My New Green Consulting Services

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Spring has always been known as a time of renewal, as the earth is undergoing its annual season of regeneration. That’s why I chose spring as the time to introduce my newest client-focused service, Dujardin Design Green Consulting Services. This is a new way to work with me that focuses on the sustainable, “green” changes we can make together.

 

 

 

Improving our homes and lifestyles comes naturally in the spring, as we begin spring cleaning and look for renewal in body, mind, and spirit.  There are risks posed to our health by the more than 80,000 untested chemicals used in our society, but we have an opportunity to create a sanctuary for ourselves and our families–one where the air is pure, and our exposure to potentially dangerous products is reduced, if not completely eliminated.

 

 

 

As a LEED-accredited Professional with a specialty in Interior Design and Construction (LEED AP + ID +C), as well as an ASID Fellow (FASID), and a Design Futures Fellow,  I’ve made education a lifelong endeavor. I’m an interior designer as well as an adjunct professor, blogger, columnist, author and speaker.  I’ve dedicated my life to creating distinctive interiors for my clients, while teaching people how to make their homes a place of sanctuary.

 

 

One by-product of “green” or “sustainable” design is healthy indoor air quality. One way I help my clients create clean air is by carefully choosing natural, organic furnishings and materials that have a minimal impact on the environment, both inside and out. Dujardin Design Green Consulting Services is the next step for me in helping people live more beautiful, healthier lives.

 

 

My design projects around the globe have shown me that vibrant health is yours to choose, and it begins at home!  If you feel overwhelmed, fatigued, and stressed, your home may be contributing to your feeling of being out of balance. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) may have accumulated in the well-insulated rooms, and stagnant air may be compounding their effects.

 

 

How do I know this?  Years of exposure to highly chemical environments left me feeling less than my best. My own dip into ill health convinced me that there was SOMETHING I could do to help myself. Once I learned what it was, I wanted to help other people find the answer, too. That’s why I wrote my book, Comfort Zone: Creating the Eco-Elegant Interior. 

 

 

My new consulting services are designed to offer you the flexibility to make your home as eco-friendly as you wish, always combined with luxurious beauty and comfort. Three levels of design–light, medium, or deep green–let you choose just how sustainable you’d like your surroundings to be. Anything is possible, from choosing an organic fabric for throw pillows to a complete home design.

 

Photo credit: Jeff Allen

How we furnish our homes, what we choose to eat, what we buy to wear, and what we throw away all MATTERS!  By being as intentional in your choices for your home as you are in your life, you’ll find a new surge of energy and happiness. You’ll eat better, sleep better, live better!

After working with me, clients tell me they love the new feeling of serenity in their homes. Some say it feels like a breath of fresh air!

 

 

Come visit  my website, where Dujardin Design Green Consulting Services are explained in more detail. Or call me for a free consultation that WILL change your life! My grateful clients tell me I improve and inspire their lives.  I can’t wait to meet you and show you how I can help.

Westport CT

203-838-8100

Nantucket MA

508-228-1120

Painting the Town Green!

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EnviroSafe paints used on these interior walls set off the vintage tin sand toys, a whimsical touch.

Your health isn’t bordered by your body.” —Michael Pollan

  According to the EPA, one of the top five hazards to human health is indoor air. Research teams there have found that pollutants can be two to five times higher inside your home than outside, regardless of whether you live in a rural or highly industrial area.  After an activity like paint stripping, toxic chemicals can test 1,000 times higher indoors than outdoors.

If that surprises you, consider the hundreds of gallons of paints and finishes used over the lifetime of your home, from floor to ceiling, and from wall to wall. As those paints and finishes  “off-gas, ” they may be releasing a variety of chemicals and toxic by-products, and the air in your home suffers.  Your health may suffer as well.

Paints with high concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have been used for years.  That just-painted smell in a new or renovated house is actually the off-gassing of chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, toluene and zylene.  The fumes from these paints last far longer than the odor, however, as can fumes from floor stains and finishes, sealants and caulks.  Harmful fumes can even leak from closed containers, which is why it is recommended that you only buy the amount of product you’re going to use, and never store leftover products inside your home.

As a designer, I’ve spent my life creating homes for my clients that are as healthy as they are beautiful. I believe that a healthy home is the ultimate luxury.  I’m also concerned for the health of the workers who are exposed on a daily basis to chemicals that leave them with headaches, fatigue and asthma.  My commitment to environmental awareness, both personally and professionally, has led me to find highly effective products that protect the health of humans and homes alike.

In renovating my new home on Nantucket Island, I used No VOC paints from EnviroSafe on all interior surfaces, as they are specially formulated for clean air and healthy interior environments.  That’s more important than ever in today’s airtight, energy-efficient homes.

I’m delighted that consumer demand has led to the development of many new, healthier products, including Low Odor or Low VOC paint, Zero VOC paint, and non-toxic or natural paints.  Low VOC products use water as a carrier instead of petroleum-based solvents, reducing the levels of heavy metals and formaldehyde.  Look for paints with the Green Seal Standard, which certifies that they meet certain industry standards for VOCs.

Green Seal is an independent, non-profit group that sets standards for environmentally responsible, or “green” products.  Do be aware, however, that even low VOC paints can contain toxins like fungicides and biocides, chemicals that are used to prevent mildew growth and extend the shelf life of the product.  What sets EnviroSafe apart is that they have no fungicides or biocides at all. They were one of the very first companies to create a line of No VOC paints for their chemically sensitive customers.  Since municipal tap water has been found to contain VOCs in just about every major metropolitan area throughout America, the water EnviroSafe uses in their paints is pure, filtered water pumped from a private well located in a rural area.

Their paints are available in a wide spectrum of colors, but since it’s made in small batches, you may need to plan ahead when ordering.  You can reach EnviroSafe at 830-232-6467.

We can’t make toxins vanish into thin air, but we can do a lot to improve the air we breathe when we’re home with family and friends.  Visit my website at www.dujardindesign.com to see luxurious examples of eco-elegance.  A healthy, beautiful home is possible for all of us.