HOME SUSTAINABLE KITCHENS
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STYLISH SUSTAINABLE Beyond the compost bin: how to incorporate greener living into your kitchen BY JENNIFER BARGER
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hen she set out to remodel her 1960s Bethesda kitchen a decade ago, interior designer Sheryl Steinberg was ahead of the green design curve. “My goal was to create a completely clean, sustainable, high-quality, modern and inviting kitchen,” she says. This meant installing an induction cooktop instead of a potentially polluting gas range, choosing cabinets manufactured with no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and making other earth-conscious choices. Sustainable design was important to her then, and it has become more important to homeowners redoing or updating their kitchens in recent years. In fact, the 2023 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study found that 92% of homeowners were incorporating sustainable features during a kitchen renovation, with choices including LED
bulbs (65%), energy-efficient appliances (61%) and water-efficient fixtures (34%). But remodeling or updating a kitchen with sustainability in mind isn’t just bamboo cabinetry and Energy Star appliances. “Green building can encompass everything from the raw materials you use—countertops, tiles—to how you get your supplies delivered, how you install things, and how you use your space,” Steinberg says. “Your entire kitchen doesn’t have to be LEEDcertified products, but maybe choose three or four things to concentrate on.” Jennifer Owens is the quality director of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Residential program, which educates architects, builders and designers about sustainable building practices. “With a green kitchen, you’ll want to think about energy, water and materials first,” she says. “And then keep in mind indoor air quality and how the room works for you.”
Here’s how to design a kitchen that’s easy on the planet without sacrificing style or function
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PHOTOS BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG
8/14/23 12:06 PM