Eco decor Homes & Tech

Green Design Inspo! Eco Furnishing Tips by Travis Nagle

By Chere Di Boscio

Travis Nagle knows about furniture. One of the founders of Medley, a company that allows clients to co-create eco-friendly furniture that’s tailor made for them and their space through hand-to-home craftsmanship made in Los Angeles, he also founded iconic eco-furniture shop Viesso back in 2005, which has been a favourite decor stop for conscious celebrities, socialites, and even graces the sets of a few TV shows!

Sustainably harvested woods or sheets of compressed bamboo plywood form the basis for all of Stem’s furnishings.  Toxic adhesives, which give off fumes that can harm your health, are never used, and upholstered pieces use textiles dyed with no harsh chemicals, and the glues, foams used are all non-toxic, too. Importantly, their beds (where we spend 1/3 of our lives) are made with latex, natural wool, jute and cotton.

We spoke to Travis to get his take on up and coming decor trends, why sustainable furniture is important, and some overall eco furnishing tips to help make your home more gorgeously green.

Why is eco-friendly furniture important to have in the home?

In general a lot of furniture is made with woods and other materials from sources that are not sustainable, and the products contain a lot of harmful chemicals that can potentially affect your health. Some polyurethane foams and adhesives contain some nasty toxins that can cause everything from headaches to organ damage, for example. These products are made cheaply as well, so then the items don’t last a long time and end up polluting the home as well as the planet long term.  It’s vital to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals by using natural and non-toxic materials. It’s important to know what you’re bringing into your home since these toxins can affect your health both short term and long term.

What’s the biggest mistake people make, in your opinion, when decorating their homes?

 Doing too much is one I see pretty often. Many people fill their homes with too many things, and sometimes keeping a little visual space can do wonders for overall feel. Also, when shopping don’t try and buy everything all at once if you’re furnishing a whole house. Start with the main items and then work through the supporting pieces.

What are some of the most important pieces of furniture in a house, and what’s the best way to choose them?

Usually the most important item is the sofa or sectional. It’s the centerpiece of the living area and really helps define the room. Plus, you spend a lot of time there so it’s worth it to make sure it has the right look and comfort. We offer customisation in terms of the fabric, sizing, and even fillings, which really helps each customer get exactly what they want. But even if that level of personalisation isn’t available, take the time to ensure the seat height and seat depth work for you, and that the fabric colour and texture is suitable for the space and usage long term.

What key design trends do you see for 2017?

Lighter colour woods are still a popular trend, as well as smaller scale pieces. Overall there’s a demand for a more natural look in terms of woods instead of metals. Mixing different styles is something we also see more of, with customers getting away from catalogs and full sets because they have access to so many products online. Instead of only mid-century or industrial for example, it’s nice to blend styles for a more balanced look.

Which furniture designers have most influenced you?

 In addition to some individual designers, I’m influenced by brands and how they approach business. For example, Patagonia and their sustainability efforts, or Warby Parker and their approach to retail experience. In terms of design, on a recent trip to Denmark and Sweden I was reminded how much I love the Scandinavian aesthetic with brands like Muuto and Hay. I went to the Danish Museum of Art and Design and learned how much Danish design was originally influenced by Japanese innovations. I love when cultures or design philosophies merge and create something new.

If you could decorate any celebrity’s home, whose would you choose and how would you furnish it?

 I think it would be fun to furnish Leo DiCaprio’s home. He’s a leader of sustainability efforts, so we could work in our all natural pieces. I also feel like he might entertain with dinner parties so I would make sure he has a very livable dining space with plenty of room for guests to mingle. I’m also guessing he watches a lot of movies, so we set him up with a low and loungy chaise sectional to enjoy the many hours of film in his future.

What’s the hardest thing about making eco friendly furniture?

 The most difficult part is keeping the costs down to make our furniture as accessible to as many people as possible. To source quality materials and build everything from scratch in the United States means we have more costs than items built cheaply or overseas. We think it’s worth it for a better product that will last a lifetime, but it can be tough to compete on price with other business models.

What are your top three design tips?

  1. Doing a little prep work like ordering samples and measuring your space can go a long way towards getting the right results.
  2. Emphasise function as well as the form so that you maximize the space in each room, and maintain good flow and flexibility.
  3. Use different textures with accents like rugs, pillows, or art to create character and contrast.

Any final thoughts on the future of sustainable furnishings?

It’s a really excited time in the world of furniture, there are a lot of smaller brands emerging and different ways that they each is approaching the industry. Furniture has typically been a late adopter of technology and innovation compared to other verticals like fashion, so it’s great to see a larger variety of designs and experiences available to empower consumers and their search for furniture.
For more information on eco friendly furniture, please click here.

This site uses affiliate links with brands we trust, and if you make a purchase using a link, we may receive a commission.

Did you enjoy this post? Want to show your gratitude? Please support us on Patreon!

Patreon logo Become a Patron

This site uses affiliate links with brands we trust, and if you make a purchase using a link, we may receive a commission.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Eco on the Inside: Campion Platt Interior Design

Apr 22, 2014

7 Tips For An Eco Friendly Interior Design Makeover

Sep 30, 2017

Dream House! The Peaceful Palisades Project

Mar 17, 2018

The Lap of Luxury: 3 Sustainable Homes on Water

Aug 7, 2016

Sustainability At Sea: The Iguana Commuter Yacht

Mar 25, 2018

Why Teak Is No Longer Chic

Mar 15, 2014

1 Comment

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Privacy Policy

    The Eluxe privacy policy applies to all your personal information, given and received. Personal information is information that might identify you, like your name, address, phone number, email, or website. When you visit our site, we may gather information about you such as your name, email, cookie information, and IP location. We may contact you regarding your preferences for information and updates. This information allows us to honour your requests for products and services and to improve our service to you. We never share or sell your personal information, unless we need to do so in order to provide a product, information or service that you have requested. Please note that no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% safe, thus, we cannot warrant that your information will be absolutely secure. Eluxe Magazine has a variety of safeguards – technical, administrative, and physical – in place to help protect against unauthorised access to, use, or disclosure of user information. We guarantee adherence to industry best practices that ensure complete security, and we fully comply with all federal regulations. If we change our privacy policy, we will tell you.

    Copyright

    All material on our site is original unless stated. Original content is fully copyrighted and may not be reproduced without permission. We make every effort to ensure all published images respect appropriate copyright. Should there be any issue, please contact us immediately.

    Third party links

    Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. These third party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.

    Eluxe Magazine uses affiliate links throughout the site. We may be compensated if readers click on those links. We only provide links to products and services we genuinely like and trust.

    Our Site will also occasionally contain links to, and quotations of, material from other sites. Eluxe Magazine is not responsible for the content or the privacy practices of other sites and expressly disclaims any liability arising out of such content or practices. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave Eluxe Magazine’s Site, and to read the privacy statements of any website that may collect personally identifiable information. Some of the links found on our site may be links that have been paid for by the sponsor. Under no circumstances does Eluxe Magazine accept responsibility for, nor shall Eluxe Magazine be liable for any violation of personal or proprietary rights of you and/or any third party (including, but not limited to, copyright, trademark, patent, service mark, misappropriation, unfair competition, trade secrets, privacy publicity rights, etc.), false advertising that is harmful, or violates any law or governmental regulation and/or any media that may constitute libel or slander of any person or entity or infringe upon or violate the right of privacy or any other right of any person or entity arising out of content, practices, or other media of any third party links.

    Eluxe Magazine is not responsible for the content or the privacy practices of other sites we link into and expressly disclaims any liability arising out of such content or practices. Under no circumstances does Eluxe Magazine accept responsibility for, nor shall Eluxe Magazine be liable for any damages or detriment arising out of content, practices, or other media of third party links.

    Editorial Statement and Disclaimer

    The views expressed at here are the views of the Eluxe staff and do not necessarily represent the views of Eluxe sponsors and/or partners. Eluxe content is for informational and entertainment purposes, and any views expressed should not be accepted as a substitute for qualified expertise. Though we make every effort to provide accurate information, it is up to you, the reader, to use Eluxe’s content responsibly; in return, we promise to publish responsibly. We stand by our content, our writers, and our editors. In the rare case we make a mistake, we will take whatever reasonable course of action we can to acknowledge and correct it.

    Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

    EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE SITE, CONTENT, PRODUCTS AND/OR SERVICES ON THE SITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW AND EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, TGT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. ELUXE MAGAZINE DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT ANY DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE SITE OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES THE SITE AVAILABLE ARE FREE FROM VIRUSES OR ANYTHING ELSE HARMFUL. FURTHER, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, ELUXE MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, USEFULNESS, RELIABILITY, OR COMPLETENESS OF THE SITE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, CONTENT, THE CONTENT OF ANY THIRD-PARTY SITE LINKED TO OR FROM THIS SITE, COMMENTS, INFORMATION, INFORMATION PROVIDED BY OUR VENDORS, OR ANY OTHER ITEMS OR MATERIALS ON THE SITE OR LINKED TO FROM THE SITE.

    ELUXE ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR (A) ANY, ERRORS, MISTAKES OR INACCURACIES OF THE CONTENT, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, INFORMATION, SITE AND MATERIALS SET FORTH ON OR MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE, (B) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SITE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES OR ANY THIRD PARTY SITE(S), PRODUCTS OR SERVICES, (C) ANY UNAUTHORISED ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SERVERS THAT HOST THE SITE OR ANY THIRD PARTY SITE(S) AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN, (D) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SITE OR THIRD PARTY SITE(S), (E) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES OR THE LIKE, WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY THIRD PARTY SITE(S) BY TGT OR ANY THIRD PARTY, AND/OR (F) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE NETWORK OR ANY CONTENT, INFORMATION AND MATERIALS (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THIRD PARTY SITE(S)) OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY OF THE FOREGOING.

    NO PERSON (INCLUDING ANY AGENT, DEALER OR REPRESENTATIVE OF ELUXE MAGAZINE) IS AUTHORISED TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY CONCERNING PRODUCTS AND BY USING THIS SITE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NOT RELIED ON ANY OTHER WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS.

    IN NO EVENT SHALL ELUXE OR ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, VENDORS, MANUFACTURERS OR DISTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA, REVENUE OR PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH (A) THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE; (B) THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, PRODUCTS, MATERIALS, CONTENT, OR SOFTWARE AVAILABLE FROM, ON OR THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITE(S); OR (C) THE CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OF THE SITE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF ELUXE MAGAZINE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. YOU ASSUME COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR USE OF THE SITE. YOUR SOLE REMEDY AGAINST TGT FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SITE OR ANY CONTENT IS TO STOP USING THE WEBSITE. THAT SAID, IF ELUXE MAGAZINE IS FOUND TO BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGE OR LOSS ARISING OUT OF OR WHICH IS IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR USE OF THE SITE, ANY CONTENT, OR PURCHASE OF ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES ON OR THROUGH THE SITE, ELUXE MAGAZINE’S LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED $100.00 IN THE AGGREGATE.

    These Terms of Service (together with our Privacy Policy, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference and which can be accessed on this Site, and any other terms that may appear on the Site from time-to-time) contain the entire understanding between you and us with respect to your use and access of this Site, and supersede all prior agreements, terms, conditions and understandings, both written and oral, with respect to such use and access of the Site. No representation, statement or inducement, whether oral or written, not contained in these Terms of Service (and any other terms that may appear on the Site from time-to-time) or the Privacy Policy shall bind any party to this agreement. No additional or different terms or conditions will be binding upon us unless expressly agreed to in writing by an officer of ELUXE MAGAZINE. No other representative has any authority to waive, alter, vary or add to these Terms of Service. Before using this Site please read through all referenced documents carefully.

    Aggregate information (non-personally identifiable information)

    Eluxe Magazine may, from time to time, automatically collect aggregate information about our visitors to our advertisers, sponsors, promotional partners and affiliates. This aggregate information includes, but is not limited to, IP addresses connecting to our site, how many persons visited a particular page or activity, dates and times of image uploads, device characteristics, operating system, browser type, type of connection, page and image viewing statistics, and incoming and outgoing links.

    Like most websites, we use log files to store this information. None of this automatically collected technical information is associated with any identified person at the time it is collected, but it could be associated with you under two circumstances: First, if you choose to give us personal data about you as described above, the technical information we collect that would otherwise be anonymous could instead be logged as coming from you. Second, if we are required to disclose our server logs as a result of a subpoena or other legal process, some third party such as your internet provider could match our anonymous technical information with you, using information beyond what is found on our servers.

    Eluxe Magazine may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, or other anonymous tracking information to improve our server’s interaction with your computer, and we may partner with third party advertisers who may (themselves or through their partners) place or recognise a unique cookie on your browser. These cookies enable more customised ads, content, or services to be provided to you. To trigger these cookies, we may pass an encrypted or “hashed” (non-human readable) identifier corresponding to your email address to a Web advertising partner, who may place a cookie on your computer. No personally identifiable information is on, or is connected to, these cookies. Although our servers currently don’t respond to “do-not-track” requests (see below), you can block these cookies in other ways, for example by searching “[your browser] + disable cookies.”

    Eluxe Magazine will never share, sell, lease, or rent PII to unaffiliated third parties, except in the following circumstances:

    a) If we have a good faith belief that we must disclose such information for legal reasons, such as to enforce our Terms of Service, protect or assert the rights, property interests, or personal safety of Eluxe (including its employees, directors, suppliers, distributors, service providers, users of the Website or others), or if we are otherwise required to disclose such information by law. We will disclose information only to the extent necessary to comply with the purpose of the request.

    b) We may share aggregate, anonymous or summary information regarding our customers and their behaviors with partners, advertisers or other third parties. This data is not personal information and so will not identify you personally. We may share information with companies that provide support services to us, such as a printer, mailing house, fulfillment-company, credit card processor, email service provider or web host, amongst others. These parties may need personal information about you in order to perform their functions. However, these parties may not use any personal information we share with them about you for any other purpose other than in connection with performing supporting functions for us.

    You have the right at any time to prevent us from contacting you for marketing purposes. If and when we send a promotional communication to a user, the user can opt out of further promotional communications by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in each promotional e-mail. Please note that notwithstanding the promotional preferences you indicate by unsubscribing or opting out in some other fashion, we may continue to send you administrative emails including, for example, periodic updates to our Privacy Policy.

    In order to access a profile on Eluxe Magazine’s shop, you must first create an account with a username and password. The registration system requires that a valid email address be used to confirm the account. You should choose a username that does not include your last name and does not specify your city or your address. Eluxe Magazine asks that you use your first name only, or an alias, for your display name. This is to safeguard your privacy and protection. We do not use and cannot access this information.

    Eluxe Magazine is 100% opposed to unsolicited commercial email (“spam”). We do not have any desire to send unsolicited marketing emails to anyone without permission and we do not sell or provide user email addresses to any unauthorised third party in violation of this Policy. All of our newsletters and other general email marketing communications also include an “unsubscribe” opt-out link that you may use to tell us to stop sending you marketing emails.

    In the event of a change in control resulting from, for example, a sale to, or merger with, another entity, or in the event of a sale of assets or a bankruptcy, Eluxe Magazine reserves the right to transfer your personal information to the new party in control, or the party acquiring assets. We will only do so if the party we transfer the information to agrees that they will abide by our Privacy Policy for as long as they hold the information, and that they will not transfer the information to any other party who will not abide by our Privacy Policy.

    We use third-party advertising companies to deliver online advertising. These companies facilitate the delivery of ads, conduct market research, and use cookies for record-keeping purposes. These cookies sometimes enable the companies to serve you ads tailored to things you have shown an interest in based on your prior web activity. This is generally known as behavioral advertising. For example, this means that if you frequently read movie reviews online, it is possible that you might see ads on other websites relating to upcoming movies. Online advertising companies generally conduct this activity in an anonymous format, with online information not combined with information that would allow for your identification.

    The third-party companies that will be serving advertisements on Eluxe Magazine may include DoubleClick, Google and Taboola.

    We may periodically modify, alter, or update these policies. We will alert users to any material changes to this policy by posting the revised information here. We encourage you to review our Privacy Policy on a regular basis to stay informed about how we are protecting the personal information we collect. Your continued use of TGT’s website constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Policy and any future updates.

    The third-party companies that will be serving advertisements on Eluxe Magazine may include but are absolutely not limited to: DoubleClick, ShareThis, Skimlinks, Google, Taboola and more.

    If you wish to opt out of these cookie options, please stop using this site immediately and change your browser settings. Here are more tips to help you avoid cookies.

    This site uses affiliate links with brands we trust, and if you make a purchase using a link, we may receive a commission.

    Did you enjoy this post? Want to show your gratitude? Please support us on Patreon!

    Patreon logo Become a Patron

    Powered by Ninja Popups

    By entering any Eluxe Magazine contest, you agree to abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Eluxe Magazine, which are final and binding in all respects.

    Contest Eligibility

    Eluxe Magazine Contests are open to anyone who is eighteen (18) years of age at the time of entry. Employees, officers, and directors of Sirius, their respective partners, agencies, related companies, and agents, as well as the immediate family (defined as parents, spouse, children, siblings, and grandparents), and same household members of such employee, officer, and director, are not eligible to enter.

    Contest Entry

    The specific contest entry requirements will vary with each contest. All entries must be made in conformance with the relevant contest’s requirements. Non-conforming entries will be rejected and ineligible for contest prizes. Any entrant using fraudulent means to participate and/or win the contest will be disqualified. Any attempt by an entrant to undermine the legitimate operation of the context may be a violation of criminal and civil laws.
    Eluxe Magazine reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, modify, terminate, or suspend a contest for any reason and without prior notice. In such case, Eluxe Magazine may, as appropriate under the circumstances, select a contest winner via reasonable means consistent with the specific contest.

    Winner Selection and Notification

    The odds of winning vary from contest to contest. The winning entry or entries for a contest will be selected in compliance with the terms of the specific contest. Eluxe Magazine’s competition partners will contact contest winners by email to confirm a winning entry.

    The potential contest winner will forfeit the prize if he/she (1) does not respond to the initial notification email or return any required information within 10 business days, (2) cannot be contacted at his/her listed email address, (3) rejects the prize or the prize is returned as undeliverable, or (4) is disqualified for any reason. In the event of prize forfeiture, an alternate winner will be selected.

    Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes and all unspecified expenses or fees associated with prize acceptance, receipt, and use. Prizes may not be substituted or transferred by any contest winner and a winner may not receive cash redemption equal to the value of the prize in lieu of the prize. Eluxe Magazine reserves the right to substitute alternate prizes of equal or comparable value. Prizes are offered “as is” with no written, express, or implied warranty, including but not limited to, quality, condition, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. Eluxe Magazine is not responsible for replacing prizes as a result of damage prior to, during, or after shipping or events beyond Eluxe Magazine’s control. Winners must look to the manufacturer or service provider for any potential warranties or guarantees.

    Release

    By entering a contest and, if applicable, receipt of any prize, each entrant and, as applicable, winner agrees to release and hold harmless Eluxe Magazine and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in a contest or any contest-related activity, or from the receipt or use or misuse of any prize, including claims or causes of action related to alleged damage to an entrant’s computer or electronic systems from downloading or using any material from Eluxe Magazine’s website, regardless of whether the material is connected to Eluxe Magazine’s website by a hyperlink text.

    Use of Collected Data

    Eluxe Magazine will collect personal data about entrants for purposes of administering contests. By entering into a contest, entrants agree to Eluxe Magazine’s collection and usage of their personal information. Eluxe Magazine does not, and will not, disclose entrants’ personal information to non-affiliated third-parties.

    This site uses affiliate links with brands we trust, and if you make a purchase using a link, we may receive a commission.

    Did you enjoy this post? Want to show your gratitude? Please support us on Patreon!

    Patreon logo Become a Patron

    Powered by Ninja Popups