The Cool Pepper » interior design

The Triple Bottom Line and Green Interior Design

Jackson — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:48:11 +0000

The term was coined by John Elkington in 1998 and was adopted by the UN in 2007. The triple bottom line has now become a standard method for looking at the success (or otherwise) of organizations. It is sometimes abbreviated into ‘TBL’ or ‘3BL’. It signals a paradigm shift in the way society views enterprises and can be used to describe the purpose of green interior design.

Humanity is at a crossroads. Since the Industrial Revolution started over 200 years ago we have willfully ignored the human and environmental cost of economic expansion. Business has been allowed to consume vast amounts of natural resources; it has had a virtual carte blanche to pollute; and globalization is just the latest vindication of exploitation. It is OK to pay workers less money in developing countries because it improves the bottom line. It is a shame about deforestation but a healthy profit has been turned. It is a shame about all the mercury, particulates and other poisons in the air and water but it gives people jobs. Under the scheme of the triple bottom line this has all changed.

In the West we spend 90% of our lives indoors. The residential sector consumes a third of total energy production. It therefore makes sense to apply the triple bottom line to our home lives, taking into account human costs as well as economic ones.

Putting people’s health first means choosing materials and furniture that don’t contain toxic chemicals such as VOCs. It also means designing interiors that lower the incidence rate of allergic reactions. Green interior design can advise about VOC free products and hypoallergenic furniture and flooring.

Making housing more environmentally friendly is a challenge for sustainability. It is about taking into account the carbon cost of building and maintaining a house. It is about careful husbandry of natural resources and showing a preference for renewable materials such as bamboo, cork and coconut rather than hardwood and plastic. Furthermore, making the home more energy efficient by improving insulation, using programmable thermostats and switching to CFLs helps to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.

Finally, there is a financial benefit to the home owner in implementing the ideas of sustainable design in the home. Making the home more energy efficient and reducing water consumption lowers utility bills and not only pays for the alterations to a house but also eventually turns a profit.

So if you are planning on doing some interior renovations to your home make sure that you think about the triple bottom line before you begin. It will help you, the environment and your bank balance.

Using Interior Design Ideas for New Establishments

Jackson — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:29:56 +0000

One of the main reasons people go out to places like bars is to make connections with old friends and to meet new people. Most of the time people head out at the end of the work day or on casual weekend adventures in a fine mood. They are enjoy frequenting old haunts but are usually also open to checking out any new and exciting establishments as well. From the standpoint of a business owner, it can be a puzzle trying to figure out why one place of business thrives, while another struggles just to keep the doors open.

There is quite a bit of risk involved if one is going to attempt to start a new establishment from scratch. Modern interior design works to do more than just make such a place look great. It is meant to increase efficiency and to keep patrons feeling comfortable enough to stick around. Investors must be willing to put up considerable amounts of money to open a new business that depends on people liking it almost instantly. Part of the planning process should include how things will be laid out so as to encourage people to feel comfortable and to want to stay to hang out with friends. The actual interior bar design should be geared toward the owner’s desired crowd. Laying things out like the corner bar where older gentlemen sit and remember the old days will not bring in young men and women who want to dance and spend their money on their favorite expensive adult beverages.

Choosing the right type of entertainment, or some other type of hook to catch the attention of new customers will play a significant part in drawing in the desired crowd. A crowd of twenty-something men and women will have a different idea of a fun time than middle aged couples might. Each demographic will have its advantages and disadvantages. Some will be willing to spend more money, but others might be more easily entertained and give over their loyalty more readily. The planning and successful launching of a new establishment involves much planning. Those willing to learn about their target audience stand a much better chance of succeeding in the long term.

Cushions and Rugs

Jackson — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:08:41 +0000

If you have a very plain room, for example one which has been decorated entirely in the natural shades of cream and beige, cushions and area rugs are a great way of adding some interest to your room as well as making it more comfortable.

You can choose to add color with your cushions and rugs or you can add texture with them or (preferably) both.

One idea is to coordinate your cushions and rugs to bring in an accent color which adds impact to your color scheme yet keeps it coherent. For example, with the natural scheme you could add a chocolate brown rug and some rich satin pleated cushions in the same chocolate shade along with a few fluffy cream cushions and a couple of beige brocade cushions with beaded embroidery. Each element is adding color and/or texture while still being part of the natural color scheme.

This is much better in terms of interior design than cushions or rugs which fade away into the background. For example you could have cushions made up in the same fabric as your sofa and a rug which matches the color of your floor, for example, cream plain fabric cushions on a cream fabric sofa and a honey colored wool rug on top of oak flooring. You can see that this would add comfort to your furniture and flooring but it would have no impact at all.

If your color scheme is already more dramatic, perhaps you have a purple accent wall for example and a purple chair in contrast to your cream sofas then rugs and cushions can pick up on those colors you are using and tie your base color and accent color together. In this instance, you might look at purple rugs and cushions in the exact same shade as your wall and chair as well as cream cushions which add variety and texture and some cushions which contain both the purple and cream colors.