Green Weddings are Perfect for Eco-Friendly Couples

Stephanie and Bobak planned their wedding with the intention of minimizing their impact on the environment as much as possible. Sometimes you don’t think about how, shall we say, wasteful a huge party can be. We’re all for cuteness as you know, but cuteness does often come with an environmental price, so it’s lovely to see a wedding where pretty details and eco-mindedness collide.

In keeping with their earth loving theme, they chose green and white as their colors. Their caterer served local, seasonal, organic food. The bouquets were made from local peonies and ranunculus, their invites printed by a green printer, and their wedding rings were made from recycled platinum and gold.

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This Dutch Designer is Greener than Grass!

I love the take on design presented in today's featured video. Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma espouses "documentary design," meaning she covers the entire lifecycle of the products she designs and produces, straight to the source. Examples of her work include the popular Urchin Pouf (top photo), Oak Inside console (bottom photo), individual wool sweaters made from a single sheep that you get to know a lot about, or a range of flax products from one of her Dutch flax fields.

As the LEED certification requirements for green building and design change in the coming year, everyone will become (hopefully) more aware of where their home goods and building materials came from, how they were manufactured, and what processes were used to the original elements every step of the way, from origin to your doorstep. The goal is to see consumers and homeowners making more informed, conscious decisions that are environmentally conscious and respectful. <thunderous applause>

 Sheffield School began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

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How Green Is Your Home? Time to Make an Eco Effort!

 

It used to be a rarified few who were interested in green principles for their homes. Now, it's commonplace, and it's common for interior design clients to expect their designers to know about green design. We're talking about low carbon impact, sustainability, using recycled materials, saving energy (in some cases, generating it with wind, solar, passive solar, and geothermal systems), reducing the use and wastage of water, and other means to lessen our homes' impact on the environment. A good designer is able to help a client select building materials, furnishings, and home systems that are eco friendlier. That might mean utilizing  local-made materials that save transportation costs, using natural and sustainable materials, and covering the walls with no-VOC paints. Here's a video tour of a green home in Chicago, IL, showing off various energy-saving features.
 

 

How can you get up to speed on all-things green around the house? Subscribe to EcoHome Magazine - and visit their website for more information on green products and technology that will boost your design awareness and resourcefulness.
 

Interested in learning more about green design, and the field of interior design? Explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Introducing Wallpaper that Blocks Electromagnetic Waves

If you think you've heard everything in the world of interior design and decorating, think again - enter modern technology. We've had many revolutions in our industry due to technology, ranging from greener building materials to time-saving appliances. Soon we're going to have Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper!

A French research team at Centre Technique du Papier developed a snowflake-patterned paper - they call it metapaper - made from recycled materials that is effective in blocking 99% of the electromagnetic waves that travel through the air. Traditional wallpaper can be hung right over this special paper if you're not grooving on the flakes.

Why the fuss? Several reasons: homes and businesses that need boosts for their own wireless Internet signals will benefit; personal and corporate Wi-Fi will stay put inside the walls of the home or business to help discourage signal hacking; and there are purported health benefits in blocking out the bombardment of electromagnetic waves we're now being constantly subjected to. The special paper won't block FM radio signals or emergency frequencies. Keep your eyes out for metapaper; it's not on the market yet.

Bonus

But what about regular wallpaper for interior design and everyday decorating? Click here to read all about wallpaper we've been admiring lately at Sheffield: Graphic Power Geometrics. 

If you're interested in learning more about interior design and decor, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Explore the Beautiful Ceramics of Italy

Ceramics of Italy is an International Contemporary Furniture Fair exhibit coming up that will feature nine of Italy’s leading ceramic tile companies and their new designs. The ICFF will be held from May 19-22, 2012 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. The show focuses primarily on modern design, and the Ceramics of Italy exhibit will show off fresh tile trends for floor and wall coverings in booth #1432. Exhibitors include Atlas Concorde; Ceramiche Refin; Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola; Cotto d’Este; Fap Ceramiche; Mirage Granito Ceramico; Il Ferrone; Sant’Agostino; and Settecento mosaici e ceramiche d’arte.

Expect to see many state-of-the-art flooring and wall covering developments.

• Urban motifs
• Wood, stone, and concrete looks created with ink-jet technology
• LEED-compliant tiles
• Super-thin porcelains

 

According to Franco Manfredini, president of Confindustria Ceramica:

We are excited to be attending the show for the fourth time. New York is an important market for our Italian companies and the architects and designers we meet every year make it an event we cannot miss.

Italian manufacturers continue to focus on both aesthetic and technological trends that are both bold and progressive in the tile industry. For updated information on Ceramics of Italy’s participation at ICFF or to view new products launching this season, visit the Italian Tile website.

Bonus

Click here to read Sheffield's exclusive photo tour: A Day at the Kips Bay Show House.

As lead curriculum developer, it's fun to check out new flooring and wall covering products. If you're interested in learning more about the exciting world of interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.