Bozena Chorazewicz

During my travels to Vienna, Austria, I was always intrigued by the buildings designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. You can imagine my amazement when I found out I can spend a few nights in a hotel, of which the exterior as well as interior was one of the last works of this famous Austrian painter and architect.

Hot Springs Village in Blumau (Styria) looks like a surreal city in the middle of a beautiful rural land. Round shapes, contrasting colors, oddly placed doors and windows, and green roofs are all Hundertwasser trademarks, recognizable worldwide (some of his projects are even in Japan and New Zealand).

In Hundertwasser's words:

"If man walks in nature's midst, then he is nature's guest and must learn to behave as a well-brought-up guest."

Hundertwasser's recognizable spirals, strong color contrasts, lack of straight corners, and mosaics are present everywhere - even in the hotel bathrooms. The art becomes an integral decoration, accessible on an everyday basis. The eco-friendly approach to nature and its beauty (green roofs, trees growing in the middle of buildings) stays up-to-date today, showing Hundertwasser's visionary approach to the applied arts and architecture.

Danish company Sort of Coal makes it possible for us to try a natural purification agent known for centuries in Japan and Korea: white charcoal.

Unlike common charcoal, white charcoal does not leave dust or residue. It is made by heating pieces of oak and bamboo over a seven-day period in an oxygen-lacking environment. The resulting product retains the original shape and unique beauty of the real wood.

White charcoal has been always used to purify air, water, and body.
Its great absorption ability makes it useful for getting rid of air pollution, unwanted smells, and moisture. When added to water, it will remove chlorine and other impurities, softening the water and improving the overall taste. Soap made with white charcoal powder cleans pores, absorbs impurities, and removes dead skin, helping to take care of acne-prone skin.
Charcoal pieces can also be placed near the computer or TV - they create natural anions, reducing harmful ionization.

White charcoal is reusable and recyclable. Its purification qualities can be reactivated through exposure to boiling water or direct sunlight for a few months up to a few years.
Once it is no longer functioning as a purifier, the charcoal can be broken into pieces and used as a soil amendment.

Some air and water purification products by Sort of Coal are available on the US market through Design Within Reach.

The Sort Of Coal website offers a full array of products: sticks for water and other liquid purification, charcoal cubes, stems and panels for air purification, white and black soaps, and Chi balancing jewelry.

My favorites are white charcoal sculptures, made from Korean oak. They refresh the air in living or commercial spaces (offices and restaurants) and help to balance Chi energy, positively influencing both our well-being and the environment.

Designed for Herman Miller by Yves Behar, creator of such remarkable designs like the Aliph Jawbone headset or red Toshiba laptop, the Leaf personal light is setting its own standards on the lighting market.

It is the first LED fixture that can provide both cool and warm light. As such, it uses only 8-9W (40% less than a 13W compact fluorescent lamp). It allows for 60,000-100,000 hours of use, which is about 8 times more than a conventional light bulb.
The LEDs usually generate significant amount of heat, but the Leaf is cool to the touch thanks to a special heat distribution system in the body of the fixture.

You can switch between cool light (task lighting) and warm light (mood lighting) and adjust the level of light by just sliding your finger. The Leaf will even remember the last selected setting for the next use.

The unique body that has a 37% recycled content and is 95% recyclable after the end of its lifetime, can be adjusted to folded position for reading and the arm can be straightened to lit up the whole room or illuminate the wall. And there are several colors (black, white, red, nickel and polished aluminum) to choose from, to coordinate with your decor.

Recently I stumbled upon a book in my library that I bought a while ago with an intention to read immediately, but never accomplished until now. The title says it all: "Good Green Homes: Creating Better Homes For a Healthier Planet" by Jennifer Roberts, with beautiful photography by Linda Svendsen.

This book is a great read for everyone wanting to find out what makes a home green. It explains the principles of green building in a way which I find easily understandable, and from now on I will use them to explain the concept to my design clients. I would also like to share them here on my blog.

So how do you approach the green building process in your own backyard? Here are the 7 paths to a good green home, according to the book's author:

1. "Know where you are" - your surroundings play a very important role when trying to find a starting point for your green project.
2. "Size matters" - bigger isn't always better when it comes to homes. The size of your living space should be dictated by your needs, not by the amount of stuff you own.
3. "You have the power" - take charge of how much and what kind of energy you use. Be smart: use natural heating and cooling, and find out where you're wasting energy.
4. "Build for today and tomorrow" - plan for a well-built home that will accommodate to your changing needs, and will be tough enough to withstand for many generations.
5. "Clean living: protecting our air and water" - be aware of air and water pollutants, and know ways to protect your environment from them. Know how to conserve water indoors and outdoors.
6. "Build a better wall" - know the alternatives to conventional building methods and materials, and their advantages.
7. "Use the right stuff" - find out what questions to ask when selecting products to use in your home.

I encourage you to read this book, especially since it is beautifully illustrated with photographs to show the different shades of green building. As the author says: " The goal is not creating a perfect home, but creating a better home. Small steps and the right attitude can lead to big changes." Couldn't agree more!