Living the Green Life: Eco-Friendly Lake Home Furnishings

Photo courtesy of Lushome

As lake lovers, we all embrace the beauty of nature and the essential need to preserve our environment. And these days, going green—even in small steps—is easier than you might think. As designer Michelle Rohrer-Lauer explains, “Eco-friendly home décor and construction is like switching to organic foods—you can start with a few sensible choices and expand from there. Even small changes at home can make an important difference in your indoor air quality and the health of the planet.”

An interior designer based in Chicago—and an avid lake lover and lake homeowner—Michelle is a proud member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and a certified GREENleader. In one of her talks at an event series she calls “50 Shades of Green,” co-hosted by Orren Pickell Building Group, Michelle shared her ideas for eco-friendly design options along with a display of sustainable fabrics, woods, and cork flooring. Here is a summary of her top tips.

Sustainable and Reclaimed Woods

Photo courtesy of Lushome

We all know that forests are vital to our existence on the planet. Trees generate oxygen, breathe in carbon dioxide, and help regulate the global climate by absorbing fossil-fuel emissions. Forests also provide a natural habitat for animals and plants, and millions of people depend on forest resources for their livelihoods. So, doesn’t it make sense to use sustainably harvested woods, reclaimed woods, and other recycled materials in our home furnishings? Yes, absolutely.

Michelle recommends Red Grandis eucalyptus wood for flooring and cabinets—a high-quality, kiln-dried wood that’s both strong and durable. “It has beautiful grain and a smooth finish that requires minimal maintenance,” she says. “I love all of that, but the minimal maintenance is even more important at a lake home,” she adds.

This species is a fast-growing sustainable wood with a long, straight grain that yields one of the strongest and most stable hardwood building materials—as durable as teak and 10 to 20 percent denser. “Red Grandis also has a high oil content that repels water and moisture,” says the designer. “What could be better for a lake home? I like it so much I also put it throughout the first floor of my primary home in suburban Chicago.”

Another one of Michelle’s favorites is reclaimed French farm-house oak. Beautifully rustic, it brings a casual, organic elegance along with a lived-in feel and a sense of history. “Pair it with modern cabinetry and furniture for an industrial-modern look that is casual, warm, and inviting. My supplier harvests the boards from a variety of homes that date back for generations, resulting in rich variations of color and markings,” she adds.

Teak is also a great choice because it’s sustainably raised on plantations, conserving our valuable forests, and providing jobs. “Because of its high oil and rubber content, teak is naturally weather-resistant,” says Michelle. “And because it is slow-growing, it is very durable. I love it because the organic look is perfect for outdoors at the lake.” Click here for more on eco-friendly wood furnishings.

Cork

Photo courtesy of Houzz

Who would have thought that the material most associated with wine bottles also makes a fantastic sustainable flooring? Surprise! Harvested from the bark of the cork oak, this highly resilient resource is also naturally hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal.

“Cork is very durable, too,” says Michelle. “Your floor can last over 50 years. It resists dents, absorbs sound, and feels warm underfoot because of its high insulation value. My go-to vendor for this sustainable, renewable resource is Duro-Design. Their product has a water-based finish with minimal off-gassing. It is resistant to abrasion and only needs routine damp mopping with water,” she sums.

Sustainable Rugs

Photo courtesy of Studio West Photography

Michelle recently chose a sustainable indoor-outdoor rug from The Delos Company for a client’s covered porch that would be perfect in your lake home family room—it’s incredibly plush and soft on your feet. The rug is woven from fibers made of recycled water bottles.

“It’s good for the planet, and it provides a naturally durable, stain-resistant carpet that is stylish and holds its color,” says the designer. “These rugs are pet-friendly, too, which is great because my kids always bring my ‘granddogs’ up to our lake home. They schlep in and out of the house with sandy, wet paws—but I just can’t say no to my kids,” she laughs.

Wool rugs are also a win-win for your home. Made with sheep’s wool—a natural, renewable resource— they are durable, easy to clean, and biodegradable.

Countertop Alternatives

Photo courtesy of The Spruce

Eco-friendly countertops? “I’m not kidding,” laughs Michelle. “Manufacturers are recycling everything— from glass and waste-stone from quarries, to paper and post-industrial scrap—and transforming those materials into fabulous countertops you can feel good about.” Click here for more ideas.

Indoor-Outdoor Fabrics

Photo courtesy of Kravet

“Sustainable indoor-outdoor fabrics and fibers are a perfect choice for lake homes. Remember how these fabrics used to be rough and stiff? The newest indoor-outdoor materials have a wonderfully soft, supple feel.

“Durability is a top priority,” says Michelle. “Like so many people, we enjoy sharing our lake home with family and friends. It’s crazy fun with everybody and their dog going in and out of the house all day and into the evening, from our beach and the lake. But that translates into more wear and tear,” she adds.

Michelle’s current favorite is Kravet’s first-ever line of indoor-outdoor fabrics. They are 100 percent recyclable, and the company uses almost no water to produce them. You won’t believe these are indoor-outdoor fabrics—they feel so luxurious. The designer recommends them for upholstery in the family room and kitchen, and they are excellent for Roman shades, too, even in the laundry room.

“I believe you can have beautiful furnishings that are also durable, luxurious, and sustainable,” says Michelle. “Lake homes are ideal for these furnishings. After all, people who live on the lake—like me—love the outdoors and want to protect it. I think of eco-friendly furnishings as a life insurance policy for the future.”

5 Ways To Make Your Lake Home More Eco-Friendly

Lake home being inspected for eco improvements“Eco-friendly” is more than just a buzz word or concept that applies to business properties, primary residences, and your day-to-day lifestyle living in a lake home.

You can also extend green practices to your lake home to improve air quality and provide a cleaner, cost-efficient environment for your family and pets.

A green vacation home can also help you reduce your impact on the environment by ensuring that you do your part to help conserve and preserve natural resources.

Here are five ways you can make your vacation or lake home more eco-friendly and shrink your carbon footprint.

1. Use Green Building Materials

If you are building a new vacation home, remodeling or repairing an existing property, use green building materials. These materials are composed of renewable, sustainable resources, compared to nonrenewable resources, and have one or more of the following attributes:

  • Recycled content
  • Natural, plentiful or renewable
  • Resource efficient manufacturing process
  • Salvaged, refurbished, or re-manufactured
  • Reusable or recyclable
  • Durable
  • Locally available
  • Recycled or recyclable product packaging

Employing green materials ensures that you have a minimum impact on the environment over the life of the product. By selecting green material and reducing your carbon foot print on the environment contributes to other environmentally friendly benefits that we will discuss including air quality energy efficiency and water conservation.

2. Employ Passive Solar Techniques

Passive solar design refers to a layout and material choice that can be used to take advantage of the sun or avoid the sun’s heat to provide comfort and conserve energy. The method has employed throughout the world as a way to create cost-effective comfort and does not require the use of solar panels.

Passive solar systems require the home to have south-facing windows and a thermal mass. Thermal mass consist of  dense materials, such as brick, concrete, stone or ceramic tile that are use inside a wall or in the floor. Located near the windows, the sun’s energy must shine directly on the selected material, which absorbs, stores and distributes heat.

The main objective of all passive solar heating systems is to capture the winter sun’s heat within the interior of the home and released the heat during periods when the sun is not shining.

Thermal mass materials can also be used to keep the structure cool during the hot summer months and to block this heat energy from entering the home and hitting the thermal mass–through the installation of an overhang on the exterior of the property or some other type of device or entryway.

After the sun has gone down and it is cool outside, your passive solar vacation home can be opened up to allow the cooler evening and night temperatures to be absorbed within the material.

3. Install an Environmentally Friendly Roof

Basically, the purpose of a roof is to protect you, your family and your personal items from the elements. However, there are a number of different types of environmentally-friendly roofing systems that can do more than protect you from, rain, snow, and the blazing sun.

You can choose a roofing system that helps keep your home cooler in the summer and help you and your family feel more comfortable and will rely on the air conditioner less.

Eco-friendly roofing systems can be use in the following manners:

  • Provide a natural habitat for wildlife.
  • Collect rainwater that you can use in your garden or to wash your vehicle.
  • Used to grow herbs, vegetables and other plants.

For example, slate tiles can last for 100 years or more and requires minimal processing. Purchase salvaged slate if you are looking for the greenest option. If purchasing new material, select stone that is quarried in close proximity to your location in order to minimize  the energy needed for transportation.

Solar roofing shingles can harvest the sunlight to power your home and provide you hot water.

4. Practice Water Conservation

Conserving water is an important aspect of creating a more eco-friendly vacation. Invest in a rain water tank. You can reuse rainwater to water plants fluster toilet or do your laundry. Improve your water efficiency by repairing a leaky faucet. A steady drip can waste 330 gallons of water each month. In addition, install the most-energy efficient hot water heater you can afford.

By installing aerating, low-flow faucets you will use 60% less water. If you have a toilet that was built before 1992, replace it with a new ultra-flush model. Even better, consider installing a composite toilet that uses little or no water and helps reduce water pollution.

5.  Buy eco-friendly appliances

Make your lake home greener energy-efficient appliances. Refrigerators, air conditioners, water; heaters dishwashers and microwaves consume a significant amount of the energy. According to Energy Star, by installing energy-efficient appliances you can save up to 30% on your electricity bill.