Exclusively Yours Interiors Blog

September 17, 2008 | Filed in: Eco-Friendly, Toddler

Some great eco-friendly toddler finds

This eco-friendly, non-toxic, modern project table and stools by ecotots is 100% certified by FSC. Best of all, it requires no tools for assembly! cost, $400

Painted with an eco-friendly, low-VOC non-toxic paint, Hiya Toddler Bed by Spot on Square is a great choice for a eco-conscience family. They offer 3 head/foot board options: painted white with MDF, birch, or bamboo. cost, $449-625

You can't have an eco-friendly toddler bed without having eco-friendly bedding. This whimsical bedding by Pixel Organics is 100% GOTS certified and approved by Organic Trade Association. cost, $270

Also by Spot on Square, this modern Hiya Rocker is painted with an eco-friendly non-toxic paint. Wide enough for 2 small children and also has a book bin in the back for storage. cost, $210.

More pieces by ecotots, look at this cute toddler hang ten coat rack and art time easel. cost, $120 and $180

Sophie The Giraffe Teething & Bath Toy is 100% natural rubber and is lead and PVC-free. cost, $20.95

This modern dollhouse and furniture set are made by Plan Toys. Plan Toys is strongly committed to manufacturing safe and educational toys under environmentally-friendly conditions. They use plantation rubberwood, which is recovered from old rubber trees, and it is processed in a chemical-free environment. Also, they use non-toxic water-based paint and natural latex glue. cost, $99 for the dollhouse and $59 for the furniture set.

This eco-friendly plate and utensil set by Bambu Kids was designed specifically with kids in mind. Made of out bamboo and contains no bleaches or dyes. What's cool is the plate decomposes in 4-6 months when put in a compost pile. cost, $9.95 for the plate and $5.95 for utensil set.

What are some great eco-friendly items you found for your toddler? Please share your comments below.

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I LOVE Wallpaper

September 3, 2008 | Filed in: Black and White, Eco-Friendly, Wallpaper

Looking through various magazines and websites, I must say I am really starting to LOVE wallpaper. It adds visual interest and texture to a wall. Also, there are so many ways you can use wallpaper i.e. as wall art, wall border, a mat in a picture frame, even a liner on kitchen cabinets and drawers. Check out a few of my favorite wallpaper designs from Graham and Brown:

This is by a London-based designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Look at the richness of this red. I love how it's paired with cream. Very elegant.

Here is my favorite black and white again! LOL! This is by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. I've always been a fan of damask. I like the use of the white background on one wall and the black background on the adjacent wall and look how the red pops out!

Also a Marcel Wanders' design. I love the bold color.

Graham and Brown also offers eco-friendly wallpaper designs.

The wallpaper is 100% FSC and the patterns are printed using ink that contains no VOCs.

Here are a couple of my favorites from Osborne and Little. They are so exotic!

What creative ways have you used wallpaper??

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Eco-Friendly Nursery

August 31, 2008 | Filed in: Eco-Friendly, Green Design, Nursery

One of the areas I specialize in is Green Design (I will tell you about my other area in a later post). Specifically, I cater to first time parents who want to create an eco-friendly nursery for their baby. Below is a list of basic tips you can do to make your baby's nursery eco-friendly:

As I mentioned in my previous post, painting is the easiest and cheapest way to update a room. In this case, you want to use a paint with no or low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Pretty much all home improvement or paint stores now offer this (reasonably priced). One brand that is highly promoted on HGTV is Mythic Paint. This paint is more on the expensive side (avg cost $50 a gallon) but after reading their site, I must admit I am impressed. I will use this paint in the near future and report my findings to you. If anyone has used this paint already, please share your thoughts.

Infants spend A LOT of time on the floor. Consider using bamboo, cork (which is great if you have allergies), or wood that is certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). If using carpet is a must, you want to use natural materials like wool, jute, sisal, sea grass, coir (coconut husks), and recycled carpeting. Also, use 100% natural wool carpet padding. A popular choice is Earth Weave Carpet Mills. A GREAT alternative to using carpet is using carpet tiles. Two reasons that make carpet tiles a better solution than carpet is you can skip carpet padding altogether and you can easily remove any tile instead of replacing the entire carpet. It's also fairly easy to install. The most popular brand is FLOR. With FLOR if you want to replace a tile or totally get rid of all the tiles, FLOR will pay for the shipping of the old tiles so it could be used for recycling.

You want to look for furniture that is formaldehyde-free. A furniture company that received high ratings is Pacific Rim Woodworking. Another option is to buy unpainted solid wood furniture and stain or paint it with low or no VOCs.

Choose organic bedding (Pottery Barn Kids offers great organic bedding that are reasonably priced) and mattresses made out of natural latex rubber.

Lastly, invest in an air purifier to free your space of allergens. Also, be sure to open a window everyday to let in fresh air and circulate out the stale air.

If you start with these few basic tips, you will be well on your way for creating a healthier environment for you and your child.

Coming soon....Going Green in other areas of your home!

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