Decorating
The Green Life
A Little Rock family reduces their impact on the Earth, while maintaining inspiring style, room by room
BY
Allison Cook
PHOTOGRAPHY
Janet Warlick
STYLED BY
Amy Vaughn

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When Chris and Anne Ladner moved into their Pleasant Valley home they knew they wanted to remodel with environmentally friendly materials and features. Chris is president and CEO of Eco Integration, a sustainability consulting firm, and a LEED-accredited professional, and he easily turned his experience to his own home. The Ladners redesigned much of the house, but instead of throwing away used materials, they donated light fixtures, toilets, doors and more to the Habitat for Humanity store, Restore, in North Little Rock. This greatly reduced the waste from the project, and allowed for recycling and repurposing. "We downsized from a larger home to a smaller one within walking distance of school and work," Anne says. "We focused on purchasing as few items as possible, but always bought quality pieces so we don't have to replace them before the end of their useful lifespan." The Ladners' home is a great example of how a well-planned design and environmentally conscious materials can blend for a comfortable and beautiful home.

Rug. Wool rugs are a great sustainable choice because the wool doesn't house the toxins of standard nylon or other synthetic materials, and it is an easily renewable material.

Television stand. This stand from Nichols Furniture and uses Forestry Stewardship Council certified wood.

Television. This television uses far less electricity than other models thanks to its Engery Star certification.

Bamboo floors. Bamboo is a very sustainable and renewable resource, and these Jacobean-stained bamboo floors from C & F Carpet & Flooring are beautiful. "We wanted to look of hardwoods, but wanted a sustainable resource," Anne says. The Ladners requested a low-VOC flooring glue to be used in the installation to eliminate toxic fumes and contaminants, and they clean the floors with GreenGuard, a certified non-toxic environmentally friendly hardwood floor cleaner.  

Curtains. When used as window treatments, dense fabrics, such as burlap, provide wonderful insulation by reducing the mingling of exterior and interior air temperatures. Burlap is also healthy thanks to its natural fiber base.