Green Builder Magazine\'s VISION house for IBS 2011

1. Red, White + GREEN
By Patricia Gaylor
™
What’s red, white and green all over? This
year’s “Urban Farmhouse” from Green Builder©
Magazine. Sustainably built in Orlando, Florida
for this past January’s International Builder’s
Show, it was one of two great homes created
by Green Builder Magazine’s VISION
HOUSE™ series. I’ve blogged a little bit about
this home in the past, but wanted to share a few
aspects of the interiors. Simple in concept, and
designed with an open floor plan, it’s a hybrid of
both country and contemporary. And it’s not too
much of either, so the result is easy and
pleasant, neither heavy handed nor starkly
modern.
The exterior harkens back to southern country
style, with open porches and large, cottage
style windows. The red shutters not only add a
traditional flair, but secretly hide their true
function: they are actually incredibly strong
hurricane shutters. An EnergyStar™ silver

2. colored roof that looks like one found on an old
silo is also used as so siding on the side entry,
further enhancing the ‘farmhouse’ look.

4. The interior of the house is where is gets
GREEN. As the interior designer of the project,
it was my job to keep the inside as green and
sustainable as the outside. Nowadays, it’s not
as difficult as it used to be. The kitchen and
dining area, pictured below, boasts many
gorgeous green products.

5. Energy efficient appliances from Kitchen Aid
include an induction cook top, and an
EnergyStar ™ rated refrigerator and
dishwasher. Simple flat panel style cabinetry
from Merillat™ is made from plywood with no
added urea formaldehyde. Quartz countertops
from DeNova that look like modern concrete
add a decided modern flair and are
GreenGuard™ certified for good indoor air
quality. The engineered wood flooring from
Mohawk gives the appearance of a New York
City loft, due to the fact that’s its actually used
flooring salvaged from old buildings!

6. Some other green elements featured in this
home were the great pendant lights from
BARNWOOD ELECTRIC and the really cool
dining room table from MARTHA’S VINEYARD
FURNITURE that is made from dismantled
stadium bleacher seats. In the family room, the
fireplace wall was covered in DAL TILE’s
terrazzo tile, which is made from recycled
marble and stone chips and concrete. During
construction, there were so many wooden
pallets lying around, I decided to use some of
them to create the wooden shelving on either
side of the fireplace. There was a piece of
laminated floor joist left over from construction,
so I used that as a rough but hip looking
fireplace ‘mantle’.
I mentioned before that today, it’s easier to find
great green products. All of these beautiful
products featured are readily available in home
centers, online, or through local showrooms.
There’s great selections available at all price
points and styles, so there’s no compromise in
terms of design or cost.

7. Some years ago, when I first started talking
about sustainable interiors, I said that I wished
for a day when ‘green design’ would just be
called ‘good design’. That someday, there
wouldn’t be a giant rift between the two. I think
that day is here, and I’m looking forward to
what’s coming next.