Anton Interior Design: Karan Anton, ASID, Principal/Interior Designer

Green building and sustainable design are keywords that are here to stay.  I will offer some tips to get you started down the path of enlightenment.

One of the first items on the list is site selection.  Is it easily accessible and close to local suppliers and contractors?  Does it have adequate stormwater drainage?  How much of the existing landscape will have to be torn up in order to begin construction?  These are just a few things to consider when selecting a building site.

The next stage is the design phase.  What kind of footprint will your home have?  Can you orient your home to take advantage of daylighting?  Can you use solar energy?  Will you be able to use rainwater and greywater recapture?
Will you be able to landscape to protect your home from harsh winds and sun, thus reducing the need for electricity or gas?  Again, this is just a very short list for consideration.

Some of the considerations for the interior are equally important.  Materials and products often have trade-offs.  There are some manufacturers out there who run a clean manufacturing process, have a long lasting, beautiful product and will take that product back for recycling.  Unfortunately, this is not usually the case.  You must consider not only the recyclability of the material, but its manufacturing process in terms of both energy usage and pollution, the distance it needs to travel, the renewability of the raw resources and the life cycle of the product or material.

It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the concepts of sustainable design long before you begin construction or remodeling.  Sometimes the upfront cost is a bit more but typically you will find cost savings in the long run.  If you have neither the time nor the desire to educate yourself about green building then hire architects, interior designers and contractors who have the knowledge to guide you through the process.

What is K-BIS you ask?  It is the largest global kitchen and bath industry show.  It was held this year in Chicago and we all had a great time and saw some fabulous new products.

Of course, many manufacturers were touting the "greenness" of their products.  It was the buzzword of the show.  Some of the products were truly innovative.  Many were not necessarily new and exciting, but were re-marketed as manufacturers became aware of the importance of energy and water savings to the consumer.

Color was a very important trend in both appliances and cabinetry.  Many products are being offered in a much larger range of colors or finishes.  Some of the appliance colors were just fabulous, like deep colored glass fronts or oil rubbed bronze instead of stainless steel.

Many cabinet companies have dramatically expanded the range of finishes.  Whether sleek and contemporary or traditional, there was color, and lots of it.

The solid surface and quartzite companies have also been busy coming up with not only new colors and designs, but new uses.  It is now possible to have an integral sink made out of Silestone, for example.  You can even get a bathtub constructed from Caesarstone.

Plumbing products such as sinks, lavatories and faucets abounded.  It was virtually eye candy for me!  Gloriously beautiful sinks and vanities, posh faucets and wonderful hardware were enough to make me want to take it all home.

One of the most important lessons my designer friends and I took home was not from the show itself, but our hotel.  We stayed in a high-end hotel that was newly renovated.  It was impressive to look at the very modern furniture upholstered in very expensive fabrics, the creative color combinations used, the great wallcoverings used and the high end fixtures in the bathrooms.  That was where the great design ended and lunacy took over.  While everything was beautiful, the bathroom was awkward to use.  We had vessel sinks which, when the faucet was turned on at any normal volume, directed the water straight to our abdomens.  There was very little room, roughly three inches, of counter space on either side of the sink.  There was little storage and not a single hook for hanging a robe.  Out in the bedroom area there was only a powerstrip to use for electricity.  Unfortunately it was applied to the side of the desk which was around four inches away from the armoire.  Trying to plug in any kind of appliance was an exercise in frustration.  I have always placed great importance on the usability of my designs, but this experience really drove it home!