flooring
Concrete floors. The ultimate multitasker, concrete floors are often both the finished floor and the structural floor too. Simplifying a complex flooring system to a single material is a smart, efficient and cost-effective solution. To green your concrete, you can increase the fly-ash content (a by-product of coal processing), but do so only if coal is processed in your region. Otherwise the environmental impacts of transporting the fly ash outweigh the benefits. Alternatively, consider adding recycled glass to reduce the amount of virgin aggregate used.
Terrazzo floors. Seemingly indestructable, terrazzo gets an A+ for durability, and also for its good looks. This material, made of chips of marble or granite set in concrete and polished, can score high for sustainability too if no- or low-VOC sealers and low-impact aggregates (like recycled glass) are used. Terrazzo's one shortcoming is that it can be tough to stand on for long periods of time.
This kitchen is a study in how to light a room properly. The focal point of this room is the hood on the wall over the range. The three pendants that are in line with that hood don't distract from it at all. Notice how the curved shapes of the pendants complement the curved shapes on the sides of the hood, the corbels below it and the valance on the hood's face. Add the curves on the back of the chairs and stools and a motif is born.
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