Home Awards: Best Green Remodel (continued)
Green ideas and fashion-forward style revive a West Coast condo
Coulter bought the 2,000-square-foot home two years ago after selling his holistic nutritional supplement business so he could dedicate himself full-time to his film career. What drew him was the inspirational view of the writers' bungalows on the adjacent 20th Century Fox lot. "It's my dream," Coulter says, "to get over to the other side of that fence." Vantage point aside, however, his new place needed work. Every detail glaringly betrayed its mid-1970s origins, including the white faux-velvet carpeting, diagonal wood-and-mirror paneling, a two-story lava-rock fireplace surround, and a spray-on acoustic popcorn ceiling. "Step one," Coulter says, "was pretty much to gut it from the floor up."
Before the demolition phase, Dennis and her team told Coulter: "Collect magazine pictures of interiors you like, so we know the look you want." After all, "green" comes in many guises. Coulter came back with lots of "hip, cool designs" featuring bright, open, white spaces accented by dark wood, nature-inspired soft blues and greens, and flashes of exuberant color, especially orange.
Once the place had been stripped of its disco-era trappings, Dennis opened up the main living area by replacing a "boxed-in" staircase with one that seems suspended in air, rising to an office where she substituted a shatterproof glass panel for its half-wall. "Those changes alone visually doubled the space," she says. The private areas now possess a more serenely open, natural feeling, too, thanks to ingenious yet subtle changes. The master bedroom features a Dennis-designed 7½-foot-tall frame of sustainably harvested wood that extends a foot beyond the king-size bed on all sides, creating a cozy room-within-a-room effect. Ecologically sound, aesthetically pleasing materials also transformed the adjoining bath.
The result more than fulfilled Coulter's green dreams. "It's a hip, healthy environment in which anyone would feel comfortable," says Dennis, adding, "After Adam moved back in, he sent three text messages in a row that read: 'It's amazing!'"
Why it's best
• Bamboo flooring. "Bamboo grows faster than trees -- seven years instead of 37! And it's a grass, so it's renewable. It keeps growing after you cut it."
• Furniture of sustainably grown wood. "Look for pieces certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)."
• Repurposed pieces. "When possible, reuse old furniture -- don't add it to landfill."
• Locally produced materials. "Consider the shipping distance materials have to travel, which also affects the environment."
-- Interior designer Lori Dennis, ASID
Click here to view the resources.
Sign up for the PointClickHome weekly newsletter
MORE RENOVATION INSPIRATION ARTICLES
