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Sustainable Furnishings Council and Interior Design Society announce winner of #GetYourGreenOn Sustainable Design Award

Furniture World News Desk on 5/14/2019


The Sustainable Furnishings Council announced that Sheree Vincent, Principal at Fusion Designed, LLC won the  #GetYourGreenOn Sustainable Design Award at the IDS National Awards Dinner in Palm Springs, California.  Presenting the award was Susan Inglis, SFC Executive Director.  The gala dinner event concluded the annual ART + IDS Conference, with MCs Thom Filicia and Carson Kressley.  Designers of the Year were named in numerous categories.  Though IDS had worked with SFC on development of a previous sustainable design award, this was the first time the organizations had collaborated so closely to promote the sustainability cause.

“This is such an incredible honor for me personally, but really it's a win for the Sustainable Design Community and the work done by the Sustainable Furnishing Council.  Educating on the  benefits of sustainable design decisions is a passion and I'm grateful that I am part of the movement. Just a few short years ago, it was rare for a client to bring up green or eco-friendly design options. Now, it's becoming a standard in the marketplace and clients have an eagerness to seek out designers who specialize in sustainable design.  My hope is that in the near future, we will no longer need a specialty category for sustainable design because the entire design community will all have a greater understanding of what products are made of and the potential impact they have on our clients’ lives.  I'm looking forward to the day when designing sustainably will be protocol and no longer a special category.”

#GetYourGreenOn sustainable design competition requirements include use of products from SFC Member Companies; taking SFC’s pledge to ask suppliers What’s It Made Of?, and disclosing a wood sourcing policy.  With these requirements, competing designers take into consideration the principles of social, economic and ecological sustainability.  Winning designs do the most to ensure that the project does not leave a negative impact on our environment.  Ms. Vincent created a warm, inviting space that met the requirements beautifully.   Photos of the winning design here.  A small selection of sustainable attributes of the home:

  • Closed loop geothermal system for heating and cooling.
  • Shou Sugi Ban (charred cypress) siding which exhibits increased weather, fire, insect, and rot-resistance over untreated wood. It is a sustainable, beautiful and maintenance free surface.
  • Custom-sized, energy efficient windows.
  • Douglas Fir timber frame construction – timbers from managed forests in Oregon.
  • Rift and Quarter Sawn Oak flooring finished with a water-based stain and topped with magic oil, which is a combination of natural oils and wax.
  • Natural wool carpeting in the office, guest hallway and bedrooms.
  • LED, dimmable lighting throughout.
  • Zero VOC paint throughout.
  • All appliances are energy star rated.

IDS has presented a Sustainable Design award since 2015, and SFC has presented #GetYourGreenOn since 2016.  The SFC/IDS collaboration for this award is new in 2018, and the competition received more entries this year than ever before, so competition was fierce.

SFC Executive Director Susan Inglis commented, “We believe that by joining forces we have a greater impact, and so we are delighted to be working with IDS on a competition that highlights best practices for sustainability as well as function and beauty.  We look forward to even more entries in the next round!”

About The Sustainable Furnishings Council: The Sustainable Furnishings Council promotes healthy environments inside and out.  We provide comprehensive information on environmental, safety, and health issues in the home furnishings industry.  We champion initiatives that improve products and processes. The SFC and its members work to address sustainability and social issues, and offer clear information to consumers, the media, and other partners. For more information, visit https://sustainablefurnishings.org/

About The Interior Design Society: The Interior Design Society (IDS) is one of the country's largest design organizations dedicated to serving the residential interior design industry. We're a group of like-minded professionals interested in broadening their network, professional development, and continued education. IDS offers its members a place to belong within a supportive and welcoming design community through local chapters nationwide, and our new Virtual Chapter. For more information, visit interiordesignsociety.org