I believe that every home should be a sanctuary and that upon entering it one should immediately feel physically and emotionally protected. What I first noticed upon entering Jim and Nancy Chudas Green house to select a room to design for an upcoming feature in Los Angeles Magazine was that it had all of those qualities even in the construction phase.

The Living Room is not a large space but it has everything going for it. A soaring ceiling, magnificent and very tall glass and steel doors and windows that look out onto tree tops on two sides and a water wall feature on one of the many very well thought out open spaces. Jim and I re-designed the fireplace so that the raised hearth would extend under the window and I could treat it as an alter/display area. I felt it was important to design an interesting window treatment and to find some form of art work that was tall enough to be enjoyed when standing in the meditation area that overlooked the Living Room. This room has such a stong voice that it needed just a few very well thought out pieces where one can sit, relax and enjoy easy conversations. Natural materials such as the granite clad fireplace and bamboo flooring form the backdrop as well as non-toxic materials such as a coffee table made from a petrified log, a dried branch and carnation sculpture, a window shade made from dried abaca plants and banana leaves, seeds recycled onto pillows, natural clay ceramic bowls, wood recycled into a piece of sculpture and a wool rug organically dyed of handspun wool.

It is with great pleasure and joy that I join the LuxEco Living team as Managing Editor for Interiors.

Living Green with Style

A few years ago my dear friends Nancy & Jim Chuda asked me if I would participate in a design showcase of their newly constructed Green home that was being sponsored by Los Angeles magazine.  Jim, the architect, and Nancy were one of the early pioneers in living in healthy environments.  What amazed me, at that time, were Jims use of sophisticated materials. I had no idea that many of the materials he used were even in the sustainable category.  It was a real eye opener for me to see what was possible in the realm of design while having no harmful effects to the people living in their homes.  The above photo of the Living Room, which I did for them, was a joyful experience.  The coffee table base is made out of petrified logs,

the window covering was made of dried natural grass and leaves and you can see the driftwood and dried flower arrangement just in front.  If you are interested in learning more about healthy environments, visit their website:  www.healthychild.org

Zaha Hadid designs a fantastic sculptural faucet

I've long been a fan of the architect Zaha Hadid.  When I  first saw her drawings of buildings I never believed they would be able be built, let alone stand for that matter.  Happily I have been proved wrong.  Based on the idea of how water moves, she has just designed this amazing faucet which mergers the spout, body and handles into one beautiful form for Triflow Concepts in England. This features a new touch sensitive technology that isolates warm, cold and drinking water.  Truly a piece of art for your bathroom. www.triflowconcepts.com

Jewelry for the home!

I just wrote a blog about Darcy Miros drawer pulls and I wanted to show you some of her other designs for the home that I think are incredible.  Take a look at her jewelry as well at  www.darcymiro.com   I'd love some feedback about what you think of these pieces

Drawer pulls that would look great worn on a night out!

A number of years ago I purchased a silver cuff by jeweler Darcy Miro.  I had never spent that amount of money on any jewelry before, but it has turned out to be my most cherished and I wear it almost daily still in awe of her talent and technique.  Recently Darcy has been making drawer pulls that I swear I could wear on a night out on the town.  Her web site is:  www.darcymiro.com

Steps: Working them into your furniture designs.

I've often wondered what to do with my clients steps when I know that they could be put to better use than just walking up and down them.  In this home the steps were so wide that I decided to take advantage of them and created what I feel are some interesting design solutions.  I was able to get a much larger book/display case by walking the unit up the steps.   The next 2 photos show my solution to creating a much needed buffet in the Dining Room as well as a visually interesting and useful "back" to that cabinet for the Living Room.  The tall white wall  keeps dishes, etc. from falling over the edge and I made use of the depth to create a small storage cabinet as well.  In other homes that had enough space I designed 9"-12"deep book cases to follow the stairs.  I'm curious to know how others have solved this situation.

Challenging spaces.... I've got posts in my way!

I actually like  taking on a challenging room.... it forces me to be even more creative and well, challenged!  This is a 500 sq. foot basement space that had 5 structural posts and every time  I tried to do a furniture layout, there was always a post in the way..... after several failed attempts I finally got it!   4 of the posts form a square in which I set an L-shape sofa, used one to cantilever a coffee table, stretched a bar counter across 2 of them and created an open window between 2 covered posts so the space wouldn't feel closed off.   If I find the photo of 5th post I will include it at a later time, because I think the solution is really great!  I'd love to know what you would do or have done with difficult spaces.