Posted November 8th, 2011 by Emerald
I’m excited to announce that Emerald Atkins is joining The InterioREvolution as a regular contributor! She has been writing occasional posts on artisan makers. Now she is going to help me keep up with telling you about all the exciting products out there. Twice a week! Welcome Emerald!
These are luscious floors.
How often does one get the chance to say that about something under one’s feet? Luscious. Yet the creations of DuChateau Floors evoke that word, and in addition serve as a reminder that an environmentally-friendly room does not necessarily preclude classical beauty and – dare we say it? – a gentle opulence.
The secret is in the polish. While polyurethane, acrylic, and aluminum finished floors are prevalent in the United States, DeChateau offers a refreshing alternative: a floor crafted of new FSC-certified European wood that is distressed, finished with hard wax oil, smoked, and brushed to reproduce that wonderful age-old, worn, antique patina that speaks of history. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted October 17th, 2011 by Rachel
As a young(er) woman, I often thought of someday running off to France to live in an old chateau for a year or so. I’m not sure what I thought I would actually do once I was there – probably eat a lot of pain au chocolat – but I always dreamed of dancing around in a room amidst crumbling plaster and ancient wooden floors.
Ah, let the dancing commence! This lustrous oak herringbone parquet, which might have been reclaimed from a Parisian apartment, country dwelling, or even – be still my heart – a creaky old chateau, is now available in the U.S.!
Imported by Exquisite Surfaces, this antique French oak flooring is not only beautiful and steeped in history, it is also FSC certified!
I love the juxtaposition of centuries old oak boards with sleek, modern walls. Each element enhances the other so well, creating a harmonious whole, don’t you think?
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Posted in Flooring
Tags: antiques, Chateau, Flooring, France, French, fsc, no-voc, Paris, reclaimed, residential, wood
Posted July 28th, 2011 by Rachel
As the ultimate in cheap, reclaimed, DIY material – the lowly shipping pallet is popping up EVERYWHERE!
As a coffee table
An ottoman Read the rest of this entry »
Posted July 13th, 2011 by Rachel
Can you see the 1.7 million square foot building in this picture?
How about if I pan out a little bit?
See it? Next to the bridge? No? Well, see that big neighborhood right in the middle of the shot? OK, now look underneath it… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted June 22nd, 2011 by Rachel
I just ran across this rug and had to share. Be prepared to scroll a bit…
If that isn’t a whole lot of vintage Swedish design deliciousness, I don’t know what is! Of course, at 9’8″ x 23′ (!), I’m not really sure how many homes could accommodate it, but I bet it would look amazing in the right setting.
Currently available from a curated collection of vintage Swedish Kilim rugs by Mansour.
Posted May 16th, 2011 by Rachel
Look what cuteness popped up in my inbox this morning…
Selina Rose has introduced a new rug to her wonderful line of wool felt creations. Inspired by the birth of her own baby, she set out to design a playful, eco-friendly rug, suitable for a child’s nursery.
These rugs are made with environmentally friendly dyes, and are available in three bright, cheerful colors – magenta, acid green, and orange. Simply vacuum or spot clean to keep them looking as new as the day BEFORE the baby ground Cheerios into them. And if you love the look, but can’t quite bring yourself to put such a nice rug down for your little one to spit up on, it could always be used as a very decorative wall hanging.
You can read a previous post I wrote on Selina Rose’s fabulous felt creations here.
Posted May 10th, 2011 by Rachel
I never thought I would say this, but I think I NEED a rag rug…
Designed and made by Etsy seller GreenatHeart, these fantastically colorful rugs are made of recycled t-shirts from local thrift shops and other charities.
Of course, rag rugs have long been a way to recycle old clothing, linens, fabric cuttings and what have you, but they also tend to look just like you would think something made of scraps would look. Not these vibrant rugs…
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted May 3rd, 2011 by Rachel
Reclaimed wood is HOT right now. Whether it’s an old factory floor, wood from a crumbling barn, or ancient floorboards rescued from homes slated for demolition, people can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. And I think that is GREAT! Not only does it save precious resources to re-use these materials, it also gives interior spaces more character than they could possibly get from some glossy, mass produced product straight off the shelves of the local mega-building store.
But what if even barn wood doesn’t have enough quirkiness for you? What if you want to have something nobody you know has yet? Well, maybe you should look into one of these unusual reclaimed wood floors:
Wine barrel flooring by Fontenay
1. Wine Barrels - Created out of salvaged wine barrels, this flooring still bears all the stamps and other markings from its previous life. Now you can eat off the floor and read off it too!
Trestle flooring by Trestlewood
2. Train Trestle – There was once a gigantic train trestle (bridge) that spanned across Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Rendered obsolete by the construction of a solid fill causeway in the 1960′s, the wood sat dormant for years. Recently, a salvage operation began rescuing the tens of millions of board feet of Douglas Fir, much of it given a unique look due to “pickling” for almost 100 years in the briny water. I love the gray streaks in the flooring above. Here’s a little video that will give you a good idea of how enormous the trestle was: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted April 13th, 2011 by Rachel
Glass tile is becoming increasingly popular for bathroom and kitchen backsplashes, and we are even starting to see it used in place of wallpaper in living rooms and bedrooms. People can’t seem to get enough of the beautiful depth and color you can achieve with it, and sustainably minded designers like myself can’t get enough of the inherent recyclability of glass in the bargain. So perhaps it was inevitable that we would want to continue to expand on the idea by trying it out on floors too. Take a look at these installations and then tell us what you think.
Interstyle
Oceanside Glasstile
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Posted January 18th, 2011 by Rachel
While I start the recovery process from the nasty flu bug that had me bedridden for the last week (hence not a peep from me on this ‘ere blog in awhile), I thought I’d share some images of one of the latest sustainable design trends – recycled leather flooring…
TORLYS
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