and India. The bright colours and funky patterns are created with low-impact dyes and inks, so little sleepers are not only snug and stylish, but safe from harmful chemicals, too. Wahoo!


dc005a 1 have yourself an eco little christmas

dc002a1 have yourself an eco little christmas

Price: Blanket, $49-$175
Duvet Cover,  $114-$225
Available at: www.snugasabug-organic.com

 

 

 

Building Blocks
Aspiring architects and budding builders will delight in this 50-piece set of blocks, while parents will appreciate that they`re educational and eco-friendly. The blocks are made from 100% recycled and locally sourced maple that`s free of dangerous materials, so you won`t mind if some blocks end up in the young ones’ mouths… and, well, don`t they always?

blocks lrg1 have yourself an eco little christmas

Price: $55
Available at: www.grassrootsstore.com

Tea Set by Green Toys
A green twist on a classic toy, Green Toys’ tea set is the eco answer to the perfect imaginary tea party. The 17-piece pastel-colour is made of HDPE plastic from (mainly) recycled milk containers, and is BPA- and phthalate-free, and safe to use with real (or imaginary!) liquids.

teagroup have yourself an eco little christmasteabox have yourself an eco little christmas

 

 

 

If tea isn’t your child`s… bag, Green Toys also makes a green (not in colour) dining set, garden set and tool set.

Price: $30
Available at: www.chapters.indigo.ca

 

Liz Clay Custom Portrait
These fun, funky paintings – on 16″ x 16″ mounted canvas – are a one-of-a-kind way to commemorate someone special and immortalize an aspect of their childhood. From a selection of 15 themes, artist Liz Clay will customize the details to reflect the physical features and a particular characteristic, interest, habit or hobby. Using made-in-Canada paints and organic cotton hemp canvas stretched over local British Columbia wood, these portraits make a unique keepsake.

liz clay custom portrait have yourself an eco little christmas

Price: $350
Available at: www.saplings.ca

 

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bamboo salad bowl beauties

cbbamboobowls bamboo salad bowl beauties

Crate & Barrel does houseware basics beautifully, and these bamboo salad bowls are no exception.

Made of pressed natural bamboo grown without fertilizer or pesticides, they’re handmade, foodsafe and waterproof!

Available at: www.crateandbarrel.com

Price: $32.95 US (serving), $9.95 US (individual)

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seahorse motif pillows & tote

humblepillowbag seahorse motif pillows & toteScatter a few of these seahorse pillows around your home for a nautical look that’s sure to brighten up your summer!

These pillow covers from Humble are 100% organic cotton twill and are printed with non-toxic water-based inks in (clockwise from top left) Metallic Gold, Navy, White and Tomato; custom colours are also available. Each is 18″ square; inserts are sold separately.

And if you really love the motif, splash out on a matching tote, also made of organic cotton! It measures 18″ wide x 15″ high x 5″ deep.

Humble has all kinds of other home decor items on offer through custom orders: table runners, draperies, bags and pouches and other goodies!

$1 of every sale goes to the Coral Reef Alliance to help protect coral reefs all around the world. Visit www.coral.org for more information.

Available at: www.humble.bigcartel.com

Prices: $34 US (per pillow, inserts not included), $22 US (tote), $22 US (bamboo insert), $46 US (kapok insert)

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smock letterpress stationery

I just can’t get enough of fabulous stationery and love journals, paper and cards to the point of obsession.

In particular I love letterpress stationery, which has a 3D effect because the ink is pressed into the paper, and now love Smock stationery, which is based in Syracuse, N.Y.

Its designs have a chic retro flair and are fashioned by Amy Graham Stigler, who was an art historian prior to working at Smock; its papers are pure bamboo — perfect for the letterpress technique, since it’s soft and thick, and, from an ecological point of view, it’s absolutely appealing because it doesn’t need fertilizer or pesticides or as much water as cotton, and it’s incredibly fast growing.

You can get everything from note cards to invitations in all kinds of lovely ready-made designs. Or looking for something more specialized like wedding invitations? Smock will happily handle that, too. They also do gift wrap, which is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper — sheer bliss!!

Have a peek at some of the company’s work below, or check out their website here.

Fun Canadian connection: Smock owners Debbie Urbanski and Harold Kyle named their son Jasper, after the Canadian national park!

Available at: www.smockpaper.com

smock1 smock letterpress stationery

upcountry bond sofa

bondsofa1 upcountry bond sofaUpCountry releases the Bond Sofa, the first piece in their Green Upholstery Initiative, fast on the heels of the latest Bond pic, Quantum of Solace.

Like Daniel Craig, this sofa is sleek and good-looking, but it’s also Canadian-made and eco-friendly.

• The upholstery fabric is a 100% cotton/bamboo blend available in 5 nature-inspired colours — Slate (shown), Flax, Lynx, Pine and Coffee — created with environmentally low-impact dyes certified by the Organic Materials Institute.

• The primary upholstery foam is soy-based.

• The sofa frame is constructed from a combination of Canadian oak, maple and cherry and engineered wood panels. The engineered  panels are made from recycled fibres and zero VOC, zero formaldehyde glue.

• All glues, stains and finishes are non-toxic, low VOC and water-based where possible.

• The sofa is made the Greater Toronto Area, so if you live here, buying it means a low carbon footprint, since it’s not being shipped long distances.

The next product to be introduced in the initiative will be a daybed sofa in late January ’09. As well, the soy foam will begin to be used other products and, if the bamboo fabric proves popular, Todd Childerhose, president of UpCountry, says it will be introduced into other ranges, too.

Available at: UpCountry, Toronto, 416-366-7477; Burlington, Ont., 905-333-3088; www.upcountry.com

Price: $1,795

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

rainforest site bamboo platter

bamboobowl rainforest site bamboo platterThis gorgeous handmade bamboo platter is one of the many treasures you can find on the Rainforest Site. Buy it and you’ll not only get a great-looking bowl, but will save 2,290 square feet of rainforest!

How does that work?

It’s simple: The Rainforest Site works to preserve rainforests around the world. Go to the site daily, if possible, and hit the “Click” button to fund the purchase of rainforest land worldwide by The Nature Conservancy, The Rainforest Conservation Fund, The World Parks Endowment, and Rainforest2Reef. Or buy one of the products from the site’s shop and you’ll also be saving a set amount of rainforest land.

Some 35,500 people around the world click on the site each day, and, to date, their more than 150 million clicks have preserved more than 40,500 acres of land — impressive!

Make The Rainforest Site your homepage, and clicking on it each day will become second nature — a definite feelgood way to start your day — or make it your go-to-site for at least some of your holiday shopping and do a little good in the world while making friends and family happy.

The Midas Touch bamboo platter measures approx. 15″ x 8″ x 2″ and cleans up easily with a damp cloth.

Available at: www.rainforestsite.com

Price: $24.95 US

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

stylish bamboo sink

mosobamboosink1 stylish bamboo sinkBamboo is one of the favoured environmental materials of choice lately due to its fast-growing, regenerative nature.

In my last post, you can see it being used in a snuggly blanket, and a few posts ago, I wrote about it being used in drapery.

Here, it’s put to good use in this attractively angular bathroom sink with a masculine seafaring kind of vibe that would look amazing in a modern clean-lined bathroom or even a more rustic cottage setting (plan ahead for next summer!).

Available through: Amati Bath Centre, Thornhill, Ont., www.amaticanada.com; Taps & Tubs Kitchen & Bath Studio, St. Catharines, Ont., www.tapsandtubs.com; Cantu, Vancouver, www.cantubathrooms.com

Price: approx. $750

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email Laurie at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

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