Fabulous Floors

Artistry.  It’s what turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.   Making imaginative choices that are both healthful and stunning in their impact.  The floor above is a compilation of glass tiles, designed in a holistic home (mine) to support air quality and still add beauty and grace to the landing.  When you want to add pattern and punch to your room, the floor beneath your feet may be the very first place to look.

A painted wood floor is the elegant end note in this dining room.  The geometric design softly introduces an architectural element into a surface that is too often overlooked.

Wood floors are durable, beautiful, and never need to be boring!  For a healthy, holistic home, be sure to use eco-friendly wood with a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) designation, promoting responsible wood harvesting, or choose recycled wood that can be repurposed with non-VOC water-based finishes.

A compass rose graces the floor of this island home, an homage to its sea-faring history.  The compass rose is thought to have been coincidentally designed in a fashion that resembled the rose flower.  For old-time mariners, it helped to orient a map in the proper reading direction and gave relative directions for certain points on the chart.

This cherry floor simply glows.  It’s been hand-rubbed with fourteen coats of tea stain and coated with a non-toxic water-based urethane.  It’s as healthful as it is beautiful.

A product that I believe in is SafeCoat paints, stains, wood finishes, sealers and other green building products.  They use only high quality, very refined resins and raw materials to avoid residual chemicals that offgas and cause problems for people with allergies or sensitivities. The Center for Green Building, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has a wonderful website with a listing of SafeCoat products as well as other products that are safe for the people manufacturing them, safe for the people exposed to them, and safe for the environment.

Everyone deserves to live in a home without chemical offgassing, not just people who are allergic or sensitive.  People with chemical sensitivities are like the canaries in the mine shaft:  they react to smaller amounts of chemicals that are harmful to everyone.  It’s important to do the research.  The fact that a product has no Volatile Organic Compounds doesn’t necessarily mean it is free of toxic ingredients, such as formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is present in many products because it is very inexpensive and it works well as a preservative. SafeCoat’s standards preclude the use of formaldehyde in any form, which makes it safer for everyone.

For a complete set of instructions on transitioning to water-base from oil-base paints and finishes, visit their website tips pages. 

Once you know your wood floors meet the highest environmental standards, you can add softness underfoot with area rugs and runners.  Stars proclaim a love of all things nautical, and add casual comfort and a burst of color to this entry hall and staircase.

Organic wool carpets in charming designs pull all the elements of seaside colors together in this living room.  Sand, sea and sky were the inspiration for this delightful space.