Restore. Recycle. Repurpose.: Create a Beautiful Home (A Country Living Book)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1588167690 ISBN 13: 9781588167699

Publisher: Hearst, 2010

Renovation that’s eco-friendly AND economically smart

From Country Living contributing editor Randy Florke (Your House, Your Home) comes a gorgeous guide to decorating sustainably and inexpensively.  Providing inspiration as well as instruction, Florke shows how everyone can achieve a look that’s both harmonious with the environment and beautiful. 

 Color photographs show examples of rooms, all radiating country charm, created on a budget, and designed with the three R”s in mind: restore, reuse, and repurpose. Florke clearly explains why going green is so important, how to use what’s already there, find a focus for every space, and determine what makes something environmentally friendly.

Anyone hoping to transform a home from ordinary to extraordinary will find eco-friendly, thrifty, and stylish ideas.   

With its emphasis on simplicity, thrift, and respect for historical integrity, Randy Florke calls his philosophy the "anti-keeping up with the Joneses.”  Comfort, style, and economy are the bellwether elements of his approach to decorating.

From Booklist:

The problem with the green movement? All philosophy, few practicalities. Country Living editor Florke (with help from writer Nancy Becker) reverses that by going, room by room, through his homes (and those in his magazine) to point out specific ways to keep true to sustainability. Handwritten notes on color photographs, sidebars like “Grandmother's Tips” and “Did You Know?,” and text in each chapter underscore, subtly, that little steps add up. In fact, the advice resonates. Why not buy a top-quality stove at a restaurant close-out sale? Use vintage bed frames in guest rooms (since king and queen mattresses weren't invented until the 1950s)? Reupholster instead of buying a new sofa or chairs? Reuse tiles as plant drainage (to name just a few ideas)? The almost endless ideas spark even more inspiration, exactly the author's intent. A vocabulary up front sets the stage for green thoughts, while resources at the end provide general where-to-get-more information. --Barbara Jacobs