Solar Powered Lawn Mower

This is for my husband, Zach.  We can't seem to agree on the new lawnmower we have to get this year: gas or electric.  Even better then those are solar! 

Only problem is that it only lasts for 15-20 minutes at a time and needs 4 hours of charging in the sun.  Maybe that's a blessing in disguise so we can have more time to bike ride instead of mowing the lawn :)

Wiesenburg Stairs

With my sister off in Germany I found inspiration in this German stair design.

The Stairs in Schloss Wiesenburg are stairs in the shape of add-on boxes supporting themselves as a constructed empty beam. Materials are the recovered antique floor wood and construction wood from the castle.  Gorgeous!

Custom Mod Green Pod

Hooray!  Custom design and color options from Mod Green Pod fabrics.  Even though I love their existing collection, it's wonderful to have the opportunity to work with a fabulous company in a custom way.

Timber Teak

Recently, I helped a client to select a gorgeous new environmentally friendly flooring that they couldn't be happier with.  The flooring was from Sustainable Flooring out of Boulder, Colorado, and the material was Strandwoven Timber™.  Strandwoven Timber is made from post–industrial wood strand fibers and shavings that are combined and compressed into a densified multi–species composite.

The Strandwoven Wood can be best described as the re-engineering of densified and compressed fibrous wood material. The goal is take weed species, post-industrial scraps, and economically-challenged woods, and use a bit of healthy technology to create unmatched aesthetics and superior-quality products.

Here's the highlights of this product:

• Made with low-VOC and E1 compliant glues and finishes
• Commercial and Residential use
• Unbeatable hardness and stability (i.e. expansion and contraction) when compared with other hardwoods
• Exotic and unique appearance while remaining extremely sustainable and affordable
• Available in Unfinished (square edges) as well as Prefinished varieties
• Comes with all standard accessories including stair treads, stair risers, transition pieces, and even panels

 A nice alternative to the ever popular bamboo flooring as well. 

Tweet Bird Feeder

I'm putting this bird feeder on my shopping list for this spring.  The "Tweet Bird Feeder" from CB2 is a retro- modern design that will attract not only all your feathered friends but probably a few art savvy folks as well.  For $29.95 you can't help but want one too. 

Outdoor Teak Chair

All I want to do is sit outside lately with a good book and lounge in the sun.  This warm spring weather has gotten hold of me and has me on the hunt for a great outdoor chair.  This one from Viva Terra looks just about right. 

Earth Day

A day that should be celebrated everyday inside and out :)  

Contact White Canvas Designs to inquire about your complimentary consultation today.

Get your home in sync with the planet we love!

sarah@whitecanvasdesigns.net

(208) 928-6366

Small Space Profile

Think your limited in design because of the small space you have?  Think again.  This Los Angeles space is only 550 sq.ft. and manages to accomplish a ton of style!  They use accent colors to coordinate with consistent neutrals creating a beautiful and fun small space. 

The Rebuilding Center

Visiting my sister last weekend in Portland, Oregon I stumbled upon this wonderful resource for building materials. 

The ReBuilding Center is downright amazing! This non-profit aims to make home repair affordable to everyone through salvaged and reclaimed materials. They have a huge selection of just about everything that structurally makes up a home (sinks, cabinets, lighting, tile, windows, doors, lumber, etc...), offer deconstruction services, and sell furniture made from reclaimed materials.

Eco-Friendly Soap Scum Remover

A reader recently wrote into USGBC's Green Home Guide and asked the following:

"I'm looking for an eco-friendly marble cleaner and sealer for a bathroom with heavy soap scum on tiles. I'd prefer a homemade recipe."

Asked by Kate Potts
Dallas, TX 

*picture courtesy of Walker Zanger.

Solution: To remove soap scum, put some dry baking soda on a sponge and apply in a circular motion to the wall. Rinse with clean water. Presto! Clean stone!

Modern Rocking Horse

Thinking about getting your kids a rocking horse?  Want it to blend in with your modern decor?  Check out Hut-Hut from Kalon Studios.  This beautiful piece is just great to look at, keeping your kids entertained is a bonus!

And of course it's available in FSC Certified Bamboo / FSC Certified Cork / FSC Certified Maple / FSC Certified Spanish Cedar / FSC Certified Walnut which makes us feel so much better for the environment.

Color & Light

A lesson on color and light from Benjamin Moore

The type of light under which color is viewed impacts how we perceive a particular hue.

Temperature Whether we perceive a color as warm or cool is relative to the particular color and its surrounding colors. Generally, reds, yellows, and oranges are warm colors, while blues, greens, and violets are considered cool.Warm colors tend to "advance" or "condense" a room, while cool colors "recede" or "expand" a room. Combining both warm and cool colors in a decorating scheme intensifies the temperature of the respective colors. Intensity Intensity (or chroma) refers to a color's purity or brightness and, conversely, its dullness. The purer or less gray a color, the more intensity it has. Bright yellow and cherry red are high-intensity colors; ochre and brick are low-intensity colors. Try using intense colors as accents in your décor. Intense colors add energy to a room, while lower-intensity colors can give a room a calming effect.	View Colors
Direct Sunlight Considered the ideal light source, natural sunlight maintains a neutral balance between both the warm (yellow cast) and cool (blue cast) ends of the light spectrum. Northern light is the coolest, while light from a southern exposure is the strongest. Direct sunlight provides the "truest" rendition of colors in a room.	View Colors
Indirect Sunlight Natural sunlight is not consistent. It changes from sunrise to noon, to late afternoon and dusk. The intense golden rays and distinct shadows of a sunny, late afternoon can have a profound effect on the colors in a room.	View Colors
Artificial Light Color rendition appears warm under incandescent and halogen lights. Reds and yellows are enhanced and blues and greens are culled. Under the cool cast of fluorescent lights, blues and greens are enhanced, while reds and yellows are muted.

A.R.T. Customizable Wall Art

A.R.T. has launched the first fully-customizable and co-creative modular art collection called ModulA.R.T, with scalable contemporary geometric art modules that can be pieced together in an infinite number of ways. It is designed by artist and architect Donald Rattner and includes 3 lines: Wall A.R.T., Mural A.R.T., and Shelf A.R.T. They just launched their website and you can check out their pop-up shop if you’re in the DUMBO NYC area over the next month.
Wall A.R.T. consists of a series of atomic modular sculptures that can be assembled in many different configurations to create a beautiful wall design.

CB2 Maze Wall

I wish we could grow succulents like this in Idaho!  But regardless of our climate I know we can grow something up this "Maze Wall" from CB2.  Finally, a new twist on trellis design for the more modern gardener.  I'm thinking maybe tomatoes, green beans, or honeysuckle in our yard.

Data Pendant Lamp

This is why I love design!  People and things never seize to amaze me.  Take for example the "Data" pendant lamp from Yea-Yea.  It's made of 100% recycled cd's.  Seriously, what have you done with all your cd's when you got an iPod?  All I can say is...Yea-Yea!

Vauni-Cupola

Have you always wanted a fireplace but never thought you would have the room?  Consider using this new wall-mounted fireplace from Vauni.  The "Cupola" is described as being just as easy to install as a flat screen tv and doesn't require any gas.  Instead Vauni has formulated their own, ECO-FLAME bio-ethanol for chimney-free fireplaces and burner kits.

But don't get too excited yet...you have to live in Sweden to own one.  We have strict building codes in the United States that don't allow for your home to be insured if you install one of these.  Looks great, and they say it's safe but it's obvious nobody wants to be responsible for something this innovative in the States...just yet.

The Joinery

Imagine you are walking in the forest and come across a downed tree.  You appreciate the natural beauty and wonder how you could re-use such a fine piece of wood.  Why not do what The Joinery did by helping a client build a custom bed!  This company out of Oregon turned salvaged wood into something everyone would admire.  Here's how they did it:


They started with a pile of wood.

The first image of slabs. The Western Walnut lumber was salvaged from a Central Oregon tree that had to be taken down and re-sawn so that the final head board thickness would be 1.5” thick instead of the original 3” thick.

To keep the live edge detail in tact as much as possible, the bark had to be glued and taped in spots while the piece was wide belt sanded and hand sanded.

The Western Walnut red and purple tones stand out once the boards are sanded down. The three silver spots on the bottom corner are bullet remnants that stay with the lumber when it was milled.

The platform of the Bed was assembled separate from the headboard. All pieces of the bed were made with Solid Hard Woods and therefore had to be constructed to allow for the expansion and contraction of the wood.

The miter joint on the Night Stand has been biscuit jointed and then glued to ensure the longevity of the piece.

The nightstand completely assembled with Dovetail jointed Maple drawer sides and a Western Walnut front.

All parts of the bed lined up ready to assemble.

Setting up the base and headboard in shop.

Final bed in its new home.