Think Global - Buy Local - A New Tale

Outdone by the "Amazon"

            The woe of many a small retailer these days is the big bad Amazon and it has struck us down twice in the past week so we wanted to share our experience. Don't get me wrong, their website has been a useful tool when we have purchased gifts to send to family and friends out of town, it has an amazing library to offer as well. But the stories you've heard in the past year of small, local retailers getting outdone are real and pose a serious threat to our continuing existence.

            In one instance a customer researched where she could touch and see a beautiful bamboo shag rug we carry at 'g'. She drove over an hour out of her way and made a day of visiting the showroom to see this soft and luxurious covering for her soon-to-be born child to rest on. Then we got the call a few days later...she had found it at a fraction (mili-fraction) over cost on Amazon and was having it shipped. She thanked us for sharing it, having it available to see and feel, but in the end opted to purchase from an anonymous on-line outfit.

            It's distressing since we simply cannot compete on price with Amazon. They are a buying and networking behemoth. We are a customer service oriented showroom with bricks and mortar and the real stuff on hand. And we can only remain to allow people to come and see and feel if we are not passed over, especially after we have provided the resourcing and customer service our customers tell us they want and need.

            We just ask you to consider this when you think about purchasing on-line. Think globally - Buy Locally - and keep the shops and services you value in a neighborhood near you.

Learning About Color

Learning about color

This past Saturday morning amidst a freak snow storm on the Cape – freak because it came and went WITHOUT WARNING in about 20 minutes – and freak because we have had little other snow all winter – ‘g’ hosted a workshop on color.  Participants brought their questions and challenges and by the end were choosing colors with abandon from a close-out sale on clay paint.

How did they get this new found confidence to stamp their homes with new color ideas – perhaps it was the gentle suggestion made by Nicole throughout the workshop that people should trust their gut and have a little fun.

Color is not an exact science.  Each one of us has an emotional, subjective response to the colors that surround us.  It’s a personal experience that can change depending on the environment, the changing light and individual perception.  Color can be very intuitive for some, though others still find it daunting.

When we take notice of the colors around us, we are reacting to the whole atmosphere.  The blue in a bedroom that looks calming and serene, can appear cold and dull in an institutional setting.  Likewise a hot red in a restaurant can seem lively and inspiring, a great backdrop for spicy food for example.  But in a living room it can look garish, even tawdry, if not paired with strong woods, expressive patterns and accessories that highlight its warmth.

At ‘g’, we often recommend that color-challenged clients take a look in their own closets when trying to decide the colors that will suit their homes best.  Your clothing is a great place to reinforce your color preferences.  Take a look as well at your dishware, your artwork, your souvenirs and accessories.  All these will give you hints about color to utilize in your home décor.

All too often we hear “I’ll just go with white” as if that were a safe choice for the walls.  It certainly avoids the question of color, but it can also make your home look washed out, plain and boring.  And it may even be too bright if your furniture and other design elements are not as bright as the walls.  We took a look during the workshop at several manufacturer’s white paint samples of which there were easily 50 shades, so white is not the easy default you may believe.

Neutral backgrounds can work well, but if it has to be beige why not try for beige-ish with a taupe, a soft blue or grey.  Or use multiple tones of the same beige color to create layers and a richness that exudes luxury and warmth.

The trick is to create a flow with color throughout your home so your passage from room to room is not abrupt.  You may have flooring that extends from one room to another, and the color of this flooring should also be taken into account in each room color palette.  On the other side of the challenge is not to make everything so matchy-matchy that there is no contrast, no interest, no surprises.  Try working with a color group in the living room for instance, picking up this tone in the dining area and just using it as an accessory in the kitchen for instance.  Sprinkled around my home is a tangerine orange that pops up on a chair in the living room, on the staircase risers and in a bold wall leading up to the attic bedroom.  Tangerine orange might not be your pick, but using a color consistently throughout your home in carefully chosen elements will create a harmonious blend, and lead your eye from one room to the next.

Feeling confident about your choices is the key, but you have to try something daring occasionally to get that confidence under your belt.  If “its just paint”, then its just paint.  You can change it.  And if you don’t like your initial choice, leave it for a while, it may grow on you. 

Just don’t try to please everyone in the family with each color choice.  Unanimity is a rare phenomenon, but consensus may spontaneously occur.  The color may grow on you, and it may grow on your family as well.

Take a few chances, add some texture, some pattern.  Try something new.  It only makes life more interesting.  Have fun and come and see us if you get stuck and need a color nudge!

Updating Tiling for Flooring, Backsplashes and Bathrooms

Tips - Updating with Tiling  -  for Flooring, Bathrooms and Backsplashes - New Selections Are In

A simple, affordable way to update your kitchen and bath this season is to remove and replace your backsplash and counter top. With some great new selections in tiling,  can help to put together a new look for you and your home. From Arley Tiling comes an unusual tile made with volcanic ash. The beautiful colors are uniquely dispersed throughout the tile and it blends well with many of the glass and concrete counters we have on hand. Use a mosaic or subway tile blend, and you will have an eye-catching kitchen backsplash. Glass, glass and more glass is being offered by our manufacturers. This mosaic collection from Hakatai is elegant,  colorful yet simple enough not to distract or add too many elements into the kitchen design. Available in three colorways, it can be combined with our Curava or Eco by Cosentino counters for a clean, fresh look.

Upgrading Your Home Investment Through Smart Remodeling

The current housing market is changing the landscape of home ownership in ways we could not have foretold even five to ten years ago.  In contrast to the trading up and relocating frenzy of the past decade, homeowners are finding themselves hunkering in and putting some smart money into their current homes.

The smartest improvement ideas of the current decade are focused on energy efficiency which translates to cost savings and greater comfort.  My first question to homeowners, whether they come to see me about a new kitchen, or refurbishing the flooring, concerns the bottom line on their home's energy performance; when was your last energy audit?  We begin with the basic assessment and add on with diagnostic testing to see where we can plug holes, and save energy.  Why waste time putting in a new kitchen, if you walls are drafty and you can't enjoy sitting in the dazzling new room?

Smart remodeling is about making informed choices about energy, but also about the materials you are going to use and surround yourself with.  With the emergence of green building in the past few years, we have an overwhelming selection of flooring, tiling, counters, cabinetry, lighting, carpeting, window treatment...all made with NON toxic materials, with no formaldehyde, or other VOC's which can cause innumerable health problems for young and old. You weight the choice, toxic-non-toxic.  Same price, great design options, durable and long lasting.  Everything from the paint on your walls to the insulation in your walls can be less toxic and create better air quality.

It's not about green building, it's about smart building.  Homeowners who are looking to maintain and increase the value in their homes, are seeing a return on their investments using these criteria, from immediate energy savings to lower health costs, and faster sales when they do go to sell.  The added value of green elements such as recycled counter top materials are Immediate draws and market well to informed consumers.  Realtors as well are taking notice and are getting trained to identify these benefits for their customers.  To learn more about staging and marketing green homes, visit in our showroom in Mashpee, Monday - Saturday 10AM - 5pm or in Boston, (218 Lincoln Street, Allston - by appointment only).

Or give us a call at 508-477-7988  

or 781-561-1221

Spotlight on Speaker for Be Healthy Boston

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Home \ Blog \ BHB - The Conference \ Speaker Spotlight: Nicole Goldman of 'g' Green Design Center

“Green living is not just about being ʻgreenʼ but being smart”; making a commitment to choose materials, methods and actions that minimize 

negative effects to human and environmental health. Being green in her 

head and heart, Nicole Goldman is founder of ʻgʼ Green Design Center. 

She is an interior designer who has devoted her career to making homes beautiful without impacting the health of her clients’ families or the environment. She believes that building green spaces is about making a commitment to being green in all areas of your life to promote health on 

an individual and environmental level.

What does “wellness” mean to you? Wellness to me is a combination of carefully choosing what you 

surround yourself with, what you intake and how you create a healthy living environment.

“Make smart choices – green is not just about being green but being smart in terms of usage of energy, materials & everything that doesn’t adversely affect ourselves and our environment.”

How did you get started in wellness/your profession? Originally from NY, I went to school at Connecticut 

College and then transferred to University of California Berkeley during the late 70ʼs. At the time, Steward 

Brandʼs “Good Earth” catalog came out and I chose to work in publications at Berkeley. I then moved to NYC 

and worked at Parson School switching to NYUʼs Stern School of Management for my MBA. Eventually, I 

moved to Boston to be with my then boyfriend, now husband of 30 years. He was at MIT for Architecture. We 

co-started a design company, which sold large scale promotional displays, eventually selling it and taking most 

of the proceeds to take our young adolescent children on a trip to travel the world. Upon returning, I launched 

into my own design career. At the time green living was just gaining momentum, reflecting upon and pulling inspiration from my days at Berkeley I began to work towards learning about green design. Through my own 

green home renovations, I experienced how difficult it was to get materials, and skilled workers, especially 

those skilled in green design. Therefore I recognized the gap in the market place and began my company, 

ʻgʼ Green Design Center, experiencing the bloom of green design. I see myself at the crossroads of where 

business meets design.

What is the most important home health or green design possibility a person can do today? From a 

wellness standpoint, it is to use non-toxic cleaners and to recycle. Also, it is important to take off your shoes 

and leave them at the front door to decrease the amount of chemicals and pathogens you carry throughout your home.

What do you hope is the take home message from your speaking experience at Be Healthy Boston 

2012?“That green living is simple, not complicated or expensive.”

Do you have a motto or a philosophy you live/work by? “Believe in yourself and never give up.”

Start small to incorporate health into your home environment. Join Nicole Goldman as she co-presents 

The Green Home: New Construction, Renovations and the Path to Energy Savings, Sunday, January 29th 

at Be Healthy Boston 2012.

Electronic Recycling

This Saturday and Sunday, Octo 8 - 9 @ g Green Design - Mashpee we'll be having a Electronic Recycling drop off event. So bring all those old computers. cell phones, TVs and unuseable VCRs to send off for reuse and repurposing! For those of you who can't make it here is some info about the where, how, and what of electronic recycling . 


Obsolete computers or other electronics are a valuable source for secondary raw materials, if treated properly; if not treated properly, they are a source of toxins and carcinogens. Rapid technology change, low initial cost, and even planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of computer or other electronic components around the globe.


In reaction to this the EPA as well as several non-profits have organized eCycle initiatives to make it easier than ever to get rid of your old computers, cell phones and household electronics. eCycling Central is a great resource with state by state listings of drop of locations with programs for recycling electronics. Always make sure to call ahead before you drop off, though. Oftentimes these locations aren't equipped to take broken or severely outdated equipment. Many manufacturers will actually take back their products when they are no longer useable. Visit the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find more info on which manufacturers recycle electronics. 


Once your old electronics are donated, what happens to them? Audiovisual components, televisions, VCRs, stereo equipment, mobile phones, other handheld devices, and computer components contain valuable elements and substances suitable for reclamation, including lead, copper, and gold. Your electronics are usually dismantled and separated based on their materials. Some computer components can be reused in assembling new computer products, while others are reduced to metals that can be reused in applications as varied as construction, flatware, and jewelry.

Green Building Open House - This Saturday, October 1st

Join Us

Saturday, October 1st

10AM - 5PM

Come into our showrooms:

On Cape Cod - Mashpee Commons

In Metro Boston - South Shore - Norwell

Learn about Energy Efficiency Options for your home or business.  Discuss federal and state tax rebates programs for energy upgrades.  Find out about eco-friendly insulation options.

Take a look at sustainable, eco-friendly building materials, kitchens, cabinetry, counters, tiling, floors and more and talk with our designers 

about your remodeling projects.

For more information

info@ggreendesign.com

508.477.7988

metrosouth@ggreendesign.com

781.561.1221