Durable, resilient flooring is always a good option for high traffic areas like kitchens and mudrooms. Eco-friendly cork and linoleum have been popular choices in recent years, but now there’s another option to check out: recycled cork and rubber. More

Among all the fixtures, faucets, plumbing and potties at KBIS — the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show — there are some noticeable trends. As I filtered through all the kitchen and bathroom commotion in Las Vegas this week, here are the three trends that stood out:
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Resin is a material that sounds cold and industrial and even toxic. Like something sinister stored out in the tool shed. But in the hands of a number of designers worldwide, resin has been transformed into something almost other-worldly and magical. More

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. The increase in daylight hours is fantastic, but the melting city snow—and what it reveals—is less than delightful. Re-Nest is not about fashion or clothes (as you know), but in this case we have to mention Wellington boots. They really are household essentials, combating all the slush, muck and dirt from soggy sidewalks and gardens alike. More

I love melamine tableware because it is free of BPA (Bisphenol A), is dishwasher-safe, and is virtually unbreakable. And it is so bright and cheery! Melamine, which had its heyday in the 1950s, has been popping up in kitchens everywhere in the form of plates, cups, trays and storage containers. But what exactly is melamine and are there any concerns about its safety?

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Vancouver resident Taina Uitto has made the decision to be plastic free for an entire year. Think there's no way you could possibly do the same? Check out her tips for living without plastic after the jump. More

I stumbled across this amazing example of creative reuse at The Growing Gardens Project. It is a community garden at Deen City Farm, London, run by project coordinator Louisa Loakes and a regular stream of volunteers. In May of last year the residents of the community of Merton volunteered their time to turn 5000 plastic bottles into a roof! More

Some furniture purchases are like gifts that keep on giving. Every time you see them or use them you pat yourself on the back for making such a wise investment. My fiberglass shell chairs with wooden dowel legs are one of those purchases. Sure, they are ubiquitous and bordering on (if not a full-fledged) a design cliche these days. But I remain smitten. More

When green building expert, Alex Wilson, was getting ready to announce his publication's favorite products of the year, he emphasized his concern that water shortages are looming. When we look at green building and products, we need to not only be aware of energy efficiency, but also water efficiency. Next to petroleum, water is soon to be one of our scarce natural resources and should be carefully preserved as such. After the jump we've highlighted trends seen at GreenBuild to reuse and conserve water at home. More

I spent the last several days at the Greenbuild conference learning about new products, meeting some of the best professionals in the field, and sitting in on some great seminars. One of the highlights was learning what well-respected publication BuildingGreen chose as their top products for the year — something I look forward to hearing about every year. All of the chosen products are from the GreenSpec directory and are evaluated on criteria that has been developed over the last 18 years. More