Archive for May, 2008

Feng Shui Marries Design and Sustainability

Green design and feng shui is a marriage made in heaven, literally and figuratively. Mother nature is one of the most powerful forces I know, and honoring her with conscious decisions in our living and working spaces is not only necessary, but personally powerful.

The practice of feng shui is rooted in the earth and is literally the study of how energy moves between the different elements in nature. “Feng shui” translated, means “wind water.”

Today we use feng shui to create natural transitions in our buildings, homes, and landscapes. This helps energy move harmoniously through an urban or built environment and honors nature in our spaces.

Combining green design principles with feng shui makes your connection to nature and your home or office that much stronger, giving you super bonus points for personal and environmental empowerment.

In feng shui, assessing spaces using the Bagua, or feng-shui life map, helps us know which rooms in your home or office reflect certain life themes and cues us to the natural elements that will strengthen those areas.

Following are a few ways to integrate green design into your remodel or re-design project:

Paint is the first and easiest design material we can change. Old paints are stinky, toxic and difficult to dispose of because they are hazardous materials. Buy low or no-VOC paints; they’re better for the environment and our health. Note: Buyer beware, many no-VOC paints are poorer quality than standard latex paints because they tend to be thin, requiring multiple coats that are not scrubbable. One of the better brands out there is American Pride. Look for the line at your local environmental home store like Seattle’s Ecohaus.

Flooring offers designers and remodelers a number of material options. One of the most popular is bamboo because it is a fast-growing grass, sustainable and it comes in many forms including nail down and floatable flooring. Teragren is a Washington-owned company that makes bamboo flooring. Another is Bamboo Hardwoods. Other “green” options for your floors include reclaimed wood, FSC-certified wood, marmoleum (a natural linoleum), cork, wool carpet, recycled tile and concrete. Another note: The process for making concrete does produce a lot of greenhouse gases, but it is an extremely long-lasting material which lowers its lifecycle impacts and it can be recycled if it is ever removed.

Countertops can be made of all the same materials with the exception of bamboo, cork and wool, of course. Another option is Paperstone which is made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper and a resin made from the oil found in cashews. Squak Mountain Stone and Trinity Mountain Glass Products also make beautiful countertops produced from post-consumer and post-industrial materials.

Counters and floors all need to be sealed and this is where “green” products show more performance issues. While the petroleum sealants are longer lasting, they’re definitely more toxic than non-petroleum products. The non-petroleum options, such as linseed oil and waxes, perform well when re-applied about once or twice a year, but do lend them selves to a more natural look. No “green” product performs as “perfectly” as its less toxic/ sustainable counterpart. So when you’re putting together your designs, it’s important to think about where you will need more heat-, water- or wear-friendly materials. For instance, you might choose butcher block for the counter area right next to your stove because it responds to heat better than Paperstone, or flag stone in your entry before shoes are replaced with slippers.

In the end, it’s important to remember that using “green” products means incorporating the beauty of nature into your space. So while nature is not perfect, it does have stunning and graceful character. It’s up to you the amount of character you’re willing to live with.

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