7 Tips on the Path Toward Sustainable Interior Design

Green --- sustainable --- eco --- recycling --- carbon footprint… This list seems endless and the cacophony of sound we are hearing about the environment, certainly gives us pause for concern, maybe even fear, but what is one to do about all this?  What can one do? Can we actually make a difference?

I think there is something we can do. That is why I have chosen a journey toward beautiful interior design that is sustainable and I want to share this journey with others. I think people are waiting for someone to explain solutions in simple terms so that everyone can make a difference easily, practically in their everyday lives.

I have practiced interior decorating and design for 22 years with some amazingly wonderful residential and contract clients. For 19 of those years I also taught interior design at Sheridan College. I had the opportunity to develop courses in Textiles, Interior Finishes, Historic Textile Design and Business Practices. Teaching has taught me to take complex ideas and explain them in simple terms; a valuable skill for researching sustainable design and then getting the message out, especially when there is conflicting information and much of it technical in nature.

I encouraged the students to...

The Joy of Contracts - How to Make the Experience Win-Win for you & your Clients 

Many design professionals are either not using residential interior design contracts or are unhappy with the ones they are using.

Dayle received numerous questions from colleagues about using contracts. Some had expressed concern after situations with clients had soured when there was discord over verbal agreements. After 15 years teaching Business Practices for Interior Designers at college, Dayle was excited to prepare a seminar to share her experiences and expertise.

Dayle presented “The Joy of Residential Contracts – How to Make the Experience Win-Win for you & your Clients” at the annual CDECA Professional Development Day in Toronto, Canada on October 29, 2007 to a packed audience of over 100 enthusiastic members.

Professional interior design and interior decoration require...

Time to Rethink the Fake Plants

 We are creatures of habit. That can be a good thing when it gives stability to our lives. Do you ever feel you are in a rut with respect to your decorating? Do you enter a room and not really see it? Are you worried that if you focus, it will cost time and money?

First, look around your home for ‘silk’ flowers, plants or trees.  What kind of condition are they in? Are they dust collectors? Are they tired out? Do they simply ‘fill in the corners’ without really adding to the quality to the design?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, then here is some advice:

Ever feel like a Round Peg in a Square Hole?

Do you feel like you are alone in your efforts to choose ‘green’? 

Actually you are in good company and you are not a round peg in a square hole!

It is estimated that 1/3 of the population of North America  is a ‘conscious consumer’ and wants to select the most sustainable products and to make their carbon footprint more beneficial.

Fortunately, there are...

Dayle endorses using cloth shopping bags instead of plastic bags that end up in landfill

Hemp Fabric at the Green Living Show

Celebrating its 2nd anniversary, the Green Living Show came to Toronto, Canada in April, 2008. The huge challenge in this business of beautiful sustainable interior design is to learn about all the fabulous new products on the market. This field is changing so quickly that information becomes obsolete in the blink of an eye!

Here was an ideal opportunity with so many manufacturers and distributors in one place. We were not disappointed as we put on our most comfortable walking shoes, took public transit to the Exhibition grounds and started up and down the aisles of displays.

When I first started...

The Philosophy behind the Dayle Laing Logo

"There is a symbiosis between individuals and the earth. The better we feel about ourselves, the more we are able to help the environment. The healthier the environment, the better we feel."

When our corporate logo was being designed, I chose symbols to represent this philosophy...

Dayle’s Professional Development in Los Angeles at Mark Victor Hansen’s MEGA Speaking Empire Conference

In November 2007, Mark Victor Hansen, the co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul”, organized a MEGA Speaking Empire conference in Los Angeles, California. My friend and fellow Canadian Decorators Association colleague, Irene Turnbull and I attended the 3 day event.  This was an amazing opportunity to network with some of the foremost professional speakers in North America.

The range and quality of seminars were...