Interview - American Flora

As professional organizers we see a lot of “stuff” in people’s homes. When determining what we should keep, one of the areas we focus on is, quality. We spoke with Mary Brewster from American Flora about her collection as an antidote to disposable consumption.

For the busy person, what is American Flora?

When looking for a beautiful and unique gift, American Flora provides accessories that are Sustainable and Made in America. Our website is user friendly to make shopping very easy.

What is your origin story, how did you start the company?

I started the company because I wanted to sell a sustainable line of dance and yoga wear. I’m a ballet dancer who grew tired of purchasing Leotards etc that were not comfortable. Ones that were made with inferior fabrics.When I found out about REPREVE (the fabric I use), I was certain it would be perfect for my line. I was also determined sew the US and use a sustainable fabric. As you can read on my website, REPREVE is made from recycled plastic bottles.After a few years I decided to pivot and created the Wraps then the bags.

What is the Giving section of American Flora?

I designed the LOVE bag to bring awareness to my audience. Awareness about how necessary and easy it is to give/spread love.I decided to donate 15% of the profits from the sale of the LOVE bag to a foundation called Circle of Health International. The Giving page on my website explains the work COHI does. American Flora has always donated to a cause that helps women. It used to be Breast Care at Hartford Hospital. I was very moved by the passion and dedication of the midwives who work for COHI. They work globally. I chose a project in Puerto Rico, where they are still struggling after the damage caused by Hurricane Maria.

Can you explain more about sustainable fashion?

Sustainable fashion focuses on avoiding waste. Another term for it is Slow Fashion vs the Fast Fashion craze that has been going on for at least ten years.

Fast fashion gained momentum when the prices of some brands of clothes went way down, along with the quality. It also perpetuated the hiring of children in factories, an abundant waste of water, bad working conditions and message that clothes were “throw away”. Why bother keeping them if you could buy something else for cheap.

I chose to create my line using a fabric that is made from recycled plastic bottles, which otherwise would remain on beaches, and land as litter.

In addition, I chose American factories and suppliers that adhere to a sustainable practice.

What are some of your most popular pieces or ones you enjoy making the most?

The bags have become the most popular. Initially the Buddha bag was purchased more. When I started the campaign with the LOVE bag, that rose to the top.

That said, the Pink Cactus and Red Cactus Wraps are very popular. I took the images when visiting a Botanical Cactus Garden in Majorca Spain. Those are special for me, and the reason I designed the Black Clutch with a Red and Pink accent.

Guest Post - 5 Tips for Achieving a Cozy Family Room

The family room is the heart of every home. This is where the real magic of community happens: it’s where you and your loved ones spend time socializing, relaxing and having fun. So, if you want to make this special space even more comfortable and cozy, consider these 5 family room design ideas. They will certainly come in handy as the winter approaches!

Start with color

If you want to create an inviting, friendly and cozy space for your family, opt for soft and warm colors. Earthy tones are especially great in creating that homey feeling, so consider khaki, honey or clay tones. In order to break the monotony, you also need a few pops of bold color! You can paint an accent wall in brighter shades like yellow, pumpkin orange or brick red or find another way to introduce color. For instance, you can opt for eye-catching decoration or an interesting piece of art. These are great ways to spice up the space, because they are affordable and can be easily replaced when you need a quick change.

Shower it in light

There’s no better way to create a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere in a space that with appropriate lighting. So, ditch your old-fashioned boob lights and harsh beams and illuminate your family room with layered lighting. Combine general, overhead lighting with the task and accent lights for the best coverage. This way, you’ll always have just the right amount of light for all your family activities and your space will be showered with soft and pleasant light. No more dark corners and too-bright islands of light! Even though the artificial light is crucial, natural light is still the healthiest way to get some light into your family room. So, make sure to open up those curtains and regularly let the sunshine in.

Cozy it up!

Do your family members like to gather in the living room, watch a movie while curled up under a blanket? If yes, then you definitely have to boost comfort to make these moments even cozier for everyone! The best way to achieve that homey, casual vibe is with plenty of informal seating. Soft furniture with practical pillows will simply invite everyone to just flop on the couch and chill as a family.

Also, get a few throws for accent and extra warmth in the winter. And, don’t forget your floors! For the ultimate cozy atmosphere, you need to provide your toes with plenty of warmth and softness. If you can find a rug that’s soft and cozy, you’ll not only boost warmth in your family room, but also anchor the entire space and significantly improve the overall aesthetics of your room. Plus, your kids will love to roll around and play on their new, soft rug!

Make it organic

A great way to add both interest and freshness to your family room is to employ nature and natural elements. Indoor plants will not only add a touch of style, color and fragrance to your space, but also ensure your air is free of pollutants and even some odors! This is especially important in the winter, when we spend a lot of time indoors and tend to close our windows. So, don’t miss a chance to green up your family room. Also, outdoor elements add great interest to the space. Consider placing an arrangement of branches in a vase or driftwood on a shelf. These details will instantly boost warmth and style of your room, but also connect your family with the outdoors! If you want to go a bit bigger, you can embrace the eco-friendly trend and try some green renovation design ideas for a healthy and environmentally-conscious home.

Personalize your space

Little details are often what makes home…well, a home! So, don’t hesitate to add a few meaningful family items to your décor to add charm and character. Think family photos, vacation souvenirs, favorite books and art pieces. These pieces not only encourage conversation, but also trigger memories and tell a story about your family. So, ditch some of the store-bought decoration and replace it with personal items that will make your family room warm and inviting!

Hopefully, you’ll feel inspired to improve your family room and treat your loved ones to a space that is uniquely yours. Your movie nights, lazy Sunday mornings and family bonding times will be even more fun and relaxing!

Lana Hawkins is a young architect and a home décor blogger on Smooth Decorator. She enjoys writing about interior decoration and landscaping. Lana is interested in sustainability and green building, and that's where she gets most of her inspiration from.

Interview - Nicholas Guitars

Since we deal with "stuff" all day we try and focus on keeping items of quality that will last a long time. We spoke with Nick of Norwalk’s own Nicholas Guitars to get a sense of the custom process for well made "stuff" that rocks.

What’s your background?

I have been around music since my early teens in Liverpool. I played in band's pretty much right up until I moved to the US in 1996. In the early 90's I had a number of guitars built by an outstanding English luthier and we became good friends. Spending time with him in his "shop" gave me my first taste of guitar building and over the next 20+years it slowly grew from modifying finished guitars to building kits to full scratch builds.

How do you work?

All my builds are done with hand tools, I have a table saw and band saw for roughing out, but I shape with chisels, scrapers and gouges, there's no CNC cutting or design software. 

How long does it take to make a guitar?

On average about 4 months. That's from picking out a couple of raw blocks of wood to plugging an instrument into an amplifier.

How does input from the costumer work?

I want to build the instrument a customer has in his or her head (within reason). Outside of the fixed requirements like scale length and fret position, pretty much everything else is open to interpretation. So it may be as simple as a customer showing me a picture of a guitar they saw in a magazine, a color they like or it may take sitting down with a pencil and a piece of paper and sketching out a complete guitar.

I know it is hard to choose, do you have a favorite guitar you created?

Right now it would be one of the tricone "resonator" guitars. There's 100+ hours in the building of them and because of their acoustic nature, there's no electronics or amplifiers to hide behind, they either work or they don't. Thankfully they work!

Interview - Greg Stones

As long time visitors to the SONO Arts Festival, we have also been longtime fans of artist Greg Stones. If you are looking for something original to turn your home into a art museum check him out.

What’s your background?

The most important pieces of my creative evolution that inform my work at the moment: I saw Star Wars in theaters in 1977, my parents bought me Crayola crayons at some point, I graduated from Bates College in 1996, I got picked up by Chronicle Books in 2011 because zombies were a thing, and then in 2016 my editor Steve Mockus Jedi mind-tricked Lucasfilm and Disney into letting me write and illustrate a Star Wars book. So there you have it.

How do you work?

I have two ways of working. If I am creating art for galleries and art festivals, I start paintings with no plan whatsoever, and whatever happens happens. It is very improvisational and fun and surprising. If I am working on a book, I lock down a theme and a character that I would like to explore, then sketch pages and pages of ideas that may or may not lead to something worthwhile.

Why did you choose to work in the medium you use?

I like gouache because it is a very flexible and direct medium. It is also super portable, so when I am in the middle of some crazy book deadline, I can bring my work with me to art festivals and hotels and get stuff done.

Your work is what I consider family friendly with a twist, how would you describe it?

I have to say that much of the family-friendliness of my work is thanks to my editor at Chronicle Books, who realized early on that kids really enjoy my books. Left to my own devices, there is a lot more nudity and death by chainsaw in my work, as anyone who has seen my paintings in galleries or at art festivals can attest.

Did working on a Star Wars book make your childhood dreams come true?

To be honest, it never even occurred to me that working on a Star Wars project would be a possibility, so I never really thought about it. I did start to think about it once I got picked up by Chronicle Books, however, because they published four of Jeffrey Brown’s humorous Star Wars books (Darth Vader and Son, Vader’s Little Princess, etc.), which are the books that paved the way for funny Star Wars books everywhere.  It was definitely a crazy and fun and scary and exciting process, though. And how cool is it that I got to use all my action figures from the 80’s for work??  Cray cray.

Of your many character creations or Star Wars what do you love working on the most?

At the end of the day, I love painting penguins more than any other character. Don’t get me wrong, working within the Star Wars universe was an amazing thing, but penguins are just so darn awkward and goofy and fun. Plus, they don’t wear stormtrooper helmets, which are the hardest things to paint EVER!!!