Spring is right around the corner and with temperatures slowly rising, it’s hard not to be in the mood for bright colors and sunny days.  To tide us over until spring really is in full bloom, here are some pretty organic products that will bring a hint of a flower filled spring in to your home.

Flowered Enamel Pitchers from Viva Terra

Also available in several other serving pieces, these flowered enamel pieces have a vintage air.

Woodland Organic Bedding Set from Pottery Barn

Wake up every morning to this colorful, youthful bedding.  Pair it with neutrals or draw upon the colors and incorporate pops of color such as red throw pillows or a grass green throw.

Garden Party Doormat from Crate and Barrel

Greet your guests with this fun doormat.  Even the most traditional house could benefit from this bright mat.  Place it in the mudroom or at the back door for a reminder of warm weather to come each time you leave the house.

Organic Cotton Blankets from Gaiam

This relaxing blanket is just at home outside as it would be in your sunroom.  Imagine it thrown casually across a white sofa.  Even during the cloudiest days of March, you’ll still be enjoying flowers and light colors.

Recycled Glass Vases from West Elm

And finally, for your real blooms, organic shaped recycled glass vases.  Treat yourself next time you go to the grocery store and pick up an inexpensive bouquet.  You’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes in your home.

When looking to prepare a green space for your baby, particularly on a budget, it can be daunting where to start.  There are so many aspects of the room that could go green, that it can be intimidating to determine which of those aspects to prioritize.  Your child spends much of their time in their nursery, so it is important that this is one of the first rooms you focus on making eco-friendly. Use the tips below to tackle this project in a way that makes sense for your baby and the environment.

Photo: Traditional Home

1.  Choose a paint that is water based and low-VOC.  Make sure the room is painted at least a month before the baby arrives. Regardless of whether the paint is low-VOC or not, the fumes can be harmful to a newborn.  On that note, pregnant women should not paint under any circumstance.

2. If you are choosing new flooring, try a sustainable material such as bamboo.  If you have existing carpet, pull it up and choose a natural fiber carpet made with as few toxic chemicals as possible.  If you have existing wood floors or tile, it is best to leave them.  Tearing them up and replacing them can involve too many harmful chemicals to make the end result worth it.

3. Choose furniture made out of wood harvested from sustainable forests and finished with eco-friendly finishes or painted with low-VOC paints.

4. Your baby will spend a majority of his or her time in her bed.  Make sure that the bedding is natural and organic.

Photo: PB Kids

Once you have these major components of the nursery in eco-friendly order, move on to the other parts. Choose wooden and cloth toys over plastic. Clean with green and natural cleaners. If you’re feeling brave, use cloth diapers.  When you go into creating a green nursery with a plan that focuses on the largest and most important aspects of the room first, it is much easier to envision an eco-friendly haven for your baby to sleep and play.

As the green movement grows, there are more and more options on the market for large scale pieces of furniture made from sustainable and salvaged woods using environmentally friendly practices.  Below is a sampling of dining tables that are currently available from retailers.  Click on the pictures to go to the website- many are extremely affordable!

Vintage Douglas Fir Table by Viva Terra

Crate and Barrel Cabria Espresso Extension Dining Table

West Elm Terra Dining Table

Branch Home Cain Collection Table

With all of the great green textile options on the market, it is easy to feel good about the fabrics that you are using in your home.  Major fabric manufacturers from Kravet to Schumacher  have established lines that focus on eco-friendly practices and sustainable materials.

Made to utilize post-consumer and post-industrial materials, Kravet’s Green Collection is made with 100% recycled polyester,  free of chemicals.  These fabrics are made to last, yet are completely recyclable.

Photo: Kravet

Available in three different palates, there are  variety of options to choose from.  The Fire palate ranges the warm spectrum from yellow and oranges to reds to deep fiery purples.  Relaxing neutrals such as rich chocolates, sophisticated beiges, and classic grays and black are available in the Earth palate.  Beachy light blues, soft aquas, and calming greens make up the ocean palate.  Each collection encompasses a wide spectrum of prints from geometrics to floral inspired to textured wovens.

Photo: Kravet

Schumacher does not have a specific green line, however there is a system by which they classify their fabrics as sustainable.  Marked as a “green leaf” product, these fabrics must meet at least two criteria from a list that includes (from the Schumacher website):

• Product is made of 100% natural and fast renewable materials (e.g. linen, jute, bamboo).
• Product is made of USDA-certified organic cotton. www.usda.gov
• Mill producing the product uses safe dyeing, bleaching and finishing processes and has test results to substantiate processes.
• Product is made from 100% high-purity, recycled post-consumer or post-industrial polyester.

The Schumacher fabrics that meet these requirements run the gamut from solids to checks to stripes in linen, jute, velvet, and other traditional interior fabrics.

Photo: Schumacher

If you are remodeling or just reevaluating your kitchen, take a couple extra minutes to incorporate some green elements into your home.

1. The longer that your kitchenware lasts, the less waste you impose on the environment.  Ditch the cheap set of pots and pans and invest in the stainless steel or cast iron versions.  If you are not ready to make this splurge, look into finding a secondhand set.  Look for high quality cooking utensils as opposed to cheaper plastic or wood versions that can melt or rot.  Also consider using cloths instead of paper towels for cleaning up cooking messes.

2.  Try to repair appliances before replacing them.  Even if your dishwasher or refrigerator isn’t the most updated, energy efficient model, it still makes more sense in eco-friendly terms to repair rather than replace.  If you have come to the point where a replacement is necessary, then it is time to look at Energy Star Models for stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, and freezers.

3.  Use cleaning products that are non toxic, biodegradable, and plant based.  Cleaning products are released back into the environment so it is essential that these products are not indirectly harming us.  You can also do DIY cleaning products using household staples such as baking soda and vinegar.

4. Look into green countertops, tile, and flooring.  There are great green options available that are both stylish and eco-friendly.  Recycled countertops, natural tile, and bamboo or cork flooring are all attractive ways to remodel your kitchen.   Make sure to use low VOC paints.  Use cabinets made out of real wood or try to refurbish your existing cabinets.

Did you know that two-thirds of the average American household’s energy usage goes towards home and water heating every year?  Even more shocking is the fact that almost half of this energy goes wasted through poor insulation and inefficient heating systems.  There are steps you can take to reduce these numbers and your home’s impact on the environment.

1. Draftproof your home.  Seal all the leaks where heat could escape and cold air can come in.  This will also be helpful in the summer by preventing the AC from leaking.  Use exterior silicone caulk to seal drafts coming in through windows, doors, plumbing, etc.

2. Install storm windows.  These can increase the inside temperature by almost 30 degrees on a cold day.  Imagine the energy savings that come with this improvement.

3. Turn your ceiling fans on low, even on cold days.  Hot air rises, so a slow moving fan circulates the warm air throughout the room.  You’ll find that you can keep your thermostat set lower if the hot air isn’t rising to the ceiling.

4. Install a programmable thermostat.  Lower the temperatures at night or when you are working.

5. Use your window coverings to your advantage.  During the day, keep them open to let sun in and naturally warm the house.  At night, close them to keep the warm air from escaping too easily through the windows.

6. Do not think that a fireplace is an efficient way to heat the home.  In fact, more heat is lost through the fireplace than is gained.

7. An Energy Star furnace is 15% more effective than an older model.  If it is time to replace, make sure to opt for one that is Energy Star certified.

8. Adjust the temperature on your water heater.  By turning it down just a couple of degrees, you most likely won’t notice the difference, but you will save significantly on your energy usage.  You can also buy blankets that are created specifically to insulate water heaters.

9. Look into radiant floor heating.  This is becoming an increasingly popular way to heat the home because of its energy efficiency.

Go green with these heating tips and you will reduce both your energy bill and your home’s impact on the environment.

West Elm has a wonderful line of eco-friendly clothing storage pieces that will turn your closet into your favorite room.  The Bergen Closet Collection is made from FSC-certified wood veneers from sustainably managed forests.  The eco-friendly hardwood construction uses water based glues and stains, as well as lead-free laquers, and recycled hardware.  If you are looking to revamp your closet, this is a great green option that will help the environment while looking sleek and stylish.

This beautiful house featured in Coastal Living is an example of green architecture at its best.  The house uses solar panels and a wind turbine to harness power and a high tech system to purify waste water.  Elements of old New England homes such as natural cedar shingles and recycled pine floors add charm as well as the green virtues of reuse and recycle.  By pairing sustainability with great design, this home shows the versatility of green living at its best.

Ikea will soon be unveiling a solar powered lighting collection featuring both indoor and outdoor lighting.  The SOLIG collection will feature LED bulbs and transform sunlight into electricity using 70% less power than conventional light bulbs.   With prices under $40, these lighting pieces are a great way to bring a bit of solar power into your home.  You will be able to find everything from a practical desk lamp to a floor lamp to decorative outdoor fixtures perfect for summer nights.  SOLIG fixtures are both stylish and very environmentally conscious.

To help with the New Year’s recycling resolution that we set to make this year the household’s greenest, try a stylish recycling station such as this one from Pottery Barn.  It is a console table that doubles as recycling bins.  It’s a clever and pretty way to disguise the sometimes messy process of collecting recyclables.  It has two compartments which house plastic bins that are perfect for transporting your bottles and paper to the large recycle bin to be picked up.  There are also labels on the front to make the process easier.  Keep this console table in any area where you’ll have lots of recyclables.  The kitchen or a bar area would be particularly convenient.