Many of you know that "going green" is a good thing. Simple things like switching the type of light bulbs you use, recycling and driving less are great ways to help the earth, but what about when it comes to remodeling? Building a new home or even redecorating can present challenges for using sustainable  materials. So today we thought we'd share with you a list of some of our favorite eco-friendly vendors. From fabric to flooring, these vendors are making green design accessible for all. Click on their links to learn more:

1. Lee Furniture: Stylish and sustainable furniture featuring soy based cushions, water-base finishes and FSC certified wood frames.

2. Benjamin Moore Natura Paint: A virtually odorless new line of paint that comes in endless color combinations with zero VOCs.

3. Enviroglas: This small business converts recycled glass and porcelain into elegant floors and countertops. With extreme durability and low maintenance, these sustainable surfaces will also add visual interest to any space.

4. Lumber Liquidators: This accessible company carries bamboo and cork flooring in a variety of finishes. Both materials are rapidly-renewable resources, providing more sustainability than traditional hardwood floors.

5. Robert Allen Pure Style: A line where at least 50% of the fibers in their fabrics are sustainable, organic and/or recycled, leaving an end product that is completey recyclable.

6. Interface Flooring: Carpet Broadloom and modular carpet tiles using natural and recycled content. Interface also practices the latest tech-science, Biomimicry, to take the first step towards becoming a fully-sustainable company.

TGIF :)

When most people think of wallpaper, images of old and dated florals from grandma's house may come to mind, but TGI would like to take this opportunity to defend wallpaper and introduce you to the new papers and styles of 2010! On a recent visit to the Duralee Showroom, we went through wings and wings of the latest papers from Thibaut Wallpapers and had to share with you some of our findings!

Full of color and texture, today's updated papers could easily serve as the inspiration for an entire room. We saw metallic and floral prints with large-scale patterns and subtle color palettes creating a more refined and sophisticated feel. These papers are fashionable and decorative without being over the top. We noticed famous designers like Candice Olson and Kelly Wearstler designing wallpaper lines in similar aesthetics as well. There now seems to be an understanding in the industry that wallpaper is coming back in a big, yet understated way.

Below are some of our favorite styles (click to enlarge):

These are the latest grasscloth papers that provide a warm texture in a modern way. In my opinion, textured wallcoverings like these bring so much more to a room than paint can offer.

When it comes to deciding which rooms to paper, I always recommend dressing up the showcase rooms in your home: the powder room and dining room. You can always get away with doing something a little different in these rooms, so select papers that amp up the style factor and have some fun!

Some other creative ways I love to see wallpaper are as a feature wall in a bedroom behind the bed or even on the ceiling! The wallpaper then becomes the focal point of the room and really makes a statement!

Here are some of the wallpaper samples we picked up from our latest showroom visit. My hands-down favorite is the champagne and oyster floral on the bottom right:

My hope is that this post helped to open some minds to the new possibilities in wallcoverings!

Enjoy the holiday weekend everyone :) TGIF!

This week at TGI we we had the task of specifying light fixtures for a client's new home. The search started for us by browsing the website of Circa Lighting, and we quickly fell in love with their beautiful and extensive line of fixtures. They have a great mix of elegant, classic and whimsical lights available in a variety of finishes, and needless to say, we're obsessed :)

Circa's pieces also help reflect the design aesthetic of TGI...defined best as an "updated-traditional." A refined style seen here in some of my favorite fixtures:

I think lighting is a great way to bring personality to a room, whether fun, soft, or dramatic, it can really set the tone for a space. It also acts as that finishing touch to a room, completing a look just as you would by adding jewelry to an outfit :)

Now something fun about Circa Lighting I've discovered through Twitter, is that they were featured throughout the latest Sex and the City movies! Each piece, like the SATC wardrobe, is a statement piece, and their fixtures really added to the overall style of the movie. So be on the lookout the next time you catch one of the flicks, and the next time you're looking to dress up a room, be sure to take a stroll through Circa Lighting's website!

TGIF :)

Tracy Garfield Interiors is growing! For the summer, MSU Junior, Alli Good will be joining me as an intern, assisting in my day-to-day business as TGI nears its one year anniversary. Recently, Alli was accepted into the upper-division of the MSU Interior Design program and I couldn't be more excited to have her on board! With a wonderful enthusiasm for design and a background in journalism, Alli will be taking over my social media networks as well as this very blog to keep you all informed with our recent happenings, finds, and project updates!  Be sure to check back next week for TGI's newest blog from Alli!

And don't forget to follow TGI on Twitter at @tracyginteriors and become a fan of Tracy Garfield Interiors on Facebook!

TGIF :)

One of the fun, new projects I’m working on right now is a bedroom makeover for a good friend of mine from high school. She hasn’t had her bedroom furniture or décor updated since she was just a little girl, so with her recent graduation from college, her mom thought it was about time to give her room a more modern, grown up look to reflect her new, grown up life.

We started this process by looking for furniture and defining our color palette. After pulling a few inspiration fabrics from the design center, she was drawn to a palette of black and white with a pop of aqua blue. With our new color scheme in mind, we then decided to have our furniture pieces act as our black and white and let the paint, throw pillows and table lamps be our accents of blue. In addition, we decided to incorporate accessories with silver mercury finishes to add a modern touch.

Next week we’ll be making our final decisions and begin placing orders, so I will keep you all updated on how the project is looking once we things get started. Until then I thought I’d share some images of the pieces we’re considering to get a better idea of the look we’re going for.

I’m very excited to be working on this project and help make this new bedroom a reality for a wonderful friend of mine. This should be one fun makeover!

Side Note: For followers of my most recent post, the laundry room project is nearly finished! We’re just waiting on artwork to be framed, so as soon as we get that in I’ll be putting pictures up for all of you to see the complete transformation!

One of the current projects I'm working on is the remodel of a laundry room. We’re looking to update the existing appliances and materials to make this a more clean, modern and organized space.

First we’ll be replacing the outdated washer and dryer with new, energy-efficient, front-loading units. Next, we’ll give the floor a face-lift by removing the existing linoleum with new 13” ceramic tiles in a variation of light neutral tones.  After the tile is in place we plan to paint the walls a light, pale yellow with new white trim woodwork to make this small space a little brighter.

The other additions we’ll be making to this room will be a foldout ironing board wall unit, a closet shelf system organizer, semi-flush mount light fixture and a roman shade for the window. The ironing board wall unit will be a great space saver and will eliminate the bulky collapsible ironing board currently being used. The new closet system organizer will have adjustable shelving to allow enough space for mops, brooms and vacuums to be stored upright, with smaller shelves for cleaning products running alongside. Having this new shelving system will be a great way to stay organized and ensure plenty of room for all necessary items. The new light fixture will be a semi-flush mount, dropping down a little bit lower than the existing fixture, to bring in an updated look and give added interest. Lastly, the new roman shade will provide a more modern window treatment and will help bring out our white and yellow color scheme. We plan on using a small-scale striped fabric that will look clean and tailored.

After all additions are in place we’ll plan on accessorizing with a linen fabric tack board, wire storage baskets, a small watercolor painting and some potted plants. Most of our project is already underway, with the new appliances, flooring, and paint job already complete. Once the project is finished I’ll be sure to post the “after” pictures. Stay tuned!

Yesterday was quite an exciting day for me, as I was invited to attend a reception for world-renowned designer, Barbara Barry. Ms. Barry is known for her elegant and extensive line of products, including furnishings, textiles, lighting and tile. She was at the Henredon Showroom to display her latest line of furniture, speak to the local designers, and answer all of our burning questions.

With her soft color palettes, subtle, curving lines, and impeccable tailoring, the Barbara Barry brand has become synonymous with sophistication. By ushering in this refined, new sense of glamor, Barbara has become a true stylemaker and an icon for designers like me. She has an authenticity about her and it is evident in everything she does. After admiring her work and the unique style she exudes, I was so delighted to hear that I would actually get the chance to meet and speak with Barbara herself.

During her speech to the 50 or so designers present, Barbara spoke of her travels, where she finds inspiration, and what she finds beautiful. She described to us how she pays attention to the simpler things, focusing on lines and shapes more than any trend or fad. She told us to always consider how everything will relate together, combining old and new and always adding a soul to your space. While she was speaking, I really loved how she related to all of us as peers and had a real, heartfelt sentiment to everything she was saying.

After her speech was over, she went around the room meeting with designers individually, taking pictures, and signing autographs. When my turn came, I told her that I was just starting out as a new designer and thanked her being an inspiration to me. Before I even had the chance to ask for advice, she grasped my hands and told me to always be confident in my decisions. She said I need to dress myself in that confidence and always carry myself that way. Barbara exuded a sincerity and warmth that was so lovely, and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to speak with her. I have taken all of her advice to heart and I am just so thankful for the brief words of wisdom she imparted on me. I won't soon forget this experience and all that I learned from it.

To end this entry, I thought I'd share with you one quote of hers from yesterday that really stuck with me. She was describing how in our industry, it can be hard to know if you're succeeding, with various awards and egos, it's difficult to define success. Here's how Barbara defined it:

"If you enjoy what you're doing, then you are successful."

So simply put and honest...I loved that.

Lately I've been working with a client to add the finishing touches to her master suite. She was looking to warm up the walls with a new paint color, add extra lighting, bring in new drapery & pillow fabrics, and add colorful accessories.

Our initial step was to select a paint color to coordinate with her existing bedding. We went with a warm, creamy netural, Carrington Beige, from Benjamin Moore.

 To add more lighting we decided to bring in a pair of double-arm wall sconces. These sconces will flank a dresser to provide more adequate lighting and make a timeless decorative statement as well.

While in the process of selecting fabrics, we went to a variety of showrooms at the Design Center as well as our local JoAnn Fabrics store. We were looking for fabrics to work with the soft creme and gold color palette in her existing bedding, as well as fabrics with a soft gray-blue accent color to tie in with the blue in the master bath. We were able to find fabrics we liked at both places, but as in any design project, we had some setbacks. Our first choice fabrics were either too expensive or out of stock, so we had to do a little extra research, but ended up with a mix of fabrics from both the low and high-end vendors that really work beautifully together.

Since making all of our selections, we've placed our fabric and light fixture orders, and are now awaiting their arrival. After the walls are painted, the sconces are installed, and the drapes and pillows sewn, all that's left to do is accessorize! I'm excited to see this project come to life and to help create a beautiful, restful and timeless space for my client to enjoy.

Stay tuned for more details and photos once our project is complete!