Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

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

Washed with a new natural laundry detergent called Ecos recently, and since my whites turned out white, my darks stayed dark, and my brights were shining  brightly, suffice it to say, I was pretty happy when the laundry was done!

Ecos is a concentrated liquid detergent, one ounce of which will wash a full load of dirty fabrics, and you can use it in front loading and high-efficiency machines. It has a built-in soy-based fabric softener (which works for me, since I don’t used a dryer) and cellulose-based optical brightener (also good for me, since bleach is another no-no).

It’s also phosphate-, petrochemical- and formaldehyde-free, is plant-based, septic and greywater-system safe, 100% biodegradable, has a neutral pH, and the bottle and cap are both recyclable. Whew! That’s a whole lot of green cred goin’ on!

It comes in three scents: Magnolia & Lilies, Lavender, and Lemograss. I tried the Magnolia & Lilies scent, and while I found it very appealing, I also found it a little strong. I think I’ve grown accustomed to other eco-friendly products that are either unscented or quite subtly scented, so to tone it down a little I’d just mix it with some of the company’s Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent (it doesn’t contain any essential oils for fragrance). That way, it would be just perfect for me; others will find it just perfect the way it is!

Available at: www.ecos.com for stores

Price: approx. $18.69/210 oz.

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

UpCountry 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!

Style at Home’s design editor, Samantha Pynn, took to the small screen this fall with her very own TV show, Pure Design, and I’m loving it! (And I’m not just saying that because I work with Sam!)

She’s got great taste, is fun and friendly and tackles the show makeovers with an eye to keeping things environmentally friendly – who could ask for anything more?

In the bedroom pictured, which was made over for one of the episodes, the night tables are eco friendly, the headboard has a soy-based foam core to make it cushy, the lamps are old ones made over with recovered shades, the bedding is all organic, and the walls were painted with no-VOC paint.

Watch for episodes of Pure Design on HGTV Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET (10 p.m. PT); for more info, check out hgtv.ca.

Photo, HGTV, John Queenan.

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

Love, love, love U.S. retailer Crate and Barrel, and I’m thrilled that they’re opening their first international store in Toronto at Yorkdale Shopping Centre this Thursday, Sept. 25.

I also love that the company highlights the environmentally friendly aspects of its products in its catalogues, so anyone who’s interested can easily spot them – something  that’s sure to be appreciated by people like me who are trying to make the best decisions possible.

For example, the Cayman sofa pictured here is constructed with certified sustainable hardwood; and the cushions are made from soy-based polyfoam. A good start to a greener world, I’d say!

For more from Crate and Barrel, see the post below…

Available at: crateandbarrel.ca

Price: $2,799

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