The Toronto Sun :: Oct. 2009. No Compromise: Eco-friendly furnishings that are healthy and luxurious. Story by Connie Adair, featuring Green Design Expert Mariela Campo. I’ve been sorting through several months’ worth of notes, e.mails and press releases that are in dire need of my attention, and realized that I hadn’t posted the second of two articles for The Toronto Sun, for which I contributed as the green design expert. The first article was all about Fall Colours + Biodegradable Cottage Décor. This time, I was kindly asked for advice on how to decorate your home in a manner that’s both green and sophisticated; healthy and luxurious; “HIP, not hippie”, as The Edmonton Sun cleverly re-titled it. Of course, this is a subject that is dear to my green lovin’ heart, as it’s been my mission all along to prove that green design doesn’t have to be “granola.” Yes, green can be chic + sleek — if you want it to be. Based on client feedback and the many messages that I receive on the subject, many of you do. Since the Sun Media newspaper sites haven’t added graphics to the articles [only the print versions seem to], I’ve scanned the 2 page colour spread and have uploaded it on-line. You can read and zoom in on the article on pages 1 + 2. If you’re a registered Scribd user, you can also feel free to download the document. I have written about most of the products that I recommended in this article before, including the stunning cork-made Cortiça Chaise Longue by Brooklyn artist Daniel Michalik, which graces the article’s cover. You’ll notice that there is a column in the right hand margin of page 2, where I was asked about the best way to get a basic start on greening your home. I plan to re-post that in the near future, along with additional details on how to go about creating what I like to call a “clean green canvas.”

The Toronto Sun :: Oct. 2009.

No Compromise: Eco-friendly furnishings that are healthy and luxurious.

Story by Connie Adair, featuring Green Design Expert Mariela Campo.

I’ve been sorting through several months’ worth of notes, e.mails and press releases that are in dire need of my attention, and realized that I hadn’t posted the second of two articles for The Toronto Sun, for which I contributed as the green design expert.

The first article was all about Fall Colours + Biodegradable Cottage Décor. This time, I was kindly asked for advice on how to decorate your home in a manner that’s both green and sophisticated; healthy and luxurious; “HIP, not hippie”, as The Edmonton Sun cleverly re-titled it.

Of course, this is a subject that is dear to my green lovin’ heart, as it’s been my mission all along to prove that green design doesn’t have to be “granola.” Yes, green can be chic + sleek — if you want it to be. Based on client feedback and the many messages that I receive on the subject, many of you do.

Since the Sun Media newspaper sites haven’t added graphics to the articles [only the print versions seem to], I’ve scanned the 2 page colour spread and have uploaded it on-line. You can read and zoom in on the article on pages 1 + 2. If you’re a registered Scribd user, you can also feel free to download the document.

I have written about most of the products that I recommended in this article before, including the stunning cork-made Cortiça Chaise Longue by Brooklyn artist Daniel Michalik, which graces the article’s cover.

You’ll notice that there is a column in the right hand margin of page 2, where I was asked about the best way to get a basic start on greening your home. I plan to re-post that in the near future, along with additional details on how to go about creating what I like to call a “clean green canvas.”

.:April 24, 2010

denizen collection by WilliamsSorel. Thanks to iamemmathea for sharing this truly green and sexy corkboard by the California-based WilliamsSorel. Love it! This corkboard actually lines the entire back wall of a multi-functional and smartly designed office unit, perfect for the work environment, or for blending seamlessly into a modern home setting. You can see more pix of the unit and the many pieces to the denizen collection here. For more green design love, check out some of the modern cork products that I’ve featured on Green Design Girl before. 

denizen collection by WilliamsSorel.

Thanks to iamemmathea for sharing this truly green and sexy corkboard by the California-based WilliamsSorel. Love it!

This corkboard actually lines the entire back wall of a multi-functional and smartly designed office unit, perfect for the work environment, or for blending seamlessly into a modern home setting. You can see more pix of the unit and the many pieces to the denizen collection here.

For more green design love, check out some of the modern cork products that I’ve featured on Green Design Girl before. 

.:April 7, 2010

The Cortiça Chaise Lounge by Daniel Michalik @ Branch The talented Brooklyn-based Daniel Michalik considers himself “part woodworker, part corksmith.” The primary focus of his work is to research and expand upon the uses of unconventional and underutilized materials. His recent work investigates the “rich potential of cork, an engaging, environmentally responsible material which is completely sustainable, recyclable and plentiful.” Michalik has upped Cortiça’s eco.status by not only using renewable cork to begin with, but also by collecting the cork from the bottle-stopper industry and recycling it, giving it a whole new life and purpose in his many beautiful and functional pieces. A non-toxic marine-grade adhesive was also used. At over 72” long, the sculptural Cortiça boasts “a balanced form, along with the pliability of the material which allows the user to rock gently from side to side or on her back with a great degree of stability. The result is a sensation of floating, weightlessness and total support.” This sounds like fun and I’d love to test drive one of these! If you’re in New York City and want to see this incredible piece in person, you’re in luck. The Cortiça is currently on view in the exhibition space of Material Connexion, though I do believe that visitors need to schedule an appointment ahead of time.

The Cortiça Chaise Lounge by Daniel Michalik @ Branch

The talented Brooklyn-based Daniel Michalik considers himself “part woodworker, part corksmith.” The primary focus of his work is to research and expand upon the uses of unconventional and underutilized materials. His recent work investigates the “rich potential of cork, an engaging, environmentally responsible material which is completely sustainable, recyclable and plentiful.”

Michalik has upped Cortiça’s eco.status by not only using renewable cork to begin with, but also by collecting the cork from the bottle-stopper industry and recycling it, giving it a whole new life and purpose in his many beautiful and functional pieces. A non-toxic marine-grade adhesive was also used.

At over 72” long, the sculptural Cortiça boasts “a balanced form, along with the pliability of the material which allows the user to rock gently from side to side or on her back with a great degree of stability. The result is a sensation of floating, weightlessness and total support.” This sounds like fun and I’d love to test drive one of these!

If you’re in New York City and want to see this incredible piece in person, you’re in luck. The Cortiça is currently on view in the exhibition space of Material Connexion, though I do believe that visitors need to schedule an appointment ahead of time.

.:March 18, 2008

The Cortiça Chaise Lounge by Daniel Michalik @ Branch Another view of the handmade Cortiça, created using very tactile, recycled cork from the bottle-stopper industry and non-toxic adhesives. :intro post:

The Cortiça Chaise Lounge by Daniel Michalik @ Branch

Another view of the handmade Cortiça, created using very tactile, recycled cork from the bottle-stopper industry and non-toxic adhesives.

:intro post:

.:March 18, 2008

Sway Stool by Daniel Michalik @ Branch Daniel Michalik’s Sway Stool would be the perfect companion for his Cortiça Chaise Lounge. As with the chaise, the Sway Stool is made from recycled cork, which is 100% waterproof and impervious to rot and mold growth, making both pieces perfectly suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Apparently, the stool is quite comfortable and has the flexibility to sway on account of its clever construction: “The central column of the stool, located directly under the spine of the user, is solid cork, while the rest is perforated.” This results in a seat that “flexes and pivots under the weight of the user, responding to the slightest body movement.” The advantage being that the user’s muscles remain slightly engaged in order to maintain balance, which in turn improves overall posture and circulation and allows one to rock back and forth while sitting for long periods of time at a desk or computer. Personally, I would still need the lumbar support of a proper office chair for extended desk use, but I could definitely see myself using the Sway Stool in a variety of other settings. Naturally, I also love its modern aesthetic and the overall feel of cork, so I’m quite curious to try it out. :intro post:

Sway Stool by Daniel Michalik @ Branch

Daniel Michalik’s Sway Stool would be the perfect companion for his Cortiça Chaise Lounge. As with the chaise, the Sway Stool is made from recycled cork, which is 100% waterproof and impervious to rot and mold growth, making both pieces perfectly suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

Apparently, the stool is quite comfortable and has the flexibility to sway on account of its clever construction: “The central column of the stool, located directly under the spine of the user, is solid cork, while the rest is perforated.” This results in a seat that “flexes and pivots under the weight of the user, responding to the slightest body movement.” The advantage being that the user’s muscles remain slightly engaged in order to maintain balance, which in turn improves overall posture and circulation and allows one to rock back and forth while sitting for long periods of time at a desk or computer.

Personally, I would still need the lumbar support of a proper office chair for extended desk use, but I could definitely see myself using the Sway Stool in a variety of other settings. Naturally, I also love its modern aesthetic and the overall feel of cork, so I’m quite curious to try it out.

:intro post:

.:March 18, 2008

Sway Stool by Daniel Michalik @ Branch Recycled cork moulded into sculptural, dramatic pieces. “Eco-modern organic” at its best. :intro posts: here + here

Sway Stool by Daniel Michalik @ Branch

Recycled cork moulded into sculptural, dramatic pieces. “Eco-modern organic” at its best.

:intro posts: here + here

.:March 18, 2008

Alentejo Cork Bowls by Daniel Michalik @ Branch Michalik also uses recycled cork to create modern eco.friendly accessories that would work well in a variety of decor schemes. The Alentejo Cork Bowls were “inspired by the traditional drinking vessel used by cork harvesters to stay hydrated in the hot, arid fields where cork grows.”  Each of these simple, clean-lined bowls is handmade [the larger ones in Portugal; the smaller ones in Brooklyn], resulting in each piece being unique in shape and style. :intro post:

Alentejo Cork Bowls by Daniel Michalik @ Branch

Michalik also uses recycled cork to create modern eco.friendly accessories that would work well in a variety of decor schemes. The Alentejo Cork Bowls were “inspired by the traditional drinking vessel used by cork harvesters to stay hydrated in the hot, arid fields where cork grows.”  Each of these simple, clean-lined bowls is handmade [the larger ones in Portugal; the smaller ones in Brooklyn], resulting in each piece being unique in shape and style.

:intro post:

.:March 18, 2008