Our Dream House: Decor

Trying to furnish a home in an ecologically conscious manner does limit your choices (which can actually make the job easier). When it came to decorating our new country home, I wanted to do it myself, so I didn't hire a designer. There's something about the thrill of the hunt—otherwise known as shopping—that's just too much fun to delegate.

I started the process with the most eco-friendly choice of all: antiques. From both sides of my family, I've been blessed with great hand-me-downs, some of which have needed costly restoration work. But the restoration expenses were eased by knowing that buying new furniture of comparable quality to that made 100 years ago would cost much more.

I did spend a fortune, however, on a Sophia sofa and two Todhunter sofas—all brand-new—from the Q Collection, an eco-furniture company that makes elegantly understated, comfy, contemporary pieces. Shipping costs were high, but the quality was worth it.

I also spent a few days sneaking into the Decoration & Design (D&D) Building, in New York City, whose furniture and fabric showrooms usually are open only to interior designers. However, D&D, and other design centers like it, offers a service that allows you to shop without having to hire a decorator (see Resources below). Eco choices are limited and the items expensive, but inspiration was plentiful and free. Using the ideas I got from D&D, I worked with a man named George Jaques, who builds, repairs and refinishes furniture, and we had lots of fun—and some headaches—creating a few custom pieces, all for the price of a few nights at a good hotel in New York. One of my favorites: an Adirondack table made from a tree stump.

Last, but certainly not least, we bought new organic, natural latex Royal-Pedic mattresses from The Organic Mattress Store. For added loft, we got organic wool mattress pads. It's heaven.

In looking for furnishings, I employed the same principles I use when buying organic food: start by going toxin-free, avoiding polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants that can be harmful to developing brains) and resins and glues containing carcinogenic formaldehyde and other neurotoxic, volatile organic compounds. And wherever possible, I tried to buy local. It's wonderful what you can find right in your own region—or parents' attic.

Admittedly, for lack of alternatives, I have also bought furniture, kitchen supplies and what have you that have no eco-redemptive value whatsoever. But at least I know I've tried. And although I am exhausted at the end of the day, I can fall into my organic cloud bed with a clean conscience, knowing that if I haven't changed the world for the better, at least I've made some effort.