To prove how easy it is to decorate responsibly without sacrificing taste or style, domino magazine dedicated their entire March issue to all things "green" and eco-friendly. Chassie Post is the contributing style editor for domino and she was invited to share some of these decorating secrets on TODAY. Here’s more on what she discussed on the show:
As environmental awareness becomes more mainstream, "green" design is undeniably getting better. Domino had a question that ultimately led to a challenge. Could a house that felt totally “domino” (glamorous and inviting) be decorated in an earth-friendly way? The answer was “yes,” and domino dedicated their entire March issue to "green" design.
Why go “green”?
- "Green" is now super-stylish, can save energy, and is easier than ever, and you don't have to completely change your life; just do one thing and you'll feel better about the environment!
- This issue proves that you don't have to sacrifice taste or style to be eco-friendly.
- For TODAY, domino re-created (originally from the magazine) two rooms that show off some of the amazing "green" options available.
The kitchen
1. Cabinets
"Breathe Easy" Cabinetry (breatheeasycabinetry.com)Price: Starts at $900 for recycled material. Starts at $1,500 for FSC wood.
- Wood is made out of responsibly forested materials
- 100% formaldehyde-free and contains no toxic glues
- Price is comparable to other custom cabinets
- "Green" woods are insurance for your kids future
- Nearly half of the world's original forests have been cut down with another 40 million acres vanishing every year.
- Painted the cabinets with eco-friendly paint (Sherwin Williams Harmony at $34/gallon) which have no VOC's (volatile organic compounds). The chemicals evaporate at room temp and have no strong fumes — no waiting required.
2. Back splash
Fire Clay Tile (fireclaytile.com)Style: The Debris series, color: HyacinthPrice: $20.20 per square foot
- Handmade terracotta tiles contain 50 percent recycled materials
- Lead free
- Over 250 styles, both matte and glossy colors
- Helps to reduce landfill
- Making this type of virgin ceramic tile typically is toxic and very-energy intensive
3. Countertop
Oregon White Oak Butcher BlockEndura Wood Products (endurawood.com)Price: $50 per square foot
- Butcher Block countertop made of beautiful FSC wood (Forest Stewardship Council). They make sure timber is harvested in a land- and habitat-friendly way.
- Formaldehyde-free
- Non-toxic & food safe
- Sealed with herbal oil finish (with linseed & orange peels)
- Unlike other countertop surfaces, scratches can be sanded out w/ sandpaper
- Very affordable option: Stone countertops cost up to $149 square feet
4. "Low-Flow" Aerator (attachment to kitchen faucet)
Danco Energy Saver Dual Thread Aerator Home DepotPrice: $3.39
- Faucet aerators mix air into water to reduce the flow while maintaining regular water pressure
- A normal sink's faucet flow is 3 to 5 gallons of water per minute
- This one flows 1.5 gallons a minute saving water and energy
- If a typical family of four uses aerators in the kitchen and bathroom they can reduce water use by more than 200 gallons a month
5. Flooring
Forbo "Dual" Linoleum / Color: BlueThe Marmoleum Store (themarmoleumstore.com)Price: $6 per square foot
- Serious shocker: This 50's staple has always been eco- and affordable!
- Named for linseed oil, it's major component, linoleum also contains wood flour and limestone dust
- Click tiles that snap together make for easy installation. You might want to hire contractor as aligning corners can be tricky.
- Can make patterns with this flooring. Stripes are chic and graphic — great for smaller spaces and can create the illusion of a wider space.
The Living Room
1. Wallpaper/Wall covering
Arrowroot-Grass cloth / Color: Coral red #1964 Phillip jeffries, ltd. (Phillipjeffries.com)Price: $30 per yard
- Amazing handcrafted wall coverings made from arrowroot plant. Fast growing and renewable resource
- Naturally lustrous and strong
- Resists mildew
- On a recycled paper backing
- Yummy vibrant colors — so chic, nothing crunchy about it
2. Curtains
100% Hemp fabricAmbatalia Fabrics (ambataliafabrics.com)Price: $30 per yard
- In the U.S. 15 percent of all soil-contaminating insecticides go into growing cotton
- Curtains are made with 100 percent hemp, an organic plant that's hearty enough to be grown without pesticides
- Looks and feels just like fine linen
- If you aren't handy with a sewing machine, it's an easy and inexpensive job for a local dry cleaner or tailor to hem any fabric for instant and affordable curtains
- "Trim" on curtains is vintage. Vintage counts because you're saving materials otherwise headed for landfills. Just have your tailor/dry cleaner sew some vintage trim/ribbon on the inside edge for an instant curtain makeover. A great resource for trim is mjtrim.com.
3. Sofa
Natural Lee #189-02 Lee Industries (leeindustries.com)Price: $2,492
- Incredibly chic and traditional on the outside, very "now" inside
- Frame, cushions, and filling are made from recycled plastic bottles, soy and water-based finishes
- With any of Lee Industries classic offerings people have the option to get the "Natural Lee Package"
4. Coffee Table
Twisty Stool (vivaterra.com)Price: $195 each
- Great modern shape: We were crazy about these long before we knew they were "green". Stools are great because they're multi purpose.
- Hand-carved from a single piece of sustainable, fast-growing Monkey Pod Wood — tropical wood found in Thailand.
- Also FSC certified
- Fair trade labor certification (means no sweat shops!)
5. Rug
InterfaceFLOR tilesCoir2, Color: Goldenrod (florcatalog.com)Price: $24.99 per tile ($9.29 per square foot)
- Rugs may seem harmless, but actually can cause a huge environmental mess. There's an estimated 4.7 billion pounds of carpet is dumped annually rather than recycled because of synthetic components.
- Regular rugs can release harmful fumes in your homes for weeks after installation.
- InterfaceFLOR has shrunk its carbon footprint by half.
- Reclaimed 93 million tons of old carpet and recycled it into new carpet backing
- Has a Return/Recycle program. They send you a recyclable bag and pay for the shipping of your old Interface product back to the company where they recycle it into a new product.
- Coir, which we used here, is a natural fiber.
"Green" Fashion
- Earth-friendly clothes have come a long way (no longer just burlap!)
- Conventional cotton growth is pesticide heavy.
- A single T-shirt can mean roughly a 1/3 of a pound of pesticides polluting the environment.
- When buying eco-friendly fashions, also look for labels that explicitly indicate that the garment was produced under fair labor conditions (no sweat shops!)
The domino "Green List"Just in time for International Earth Day (March 20) and U.S. Earth Day (April 22), the entire "The 2007 domino Green List" and criteria can be found on: and beginning on page 35 of the March issue.