Going green isn't always easy. Sure, you've fixed that leaking faucet in the bathroom, swapped your light bulbs for the energy-saving fluorescent variety, and even trained the kids to take shorter showers - sort of.
But where do you go from there?
Outside of growing your own vegetables or weaving raw hemp into aloha shirts, a lot of folks run out of gas when it comes to practical ideas?
We recently dropped by several Oahu stores specializing in earth-friendly products that promise to leave a smaller "carbon footprint on the aina."
In the process, we discovered hundreds of attractive home furnishings that would win Mother Nature's approval.
Many were strokes of genius, while a few left us scratching our heads in disbelief.
First stop, Design Within Reach
Despite opening its doors at Ala Moana Center less than five weeks ago, this boutique-sized design studio is already generating a buzz with its selection of cutting-edge accessories.
Curtis Lee, DWR's studio proprietor in Honolulu, describes the store's offerings as an "eclectic mix of mid-century classics with worldwide, iconic appeal."
He wasn't kidding. Display items at DWR combine form with function and range from designer lamp shades and low-profile tables crafted from sustainable teak . . . to egg-shaped birdfeeders, collapsible bikes and playful "jellyfish" chairs in eye-catching orange.
"Nearly all of our display items are earth-friendly, including our Hudson chair, which was originally designed in 1944 for use on World War II submarines," notes Lee. "The chair is manufactured from recycled aluminum, has a tensile strength three times stronger than steel and an estimated life span of 150 years."
At first glance, the $1,065 price tag might seem a bit staggering. But think of it this way - a nearly indestructible Hudson chair won't be taking up precious landfill space out Waianae way until the year 2158.
For casual living, DWR offers dozens of accents crafted from "natural" products, including pendant lamps ($500) woven from Australian hoop pine, renewable cork coffee tables ($385), and multi-colored ottomans ($350) made from shredded flip-flops. The designer must have had a sense of humor, because the Miss Rio Ottoman looks strikingly similar to a giant Koosh Ball.
To house all these treasures, Lee suggests turning to the K3 Kithaus - a free-standing, prefabricated, prewired room that can serve as a quiet garden retreat, home office, exercise studio or a poolside cabana.
The Kithaus ($40,000) is a 9-by-13-foot structure made from lightweight, anodized aluminum with decking, louvers, canopies and interior finishes crafted from renewable ipe hardwood from Brazil.
Head ewa to Waipahu
Although 1st Look Exteriors is best known for eco-friendly furniture, lighting and water features that make the most of Hawaii' s outdoor lifestyle, many of its items are equally at home behind closed doors.
What's really surprising, however, is to discover how many of its showroom items are made from mildew-resistant milk jugs, recycled copper and glass, simple rice hulls or plantation-certified wood.
To give your covered lanai or family room an eco-design makeover, the 1st Look showroom offers a sophisticated line of modular furniture - low back chairs, tables, twinseaters and couches from Jensen Jarrah - that's well suited for tropical living.
In terms of style and comfort, The Summer Lounge Seating Group is a modern-day version of the casual plantation-style furniture popularized in Hawaii during the 1940s and '50s. But instead of being crafted from Island koa, the streamlined Jensen collection is made from renewable Australian jarrah.
According to showroom manager Debbie Rios, "Wood from a jarrah tree features a fine, variable grain with colors that range from a rich reddish brown to a soft salmon pink. And thanks to its hardwood properties, jarrah is resistant to weather, rot, termites and marine bores." The timber, she says, is prized as a sustainable resource and harvesting is strictly controlled by the government of Western Australia.
The showroom also displays attractive garden furniture made from plastic milk bottles, including Adirondack-style chairs, chaise lounges and tables.
One of 1st Look's most ingenious items is light2go ($60), which Rios regards as the "ultimate housewarming gift for serious tree huggers."
Even its packaging pulls double duty as a translucent lampshade. Both the electric cord and bulb are recyclable, and the assembly instructions for this origami-style fixture are printed on recycled paper using environmentally friendly inks.
Green thumb enthusiasts, who enjoy nurturing flowers, fresh seedlings and indoor plants, are likely to gravitate toward Greenpots ($8).
"These earth-friendly garden containers are made from bio-degradable rice hulls and easily decompose in backyard compost heaps," explains Rios. "They're also sturdy and lightweight, making them practical alternatives to plastic or heavy ceramic garden containers."
For keiki, 1st Look Exteriors carries pint-size furniture called Ecopots that's constructed without metal nails or hinges that can pinch small fingers. The connections are simple mortise and tenon systems that slip together seamlessly, much like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. An eco-friendly birch wood set of a table and two stools ($450) comes in four decorative colors. All three pieces fold flat for easy storage.
In the heart of Kaka'ako
Going green with interior decorating can also mean incorporating the hidden treasures of a past generation or another culture into your decorating scheme. And the more that kama'aina recycle and reuse existing home accents, the less energy is wasted making replacements.
Bali Aga owner Luis Gamarra began importing fine, yet affordable, Asian furnishing to the Islands seven years ago. Many of his pieces are made from reclaimed railroad ties, window shutters, thick-beam rafters and intricately carved door frames.
Today, his two-story showroom serves as a source of decorating ideas for both homeowners and commercial designers.
"Our Indonesian furnishings are either reclaimed or made with natural materials such as teak, suar or acacia," says Gamarra. "No rain forests are toppled, no chemical dyes are used and no precious landfill space is being consumed to produce them. Every bench, chair, table and armoire is given a second life without being harmful to the environment."
Gamarra, who was born in Lima, Peru, points to a whitewashed alter table ($750), calling attention to multiple dents and dings that came from years of day-to-day use in Indonesia.
"Look at the beauty of the wood. This comes from real life. People were using this hand-carved table nearly a century ago and its beauty will only increase with time," he says.
Throughout the Bali Aga showroom are other examples of time worn beauty: Camphor wood statues of Asian gods and goddesses, ironwood serving dishes in the shape of hornbill from Sarawak, rustic wooden stools inlaid with fragrant cinnamon shavings, yolk-back armchairs, ornate cupboards for displaying Island collectibles and natural-fiber throw pillows with prices starting under $30.
"Why should we discard these handcrafted items when they complement our Island lifestyle so beautifully?" Gamarra asks rhetorically.
Hidden treasures in Iwilei
Baik Designs at the Gentry Design Center is another source of furnishings from Jakarta, Borneo, Sumatra and other distant ports of call.
For serious designers, the gallery is a treasure trove of ornate cabinets, hand-carved canoe paddles, Indonesian shadow puppets, wall-sized Gebyok mirrors framed in teak and ceremonial dragon bowls priced at $45 each.
"Rather than reproductions, Baik imports authentic artwork and furnishings that once graced the homes, temples and villages of Southeast Asia, as well as the estates of wealthy plantation owners," says Chad Tseu, whose parents - Edward and Linda Tseu - launched the family-owned business 18 years ago.
Gilded statues from Burma, canopied day beds from Borneo draped in mosquito netting, decorative gongs suspended from wooden frames and garden temples chiseled from solid blocks of stone are among Baik's museum-quality selections.
"One of our oldest items," notes Chad, is an elegant celadon jar from Borneo that was once used to store salted eggs during the Sung Dynasty more than 300 years ago."
A small tag attached to the base of the ceramic artifact reveals an asking price of $2,600.
Off to one side of the gallery stands a strikingly handsome double-door entry carved from teak and accented by an imposing skeleton key lock and a pair of weathered metal pull rings. At $5,300, it's a piece of artwork that could easily grace a mural-sized wall in any of Oahu's beachfront mega-mansions.
Of course, embracing a "green lifestyle" doesn't require anyone to surround themselves with ancient artifacts or settle for cast-off furniture that looks like beat-up junk.
Being earth-friendly doesn't even require you to hug a tree or light a lava lamp.
When it's time to refurnish your home, however, Mother Nature is hoping that we all adopt the three Rs of "going green" - reclaim, reuse and recycle for the good of Hawaii and the planet.
HS
