Architecture
of the any structural changes, but this was a fairly extensive interior remodel,” Shively said.
Earth BY DAVID M. BROWN
F
or our ancestors, everything in creation was elemental: air, fire, water, earth or their combination. For us, these can also be the elements in the design of our new and remodeled homes. Add some color – especially “green” – and our homes can also be built with sensitivity to our earth.
Four Valley professionals – an architect, a landscape architect, an interior designer and a contractor – have incorporated these themes into recent projects. One discusses a powder room renovation, incorporating an Earth motif. Another illustrates how a concern for space and airiness is an environmentally sensitive component of any building plan. Fire – its warmth and color – is the focus of a third participant. Lastly, a master pool builder will suggest some ways that pools and spas can cool you during desert summers, and showcase your support for the environment.
This included new finishes, including low-VOC paint, flooring, plumbing fixtures, kitchen countertops and appliances, cabinet hardware, lighting and furnishings. The backyard and patio, pool, spa and barbecue were also remodeled. Picking up on the colors and textures of Troon, Shively chose an earthy theme for the powder room: “I started with the warm color scheme, which was created using Noce travertine floors, a rich golden faux finish on the walls and an earthen concrete sink and counter,” said Shively. She had the integral counter and sink cast in one piece from Photography by Jerry Portelli Photography recycled concrete. The basin is filled with natural stone pebbles, reminiscent of a mountain streambed. “The concrete was cast in a warm, earthy, golden brown and then treated with a wash of a darker brown stain to create depth and a subtle mottled finish,” Shively said.
Earth
A cramped, drab powder room lacking style: Transforming it into contemporary Zen space recently challenged Tanya Shively, ASID, LEED AP, specialist in “green” interior design, principal of Scottsdale-based Sesshu Design Associates and one of many members of the Interior Studio Group.
To the sides of the basin, two pebble-like glass sconces reiterate the texture of the sink basin, and the mosaic tile behind the flowing water is an eco-friendly line of recycled glass and ceramic. The custom faucet is both a water feature and low-flow fixture with an automatic sensor. In addition, the original toilet was replaced with a low-flow Toto fixture.
The room was part of a home remodel completed last year for the Metzger family in Troon North, Scottsdale. The approximately 3,500-square-foot home was built in 1994. “We didn’t make
“The connection to the Earth was carried further with the addition of the floral motif on the hand towel, mirrored by the vase with stems of cherry blossoms,” Shively said.
46 greenliving az | January 2011
greenlivingaz.com