COPPER WILLOW PAPER STUDIO
True, it’s considered not so eco-friendly to opt for paper invitations
and announcements, but now there’s a way to skip Evite and not
feel guilty about it. Jill Velez and Leora West Mauck, the owners of
this charming custom-invitation and prepackaged-stationery shop,
are so committed to our planet that they’ve taken an oath and put it
up on their website for all to see: They vow to print only on recycled
and “tree-free” paper, to use only soy-based inks, and to practice
conservation in all phases of production, right down to the solvents
and chemicals used. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a party.
■ Copper Willow Paper Studio, 4236 Overland Avenue, Culver City,
310-237-5809; copperwillow.com.
ENVIRONMENT FURNITURE
@ HD BUTTERCUP
Peroba rosa, a hardwood tree native to the Brazilian rainforest, is the
star of Environment Furniture’s Peroba Collection. In the name of
sustainability, the company combs southern Brazil for abandoned
barns and houses constructed of this lumber, transforming what
they reclaim into furniture that’s absolutely eco-gorgeous. The
3,000-square-foot store at HD Buttercup is an expansive showcase
for the collection.
■ Environment Furniture @ HD Buttercup, 3225 Helms Avenue,
Los Angeles, 310-945-5458; environmentfurniture.com.
GREENOPIA:The Urban Dweller’s Guide to Green Living—
Los Angeles
If you’re really committed to greening your ways, there’s no
excuse for not dining, building, cleaning, even sleeping ecoconsciously—
and this comprehensive guide will help you do just
that. Here’s a scenario: Your pooch will thank you for the organic
pet food (page 115) you picked up on your way home from meeting
with your LEED-accredited architect (page 182) about which
salvaged materials (page 163) you’ll advise your environmentally
responsible contractor (page 183) to use; or perhaps you’d prefer
to erect a home of the prefab variety (page 180) before stretching
out on your chemical-free bedding (page 154). This second edition
of the guide offers listings of 1,400 green businesses, services, and
products—so, Angelenos, go forth and patronize!
■ Greenopia: The Urban Dweller’s Guide to Green Living—
Los Angeles, available at bookstores, Whole Foods, Amoeba Music,
or online at greenopia.com.
LA CLOSET DESIGN
Lisa Adams, CEO and designer at LA Closet Design, believes that
“an organized, luxurious closet is the ultimate fashion accessory,”
not just a place to store your collection of Choos. Mindful of our
environment, Adams incorporates LEED-certified products in
her installations, as well as low-VOC paints, formaldehyde-free
flooring, and low-wattage light fixtures. But then—bless her
heart—she ramps it up with plush seating, breakfast bars, wine
chillers, and cosmetics refrigerators. Closets are custom-built to
dovetail with clients’ needs, and multipurpose spaces—combining
your wardrobe with, say, your home office or meditation room—
are well within Adams’ purview.
■ LA Closet Design, Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue,
Suite B-255, West Hollywood, 310-289-1311; laclosetdesign.com.
LEESA MARTLING ARCHITECTURAL
COLOR CONSULTATION
Paint-swatch-challenged? If trying to sort out the differences in
shades and hues proves more headache-inducing than squinting
at those last few rows of an eye chart at the optometrist’s office,
consider a house call from architectural color consultant Leesa
Martling, who has worked on numerous residential projects as
well as larger commercial accounts. Martling will arrive with
color swatches bigger than your head and use the combination of
available light, her own talent, and your instincts—if applicable—
to arrive at a palette for a single room (or your entire house) in the
span of a few well-spent hours. Plus, Martling always does her best
to spec out low-VOC options. By appointment.
■ Leesa Martling Architectural Color Consultation,
323-953-2772; eyewash-studios.com.
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LIVINGREEN LOS ANGELES
With 5,500 square feet dedicated to furthering what its name
espouses, Livingreen is a one-stop shop for building materials, flooring,
furniture, bedding, glassware, and every other home or garden
item that falls under the designations recycled, remilled, reused,
energy-saving, natural, “smart,” healthy, sustainable, and organic.
Owner and founder Ellen Strickland’s Shades of Green productevaluation
program helps customers understand how green each
item is, and the store hosts a Green Drinks evening on the first
Thursday of each month (7 to 10 P.M.) to encourage “green-minded
people to come together to talk” over cocktails and mocktails.
■ Livingreen Los Angeles, 10000 Culver Boulevard, Culver City,
310-838-8442; livingreen.com.
JILL’S PAINT
Jill’s Paint is a neighborhood paint store that not only offers a
large selection of well-known paints such as Benjamin Moore
(and its new low-VOC line, Aura), but an extensive variety of noto
low-VOC and environmentally friendly paints, products, and
supplies, among them Yolo Colorhouse, American Clay, Green
Planet Paints, Devine Green, and Soy Guard. The people who
work here seem to love everything about paint and are happy to
help you choose the one that’s right for you—which, as we all know,
is harder than it sounds.
■ Jill’s Paint, 3534 Larga Avenue, Los Angeles,
323-664-9067;
jillspaint.net.
KRISLYN DESIGN STUDIO
AND BOTANICAL BOUTIQUE It’s safe to say that you never know what awaits at botanical
designer Krislyn Meyer-Komarov’s newish (as of last November)
3,000-square-foot shop, which showcases both her signature
nature-themed organic objets d’art and her fresh floral arrangements.
But what wows us most is Meyer-Komarov’s longtime use
of natural objects, including stones and treated fallen wood
(cleared by forest rangers to prevent forest fires), in addition to
her insistence on eco-friendly practices such as incorporating
only responsibly harvested moss and leaves that are preserved
and colored using nontoxic vegetable dyes. What’s more, on
Earth Day this year the boutique launched its Krislyn Bucks program
to encourage clients to bring back vases and containers used
in past arrangements to be recycled by the shop in exchange for
a discount on future purchases.
■ Krislyn Design Studio and Botanical Boutique, 8216 West Third
Street, Los Angeles, 323-692-7862; krislyndesign.com.
MCGUIRE FURNITURE COMPANY
AND ANN SACKS TILE & STONE
McGuire Furniture Company and Ann Sacks Tile & Stone, both
owned by the Kohler Interiors, are great examples of larger
companies making the commitment to eco-conscious design.
McGuire’s Copenhagen lounge chair, designed by Orlando
Diaz-Azcuy, is fabricated of water hyacinth, a plant that quickly
regenerates, with a cushion that boasts natural duck-down fill and
feet of plantation-grown teak. The company’s sustainable Ironwood
tables utilize ironwood trees from the forests of Indonesia.
Ann Sacks Tile & Stone’s exclusive Profile Mosaics glass collection
is partially composed of pre- and post-consumer recycled glass,
while the Mesquite tile line features mesquite wood from Texas.
■ McGuire Furniture Company, available at Baker Los Angeles,
360 North La Cienega Boulevard, 310-289-0074;
mcguire.kohlerinteriors.com; Ann Sacks Tile & Stone, 8935 Beverly
Boulevard, West Hollywood, 310-273-0700; annsacks.com.
POT-TED
It’s no surprise that the Eastside’s beloved source for a wellchosen
selection of garden supplies decided to set up a second
location for Westsiders in need of eco-friendly items. Stock
includes locally made pots containing no lead or other toxic
materials, Soji solar lanterns, hanging lanterns fashioned from
recycled biscuit tins, hoop chairs from West Africa that make use
of recycled oil drums, recycled-plastic floor mats from Thailand,
and a selection of weatherproof mats and boxes made from a
rubber by-product of flip-flop manufacturing. Owners Annette
Gutierrez and Mary Gray also create unique garden steps of concrete
and recycled tiles or found objects.
■ Pot-ted, 3158 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, 323-665-3801;
1021 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, 310-395-7687; pot-ted.com.
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