Klaff’s in Norwalk hosted an evening workshop on March 27th. They had laid out a sumptuous buffet to refresh us before we sat down to hear an interesting presentation of new products in low voltage and LED lighting.

The Wilmette Lighting Company, a division of Tech Lighting, makes a low-voltage product selection that incorporates the beautiful glass and period details of the early twentieth century with the high tech world we live in today. They showed us a restoration style, low-voltage MonoRail system that complements period décor as a choice other than the ultra contemporary look we are accustomed to seeing.

We were shown a variety of LED systems made by Kichler Lighting for both task and mood lighting. Their Design Pro under cabinet lighting has a thin profile and runs cool with bright white light that that lasts for more than 40,000 hours and uses very little energy. A lot of people thought the star of the show was the LR6 downlight module that can be retrofit in most standard 6” recessed housings. That means you don’t have to tear the ceiling apart.

Klaff’s will be hosting a series of workshops on lighting and hardware over the next year. The next one will be given by Baldwin Hardware and will be eligible for CEU credits.  We’ll keep you posted.

Rosalyn Cama, FASID
 

25th Anniversary, was founded in 1983 and has completed design work for many clients nationwide in the area of healthcare and academic settings for higher education nationally.

Ms. Cama has served as the twenty-fourth President of the American Society of Interior Designers, (ASID) and also currently serves as Chair of the Board for the Center for Health Design.

Ms. Cama holds a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction in Interior Design and Textiles from the University of Connecticut.
 

A Strong Sense of Place -

attracted visitors who came to hunt, discover, and see the newest and most innovative “what’s new on the home front” at the Connecticut HOME DESIGN EXPO Showhouse 2008. The vendors displayed everything that’s needed to build or remodel a residence. This year’s event was bigger than ever with lots of new and exciting features.
 

HANDMADE ORIENTAL AND DECORATIVE RUGS
THE “GREENEST” OF FLOOR COVERINGS

By Alix G. Perrachon,
Alix Unlimited, LLC
914 (834-2478)
alixunlimited@gmail.com
Did you realize that machinemade carpeting is mainly produced from non-renewable petroleum-based products accounting for 1% of U.S. landfills and totaling an estimated of nearly 5 billion tons and consisting mainly of non-recyclable nylon?

Did you know that these latex-backed goods generally present a higher incidence of outgassing and health-related issues namely allergies due to their chemical treatments and irritants?

While significant strides are indeed being made to make the carpeting industry more eco-friendly, handmade oriental and decorative rugs have always been intrinsically “green” as they are handwoven with renewable raw materials including wool and cotton with minimal, if any, machinery involved.

Since the 1980s, a rug renaissance has taken place in all the countries of origin—including Turkey, India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Egypt, Armenia, and Romania—where manufacturers have gone to all lengths to revive the art of ancient rug weaving. The “purist” of these rugs are handwoven from handspun, handcarded wool and natural dyes extracted from organic materials. Although chrome dyes are more prevalent, industry experts feel that their effect is minimal in handknotted rugs (versus those found in machinemade carpeting).

In effect, these rugs are washed and sundried several times during the production process. However, most important, the lifespan of handmade oriental and decorative rugs is infinite.

States one expert: “They illustrate the best example of recycling, as you not only reuse them but also give them new life.”