etta designs & sustainable interiors

the term 'sustainable interiors' can be misleading because it describes only part of the picture. claiming that a project or renovation is green, sustainable or eco-friendly, may seem like a wonderful thing to boast but it alone doesn't define a space. an interior space also needs to have functionality, beauty, comfort, and good space planning ~ as all good design requires. the vast majority of projects claiming to be green aren't 100% eco-friendly, especialy since they're often found within existing non-green architecture. but integrating green design techniques and knowing where to go to help boost the eco-friendly factor in interiors projects is the key stone to making a shift from wasteful to wonderful in interior design. that's why i just adore finding people like rachel winokur & her firm eTTa designs.

rachel winokur runs eTTa deisgns, an l.a. based interior design firm with a focus on interior design for residential & commercial applications including stunning eco-friendly solutions. rachel is the founder and lead designer of eTTa designs which handles the entire design process including concept, budget, space planning, selecting and purchasing finishes, furnishings & equipment, project management, and installation.

in this excerpt from apartment therapy rachel has some great tips for staying green during a renovation and shares some of her favorite resources.
in her own home she's stayed green largely due to using vintage pieces instead of buying new. for larger projects here's how she stays green:

renovations ~ one of the first things to do when starting a renovation project is to plan for the proper disposal of whatever will be removed. this means: recycling demolition debris through a service like looney bins or in some cases a better solution is to hire someone like the reuse people to deconstruct your project and take away all materials intact to be sold at their warehouse. your tax deductions for the donation of those materials may offset the cost of deconstruction which takes a little longer than demolition, but shouldn't be a problem with proper planning.
the reuse people's warehouse is a terrific place to buy building materials at a fraction of the cost of new. for commercial projects, check with the city to find out who they require you to use. {for the eco-friendly nail salon we completed recently, we were instructed to use consolidated disposal services.}
planning the design ~ use what's already there. it's important to embrace the existing conditions and make as few structural changes as possible {as long as it makes sense to the project}. this creates less waste and can also decrease the cost and energy usage. for the nail salon, we kept the existing window and door openings and added new metal frames to give it a fresh and clean look, added clerestory windows for cross-ventilation with clerestory windows in the back, and added fluted glass for privacy. we re-used an existing exterior light fixture which was cleaned up and re-installed with a flourescent bulb. to remove existing paint and stains from a fixture you wish to re-use, try soyclean's paint stripper.
we also discovered a wonderful concrete floor hiding underneath the wall-to-wall carpet. to remove remaining carpet adhesive, use something like franmar's bean-e-doo and enhance the concrete finish with a product from eco-procote.
new materials ~ when selecting new materials and finishes, consider not only the manufacturer's 'green' claim, but also the product's life cycle and who manufactures it and where. for example, recyclable glass tile from sandhill industries is not only made of 100% recycled glass, the energy used to make it is less than 1/2 that required to make ceramic tile and 1/4 that of cast glass tile.
choosing the right green product usually requires weighing the pros and cons just like with any product. for example, at $29/SF, the sandhill glass tile may sound expensive, but consider covering a smaller area with this special tile or use it more generously and hold back on something else. also consider the associated savings with benefits of 'green' products, like health, durability, sustainability and curb appeal.

for more delights along the same lines, rachel has a nice blog based on her green design philosophy & savvy, called eTTa bits.

to reflect & hope

today, through the miracle of youtube, i listened to an inspiring speech given at martin luther king jr's church in atlanta yesterday. some highlights:

"in this country we have deficit. it's a moral deficit....it's an empathy deficit..... we have an inability to recognize ourselves in one another" ~barack obama
"we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny" ~mlk, jr
"nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened except that somebody somewhere decided to hope" ~barack obama

if you're interested in listening to the entire speech {absolutely worth the 20 mins of your time no matter what your nationality, political awareness, racial background, or religious beliefs many of the truths within are universal} here is a link to it.

along with the dr.king theme many of us are reflecting on today, it's interesting to realize that the theme of race in american architecture is one not often discussed. the unfortunate truth is the african americans who helped design & build the united states faced enormous social and economic barriers. in 1930, only about 60 blacks were listed as registered architects, and many of their buildings have since been lost or radically changed. although conditions have improved, many feel that black architects today still lack the recognition they deserve. so today i'd like to highlight a talented and inspiring architect who most definitely deserves some attention: mr. paul revere williams {1894-1980}.

in paul williams' 50 year career, he became renown for designing major buildings such as the los angeles international airport, saks fifth avenue department store, beverly hills hotels, and over 2000 homes in southern california. many of the most beautiful residences in hollywood were created by paul williams. as the los angeles times observed recently, “if you have a picture in your mind of southern california in the 1950s and early 1960s, you are quite likely picturing a building created by paul williams.”
but the most remarkable aspect of william's story is that he accomplished all this amidst difficult challenges few ever face. he had been told as a teenager that “a negro” couldn’t be an architect; he proved otherwise, though it meant riding to job sites in segregated train cars and perfecting the skill of upside-down drawing (so he could sit across the table from clients, rather than lean over them, lest his proximity make them uncomfortable). "he was completely undaunted by racism,” says the architect’s granddaughter, karen hudson, who has authored two books on his career and life.
he was a pioneer in every sense. the first black member of the american institute of architects and its first black fellow, he served on state and presidential commissions and traveled the world designing structures. closer to home, he was a statesman for the african-american community and built some of its most enduring landmarks.

here's to hoping for continued change towards more equailty and diversity and abundance for all.

all information and photos from about.com

to tour neutra

a new flickr friend of mine, steven keylon, visited a richard neutra house for sale in the hollywood hills and took tons of wonderful photographs of the place. this is a rare glimpse at a home neutra designed in 1936 for journalist josef kun. and i'm so excited to share it with you.
at only about 1700 square feet, it still has a feel of 1930's mod glamour and the incredible style that's a trademark of neutra's designs. you are brought in through an airy entry pavilion, which opens onto a huge deck, with an amazing vista. the entry pavilion has a fabulous uplight, and like most of the house, has the original aluminum silver paint magnificently restored. the next level down has the living room and dining room, kitchen and laundry room. down one more level are two nice bedrooms and two bathrooms. each of these levels have very spacious wraparound decks. below this are several terraced levels of landscaped grounds.
please take a moment to experience this lovely photo tour ..... {and feel free to click on the image to enlarge}

if you're curious, more property information can be found here.

interesting side note: this house ignited the career of architectural photographer julius shulman ~ he was captivated by this house in 1936 and he took some casual snapshots of it, which somehow made their way into the hands of richard neutra. neutra was so impressed with his eye that he used shulman nearly exclusively for the rest of his career.

{thanks so much to steven keylon for permission to share all this!}

beauty & the biscuit

built in 1925, the historic biscuit company lofts building was originally home to the west coast headquarters of the national biscuit company (nabisco). to help transform downtown los angeles from a place for just business activity to a vibrant 24-hour residential area, the building was gutted and converted into 104 residential lofts. i really, really like kenneth brown's ecclectic and daring design choices in this apartment. the rich colors and textures are so inviting and invigorating. the mix of modern and vintage is so perfectly balanced. what i wouldn't give for those tufted red leather ottomans and the vintage motorcylce in the kitchen/dining nook ~ i love surprises in design like this!
photographs by the talented grey crawford