Generation Next
The new interior designers on the block not only have style to spare, they have an abiding commitment to the environment.
Photo: Michael Childers
MARK NICHOLS
Face it: All global warming altruism aside, the thought of eco-friendly design still conjures the bamboo-and-river-stone pastiche of countless spa-treatment rooms the world over. But Nichols, who studied interior design at UCLA, is the practitioner of a different kind of earth-friendly style: glamorous, modern, sophisticated. “There is a crunchy, Birkenstock-y sort of image that comes with the idea of a green interior,” explains the Palm Springs–based designer, who trumps that notion in the dining room shown here. Created in a model for Contempo Homes, a developer in the desert city, it sleekly blends a work by artist Gabriel Rivera and dining table and chairs from the Ambiente Collection with recycled-glass-flecked terrazzo floors and a chandelier from Artemide fitted with a dimmable fluorescent bulb. “If you do your homework you can find finishes and fixtures with a high level of refinement,” says Nichols—like the dining chairs’ fabric, which looks like a rich suede but is recycled polyester. Nichols designs with a rigorous thoughtfulness. “Everything must have a purpose,” he says, typifying the sensible approach of his two-year-old firm, which places environmentally aware practicality at the forefront and promises to help pave the path for a new kind of eco-decorating—with nary a Birkenstock in sight.
—Mario López-Cordero
Photo: Scott Van Dyke courtesy of Contempo Homes
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