eco-chic design

closing the organic loop

Part of my green shopping tour by FIT last week was a stop at the third floor of ABC Carpet & Home. The incredibly knowledgeable sales staff of their Home & Planet section introduced me to Loop’s organic towels and bedding.

I absolutely adore the name of the company, which stands for its belief that everything on earth exists in a closed-loop system. Their organic cotton sheets and towels are made of certified organic cotton and processed without harsh chemicals. Instead hydrogen peroxide is used for whitening and even the low-impact dyes for colors are certified organic to reduce the impact on the environment. I love the simplicity and no-frill elegance of their signature 250 thread count organic cotton sateen sheets. The handmade birch accent pillows in chocolate, blue or orange use a water-based screen printing process on soft hemp linen and look amazing. OK, finally I feel I’m back in the loop of organic shopping.

for tiny treehuggers

Baby in a Blanket's selection of cute t-shirts made out of 100% certified cotton proves that raising an eco-conscious baby or toddler doesn’t have to be boring. The adorable graphic art on these eco-tees is printed with all natural vegetable based-ink and comes in 4 fun designs. My personal favorites are “hippo love” and “don’t pick on me.” I wish I had the latter one when I was little.

The designer Desiree Maldonado Garcia founded her company in 2003 with the goal to design blankets, accessories and clothing that are stylish yet eco-friendly. Most of her designs are colorful, but I especially love the simplicity of her organic blanket and pillow collection that comes with simple outlines in the shape of a penguin, elephant or bunny. The lining of the baby blanket is made out of natural bamboo and organic cotton. It doesn't get much cuter than that.

eco-fabulous fabrics

The owner and designer behind the brand-new company Rubie Green named after a fictitious muse is Michelle Adams. At the age of 25 she struck out on her own with an eco-friendly line of upholstery fabrics after a short tenure at Domino Magazine. That’s quite impressive. 

Her product line on the website features 9 fabrics that are classic by design, but I love her more modern patterns like Tillinghast in yellow and her Zebra prints Mary in black or natural. All fabrics are made of peroxide-whitened organic cotton and printed with water-based inks. They are finished with heat and pressure instead of chemicals. The process uses minimal water consumption and the fabrics are only printed when ordered to reduce waste. I can’t wait for her bedding designs to come out in late summer!

amenity includes: organic bedding

Since I love any type of design that brings the outdoor into your home in a modern way I inevitably had to feature amenity based in downtown LA.

The company was founded in 2004 by the two graphic designers Nicole Chiala and Kristina de Corpo. Both are passionate about nature and modern design. It’s great to see a company that draws its inspiration from nature commit to preserving it with their new 2008 spring collection which is completely organic. I love the bold modern take on nature in their silhouette designs combined with sophisticated colors that range from earth tones to metallic.

Even that the company was committed to conscientious manufacturing from the beginning they now offer their entire line including organic bedding, hemp/linen pillows and flat prints exclusively in organic or sustainable materials. My favorite is the cove cream and cocoa organic duvet cover printed with non-toxic, water-based, eco-friendly dyes. Amenity or necessity? You decide.

for budding treehuggers

Strangely enough I learned about DwellStudio while reading about Jessica Alba'€™s baby shower in people magazine. The article mentioned the eco-friendly store The Little Seed, which sells their baby blankets. I love the modern design of the whimsical pattern for the stroller blanket gio in aqua for young zoologists or the blanket alphabet in pale blue for young writers. The latter happens to come in my favorite color combination chocolate brown and light blue. Both are made of 100% combed cotton.

Dwell Home Furnishings launched DwellStudio in November 2007 to combine the existing Dwell, Dwellbaby, Dwellkids and Dwelltables lines into one brand. Originally Dwell was mostly known for its contemporary prints and pattern in bedding which is no surprise since their creative director used to be the design director at portico New York and a fashion designer at Isaac Mizrahi. All of their products use low impact dyes that are formaldehyde-free.