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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.
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.


The complete article appears on page 152 in the Style & Design 2008 issue of Los Angeles Confidential. SUBSCRIBE NOW and get Los Angeles Confidential delivered direct.

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