Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

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.

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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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I’m not generally into room sprays, preferring to just keep things clean and fresh smelling that way, but we work right next door to the Canadian Living Test Kitchen, and sometimes when they’re cooking something fishy, garlicky or overwhelmingly greasy first thing in the morning, it’s all we can do to not flee from our offices.

Smells Life a Flower Shop Body & Room Spray has been a saviour on those occasions.

Made by Canadian company Mythical Matters, this spray is so natural you can use it as a perfume, and it really does smell just like a flower shop – truly evocative, but in a really subtle way, of fresh-cut greenery and beautiful blooms.

It’s made of water, alcohol, witch hazel distillate, aloe vera extract, glycerin and perfume and comes in a recyclable amber glass bottle; a percentage of every sale will be donated to the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

Available at: www.mythicalmatters.com

Price: $24.99 (8 oz.)

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There are so many wonderful natural products out there now, you can decorate a whole room with them. Don’t believe me? Check out this room by IKEA. Almost every product in it is natural, from the fibres in the rug, to the rattan in the mirror. And doesn’t it look gorgeous!

So look for natural products where possible and go as green as possible. You might not be able or willing to go 100% green, but whatever you can do is great!

Melbu rattan mirror, $149.

Kvist bamboo flooring, $3.79 per sq ft.

Klinteby 100% wool rug, $199.

Leran rattan/bamboo pendant lamp, $119.

The Karlstad sofa’s 100% cotton cover is machine washable and doesn’t have a stain-repellent coating, $599.

Felicia 100% silk cushion cover, $9.99.

Alvine Krans 100% cotton cushion cover, $14.99 (set of 2).

Skimmer Fin solid mango wood candlesticks, from $12.99.

Blomster recyclable glass vase, $14.99.

Available at: www.ikea.ca

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Is this not one of the most amazing tables you’ve ever seen? Designed by Chris Kabatsi of Los Angeles-based design company Arktura, the Hive table features an algorithmically generated pattern that reminds me of lace or a spider’s web.

Why is the table green? Because it’s constructed of mostly recycled steel and zero-VOC powder-coated finish and is produced in a wind- and solar-powered facility.

The accommodating size – 50″ wide x 16″ deep x 16″ high – means it can be used as a bench or table, and it comes in orange (pictured), black, sea green and white.

Available at: www.vivavi.com

Price: $1,790 (US)

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I’m seeing a recurring theme in the images I’ve been putting up lately: clean, bright and white!

This flirty Fly cushion from Canada’s own LoooLo Textiles is no exception. LoooLo’s green claim to fame? “Every pillow or blanket we make uses our own hand- and machine-knit biodegradable textiles. Yes, you can throw them in your composter at the end of their useful life and they will biodegrade within 1 year.” LoooLo also uses Canadian suppliers whenever possible. That’s saying something!

The Fly is shown here in Lamb and also comes in Mink, Slate and Buffalo and three different sizes, 9″ x 18″, 11″ x 23″ and 18″ x 18″.

Available at: www.looolo.ca

Price: from $125

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If you have a sofa or chair that’s looking a little tattered and tired, don’t even think about getting rid of it, think slipcover instead!

Today I put my ivory slipcovers back onto my sofa, chairs and ottoman in my living room, and I’m always amazed at how different they make my place look – from cosy wintertime palette to bright, light springtime look in practically no time at all! (I say practically because no matter how easy-breezy everyone makes slipcovers sound, there is effort involved, don’t kid yourself. My sofa is big and the slipcover takes some wrestling to get it to fit smoothly over the sofa’s red velvet upholstery. The whole notion of just pulling it off and tossing it into the laundry isn’t something I take lightly!)

Nonetheless, slipcovers are a great way to save an old piece of furniture and keep it going for a few more years or simply update your look for the changing seasons.

I got mine at Potato Skins in Toronto, but there are any number of slipcover makers around, and if you have upholstered IKEA furniture, check out Bemz.

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Senna Loveseat, Water Collection, approx. $4,650

Love the furniture designs by Vancouver-based designer Ami McKay – not only are they fabulously chic, they’re super natural to boot!

They’re built in Canada, will last you a lifetime and look so good they’re sure to make you look amazing sitting on them, too, don’t you think?

The following materials are why the pieces boast such amazing green credentials:

• biodegradable, natural latex rubber
• FSC-certified hardwood frames
• organic cotton batting
• jute and latex webbing
• certified wool fabrics that are coloured with organic dyes
• non-VOC finishes
• water-based, non-toxic glues


Cyrilla Arm Chair, Fire Collection, approx. $1,780

Available at: www.purebyamimckay.com

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Sorry I haven’t posted in anything even approaching a timely fashion this week, but I’ve been felled by a super-cold that’s just been lingering on and on. Feeling somewhat better today, though, so fingers crossed the cold is finally on its way out!

I still remember clearly the day in the summer of 2003 when the power when out in the Northeast. We were all sitting around a table in our art department here at the magazine editorial offices and everything shut down and went totally quiet, At first we figured it was just a blip, but it soon became clear it wasn’t.

If only we, and I, had had one of these babies back then to find out what was going on. The FR500 Solarlink from Etón is a feature-packed self- and solar-powered AM, FM and shortwave radio that also has an LED light (including a red LED light for emergencies, along with a siren). It also has cell phone charger (a card is included with the radio; just fill it out with info on what cell phone you have and mail it in and you’ll get the cell phone tip you need!). What more could you ask for in the case of a blackout?

Available at: The Source, Canadian Tire

Price: $80

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The second winner of a Go Green Works Starter Kit, including the following products, is Sylvia McGinley of Alberta Beach, Alta.! (To see the original post announcing the contest, click here.)

• Green Works Dishwashing Liquid
• Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
• Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner
• Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner
• Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner

You still have a chance to win one of the last two kits. All you have to do is be a subscriber to my blog. If you’re not a subscriber already, sign up to have the Natural Chic blog delivered directly to your e-mail inbox for a chance to win. To do so, just click this icon:

I’ll pick one more winner a week for the next two weeks. Good luck!

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