Yesterday, we began the work on our series of “So, Does It Work?” posts by painting an 18″ x 18″ patch of wall with Dunn-Edwards brand new low odor/no VOC line of paint, Enso.  Other than the comedy of me painting in heels and a chefs apron, while my p/t assistant Julia scribbled notes, everything went smoothly.  Read below for what we found out…

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There are a LOT of materials out there touting their eco/green/sustainable claims, so how do you narrow it down to the ones that will work for you?  Well, we here at TIR aim to help you a bit with that, via our ongoing series “So, Does It Work?”  Although in no ways a scientific study, we will nevertheless try to be as consistent in our use and analysis of materials as possible, in order to give you the best information with which to make your own decisions.

So what is our first victim material to review?  I thought we couldn’t find a better place to start than the ever expanding options in “no-VOC” flat paint.  Starting this week, we will look at 10 different paint brands, across three different categories: Mainstream, Eco-Friendly, and Boutique.  This week we will try out three of the top mainstream U.S. brands – Dunn-Edwards, Sherwin Williams, and Benjamin Moore. Read the rest of this entry »

I have a soft spot for wisteria.  I know it is one of those things, like tea-cups and lace curtains, that evokes the early 1990s and old issues of Victoria Magazine.  I can’t help it.  It’s still just so darn pretty and it reminds me of Spring.

But I really think Farrow & Ball has done a beautiful job with their new Wisteria wallpaper.  Block printing and their own eco-friendly paints are what give the paper it’s sense of depth and quality.

If pastels don’t suit your taste, no worries.  Farrow & Ball offers this paper in 20 different colorways, including this stunner… Read the rest of this entry »

I was excited to see that Idea Paint has introduced the new “Lil’ Bit” kit, which contains just enough of their terrific dry erase paint (in White), to cover 3 square feet.  The next size up kit covers 25 sf, and costs $99, while the Lil’ Bit kit is a mere pittance at $25!  Durable, water based, easy to apply, and environmentally friendly, Idea Paint can be applied to any flat surface.  Walls, furniture, refrigerators, chalkboards – you name it! Read the rest of this entry »

I need to repaint my bedroom, but I’m really sensitive to odors.  I got a few sample cans from different brands of no-VOC paint, and they are definitely better, but there is still a funny smell even a couple of days later.  Is there anything out there I can use? – Kathy S.

Hi Kathy,

I’ve run into this myself and it surprised me at first.  You would think that taking most, if not all, of the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) out of paint would render it close to odorless.  In fact, VOCs are only part of the picture when it comes to paint odor, and I plan to explain a lot of why that is in another, more detailed post.  For now though, just know that many times smelly doesn’t equal toxic, and the paint is still probably relatively safe for your health.

However, since you are particularly sensitive to odors, you are best off trying to stick to no VOC paints that are specifically designed to have a low odor as well.  There are several choices out there for you, including Mythic Paint and good old-fashioned  Milk Paint, both of which work very well.  For my own personal projects, I have always used Farrow & Ball, since the odor is very minimal, and the paint itself is gorgeous with a very high quality.

If you have a sustainable design dilemma of your own, please drop us a line at info [at] theinteriorevolution [dot] com We’ll do our best to answer it!

From chairs that can be taken apart and reupholstered on site in minutes, to zero-VOC “color liquids”…

Transformations Furniture from Lloyd Alter on Vimeo.

Check out Transformations Furniture interesting take on sustainability.  Kudos to them for thinking about what happens to their chairs after the original upholstery wears out!  As seen on treehugger.com

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