Taking that first step out of your comfort zone is always the most difficult. But once you do, a whole new world opens up. Spring is the best time to do it. Look outside, draw inspiration from nature and bring it indoors.

Challenge yourself to be creative. If you are one of those who would rather chew on tin foil than experiment with a home improvement project, start simple. Pick a room or two and give it a quick punch of color with a new accessory, piece of furniture or fresh coat of paint.

That is exactly what I did after a recent week at the High Point Home Furnishings Market in North Carolina. I was inspired to bring some of the bold colors I saw back home to defy Kansas City’s “Tan Town” image.

Our clients frequently ask about color and trends they see in Elle Décor, Veranda and other shelter magazines, but so often they are are unable to make the first step. I am a big believer in change, but not in trends — especially in home interiors, where colors should be a reflection of décor and personal attitude.

I repainted the showrooms in our furniture and design boutique with the vibrant Sassy Green by Sherwin-Williams. It felt strong and lifelike, picking up so many wonderful complements from nature, bringing what we love about the outdoors in. Clean, sharp whites, coppery browns, silver and even deep reds were enlivened against this strong new backdrop. Existing and new furniture and décor pieces took on fresh dimensions.

Afraid you can’t pull off vivid color in an entire room? Try painting an accent wall: A jolt of color can add drama and style to any ordinary space. With the neutral or tan shades that are prevalent in most homes, options for an accent wall are endless.

Try something fresh. Take your mind to South Beach and experiment with a citrus color, such as Sherwin-Williams’ Mango. I used this vibrant color on an accent wall to give the room an amazing new vibe. The artwork came to life, and the lamps and accessories took on an entirely different feel. Painting an accent wall not only gives the room new verve, it also offers a canvas for creative expression.

In addition to color inspiration, Mother Nature is a wonderful — and free — resource for reinvigorating your interiors. For example, I gathered fallen tree branches, spray-painted them white, tied them to small tacks with clear fishing wire and hung them against a lilac-colored wall to create an indoor forest. Artificial flowers added to the branches gave it color, texture and a softer appearance.

The indoor forest can be easily moved to other areas indoors or out on the patio, enhanced with fresh flowers or colorful votive candles for a summer dinner party. You might adapt it to a child’s room for a wonderful splash of fun. Play with putting lights woven in the branches or use colored clothespins to attach photographs to the branches. Involve your children in the process. It is so important for kids to be fed spoonfuls of creative opportunities. Let them feel the power of being creative.

Spring is the perfect time to check out of “Tan Town” and go for the bold. Crack open the window to the outdoors and let the creativity in during the most beautiful and transformative season.

Source: Kansascity.com

Reach Patrick Madden, a partner at Madden-McFarland Furniture & Design Boutique, 1903 W. 135th St. in Leawood, at pat@maddenmcfarland.com.

This mountain modern home located at the foot of the Gore Range in Three Peaks. Dubbed “Raven’s Nest” the home is a tight design collaboration between Mark Hogan at bhh Partners and Michael Rath at Trilogy Partners with plenty of insight and opportunity provided by the owners. Lots of glass on the south and west mountain facing sides, this 4000 square foot home is a legacy home for a young family that adores the outdoors. The home features a 30 foot high barrel vault ceiling at the entry, a custom water feature and massive chandeliers designed by Trilogy Partners. This was a BIM project, modeling, interiors, and materials selections by Trilogy Partners.

From the homeowner:  “It was while standing in a gallery in Hanoi one day last year that I learned to appreciate the true power of Trilogy’s 3D modeling technology. We had been searching for paintings for our new home in Summit County, but were having difficulty selecting individual pieces, uncertain how they would mesh with the planned design. The stress was increased by the fact that I was shopping alone, 8000 miles away from my wife in Colorado, and desperately afraid of making a mistake! Seeking advice, I sent a series of iPhone photos to Michael. Within hours, both of us received screenshots displaying the artwork as it would actually look in place, along with lighting, finishes, and furniture. This made our decision process so much easier, and it was amazing how closely the depictions in the model matched the finished product!

As we contemplated building our first custom home, we heard plenty of horror stories from friends and relatives. Our experience with Trilogy, however, belied all such expectations. Michael made the design process exciting and fun as we saw our ideas gradually take shape in the model. The computerized, online process made it easy to test out even small design changes and also allowed us to meet remotely when we didn’t have time to travel to Frisco. The software was incredibly detailed and powerful, allowing Michael to design even custom elements such as lighting fixtures and a water feature. Once we began construction, we found Trilogy to be good partners. They were transparent in their accounting and treated us with honesty and fairness at all times. When our home was finished we were dazzled, but not surprised, because it was just like the model! We found the build quality to be excellent; when problems have come up, Michael and our project manager Bill Ashley have been very responsive in addressing them, even long after the project was complete. They take great pride in their work and are not satisfied until everything is perfect. I have no reservations recommending Michael Rath and his team to anyone planning to build in the Colorado mountains, or anywhere else for that matter!”

Take the virtual tour of a Trilogy home in Silverthorne, Colorado.

Desktop Computer or Laptop– Click the link and allow the page to load. To start the Guided Tour, use your mouse to click the “play” button in the bottom left corner of the screen. You can pause the Guided Tour at any time by pressing the space bar, and resume the tour by again pressing play. To move through the space, use your arrow keys. To look up or down,  click & drag with your mouse. Moving up and down stairs is usually easier by clicking your mouse on one of the clear circles. Click on the dollhouse icon in the bottom right of the screen to view the entire space at once in either dollhouse or floorplan view.

On a phone, tablet or touchscreen– Once the page loads, press the play button for the Guided Tour, tap the screen to pause and explore the space, then press play again to resume tour. To move freely through the space, tap on the screen where you want to go. Drag your finger across the screen to look up, down, left or right. Tap the dollhouse icon in the bottom right to view the entire space at once in either dollhouse or floorplan view.

Silverthorne Colorado home

Green has been a buzzword in design for at least 25 years (I am going off of my Earth Day 1992 tote bag that was just unearthed from my parents home). What are some creative ways that you can use renewable materials in your home design?

Smart light bulbs, eco-mattresses, and a Tesla Powerwall that can run a 2 bedroom home on solar are some of the more obvious products available in the sustainable design market. For something less expected, you can also purchase a mushroom mycelium lamp that is painted with non-toxic paint that is grown instead of manufactured. Another unusual selection is

MushLume Trumpet Pendant (Photo credit: Nix + Gerber Studio)

When designing your new construction or remodel, here are some easy choices to make your home a little more green and a little more sustainable with items that you already need:

Trex Decking: made from 95% recycled wood and plastic. This company also employs practices right in their manufacturing facility like eliminating the use of harmful chemicals and reclaiming factory waste.

Milk Paint: “green paint” refers to any paint that is an alternative to petroleum based paints. Milk Paint contains no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) or additives that can be harmful to the environment. So you can breathe easy knowing that your walls, cabinets or outdoor spaces are working with you and the Earth.

Bio-glass backspash: recycled glass takes just 30% of the energy that would be required to produce it from raw materials. And there are stunning options to choose from!

LEED Certified Windows: these ensure energy efficiency is not compromised when embracing the views from your house.

Virtual Reality and 3D modeling: architect Michelle Kaufman has said “The most green material you can use is one that you never use.” With employing 3D modeling that allows you to go inside of your remodel or new construction, space planning is at a premium and every inch is accounted for. You can experience your home through VR and feel the space rather than just trusting or guessing what it the finished product will be like. Find a design team that will allow you to go inside your house and see your design selections well before purchasing or installation.

For more information on defining renewable vs nonrenewable materials, check out Karen S. Garvin’s article via LIVESTRONG.

Have you incorporated any green design selections in your house?

SketchUp is the cornerstone of our Project Management Modeling process. When they learned about what we were doing up here in Summit County, they came up with some cameras to see for themselves what this PMM thing was all about.

One of the best ways to understand what it is like to intimately know your home before construction starts and to have an active part in the design of your dream home, is to speak with people who have experienced it from the client end. Enter Donna and Bruce: Trilogy homeowners, retired professors and full-time Summit County residents in the Silverthorne neighborhood of Hamilton Creek.

Much of this home was designed during “real-time design sessions” in the Trilogy office. This is where everyone’s imagination runs wild and Michael sketches in the computer to give these ideas life and show what they would look like in a real world application. Donna’s water feature was dreamed up during a real-time design session at the Trilogy offices. Bruce’s office built-in’s were also done in a real-time design sessions. There was space in the lower level that could have been wasted in a lesser thought out design, that became a hidden office with a sliding bookcase for when their son visits. Bruce has a workshop space to fix his bikes. Every inch of the home was examined for efficiency and owner approved before we broke ground.

One of the most beautiful design aspects of their mountain modern home in Hamilton Creek is the chartreuse and yellow colors that pop throughout the home. When the aspen leaves turn gold in the fall it looks like Donna and Michael went for a walk in the woods to pluck the colors right from nature. You can see a few of those shots in this video.

Thanks to Donna and Bruce for graciously opening up their home to the SketchUp video crew, and to our friends at SketchUp for always being curious about how their product impacts industries and lives around the globe.

Enjoy!

Written by John-David Hutchison

An environmentally friendly building product should cover three essential elements to make it green:

Where does it come from? – Is it a readily renewable resource? Is it local?

Does it have a high percentage of recycled content? How is it made? – What are the ingredients in the manufacturing process?

Is there fair trade involved? How much energy does it take to produce? How does it affect the environment after it is used? – Does the material off gas? What is its care and life span? Is it recyclable at the end of its initial use?

Caleb’s Journey Reclaimed Oak Floor

I live in Chelsea, which is built on a sea of clay. If I were to dig up the clay from my back yard, install it as a floor and polish it with beeswax from my friends at Berg en Dal Honey in Wakefield, I would probably qualify in having the greenest floor. Leaving aside such pure and perfect ambitions, let’s consider more realistic possibilities for the average consumer choices:

Bamboo

Often thought of (and definitely marketed as) the greenest floor on the market, bamboo has probably the longest list of pros and cons. In order for bamboo to meet high environmental standards there are a number of hurdles to consider/overcome.

Bamboo grows incredibly fast, takes very little energy to cultivate, and makes for a very hard floor, around 14-17% harder than maple. If produced and harvested properly the farming of bamboo has a very low environmental impact. To achieve this, the bamboo must be harvested no earlier than every 7 years and cut 6 to 12 inches from the ground, so that the plant can grow back without replanting. The problems are that wild bamboo is used and a lot of the farmed bamboo is harvested at three years, making for a lower quality product.

The manufacturing process also needs to be evaluated. The raw bamboo is stripped, steamed, baked, and dried. It is then compressed using glues and is usually prefinished. Ideally the glues and finishes used are non-toxic with a low VOC content and manufactured in an ISO certified facility. Unfortunately, too often this is not the case; very few of these glues and finishes have a low VOC content and most of the work is done in ramshackle factories with no concern for the health and safety of workers. I have seen pictures of buildings in the deep forests where the workers are wearing nothing but shorts and making their own glues in a large toxic vat over a fire. (This is the $.99/sq. ft bamboo sold at Uncle Joe’s Flooring emporium.)

Bamboo floors take a lot of energy to manufacture and, as it all comes from China, a considerable amount of embedded energy to transport.

Wood

Ah wood, the classic and still most popular choice. Some say you can’t do much better than a locally produced farmed wood product in a solid format (low energy) with a natural oil and wax finish. In Ontario and Quebec you can now find FSC certified solid maple flooring at a fairly reasonable cost.

The opposite end of the spectrum is imported clear-cut Merbau covered in a heavy coating of toxic off gassing Varathane. The devastation of the Merbau forests prompted Greenpeace to produce a hefty volume dedicated to documenting the destruction of the forests. The scary fact is there are many species of endangered trees readily available at your local flooring store.

Engineered wood flooring is manufactured by bonding a veneer of solid wood on top of two to three layers of other, less valuable products. In the greenest examples these secondary layers are made of recycled or waste materials. This manufacturing method results in a more efficient use of the best / most valued wood, stretching out the resource use while still satisfying the consumer need for an abundant variety of options.

Reclaimed wood – On the outset this seems to be the ultimate in environmental choice. There are two main types of reclaimed wood:

1. Flooring made from wood reclaimed from barns or old farmhouses, planed down and reinstalled for your walking pleasure. Unfortunately, due to the intense labour involved in reclaiming the wood, and the limited supply of the product, it is an expensive option. Reclaimed wood also generally needs to be finished onsite, which is a general pitfall for most consumers.
2. River Run Reclaimed flooring is manufactured from logs dredged from the bottom of rivers. It’s a great concept to create quality flooring and it is generally less expensive than reclaimed barn board. The argument against this practice is that no one is quite sure of the long-term impact of pulling up the silt and possible toxins from rivers such as the Ottawa and the Fraser. Impact studies will take some time to finish to before we can really know the environmental consequences.

Cork

I’ll be honest; I have a personal preference for cork. It is warm, soft, and beautiful. The tree is harvested every seven years by shaving the bark from the trunk, not by cutting the whole tree down. Cork flooring is made from the scraps of the manufacturing of wine corks. (In turn, pin boards and gaskets are made from the scraps of making the floors.) Cork trees are highly prized and protected in Spain and Portugal. But as with Bamboo, on the flip side cork flooring is an engineered product from abroad. What’s worse, currently a large portion of cork is shipped to China for manufacturing and then hauled back to Europe and North America for sale. On top of the embedded energy debate, one needs to make sure that the cork is manufactured using low VOC glues and finishes.

Carpet

Carpet is not very fashionable at this time, being looked down upon as a cheap, short-term product that over time will provide a breeding ground for mold and bacteria as the toxic chemical protection wears off. But there is a bright green future in carpet, especially in commercial applications. Up and coming companies are using recycled and recyclable content. (If you haven’t seen “The Corporation”, Interface Carpet’s Ray Anderson is a truly inspirational businessman-come-environmentalist.) Kraus is manufacturing such a product in Ontario.

There are also similar pros and cons for Linoleum, ceramic tile, and cement, but I am running out of room.

In the end, making a decision on the most environmentally friendly floor will involve a lot of tomato, tomato, potato, potato; it can come down to personal priorities. Regardless of your choice there are always trade offs.

If you are really stuck…. I have an acre of clay, send me an e-mail.

About the Author
John-David is currently working as a Sustainability Consultant with CSV Architects in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, specializing in the coordination of the process and submission for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Certification by The Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC). He also makes the best veggie burger in the Outaouais. hutchison@csv.ca

Source: GreenbuildingPro

If you are in the process of designing a home, then you should consider incorporating green building features. Not only will green building features provide you with a way to reduce your environmental footprint, you’ll be saving money on your energy bills. The following are some green building trends you should be aware of:

• Zero-net energy – Green home building has already hit the mainstream. Now, many owners and developers are going a step further by attempting to accomplish zero net energy on an annual basis.
• More competition against LEED – LEED certification is somewhat complex and can be costly, which has led to direct competition from other rating systems, such as Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes rating system.
• Use of solar power will grow – The use of solar power will grow in popularity, which will lead to more third-party financing offerings to take advantage of.

These are just a few of the green building trends to be aware of. It seems as though green building is the future of home building, which means you should plan for a green building design now. For more information about green building, be sure to contact us at Trilogy Builds today.

Source: Trilogy Partners

One of the top trends in green home design is the concept of passive design when planning a new home build as more homeowners embrace are leaning toward zero energy homes. Instead of trying to add energy-saving features after the home is built, the process begins from the ground up, by incorporating simple features directly into the home’s architecture.

Passive design can be considered simple design as it removes the complexity surrounding the most basic features found in all buildings including windows. The placement of windows facing toward the south is extremely crucial in the design, therefore this needs to be considered during site selection. This element allows the Colorado homeowner to take advantage of the sun’s energy to help reduce heating bills during the cold winter months, and provide natural light throughout the year.

There is an increased focus on making sure that structure doesn’t allow drafts to penetrate and lessen this warming effect. This is accomplished by making the home airtight and often by utilizing landscape elements such as trees or shrubs to act as windbreaks. By incorporating several elements of passive design into your green home design, you can reduce your energy bills for years to come.

Source: Trilogy Partners

If you’re looking into remodeling your home, it’s a great time to assess what you can do to make your house greener.  We know going green reduces our impact on the earth, but it can also benefit you by increasing your home’s efficiency, and making it a healthier place to live. As you embark on your home remodeling project, here are a few things to take into consideration:

Begin by assessing your site. How can you utilize the property features you already possess? Use trees to your advantage to shade-cool your house, or find the optimal spot for passive solar gain. Look for building materials that are renewable or recycled, and find fixtures and appliances that are energy-efficient. Find finishes that are low- or no-VOC. Another good rule of thumb is to use higher-grade materials—the durability will prevent having to replace cheap materials that aren’t built to last.

Open floor plans help to increase cooling and heating efficiency, and require fewer materials. Lastly, look into a construction site recycling service. They can sort and dispose of construction waste in an earth-friendly way.

Implementing any of these tips will go a long way to making your home a little greener.

Source: Trilogy Partners

Despite outdated preconceptions, green homes built using modern materials with modern methods are as good or better than their conventional counterparts. In fact, their reduced costs are one of the main reasons that green building is popular.

Here are the benefits of choosing green home design:

• Green materials provide a number of benefits, ranging from long-lasting usefulness to reduced cost and reduced consumption of scarce resources. In fact, some green materials emit less pollutants, making for a healthier living space.
• Efficient fixtures and appliances consume less resources while still providing optimal function. For homeowners, this is important because less consumption means a reduced bill each month.
• Based on similar logic, automated amenities can also help homeowners save. For example, a programmable thermostat can turn down the heat during the day and then turn it back up when rush hour is approaching.
• Choosing an urban rather than rural location is better for the environment because it provides convenient access to amenities while encouraging positive habits. For example, being close to a supermarket means that homeowners and their families can walk rather than drive, thus saving on gas.

People interested in green home design can contact us at Trilogy Partners for skilled and experienced assistance with their needs.