Manhattan Idyll
"I wanted to create the feeling of a savannah, so the family could roam and entertain," says interior designer Clodagh of a 7,000-square-foot Manhattan apartment she crafted for an art enthusiast couple and their young children. Clodagh, who has a new book, Your Home, Your Sanctuary (Rizzoli), established a calm, harmonious atmosphere by using environmentally responsible materials and incorporating feng shui techniques. She began by applying non-toxic plaster from Art in Construction to the walls, using reclaimed antique oak for the floors, and situating an amber resin low table and a massive walnut dining table from Hudson Furniture in the central living space to create inviting anchors for conversation and entertaining. "Even in hard times, a common room provides a safe haven," says the designer.
Clodagh Design, 212.780.5300, www.clodagh.com
SOURCES
Baba Flooring, 800.542.4812, www.baba.com
Studio Dell’Arte steel, 718.599.3715
Art in Construction, 718.522.7130
Younger Works concrete, 212.233.8251
Hudson Furniture, 212.645.7800, www.hudsonfurnitureinc.com
Brazilian Getaway
When Robert Novogratz and his wife, Cortney, were looking to build a vacation home for themselves and their six children in Trancoso, Brazil, they knew they wanted to pay homage to the area by using only locally harvested woods, such as massaranduba, mahogany, and ipe. "We have a great respect for nature, and we try to instill that in our children as well," says Robert, who with Cortney—in addition to raising their (now seven) kids—heads their New York–based firm, Sixx Design. They worked with local craftsman Fabio Marta Santos, who not only constructed the 7,000-square-foot house with a minimal use of power tools, but also handcrafted the home’s light fixtures, mirrors, and other accessories. The couple, who rents out the house when they are not in residence, lessened their carbon footprint by sourcing furniture from nearby villages, as well as packing smaller items from East Coast antiques stores in their luggage.
Sixx Design, 917.385.0603, www.sixxdesign.com
SOURCES
Fabio Marta Santos, c/o Sixx Design
Moss, 866.888.6677, www.mossonline.com
Ekster Antiques and Uniques, 703.771.1784, www.eksterantiques.com
Santa Barbara Sanctuary
"One of the most important things to consider when choosing a green material is its life cycle—the selection must not only be produced with minimal environmental impact, it must also require little maintenance and be extremely durable," explains architect Michelle Kaufmann, who created a custom house in Santa Barbara, based on her own Sunset Breezehouse design, using Cor-Ten steel and ipe wood siding. "Ipe is outstanding because it’s incredibly long-lasting. The trees grow in areas that are covered in water for much of the year, which is why the wood is so hard and virtually immune to corrosion. Cor-Ten is meant to rust over time, and never needs to be repainted or refinished, which saves both time and resources."
Michelle Kaufmann Designs, 510.271.8015, www.mkd-arc.com
SOURCES
Dal-Tile, 214.398.1411, www.daltile.com
NanaWall, 800.873.5673, www.nanawall.com
Energy Star appliances, 888.782.7937, www.energystar.gov
BC Hardwood Floor, 604.637.1082, www.bchardwood.com
Desert Diamond
"We wanted to build our dream home in the desert, and our search for the right person led us to Narendra Patel," says a Palm Desert, Calif., resident, who commissioned the architect to conceive a modern structure that would harness the area’s winds and intense solar power. "Everything starts with the orientation," says Patel, who carefully plotted the sun’s 365-day course to maximize heating potential in winter and cooling properties in the hot summer months. Natural ventilation, low-emissive (Low-E) glazed glass, and clerestory windows throughout help to capitalize on natural light and lessen the home’s overall energy usage during the day. "Environmentally responsible architecture means doing more with less," says the architect.
Patel Architecture, 760.776.5031, www.patelarchitecture.com
SOURCES
Solarban, 888.774.4332, www.ppgideascapes.com
Lennox, 800.953.6669, www.lennox.com/residential
Fibermesh, 800.621.1273, www.fibermesh.com
Omega plaster, 951.737.7447, www.omega-products.com
Bruck Lighting, 714.259.9959, www.brucklightingsystems.com
Montana Folly
"There’s not much about this house that’s not green," says architectural designer Brett Nave, who recently created a 900-square-foot cabin on the bank of the Yellowstone River in Montana. Hoisted up on steel stilts, the structure serves as a vacation house and boasts an impressively sustainable pedigree, from its kitchen countertops made of post-consumer recycled paper products to its tankless water heater from Rinnai. For the floorboards and ceiling, Nave worked with local "salvage artist" Matt Ridgeway to source reclaimed wood, including fir and cypress taken from vintage pickle vats. With an ipe deck, Icynene insulation, and walls covered in zero-VOC paint, this tiny structure is quite the earth-friendly powerhouse.
studio.bna, 406.222.7488, www.studio-bna.com
SOURCES
Matt Ridgeway, 406.220.1175
Rinnai, 800.621.9419, www.rinnai.us
Icynene, 800.758.7325, www.icynene.com
Paperstone, 360.538.9815, www.paperstoneproducts.com
Sherwin-Williams, 800.474.3794, www.sherwin-williams.com