The Navy 111 Chair - from recycled bottles

What does Coca-Cola, Interior Design and the Environment have in common?

After four years of research, design and materials testing, Coca Cola and Emeco have given birth to the fabulous Navy 111 Chair.  What great news for us interior decorator loving folks?  It is a remake of the ultra modern and classic Navy Chair made in 1944 only this time, it has been designed to use materials that have already been though at least one round of use - plastic Coke bottles.  The Navy 111 Chair is expected to keep 3 million PET bottles out of the landfills each year.  What is PET you say?  It is the common way of saying thermoplastic polymer resin (and the polymer family) which is mostly used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers and some engineering resins that are combined with glass fiber. Much better to put those PET bottles into something that is usable - rather than the landfills, which are growing taller each hour of the day.  Not only is the chair made of re-used plastic materials, but it's super durable and functions outdoors as well. Beat that, Pepsi.  

Check out the chair for yourself - sold a Design Within Reach  http://www.dwr.com/home.do
Or, if you'd like - go to the DSW home page and read all about the Navy 111 Chair promotion.

Stamped & Stained Concrete

Concrete has an impressive record for strength, durability, and cost effectiveness in a variety of applications including floors, walkways, patios and driveways. Concrete floors are found in many residential settings, from high-rise condominiums to basements. Interior concrete is most commonly covered with carpet, hardwood sleepers, tile or other flooring materials.

A popular alternative to covering concrete is to make the surface more decorative and functional. Concrete can be treated with stains or pigments to create a rich variety of hues and textures, or it can be stamped with patterns to mimic natural surfaces from flag stone to pavers and brick. The result is an astonishing floor finish with the durability, economy, and practicality of concrete.

Decorative finishes can be applied to existing or new slabs. Finishes can last the lifetime of the concrete and are durable, sanitary, and easy to maintain. A wide range of patterns are possible. The treatment may be as simple as coloring walkways to match architectural features or to better blend with the landscape. If the look of natural materials is preferred, a slab might be stamped to create the appearance of slate or granite, complete with subtle color shifts, surface texture, and real grout placed in the formed joints between the pavers. A stained and scored surface can replicate terra cotta tile, or present a colorful palette of intersecting shapes.

Concrete Surfacing & Pigments

An increasingly popular application for concrete surfacing and pigments involves interior concrete countertops and decorative amenities. To create the beautiful colors, a pigment is applied at the time the concrete is placed. A rich and pure pigment may also be added in the concrete batch from the start. Integral pigments are widely used for concrete countertops, caps and other applications where other forms of coloring techniques would be less successful. Pricing is usually per pound of material and varies for each color. A special design mix such as White Portland cement may be necessary to achieve certain colors and can have a significant impact on the pricing of the overall project, so colors must be chosen judiciously.

::: Happy 40th Earth Day Anniversary :::

For all friends who care about our environment..... think about your actions and their affects, especially today. For today, a small tidbit about those things called trees.

• One tree can absorb more than a ton of carbon dioxide
• Over the course of 50 years, a single tree can control $31,500 of soil erosion.
• Trees help maintain clean water supplies.
• One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen a year.

My math says our trees will help produce 2,527,720 pounds of oxygen in the next year. Thanks to everyone reading for helping the world breath a little bit easier.

Want your grass to begin growing in 5 to 7 days? Try Hydro-seeding.

Hydro-seeding is a process of mixing seed, fertilizer, tackifier and wood or paper fiber-mulch with water in correct proportions inside a tank, then spraying the mixture onto designated lawn areas. It is recommended to use wood mulch in the mixture, as it is a far superior product in retaining moisture longer than paper mulch. The reason hydro-seeding works so well is because it is suspended in a nutrient rich slurry. The contact of the seed with the water in the machine triggers the germination cycle. The mulch layer seals in the moisture, holds the soil in place, and acts like a mini-greenhouse effect. The seed is an ideal depth for good results. These conditions produce a lush lawn in a short amount of time. Hydro-seeding can be used in new construction projects as well as in replacing old, expired lawns quickly and easily. You can have a beautiful, healthy, durable lawn at a fraction of the cost of sodding. Hydroseeding is widely used in the residential market with the first signs of grass showing after 5 to 7 days. Your first mowing should be approximately three to four weeks after seeding. Hydroseeding provides flexibility for homeowners needing different varieties of seed while at the same time being environmentally friendly.