Eco Chic Home: Rethink, Reuse, and Remake Your Way to Sustainable Style [Paperback]

Emily Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2010

By featuring more than sixty projects that embrace the popular eco-ethic, Emily Anderson takes the DIY genre to every room in the house. From detailed instructions on turning old sweaters into hand-knotted rugs to tips on assessing local thrift shops and estate sales, Anderson makes re-styling a home practical and fresh at a very low cost. Projects encourage first-time crafters and DIY pros alike to use repurposed items such as old lamps, extra sheets, and mismatched dishes to create new décor. Turn old bed pillows into stylish floor cushions, teacups into candles (soy wax only, please!), and old fabric into festive holiday garlands.

Creative and resourceful domestic advice throughout inspires readers to shop local consignment stores, raid grandma's closet, and recycle a home's excess clutter through craigslist or garage sales. Eco-Chic Home proves that with a little ingenuity and thoughtful changes, everything old can be new again.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

EMILY ANDERSON is an author and designer whose work has been featured in The New York Times, MSNBC, Martha Stewart Weddings, and The Today Show, among other media. She is the author of Eco-Chic Weddings and hosts a popular blog by the same name. She received a degree in interior design from Parson's School of Design and lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Skipstone Press (May 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594851409
• ISBN-13: 978-1594851407
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello, I'm author and designer Emily Anderson and Eco Chic Home is my third and most recent book. Read more of my bio on http://www.EmilyAnderson.com.

Eco-Chic Home has more than sixty different projects for every room in your home. Each project repurposes a common household item, like a coat hanger, plastic CD cases, even plastic shopping bags. I intentionally chose projects that are purposeful as opposed to just art. I want you to see how it is possible to have something that is well-designed and eco-friendly. My goal was that you wouldn't know what the design was made out of right away. I am not interested in creating the typically "green" aesthetic, because I want everything to be green, whatever it's "image" is. Here are a few of the projects featured in the book:

Please feel free to reach out and say hi: emily {at} emilyanderson {dot} com

SAMPLE PROJECTS:
1.Coat Hanger Reimagined as a Vessel for Your Table (As seen in June 2010 Ladies Home Journal)
2. CD Jewel Cases (which are not recyclable) Reimagined as a Mod Bookshelf Light
3. Wall Clock Reimagined as part of a Trompe L'Oeil Grandfather Clock

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great hands-on project book April 17, 2010

By J. Sowers

Format:Paperback

I really like this book. It focuses on re-purposing things we have instead of always buying a new physical item. Unlike some other 'Eco-friendly' books that only have pictures and platitudes, this book had projects with step-by-step instructions for you to follow. Even if each individual project is not for you - they are inspirational. I made the bowl from folded recycled magazine pages and had a great time. That was a lot more fun than throwing the old magazines in the recycle bin.
The only reason that I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5 is that I could use a little more detail in the step by step project instructions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Going Green without going Tacky April 18, 2010

By A. Knecht

Format:Paperback

I think this is a great book for someone looking for a way to Go Green around their home, without heading down the slippery slope of TACKY. Most of the projects seem like great ways to repurpose normal everyday objects into the sort of pieces people will notice and possibly ask where you bought it!

I especially like the Recycled Magazine Bowl because it looks like something that you would buy at a kitchy/hip store for 30 dollars when in fact it is something made from old, never to be read again magazines! The Clever Clock speaks to me as well because when you're short on funds, and want to give a room a dramatic upgrade, this tip is a great way to make people do a double take.

Is it a clock? Is it a painting?

It's both!

In this economy, and this climate of GO GREEN, this book is a great resource to help inspire anyone to look at the things lying around their house and find a second home for them.

Of course, doesn't hurt that the book is well made and beautifully shot!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must for the Eco-Chic, or any Chic, or Dude... June 30, 2011

By Naomi M. Judd

Format:Paperback

I found this book on sustainable style to be beautifully organized. It offered so many great ideas for rethinking, reusing, and remaking things from around the house that one might not normally think of. This book blended a great intro chapter about alternative thinking (places to shop besides "big-box" stores, how to stop junk mail etc.) with several how-to chapters for steps on actual projects. These are easy to follow and sprinkled throughout are "Eco-Bits" facts, which I found myself reading ahead before I even read about the project on that page.
This book also has a smooth layout and design, but I only wish there were more photographs. The ones that are included are great and make me want to make those things! But not every project has a picture to go with it. It would have been nice if there were at least a little photo with each project.
All-in-all this is a fabulous book that everyone should have as a home reference. I for one am excited to make my two favorites: magazine holders from cereal boxes, and a drawer organizer from an old muffin tin!