Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

Aren’t these wall decals supersweet? And the best thing about them is, they’re made from fabric!

Most wall decals are vinyl or PVC, which is anything but eco-friendly, so these are a great choice if you’re into being green. Since they’re made from fabric, they’re washable, plus, if you stick them up in one spot and change your mind, don’t worry – you can move them around.

They come in all sorts of themes – the ones above are Forest Critters for Boys ($75), but there are more below. They’re made by a company in Australia whose motto is Charmed, I’m Sure, and I certainly am!

Available at: www.saplings.ca

Dinosaurs, $75

Oh Dear, $75

Winter Dress Up Dolls, $45

Twitter Birds for Girls, $45

Build a Tree, $105

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Warm up chilly fall days with this sleek-looking, high-efficiency fireplace.

The RAIS 60 Insert System is a zero-clearance-firebox insert that has an air-tight lock for efficient wood burning and a cool (literally and figuratively!) hollow handle that you can touch bare-handed. The fireplace comes in both black and gray.

Price: $5,200

For more info and availability: www.rais.com

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Cannot say enough about the work that Boomerang Paint is doing!

The Quebec-based company takes unused paint and stain (even the hardened stuff!), reformulates it and repackages it, then sells it in a recyled plastic container. In 2008, the company recycled some 4,000,000 litres of paint.

About 1%  new material is added to ensure good quality re lustre levels (which are low across the brand), viscosity and drying time. The finishes are washable and the alkyds can be used on exterior surfaces, including wood.

The Boomerang paint colour palettes are shown below; the selection, not surprisingly, is somewhat limited, but for a lot of people who are racked with indecision when faced with thousand of paint chips, that will be a total bonus!

Price: approx. $15

Availability: For a retailer near you, click here.

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

I just fell for the classic but updated look of this Azure sofa from Crate and Barrel. Tufting, curves – it’s got it all!

It’s shown above in Whitney Bran linen/rayon blend with self-welt detail but it’s also available in other colour options (a custom colour is shown below).

And, of course, it’s eco-friendly.

• the seat and back cushions are filled with soy-based polyfoam
• the cushions are wrapped in fibre made from clear and white plastic bottles
• the frame is made from hardwood that’s FSC or SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certified

With these lines, it would look amazing in just about any room, modern or fresh traditional, and with hundreds of fabric options, you could really give it your own personality twist!

Available at: Crate and Barrel stores; for locations and to order online, visit www.crateandbarrel.ca

Price: from $2,199

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Natura is a zero-VOC interior paint that comes in thousands of hues and flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes, and, unlike many paints, its VOC level is unaffected by the addition of colourant. That means you can get it in Benjamin Moore’s entire range of 1,800 colours or colour match it to basically anything and it will still be zero-VOC!

Carl Minchew, Benjamin Moore director of colour technology, says, “Natura is built upon Benjamin Moore’s patented Gennex waterborne colourant system, and it’s the waterborne technology that makes the difference. So, no matter what colour you choose, it will never add to the VOC level. Natura is green without compromise – the greenest paint Benjamin Moore has ever made.”

We like it! For some colour palette options, check out the rooms below.

For availability, visit: www.benjaminmoore.ca.

Price: $60 per gallon

Above: Gossamer Blue 4123-40, walls; Brookside Moss 2145-30, niche; Black Satin 2131-10, fireplace.

Above: Black Satin 2131-40, walls; Gossamer Blue, ceiling.

Above: Chantilly Lace OC-65, fireplace wall; Hazy Skies OC-48, other walls; White Sand OC-10, ceiling.

Above: Pale Avocado 2146-40, kitchen area; Sea Haze 2137-50, wall; Timid White OC-39, ceiling.

Above: Sea Haze 2137-50, headboard wall; Timid White OC-39, picture wall; Pale Avocado 2146-40, ceiling.

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

As I was eating my brekkie this morning, it occurred to me that a lot of my posts have focused on bedding. Why? I wondered, and realized it’s because I’m obsessed with naps! So once again, here’s a sleep-inspired post!

This country-look quilt from Pottery Barn is perfect for summer-time easy living. Just toss it over the bed in the morning when you wake, and the bed is made and you’re on your way!

It’s hand-made of organic cotton with Porcelain-blue piping and reverses to solid blue, if you want a quick change in looks, and has 100% cotton batting. The shams have a different print on each side, and everything is machine washable.

Available at: Pottery Barn stores, www.potterybarn.com

Prices: $72 (standard sham),$88 (Euro sham), $429 (Queen quilt)

SUPER CHIC IDEA If you have an old quilt and the edges are fraying too much for you to use it on a bed or even hang it on a wall, try this idea:
1 Centre the least worn portion over a twin-size wood headboard
2 Wrap the edge around the back of the headboard
3 Staple it in place (pad with cotton batting underneath, if you like).
Makes a very cute headboard for a kid’s room!

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I have a thing for crisp, clean white bed linens and Restoration Hardware’s high-quality bedding is among my favourites.

This organic Italian 200-thread-count percale linen has a lovely added touch – it’s embellished with satin stitching in Chocolate, Flax, White, Celery, Sky or Silver Sage (clockwise from bottom left). Beautiful!

Available at: Restoration Hardware stores or online at www.restorationhardware.com

Price: from $89 for a standard sham, $269 for a full/queen duvet

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Got together this weekend with Pure Design’s Samantha Pynn (left) and style at home’s new editor-in-chief Jane Francisco (right).

Sam is still a contributing style editor at style at home (until this past spring she was a design editor at the magazine), and we were chatting over coffee about her ongoing role at the mag, as well as TV, decorating, love, life, and lots of other things.

She’s very excited about the upcoming 2nd season of Pure Design, which starts airing Sept. 29 on HGTV. The show focuses on green, enviro-friendly makeovers, which make both Sam and me very, very happy!

Sam’s all about reusing what you have and sourcing eco-natural goods and, starting with the October issue, she’ll be writing a regular column for style at home about an episode from her show, the makeover featured on it and how she’ll pulled it all together.

So look for the October issue – which we’re just wrapping up now, if you can believe it! – on stands Sept. 7.

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Scatter 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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Would you believe this stunning lamp is made of 100% wool felt? And waste material at that? This natural white beauty is 11″ in diameter at the bottom, 13″ at the top, and takes a maximum 60-watt bulb to set a lovely atmospheric mood.

Available at: Eurolite, www.eurolite.com

Price: $396

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