E’s Green Home Picks: Tables and Toppers
Barn to Table
Wood has so much more character when it’s reclaimed, particularly old barn wood in varying shades with the marks and lines that let you know it’s lived a little (or a lot). North Carolina-based Blue Ridge Woodworking takes that wood and turns it into custom-designed farm tables (approximately $475-$875 with two benches; prices vary with size). These tables invite long family meals, extra servings and unexpected guests. The solid wood is a far cry from the particle-board composites that pass for wood these days, and the tables have green cred for being both reclaimed and made in the U.S. blueridgewoodworkingnc.com
Wall Stuffers
Time to beef up your home’s insulation? Avoid the dangerous-to-inhale, itchy-to-touch fiberglass stuff and opt for UltraTouch Denim Insulation that boasts no chemical irritants, no volatile organic compounds and 90% post-consumer recycled natural fibers. Bonded Logic Inc., which makes the insulation, recommends the UltraTouch Multi-Purpose Roll with an R-Value of 8 (about $6/48” x 16” x 2” roll) for small jobs, such as sealing gaps around windows and doorways, a wise energy move before the winter cold hits.
Raise Your Goblets
Delicately stemmed wine glasses are not always practical, and they certainly can’t launch a conversation the way these Recycled Auto Glass Goblets ($35/two) from Uncommon Goods can. The green-tinted goblets are handmade from former windshields by artisans in Columbia and feature unique bubbles that provide texture and a sure grip. The goblets are so big and sturdy that several reviewers recommended using them as water goblets instead. uncommongoods.com