Change the way you shop for your home

The recent surge in energy prices has homeowners focusing on ways to make their houses more energy efficient. While that may remain the primary goal of many, another vitally important aspect of going 'green' concerns the selection of the home's interior design elements.

Three areas of concentration encompass this aspect-indoor air quality and toxicity of materials used, sustainability and buying locally.

Scott Sevon, president of Sevvonco Inc. in Palatine, first became interested in incorporating green elements relating to indoor air quality into his construction projects after he took a Health House seminar presented by the American Lung Association in the early 1990s.

"There are a lot of things that (the association) wouldn't recommend to put in houses because a lot of material gives off fumes," Sevon said. "But a lot of what they say makes sense and once you look at the recommendations, it becomes a simple marriage (with energy-saving measures)."

The key phrase in this area is volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs. These are gases emitted from a variety of chemicals, many of which are thought to have short- and long-term health effects. VOCs can be found in paints and finishes, building supplies, furniture, carpeting and a host of other products. While many are suspected carcinogens, VOCs often cause eye, ear and throat irritation, allergic skin reactions, fatigue, dizziness and headaches, among other symptoms.

Compounding this problem is the fact that our homes are a lot more airtight than they used to be, in part because of energy efficiency.

"Remember when you used to go to Grandma's house and always had to wear a sweater because it was cold in there?" Sevon asked. "That was because there were about 20 air exchanges per hour (with the outside), whereas now you have two or three."

Thus, while the cold or warm air stays outside, the pollutants, which can even be something biological like dust mites, stay inside, heightening irritability.

"This whole thing is just exploding and people are starting to chase this pretty hard," said Ron Cowgill, president of D/R Services Unlimited Inc. in Glenview and a board member of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. "People have been recycling for a number of years, but now they're beginning to ask more questions."

Theresa Minarik-Okuley, marketing manager of Greenmaker Supply Co. in Chicago, has also noticed a shift in the consumer base, starting about two years ago. Before that time, the natural building market was driven primarily by strict conservationists.

"The consumer base is really evolving into everyday homeowners now," Minarik-Okuley said.

Greenmaker's biggest selling products are natural paints and finishes, with a variety of bases available. VOCs are used as drying agents in traditional paints and are responsible for the smell associated with them.

"We've had a lot of requests from clients to use natural paints," said Bob Lehner of Lehner-Burton Remodelers in Winfield.

Lehner said that finding green products is still somewhat limited and can pose a challenge for homeowners and contractors who want to go green.

"I think the biggest surprise is the price tag associated with some of these items," Lehner said. "You have options and if you want these products, you usually make concessions."

Prices are higher for some, but not all green products. Much of the insulation that Greenmaker supplies is comparable in price to traditional products, but Ultra Touch, an insulating material made from recycled denim, is about double the cost.

"The people who buy this range from contractors who don't want to use fiberglass anymore to homeowners who don't want the chemicals in their homes anymore," Minarik-Okuley said.

Interior designer Kathleen Newhouse of Park Place Interiors in Geneva noted that homes can be made green gradually.

"Most furniture manufacturers are on the bandwagon to produce furnishings with low- and zero-emission VOCs," Newhouse said.

Park Place carries area rugs from Nourison that use natural dyes that won't emit harmful fumes. Natural fabrics such as cottons and linens are green choices for upholstery and windows. Newhouse added that it's also possible to find accents such as picture frames, vases and lamps made from sustainable materials.

The Midwest, being a more traditional or conservative area of the country, often lags behind the East and West coasts in all sorts of trends and the green revolution is not an exception. With that market ready to boom in that area, Karen Kalmek opened Green Home Chicago in January to help business and residential consumers sort through the maze of green options.

Part interior design store, part remodeling source, this West Loop business offers a variety of eco-friendly products, such as cabinets, tiling, countertops, wall coverings and furniture.

"I think Chicago is really ready for this and supporting local business is part of being green," Kalmek said. "It's a throwback from the big box business world."

One of the ways Kalmek helps people assess how a product will fit their green needs is through a 10-point classification system she developed that addresses criteria such as whether an item is recycled, nontoxic, made locally, sustainable or renewable, artisianally made, helps alleviate poverty or is repurposed. The last factor is interesting in that it refers to a product manufactured out of recycled material and turning it into a whole new product.

"For example, say you take down a door and you turn it into something else, that's repurposed," Kalmek said.

Repurposed, recycled or energy-efficient furnishings need not be plain or even ugly. Park Place's Newhouse often recommends tinting window glass to reduce hot summer sun on a southern exposure. Other solutions to keep out heat or winter cold include sheers, silhouettes and shades made of natural fabrics, and woven wood blinds.

"These have a dual purpose as they re also aesthetically beautiful," Newhouse said.

Not all eco-friendly products are necessarily more expensive than their traditional counterparts. It's more difficult, for example, to stock cheaper tiling made from recycled materials because of the recovery and labor involved in making the new product.

"People are surprised to learn that you can find cabinetry, for example, that's not that expensive," Kalmek said. "We carry a sofa that's handmade locally and is completely green for half the price of what you would find in the Merchandise Mart."

Trends are also going toward sustainable woods, such as bamboo, which grows faster than other types, and away from the exotic types like ebony. Natural surfaces such as granite and travertine are also taking hold.

Sustainability and buying locally are a lesser known, but equally important, aspects of going green. These aspects reduce the delivery and ultimate cost of a product and lessens carbon emissions. There is also the advantage of supporting the local economy.

"A lot of our products come from California," Kalmek said. "It's a complex and muddy field as we try to buy as locally as possible, but I will not stock anything made outside of the United States."

Kalmek, a South African native, supports sustainability in a different way by donating 1 percent of her company's profits to three local charities - Design for Dignity, the Center for Neighborhood Technology and Healthy Schools.

"This is a new business philosophy as it's a much bigger picture now," she said. "Business has to have more meaning than just selling widgets as we're all part of the world."

Virtually everyone involved with the green revolution knows that the American public is experiencing a shifting consciousness, spurred even more by high oil prices. Lehner equated the green boom with the VCR phenomenon when the devices were initially scare and expensive.

"It takes a little while for it to hit the market," Lehner said, "but in another 10 years, this will all be commonplace."