How to Select Green Cabinets...

Choosing what is actually green these days can be head-spinning, how can you always be certain that what you are choosing is the best option for you and the environment? For cabinet selection, here’s one good way to know if your cabinet of choice is sustainable:  The  Environmental Stewardship Program Seal (ESP) is an environmental certification program that specifically targets kitchen and bath cabinets, developed by The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA).  This Seal is what assures you that the manufacturing practices and materials used meet...

Greenest Countertops in Olympia...

Lots of ‘green’ countertops to choose from out there these days. Many of those products are incredibly viable, beautiful, and green. When considering among green options, one consideration should be the proximity of the product to the job site. How far did that product have to travel to get on-site? If you live in the PNW, or more precisely, in South Sound, then Paperstone is the ‘greenest” product around. It’s manufactured right in our back yard, in Hoquiam, WA, about 30 miles outside of Olympia. Paperstone is made from cellulose fiber...

The Sustainable Future of Lighting...

Most of us are familiar with Solatube type passive daylighting, which is functionally nice, but for my eye an aesthetic compromise. I was looking over the Green Source magazine this morning, whose audience is mostly commercial, but this product review caught my eye because it’s this kind of sustainable technology I believe we’ll see in homes in the very near future. It’s the next generation of bringing natural daylighting in to spaces that otherwise need some type of energy-intensive electrical lighting. Parans daylighting system provides natural daylight...

Stylish Universal Design-Shower Drain...

Shower drain, not the most provocative subject unless there’s a problem. That said, this note just in from our interior designer, Diane Gassman, who among other talents is a Certified Aging in Place specialist which means she is very capable of creating beautiful, barrier-free environments particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. Now, back to the shower drain. This particular one caught my eye mostly because it has really nice clean lines. Gone are the days of the circular drain with the rough cut tiles attempting to circumnavigate the perimeter. Quick Drain USA...

Fuel Cells: The Bloom Box...

This is an interesting article on the next generation of de-centralized fuel cells… like much of technology, it won’t be long before we all have our own clean power sources generated right at home!… I hope. Christian Science Monitor. Click here to link to the original article. By Husna Haq Correspondent / February 22, 2010 It’s being hailed as the Holy Grail of clean energy: a refrigerator-sized personal power plant that produces energy cheaply and cleanly and may one day replace the traditional power grid....

Green Home Guide-USGBC...

The US Green Building Council recently launched GreenHomeGuide.com. For homeowners or potential homeowners (those seeking their next home) who are making the move to green, this site is a good clearinghouse for answering many questions, it’s also a great aide towards helping a homeowner to ask good questions. The site features exclusive content written by experienced working professionals from across the nation, many architects, designers and other industry folks. The first page opens up with a rolling set of relevant and provocative questions all pertaining to some...

Disappearing Window Screens...

Now that the leaden skies of winter are receding a bit allowing us to enjoy the beauty of spring, I’m enjoying looking out my windows more than I have in the past few months. There are two things impeding my otherwise perfect view of my empire. One: I can’t see out the bottom third of my full-lite French doors. Eddy, our dog, while passively window-shopping the bird feeders from the comfort of the living room, she manages to fairly effectively apply an obfuscatory coating on the entire surface of the glass…. and then… after actively shopping the...

Cellular Shades Qualify for Tax Credit...

I just noted in the latest copy of Dwell magazine (March 2010)  Hunter Douglas is advertising their cellular shade model, Duette Architella, as qualifying for the Tax Credit, up to $1500. In addition to that, they are offering a $25 mail in rebate per unit as an incentive. The shades look much like most cellular shades, although these are double-walled and claim superior air trapping capabilities which reduces the amount of heat that flows from your home by up to 50%. Of course that’s relative to how much heat loss you are currently losing via your windows; the...

Large 3D Architectural Tile...

Daniel Ogassian Tiles are just cool. They feature a standard collection but also offer prototype services and custom short runs. No doubt that would be spendy. The standard collection is fabulous. The concrete tiles are typically large, the smaller ones are in the 16″ dimension on up to 30″. The ceramic tiles are a bit smaller, under 10″ in may cases. What makes these tiles so unique is the 3D nature of the designs. They ‘feel’ very structural, very architectural. In some cases there is an austere, industrial, zen thing happening. In all cases...

No Leak Skylight...

Velux is rolling out a redesigned skylight product line this January with major upgrades: Advanced energy efficient glass Beefed up protection against water penetration No-Leak product warranty This last one is the ticket.  The product carries a 10 year skylight installation warranty, plus 20 years on glass, and 5 years on blinds and controls. Here’s what Velux says about the improvements to this line: Features include a third layer of water protection; advanced LoE3 glass for better energy efficiency, higher visible light transmittance, and  improved solar heat...