Sustainable Furnishings Council Announces Winners of Second Annual #GetYourGreenOn Design Competition

Furniture World News Desk on 10/18/2017

Katherine Snedeker, The Arrangement, Dallas, takes the top #GetYourGreenOn honor, the 2017 Sustainable Design Excellence Award, for her repurposing of a 1978 storage warehouse for residential use.

The Sustainable Furnishings Council recently announced that five interior design firms have received top honors in the Council’s second annual #GetYourGreenOn interior design competition. #GetYourGreenOn fêtes interior designers who feature products from SFC-member manufacturers and suppliers, plus the program acknowledges interior design professionals who set high environmental standards and tirelessly ask their partners and suppliers, “What’s it made of?”

Katherine Snedeker, The Arrangement, Dallas, takes the top #GetYourGreenOn honor, the 2017 Sustainable Design Excellence Award, for her repurposing of a 1978 storage warehouse for residential use. The open, airy and one-of-a-kind home features products from SFC members Phillips Collection Loloi, Feizy, Classic Home and Vanguard Furniture.

Snedeker encountered unexpected challenges in the project, some of which required environmental soil testing and asbestos removal, as well as the need for a customized retractable window shade system that blocks sunlight and insulates in the winter.

“The utmost issue became the health and well-being of the inhabitants,” explains Snedeker. “Upon discovering asbestos on some of the building surfaces, we followed EPA hazmat standards for removal of the contaminated surfaces. The environmental footprint took on greater importance as we progressed, refining the intent of the project and to be as eco-minded as possible.

“The design aesthetics were critical, too, as open great room spaces are difficult to make intimate and welcoming,” Snedeker continues. “Muted colors of antique wool rugs were used as the foundation of the design. The responsibly sourced, wood-and-steel, live-edge tables are easily clustered together or separated depending upon client’s needs. And the 12-foot wood slab sofas are backed by recycled metal and covered in low-emission fabrics with a high cotton content.”

Two entrants were named #GetYourGreenOn category winners:

• Jessica Garcia of Des-Syn Inc., Atlanta, is the 2017 Shared Spaces $30,000 & Above Award winner. Her winning great room features SFC-member products from Lee Industries and Loloi, plus it adheres to the “Natural, Sustainable and Responsible” guidelines of the educational resource group Wellness Within Your Walls.
  
  “We furnished the interiors with SFC member products to create a home that is not only beautifully built and designed, but also sustainable and free of harmful toxins,” Garcia explains. “The home is designed to embrace an abundance of natural light, with views that expand beyond the windows become part of the interior environment. This well-collected home is accented by beautiful paintings and ceramic sculptures, and demonstrates global understanding.”


• Kirsten Flynn of Sustainable Home, Palo Alto, CA, is the 2017 Shared Spaces $30,000 & Under Award winner. In addition to featuring product from SFC members Two Sisters Eco Textiles, Ekla Home and Suite Sleep, Flynn’s winning ranch home renovation is energy- and water-efficient and will earn a GreenPoint Rated certification (a California home rating system).
  
  “This was a ground-up green reimagining of a ranch home, with the goal of creating a design that was beautiful and healthy for the inhabitants and the planet, as well as address the client’s strong concerns about healthy indoor environments,” Flynn says. “The clients are family-oriented, enjoy color and wanted a modern take on Craftsman style.”


• Jessica Garcia, Des-Syn, Atlanta, earns a second category winner honor, the 2017 Outdoor Spaces $30,000 & Above Award. Her stunning cabana and terrace, a transition area connected by bi-fold glass doors, increases the usable square footage of the home.
  
  “Beyond the doors is a labyrinth that can be enjoyed from both the sitting area and the nearby yoga studio,” Garcia says. “This space uses all natural fibers throughout and features a sitting vignette composed of four Lee Industries swivel arm chairs.”

Finally, two entrants were named #GetYourGreenOn category finalists:

Lisa Peck and Christina Rymer of LiLu Interiors, Minneapolis, is a 2017 finalist in the Shared Spaces $30,000 & Above category; this entry features products from SFC member Lee Industries.

“From the solar panels and geo-thermal in-floor radiant heat to the sofa fabric and interior paint, each decision was made to support health, aging in place, sustainability, and net zero energy,” Peck explains. “Green and sustainable design was not just important or something to take into consideration for this project, rather it was and is our clients’ intention to live lightly on the earth.”

Bernadette Upton, EcoDecor Inc., North Palm Beach, FL, is a 2017 finalist in the Shared Spaces $30,000 & Under category. For her 1950s-era rehab, Upton choose products from SFC members American Leather, Kravet fabrics, Baker Furniture and Jaipur Living.

“Sustainability, daylighting, indoor air quality, thermal comfort, easy accessibility, energy efficiency and health and safety issues were all concerns that were addressed,” Upton explains. “Although this was an extremely tight budget, this project proved to be ‘saving green while going green’ experience.”

The 2017 #GetYourGreenOn judges were: Amanda Dameron, Editor-in-Chief of Dwell; Erika Heet, Editor-in-Chief, interiors® magazine; and Sean Sullivan, Group Marketing Director and Associate Publisher, Hearst Design Group.

More about the Sustainable Furnishings Council: Sustainable Furnishings Council is dedicated to promoting healthy environments inside and outside, providing the most comprehensive information on environmental, safety and health issues in the industry and championing initiatives that improve products and processes. The SFC and its qualifying members respond to environmental and social issues and offer specific information to consumers, the media and other partners. The SFC is the authoritative source to help companies “green as they grow.” For more information, visit Sustainable Furniture Council