Vegetable Dyes Are a Safe Alternative

We are seeing more and more companies working with vegetable dyes in textiles, area rugs and finishes. Removing this part of the toxic manufacture of these products is commendable.

Those Certified Healthy Interior Designers carry lists of manufacturers that comply to these rigorous standards for better live able interiors.

Aniline dyes, and standard dying methods in the textile and carpet industry account for much of the smell and off gassing in the soft goods product lines. These changes are taking place faster than any of us expected because of the education of the consumer by the Certified Healthy Interior Designer. This is a group of professionals that not only create live able interiors but take the responsibility of proving it with documentation to the consumer. This in itself is not only commendable, but a great step in a process that has never had rigorous demands on its specification phase. Most residential interior designer choose items based on beauty, not on technical specifications. The industry typically does not demand it, and creates many unusable or live able interiors as a result. Add to that a dramatically changing industry of imported goods with little or no governance of ingredients and you end up with the product firestorm that we are now experiencing.

An educated designer realizes that all products have a designated use and performability. Not all products are usable for every situation. Form follows function was terminology used by Sullivan in the early 1900's in describing products demands must match the use. Some residential interior designers do not understand this, and do not bother to learn technical specifications to this day. The customer demand for an educated resource that goes beyond typical design schooling and begins to warranty and document the products being used in the living environment is what Certification of the Healthy Interior Designer is all about.

Healthy Design Moves More Mainstream in the US

Entering a newly designed and furnished space and smelling NOTHING, is very rare. This is what happens with the Certified Healthy Designer is in charge. What we equate to a "new car smell" that we used to find exciting, takes on a whole new meaning when new carpeting, window treatments, furnishings, finishes and accessories add their own "new smell" to the mix.

We all know now that it is the off gassing of Volatile Organic Compounds and Formaldehyde that create the smells that identify anything as new. Unfortunately, it is not a good thing. As our manufacturing processes have moved to Asian countries, compounds, and raw materials have become cheaper, uncontrolled and unregulated. The cheaper the compounds the more of the above agents are used. It has resulted in health concerns for many of us.

This usually manifests itself first in irritated eyes, upper respiratory problems, breathing difficulties, and may cause many other illnesses. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been linked to it. Asthma, autism, rare cancers, polyps in the nose, lungs, and bronchials, pneumonia symptoms, and labored breathing. People that work in the housing industry complain of headaches, nausea, unexplained skin ailments, and respiratory problems first. It is suspect that

cancers occur later after these compounds have invaded our systems for years.

The only answer is awareness. Many of these products now carry warnings required by our government. Many do not. It has just been ordered that brass products imported into our country carry warnings because of the amount of lead content in the brass. Imagine the surprise when you open the door to your new house and a warning stares you in the face saying "this product should not be touched by those that are pregnant or plan to become pregnant".

The reality of this warning is a dire one. How many things in our environment have the same

VOC content but have not been legislated yet? More such labeling is to come.

As the public becomes more aware, the Certified Healthy Interior Designer insures that all products in the environment being specified by them are held to a "0" VOC and Formaldehyde

standard. It is the gold standard for the informed consumer and the informed design professional.

Forging Ahead With Healthy Design

Oftentimes pioneers in any industry hit bumps in the road. It can be products that do not measure up, promises not kept, or just the economics of business catching up with a supplier.

In the field of Certified Healthy Interior Designers and the education that is taking place, this is a valuable topic of discussion. Every Interior Designer takes a high level of responsibility in a project. When things go wrong we reach into our own pockets to fix these problems. When it involves new technology and new certifications, it becomes an expensive responsibility.

If a supplier lets you down with either production of promised product, or keeping their business afloat long enough to supply you, it becomes expensive for the responsible designer. That is one reason why it is imperative that the Certified Healthy Interior Designer knows what they are doing during the specification phase. Only then do you have a leg to stand on to insure that the losses are ones that your company can bear.

I personally feel that any supplier contracted by you that fails to perform is the designers problem. Usually designers have clauses in their contracts placing the cost (and the problem)

on the clients shoulders. This is usually met with an unhappy client, but by that point, that is the least of the designers concern. This is not ethical or feasible for a client relationship to withstand the trauma of a non performing supplier in the process.

We are protected by State laws governing contracts being fulfilled. Litigation is a possibility.

But as we all know, litigation is expensive. The non performing supplier has probably used all of its resources already and is probably not in a position to give you anything, except an apology.

My approach is a bit unorthodox, but usually garners good results. I try to sit down face to face

with those that owe me money. I politely ask how I can help them pay me. I ask for collateral. I take something in exchange for non performance to have them vested in the idea that they need to pay me. It may sound harsh. But the business of not fulfilling contracts is not a pretty one. I try to get their emotions involved in the solution of following through. Once that is done, I usually get paid, or at least get moved to the top of their list!

Working with smaller niche market suppliers and contractors does bring you into the danger zone of non performance. Everyone feeds their children first. That fact alone puts us at risk when we are filling orders in a project and must buy these non toxic materials locally for best result. We all want a win win situation, and erring on the side of communication with your supplier early on during non performance seems to work best. Collateral is your ace in the hole. Don't be afraid to ask for it. Don't be afraid to accept it. Make it personal and get it resolved.

Wrinkle Free Textiles and Formaldehyde

Wrinkle free fabric treatments have just been listed on the FDA's list
of known carcinogens. We all know that feeling of crispness on new textiles.
The main reason why we wash new clothes before we wear them, is getting
rid of the "sizing" that is put on textiles before being cut and sewn into clothing.

Now I want you to take a step back and think about the interior environment.
Every textile, or fabric that is being used to create a beautiful interior goes through
the same kinds of treatments. Added to this is the additional need for stain resistance
and we have a double jeopardy of treatments that can affect human beings.

Both treatments typically carry a Formaldehyde chemical in their makeup.
We touch textiles, all day every day, in the work environment and the home
environment. Without these treatments textiles can become wrinkled and dirty
faster.

As we make adjustments in our thinking to live toxin free, we have to create a new
picture in our interior lives. Organic textiles, usually cotton, or linen are not wrinkle
free. That means that our lives will be a bit more shabby chic if we choose to eliminate
toxins and create a neutral living space for our families. Wrinkles hang out in draperies,
especially if old fashioned steaming is used in the installation process. Organic cottons
press out from sitting, but pooling can be created where people sit. Again, a shabby
chic kind of look that must be embraced!

Another choice is vegetable dyed leather. This is a wonderful choice for this environment
because the hand is as soft as butter, and cuddly when used over soy foam. It can be taught
and tight on headboards for that look, or benches for more utilitarian uses. We use
alot of leather on barstools, dining chairs, and family areas where heavy use and the
introduction of food can be a maintenance headache. But remember, these are vegetable dyes.
Which means more subtle colors. More natural colors. No strong colors, or strong contrasts.
Those do not exist in vegetable dyes to date. This market will develope, but we will be limited to
colors that occur in nature and can be captured consistently in leather products.

Organic fabrics made into slip covers and totally washable is a great solution. A good upholsterer can make slipcovers look very fitted and can be attached with velcro for a snug fit. This gives the client the option to have the slipcovers laundered in soap of their choice by laundries that still exist. These slipcovers are hung to dry so that shrinkage does not routinely occur.

Formaldehyde: Who needs it?

Formaldehyde is not a safe interior material.

It is now a known carcinogen and causes cancer in humans.

The biggest culprit in interior environments that have an unsafe
presence of formaldehyde, is bonded wood products. MDF board now
on the list of known carcinogens ( by the FDA) is part of the story, but
plywood, and bonded woods used routinely for underlayment, and
structural stability are very common. Non - toxic plywood and bonded
wood board is available, but more expensive than regular material of this
kind.

In specification in Interior Design the designer must take the lead and
ensure to a client that non toxic materials are being used. As the director
in the construction and implementation phases, proof must be given by each
trade, that all materials used in the environment are in fact tested and do
not contain formaldehyde.

As the specifier, it is important for the Interior Designer to demand to see
materials before being covered with drywall, or finish materials. Our specifications
are for naught if ignored. That is why it is imperative that the Certified Healthy
Interior Designer has control over the purse strings of a project. In controlling the
budget and the sub contractor, we can insure to a client that our specifications
are being met.

We Made the List of New Carcinogens

Interior Design and the built environment made a huge leap forward in recognition of a couple of huge interior problems. Two items in the built environment were added to the list of carcinogens that exist in our environment. Those of us involved in healthy interior specification have known this for a long time, but here goes the news!
Wrinkle free fabric (fabric treated to have a non wrinkle hand and appearance) is stated to contain harmful amounts of Formaldehyde.
Particle Board (say it isn't so!) is also on this new list of 8 additional products containing harmful levels of Formaldehyde.

When exposed to these particulates cancer can occurr, or extreme trouble breathing.

New construction today is full of "bonded materials" which are combination products that are held together with inexpensive bonding agents for speed of production, and low cost. These bonding agents are typically the culprits in containing Formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compounds which can cause poor air quality, and when breathed by humans, can lead to many other problems.

Making this list is a dismal, but first step. My predicition is that as this list grows and the public becomes more aware of how toxic our built environment is, that LEED standards for healthy interiors will change. If we catch up with Europe (1/2 of our toxins are allowed), or Japan (1/8 of our toxins are allowed) and head toward a neutral rating of toxicity, we are making forward progress.

Healthy Interior Design - a Division of Christy Collection Inc. lauds the expanded list and begs for our testing facilities to be ever more vigilent in the quest for neutral interior environments.

Non Toxic Materials Worth the Effort

In our continuing quest to creat non toxic and healthy environments, we have hit many brick walls and manufacturers that do not agree with our standards. When a manufacturer boasts about having "green" elements to their product lines, as a designer you must ask for the documentation. Green is in. Green sells. We all know this by buying organic foods and later
finding out that it is not.

Going beyond Green to Healthy gives even more credence to the quest.
We are keeping information organized to share with designers as we develope
training manuals and training courses to help other designers learn about healthy
design. The industry will change slowly if we demand it as professionals. Our clients
need to be educated by us to know that products that will not hurt their familes are out
there.

Doing the research for Healthy Interior Products takes alot of time and determination.
When I am ignored when asking for test data, the manufacturer is put on notice.
Claims of non toxic ingredients are always backed up with certified testing data, and
it must be provided for products to be specified.

The US is behind other countries in demanding non toxic materials. Designers need
to make the difference in this effort. Demand non toxic materials for your clients.
It may not save our world.. but it may save your little corner of it.

Washable Organic Cotton Textiles

As we specify healthy cleaner environments, a very important part of it is having healthy clean textiles surround us. If we use washable organic cotton textiles on our furniture and treat each piece of furniture to a slip cover design, we can keep our surroundings cleaner. Washing slipcovers monthly at least gives the user control over dust mites, mold, spills that can breed bacteria and allergens that can collect on textiles during use. The recommendation of using washable organic textiles is typically less expensive than the silks, wools, and combination fabrics around. Where the cost is driven upwards is the approach of slipcovering a piece of furniture as well as having a covering on the piece itself. This will do the most in keeping the environment clean and is money well spent. More organic cotton textiles are being developed everyday. I applaud Robert Allen, Kravet, and Designers Guild in thier research and developement!

Design Must get Healthier

As our built world becomes more and more unhealthy, it is up to the educated and experienced design professional to lead the way in changing the norm and expectations. There is an extreme push in the construction phase of any project where costs are weighed and the low bid typically wins out. With that low bid may come products that are manufactured either in the US or in Asia to lowest standards allowable. Typically lower standards for lower pricing bring toxins into the mix. We all heard about the FEMA trailers full of "Chinese Drywall" that offgassed formaldehyde into the interiors of displaced Katrina families. With that came asthma, and other respiratory problems. The US standards of what we will accept in the way of Volatile Organic Compounds and Formaldehyde is disturbing enough. If test results were provided with this low bid application of drywall, then those standards were met. Since this happened, it was revealed in subsequent studies that many drywall products made right here in the US have the same standards as the drywall that offgassed in the FeMA trailers and created a public outcry. The US has the lowest standards in the world. We will accept a very high standard of parts per million of all of these toxins that make us all sick. Europe allows half of what we do. Japan allows almost half again of Europe. When people are Auto Immune compromised they have a hyper sensitivity that allows even less to be acceptable in their environments. The problem is that exposure over time can build up in our bodies and express itself in many ways. Many experts have talked about the foods that we eat, the interior products that surround us, and the air quality that we breathe in our homes and in commercial environments and how it has effected our standard of living and our breathing. If it is true, as experts predict and the cases of autism, asthma, and related brain and breathing problems is growing at alarming rates because of these two factors, designers have a huge responsibility in the years to come. Cases of cancers reported in Erin Brokavitch situations of toxic waste spills, were proven to have poisoned whole towns. There is little difference between the Volatile Organic Compounds that surround us, leach into our air, and our water and their future effect on how we will live or die in our lifetimes. This is not a scare tactic. This is a call to action for designers to be aware of problems that exist in the products that we specify everyday. The solution can be as simple as asking for test results for the products that we as designers are specifying. The lab test results will show how much offgassing the products do. Then we can decide with the client what we can accept for the population. If you have a client that has immune system problems, the requirements are more stringent. The more compromised they are, the more dilligent we must be in taking care of them. It comes down to why the postion of interior designer has health and life safety as part of it's responsibility. I challenge interior designers on this planet to be aware, be dilligent and most of all ask the questions about what we are surrounding our clients with. Without the knowledge of the offgassing possibilities of the specifications that we produce, we are blind and leading a death march. I do not choose to do that.

Healthy Interior Design

The result of living within toxins accepted by US levels is not always acceptable to the client.

Interior Design that serves those that are immune system compromised has to address all levels of VOC's, and all toxins in water, and air in the interior project. We all face the reality of more exposure and more reactions to this as we live and breathe in badly polluted environments. As you are exposed to more and more interior toxins, you can develope a hyper sensitivity to light, temperature and sound. As you do this, your environment supports you less and less. The result is not a normal life style.

Most products that are assumed to be done offgassing and creating negative reactions in humans do not ever really stop offgassing. The biggest example of this can be insulation, stone surfaces, drywall, paint, and various bonded materials that are everywhere. Every solid surface that is used for countertops is a series of chunks of something bonded together with something. These bonding agents oftentimes create many problems for humans to live with. When you see the word epoxy, or resin, or bonding agent, dig deeper.

My role as an interior designer keeps expanding and growing. All markets have niche areas that are not being addressed. Most designers run from heavy research and exposure to giving advice with risks. Those of us that are highly educated and have created a measure of fearlessness are encouraged to keep expanding what we know and direct our clients to walk with us on this journey.

I have explored many interior environments in my history and have always focused on giving back to the education of interior design, their clients and their students. We are given chances to grow and learn. Embracing it can be extremely enlightening.

Designing with FUN

Designers in Stockholm had a problem. With exercise waning and the population getting more and more unfit, design was chosen as the vehicle to reverse the curve.

One such example of design doing just that came to a dreaded staircase. The stair was an imposing steep example of what no one wanted to do. Instead they all took the narrow escalator next to it. 99% of people leaving the train station took the escalator.

The design team collaborated, came up with a solution that is not only innovative, but FUN!

The staircase was transformed from plain white tile to a mix of black and white tiles that was an actual climbing piano keyboard, complete with sound. Every step created a sound of a key, and every person joined the chorus of sound coming from the staircase. Virtual symphonies of sound combinations came. People walked and walked the stairs, pausing, stopping, combining steps to create a sound and an experience unmatched in Stockholm.

Fun created a solution in a bleak situation when design was chosen to lead.
And we all need more fun, don't we?

2011 is a HUGE Year for Interior Design

There is a definite feeling in the air that the crisis is gone. Clients are taking out the stops and doing the work that they have been holding off on, and having faith that the world will survive this last challenge because their own world has.

As my clients kick into high gear after the holidays, I am reminded of just what an amazing industry this is. I get to spend time with the most amazing people on Earth, and they happen to love working with me to create magic in their homes, or work spaces. I am the lucky one.

So lets all wake up, step out, throw a snowball, bake a batch of homemade cookies, and look at our interior spaces with an open view. They can be better. They can function better. They can be more organized. They can feel more like home.

I challenge you in this new year to take a step. Make a move that you worried about last year. Believe that life is good, and needs to be lived with the best spaces that we can create with all of that energy that is just sitting there waiting to be taken on. I am so proud of clients that have taken projects off of dusty shelves and started to rework them, bite off little pieces or devour the whole thing! It is fun to do this again. It is healthy to believe that spring is coming and Columbus is a beautiful place to express how we live and work, but mostly play through our lives with our own spirit of faith, hope and belief in all that makes our lives the best!

The Month of Love and Interior Design

As we approach February, I am reminded just how important love is in the lives of my clients!
I approach every Master Bedroom project as an inner santion. Questions like "what is your bedtime ritual?" are not meant to pry, but to support some of the most important moments in couples lives. When we get the answer "We always go to bed together." Our hearts leap for joy at the prospect of enhancing this time.
Nothing is more disheartening as a couple that has an office in the Master Bedroom suite, or takes their laptop to bed! The next most disheartening is having a LARGE screen TV staring at the couples bed. The fact that large screen TV's have even invaded the bedroom leaves me startled as a designer. The oasis of cuddling, coming together, and winding down a hectic day together just should not happen in front of the TV set!
My recommendations for couples with work or technology ruling the Master Bedroom is simple.
Create a sitting room adjacent to the sleeping area where those activities are stepped down. The transition to the sleeping space becomes softer. Non invasive colors. Restful and luxe fabrics that encourage snuggling up and letting go. All of us have a process of letting go of our day to engage in sleep. Hopefully most of us have much more going on relating to another person, but lets focus on the letting go part for the sake of the design!
Design is personal. This part of the day should be a surround of nurturing and caressing colors. Surfaces are soft. Bed linens are the highest quality of cotton that can be afforded. The mode is set in softness, and coccooning of a space of relaxation and rejuvenation. Colors that are cool may become too cold if not offset with soft texture. Warmer colors can become too warm if not offset with luxe feel of quality and repose.
I personally embrace soft finishes for most areas. Designers must relate to the couples own style of course, but soften it at every juncture.
My favorite area of the home is the Master Bedroom suite. There I can get into the clients head about what matters to them. I can enter this personal space with respect, compassion, and confidentiality with them. Being a great interior designer does not get any better than this!

Design Ranking in Importance a Key Element

Recent surveys by the National Association of Remodelers stated that the design and outcome of a space are the most important aspect to long term satisfaction. This is not surprising to those of us that spend our lives pleasing people and satisfying their needs. In fact that was number two, satisfaction of needs in the new space!
Oftentimes the unsung hero of the project is the designer that spent time with the client and made details count, created spaces that spoke of their personality and their way of life. As a designer that puts satisfaction at the top of my list, I know that it is not always easy to interpret for the client. Some clients never verbalize their needs, but show you all that is wrong with the way that they live currently. We must bring them solutions to those problems that are also following good design decisions. It is up to us to gauge what will truly make them happy with their surroundings.
When clients really have no idea what would please them, good designers kick into high gear. We show by example. We sketch, get large samples of finishes and large photos of pieces that will work. We work all of these approaches, and then suddenly POOF! the client begins to see our vision, and we are on our way. Many designers talk about clients with no vision and how frustrating it is to them. Those are the best examples of how we must lead, and guide them to great decisions financially, and follow good design rules to create a solution that really works.

Our greatest responsibility is to interpret clues, ask the right questions and lead by example. Credible design works for them. Creative design just works!