Photo of a large modern drought-tolerant and shade backyard gravel landscaping in Los Angeles with a fire pit.

University of Chicago Child Care Center uses an ECO-ROCK™ Wall System filled with colorful rocks.
This is an example of a mid-sized industrial courtyard gravel landscaping in Tampa.

This 1889 Victorian underwent a gut rehabilitation in 2010-2012 to transform it from a dilapidated 2BR/1BA to a 5BR/4BA contemporary family home. The large kitchen includes a walk-in pantry, built-in breakfast nook and butcher block island counter. A fresh and modern all-white palette was chosen with hand-made backsplash tile. A built-in bill paying desk to the left of the kitchen sports chalkboard paint on the wall. This house achieved a LEED Platinum green certification from the US Green Building Council in 2012. Photo by Paul Dyer

DJK Custom Homes
Inspiration for a large rustic green two-story concrete fiberboard exterior home remodel in Chicago

This 1889 Victorian underwent a gut rehabilitation in 2010-2012 to transform it from a dilapidated 2BR/1BA to a 5BR/4BA contemporary family home. A new 3rd floor was added to add a Master Suite and a child's bedroom and two roof decks and the basement was excavated to add a 2-car garage (with electric car charger), 2BR, 1 BA and a wine cellar. A fresh and modern all-white palette was chosen with accent colors in various rooms. Traditional stair detailing, wide, oil-finished white oak floors and wainscot speaks to the past while a more open floor plan speaks to contemporary living. This house achieved a LEED Platinum green certification from the US Green Building Council in 2012. Photo by Paul Dyer

Horizontal Japanese braces surround and define the living room core. Its rice paper ceiling is echoed by the shoji panels, which retract to reveal the round window of the bedroom beyond. A simple alter with a black granite sill is built into the central axis on the living room wall. Photo Credit: Laurie Dickson

Lori Cannava
Example of a trendy backyard deck design in New York with a bbq area

Innis Casey Photography
Photo of a large modern drought-tolerant and shade backyard gravel landscaping in Los Angeles with a fire pit.

The tall window emphasizes the height of the side of this modern home. The permeable pavers allow drainage and combined with the concrete create an interesting texture in the driveway. Photo: Ryan Farnau

The Best Eco-Friendly Bathroom Tile Choosing tiles has to be one of the most fun aspects of renovating or building a bathroom. And fortunately, there are plenty of eco-friendly options, whether you prefer the look of earthy cork, clean ceramic, or shimmering glass. Here are ten of our favorite tile companies and designs that incorporate recycled materials and green manufacturing processes. 1 Bedrock Industries : Bedrock Industries' Blazestone tiles are made in Seattle, Washington, with 100% post-industrial and post-consumer recycled glass and no additional oxides or colorants. 2 Aurora Glass : The Aurora Glass Foundry's tiles are made from 100% recycled glass. The foundry is owned and operated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Oregon, and all profits assist homeless and low-income people through emergency services, housing, jobs, training, other charitable endeavors. 3 Daltile : Daltile's Colour Scheme porcelain tiles are made in the United States and contain more than 60% pre-and post-consumer recycled material, including post-consumer recycled glass. 4 Crossville : Crossville's products include EcoCycle tiles with 40% recycled ceramic content and Echo Recycled Glass tiles with 10 to 70% recycled content, depending on the color. The latter are made at the historic Peltier Glass Company in Ottawa, Illinois. 5 Fireclay Tile : Fireclay Tile's Debris series contains over 60% recycled materials, including post-consumer, curbside waste glass and local Bay Area waste such as granite dust and used sandblasting abrasives. 6 Glass Roots : Glass Roots' tiles are made with solar power manufacturing and 100% post consumer glass collected from the Montana region. 7 Oceanside Glasstile : Depending on the color, tiles from Oceanside Glasstile may contain between 10 and 95% pre-consumer, post-industrial, and/or pre-consumer recycled glass. 8 Sandhill Industries : Sandhill Industries' tiles are made from 100% recycled glass in Boise, Idaho. 9 Sustainable Flooring :

The goal of the project was to create a more functional kitchen, but to remodel with an eco-friendly approach. To minimize the waste going into the landfill, all the old cabinetry and appliances were donated, and the kitchen floor was kept intact because it was in great condition. The challenge was to design the kitchen around the existing floor and the natural soapstone the client fell in love with. The clients continued with the sustainable theme throughout the room with the new materials chosen: The back splash tiles are eco-friendly and hand-made in the USA.. The custom range hood was a beautiful addition to the kitchen. We maximized the counter space around the custom sink by extending the integral drain board above the dishwasher to create more prep space. In the adjacent laundry room, we continued the same color scheme to create a custom wall of cabinets to incorporate a hidden laundry shoot, and dog area. We also added storage around the washer and dryer including two different types of hanging for drying purposes.

A spacious kitchen that opens onto the main living area. A curvilinear butcher-block island becomes the station for several hands during cooking demonstrations and is always the center of activity at gatherings where food is the highlight. This U-shape layout picks up the quiet sophistication of the home's polished counter-tops, stainless appliances, and sculpted cherry-wood detailing. Photo Credit: Laurie Dickson

DJK Custom Homes
Large mountain style green two-story concrete fiberboard exterior home photo in Chicago

Photo Credit: Ezra Marcos
Example of a mid-sized zen living room design in Portland

Photo: Narayanan Narayanan, Andrew Petrich
Contemporary wood exterior home idea in Santa Barbara

Living room. Photography by Lucas Henning
Example of a trendy concrete floor and gray floor living room design in Seattle with green walls

Innis Casey Photography
Photo of a large modern drought-tolerant and shade backyard gravel landscaping in Los Angeles with a fire pit.

2014 ASID Legacy of Design 2nd Place award Contemporary Space. This study was built with a tall ceiling, so we had molding placed around the walls two thirds of the way up and selected a textural grasscloth for the lower portion in order to draw the eye down from the ceiling. Warm shades of taupe for the remaining part of the walls and ceiling make the room cozy and intimate. Another layer of texture was added with the geometric hand crafted hair on hide rug, and we selected contemporary but inviting furniture with custom fabrics, and a soft throw pillow. Perhaps the highlight of the room, we chose to use bookcases upholstered in a gray velvet and enhanced with nickel nail head trim. Custom artwork was sourced especially for the room to enhance the color palette and draw out the golden yellow in the desk chair fabric. Window treatments were not needed, since the doors wash the space with beautiful natural light. Michael Hunter Photography

Bay Area green building and design: nursery non-VOC paint, mural, eco furniture. Notice custom trim.
Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic gender-neutral light wood floor and brown floor nursery remodel in San Francisco with blue walls