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San
Diego HOME/GARDEN Lifestyles
September 2005
GREEN FOCUS
Designers
take on only earth-friendly projects
By Wayne Carlson, Photography by Gail Owens
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Interior
designers Laura Birns and architect Lynn M. Froeschle are two
of a kind. Their passion and commitment to green design set them
apart from most of their colleagues. In the second of a two-part
series, we look at their work. |
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SCRATCH-RESISTANT
countertop is made with and inert poured resin with clear-glass
chips. Sapele and maple wood are not endangered; the textured-glass
inserts being lightness and obscure storage. Reflected in the
mirror, a 100-percent-recyclable molded gypsum board suggests
waves.
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MATERIAL
GIRL
Del
Mar interior designer Laura Birns' passion for renewable,
inert and recycled materials is so consuming that she won't
take on a project unless it includes them.
"I'm just a material girl," Birns says. "My
commitment to the environment drives the selection of materials
and the design concept."
Those familiar with her work also know that along with her
concern for the environment comes a knack for making everything
she touches highly functional and drop-dead gorgeous.
Take her remodel of a master bath in Del Mar.
"The goal was to make a small area functional and appear
large, unique and elegant," Birns says. "The 8
1/2-by-11-foot bathroom contained a toilet room, shower,
tub and vanity. Plumbing could not be moved and floor space
could not be increased."
The walls, counters and flooring all were covered with the
same sky-blue tile. "For a very personal space, it
was busy and impersonal," the designer says. "Material
choice and application needed to make the difference."
A fixed pop-out window behind the shower became the new
focal point. An etched geometric pattern that starts at
the bottom of the glass fades to clear glass in the top
foot, which offers a view of blue skies and the tops of
palm trees. There was no ocean view available, so Birns
created one. |
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Above
the tub backsplash, Birns covered the wall with a gypsum board
that was molded, sanded, primed and painted into a fluid design
that evokes white-water waves. The material is 100-percent recyclable
and no off-gasing is released in its production.
"It adds a sense of serenity as well as movement," Birns
says.
The vanity is simply designed with a mix of materials that includes
a countertop of and inert poured rein with clear glass chips.
Scratch resistant and non-porous, its color won't fade when exposed
to ultraviolet light. The satin finish does not allow water spots
to form.
The sapele and maple wood combination makes a simple, yet elegant
statement. Neither wood is endangered. The textured glass inserts
in the cabinetry help provide lightness in design and obscure
storage.
After a soffit was removed, a beveled mirror was installed to
the ceiling, as well as the side walls, thus increasing the sense
of space and light. The 6-inch glass tile backsplash is a custom
color mix and can be recycled. The pendant fixtures seem to float,
again increasing a sense of space.
The shelf in the shower is the same resin with glass chips as
the vanity counter. Simple, clear glass tiles offer relief from
the flat, defining marble tile, also a sustainable resource.
Birns removed all the tile in the toilet room. The wall separating
it from the shower continued with the marble tile, as was the
floor and the 4-inch slab marble base.
The remaining walls were painted. A new pocket door with a single
light of obscure glass replaced the solid slab door. An existing
skylight is above the tub. All recessed lighting was changed to
low-voltage lighting and placed on dimmers. Natural light and
use of low-voltage lighting conserve energy. |
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