Kelly LaPlante Organic Interior Design has been receiving notice in the press. Click a thumbnail on the left to learn more.

Our Favorite New Green Retreats

Beach Chic.  Venice Beach Eco Cottages, California.  Three solar-powered bungalows, a five-minute walk form the pounding Pacific and boutiques of Abbot Kinney Boulevard.  Green cred:  Each of the individually designed one-bedroom cottages (Papa Hemmingway is a Craftsman-style; Aunt Zoe's Place is 1940's; Le Bebe is mod-baroque) had standard-issue green touches complemented by quicker surprises.  Kitchen appliances and washer-dryers (for longer stays) are certified by Energy Star; bedrooms are decked out with 300-count organic Gaiam linens; and in, the bathrooms, guests will find Seventh Generation paper products and Kiss My Face toiletries.  Throughout, vintage pieces have been reimagined in cheeky ways; a bright red birdcage in Le Bebe was reconfigured as a swivel chair, and the exterior of the hot tub on the deck of Aunt Zoe's Place was made from old-fashioned milk jugs.  Who's behind it.  Actress Cynthia Foster and her environmental economist husband, Karel Samsom, who have pledged a percentage of their profits to local charities, including the Boys and Girls Club.  

 

by David A. Keeps

House Bound

As everyone and their mother seems to be clamoring for a piece of the green pie, we increasingly appreciate stalwarts who have been quietly going about their eco-business for years. Los Angeles-based interior designer Kelly LaPlante has over a decade of sustainability-focused work under her effortlessly stylish belt, and lays her philosophy bare in her classy newish book, Ecologique: The Style of Sustainable Design. From actor Michael Rappaport’s Barton Find-inspired bachelor pad to the Venice Beach Eco Cottages, it’s filled with lush images of responsible design ideas that think outside the typical modernist box. Further evidence that LaPlante walks the walk: 100 percent of all proceeds benefit Global Green and the Blank Theater Company.

 

Source:  Vanity Fair Online

 

This year the Fairmont Hotel and Resorts chain, in partnership with Lexus, created the Lexus Hybrid Living Suites, which are aimed at travelers who want to sleep, eat, and drink sustainably.  This tenth-floor corner suite, by the Los Angeles based designer Kelly LaPlante, is outfitted in neutral tans and sky blues that were inspired by its views of the San Francisco Bay and custom-matched using Benjamin Moore's low-VOC, self-priming paint.  The furniture was sourced from companies that use ecologically sound principles (such as Kenneth Cobonpue); custom-made using FSC-certified woods and nontoxic glues; or found through local antique dealers.  The centerpiece is a round coffee table by LaPlante, assembled from the recycled leather of old Lexus prototypes.  Everything, from the organic sheets and comforters to the formaldehyde-free bamboo flooring, reflects an eco-sensitive approach that doesn't sacrifice style.  LaPlante even reused the original fixtures and furnishings, including chairs, bathroom fixtures, lamps, and the headboard, rather than discarding them, which is the norm for hospitality makeovers.  Guests are treated to towels and bathrobes made from bamboo and organic cotton, and the minibars are stocked with local organic wines, artisanl cheeses, and other treats.  To top off the experience, they have the use of a Lexus LS 600h L, the carmaker's new V8 hybrid, and a guide loaded onto the suite's iPod offers a tour of the city's best sustainable offerings.

 

 

 

 

 

Green in D.C.

 

The Fairmont Washington, D.C. has recently added an environmentally friendly suite to its hotel.  When I first arrived at the "eco-suite," I was skeptical.  What is it about staying in a luxury resort with its individually wrapped, plastic shampoo bottles, massive water consumption and prodigious energy-use that could possibly be considered "green"?  In all honesty, not much, but at least when it comes to this particular suite, the Fairmont has done an impressive job.  They have managed to marry high-concept design and environmental sustainability remarkably well.

The suite is designed to look like a black-and-white photograph.  Everything in the room, from the steel-brushed bamboo floors to the eco-friendly paint, materializes itself in various shades of grey.  All of the furnishings are either recycled (refinished) or made with environmentally sustainable materials, such as organic cotton or sustainable wool.  The only hints of color appear in the bright paintings, created by local D.C. artist, Jon Wassom.

There is nothing illegitimate, from an environmental point of view, about the design of this suite.  Every detail has been thought of down to the contents of the mini-bar, which include biodynamic wines and local, artisan cheeses.  The bathrooms, while they do offer individually wrapped shampoos, at least feature Origins Organics line.  If you are truly committed, you can take your empty containers to an Origins retail store and they will recycle them for you.

The designer responsible for the room, Los Angeles-based Kelly LaPlante, might be the most fashion-forward environmentalist I've ever encountered.  When I met her, she was clad in a 1920's flapper-inspired dress and cloche hat.  She beamed as she told me how pleased she was that the industry has advanced to a point where she can work with materials that are both high-end and carbon neutral.  She means that, for the first time in a long time, we are beginning to see paints, fabrics and carpeting that are manufactured with the environment in mind.  We have, however, seen examples of carbon neutrality and haute design in history.  Versailles comes to mind.

 

--Ivey Doyal

INTERIOR DESIGNER KELLY LAPLANTE CREATES ECO-FRIENDLY LIVING SPACES THAT SPOIL THE CLIENT, NOT THE ENVIRONMENT.

 

Long before Al Gore won an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth and even longer before the word "green" became a geo-political marketing ploy, Kelly LaPlante, 32, had been inspiring her clients to view eco-design as a standard, not a style. And for more than ten years of not sacrificing anything in the way of aesthetics, quality or the environment, LaPlante has presented her clients with everything from Victorian to ultra-modern, using only toxin-free, recycled and sustainable materials like eco-friendly paint, bamboo flooring and salvaged furniture. LaPlante also works with sustainable renovation services, like First Finish, to recycle demolished materials such as carpet and ceramic tile debris on design projects in order to limit waste.

Recently, Kelly LaPlante's projects have also included the Lexus Hybrid Living Suites at Fairmont Hotels in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and currently, LaPlante is exploring the style of sustainable design in her new book, Ecologique, now available on her website OrganicInteriorDesign.com. All net proceeds from Ecologique are being donated to Global Green USA and Los Angeles' The Blank Theatre Company, which is working toward the goal of building one of the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified theater facilities.

LaPlante's eco-saving assault on the planet stretches into television, as the designer hosts Brilliant Green on the Ovation Network. LaPlante also serves as an expert on TV programs including Discovery Home Channel's Greenovate and Sundance Channel's Big Ideas for a Small Planet. Additionally, her eco-design passion can be sensed in her Venice Beach showroom, which features vintage, antique and sustainable new furnishings as well as in her new studio collection, Jak, a collaborative venture with designer James Saavedra. Jak debuted on the Sundance Channel set for Project Greenhouse at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Both furnishings are on display in the Lexus Hybrid Living Suites, so book your reservation and go green. Sometimes it's just that easy. Fairmont.com Jacqueline Colette Prosper

 

 

Black and White and Green All Over

Crossing the threshold of the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite at the Fairmont Washington D.C. is supposed to make guests feel as if they're stepping into a black-and-white photo, says Los Angeles-based eco-designer Kelly LaPlante, who took three months to create the suite. The two-bedroom space includes white floors of textured bamboo, a renewable resource; the original chandelier, refinished in low-toxicity black paint; and custom draperies of 100 percent recycled polyester.

This stark landscape, softened by shades of gray, draws your eye like an arrow to the artwork on the walls, paintings by local artist Jon Wassom, which provide "bursts of color," LaPlante says. Mindful of his sponsor, Wassom incorporated pieces of reclaimed leather from Lexus vehicles onto some of his canvases.
The suite shuns the bland neutral colors and natural wood tones that are often the hallmark of the green design movement (though salvaged birch trees in the living space conjure the outdoors). Instead, it embodies LaPlante's philosophy.

"Green is a standard, not a style," she writes in her recently released book "Ecologique: The Style of Sustainable Design" (Organic Interior Design, $50). Going green "shouldn't be a trend or a flash in the pan," LaPlante said by phone. "We're working towards permanent change and how people think about the environment." Like the rooms showcased in the 159-page book, the Fairmont suite aims for a chic look using a variety of eco-friendly elements without sacrificing style.


Seeing LaPlante's design in person will be pricey. The suite is part of the Fairmont's Eco Power package, which starts at $999 per night and includes complementary use of a low-emission Lexus sedan.

 

Kathleen Hom

Luxury Eco Travel

Kelly LaPlante designed the suites which include coffee tables with leather recycled from cars, eco-friendly fabrics, organic towels and robes and mini-bars with local organic wines and cheeses. The suites are $869 plus tax per night, which includes the use of a Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sedan.

 

For Lexus, green life is suite

Lexus is crawling into bed at the Fairmont.

 

The Japanese luxury car maker has partnered with the luxury hotel chain to create a Lexus Hybrid Living suite at the San Francisco Fairmont, demonstrating just how "hybrid,"and high-end, the eco-chic lifestyle has become.

 

The rooms as designed by Kelly LaPlante Organic Interior Design of Los Angeles are green to the core. They feature recycled organic materials, or at any rate ones that grow quickly and easily, like bamboo. Then there's an organic mattress and bedding, locally sourced antique furniture and a coffee table composed of recycled Lexus bucketseats and backseats. Not least, the suite comes with "complimentary" use of a Lexus LS 600h L.

 

Guests will have to arrive with plenty of green of their own: the suite runs $869 plus tax per night.

 

 

-- Contributor: Sarah Duxbury

Eco-Friendly Married with Luxury

The impending threat of the melting polar ice caps has people questioning, "What can I do for my environment?" What if there was a way to do your part in luxury? Fairmont Hotels and Lexus have joined forces to unveil two "Lexus Hybrid Living Suites," the Fairmont San Francisco and Fairmont Washington D.C. The suites have found a way to marry the concept of the "Green Movement" with luxury and offer guests a fully sustainable and organic experience. Every room includes eco-friendly bath amenities, mini-bats with local wines, organic farmstead cheeses and much more.

Visitors are offered complimentary use of a Lexus LS 600h L, a low-emission luxury car while staying in their luxury suite comprised of organic and rapidly renewable resources. Eco-friendly comes at no cost to chic style with interior designs by famed eco-designer Kelly LaPlante, whose designs are based on organic fabrics, mattresses, paint, recycled leather from Lexus vehicles, pillows, towels and robes. Guests also receive a Green Guide and audio podcast that recommends environmentally friendly activities that can also be found on the Lexus Hybrid Living website. And now through December 30, 2008 the Eco is the new Chic package includes accommodations in the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite, access to the Lexus LS 600h L, complimentary parking and a bottle of organic wine and is available for $869 plus tax per night.

And if not for the eco-friendly theme, the Fairmont San Francisco is situated in the center of town with bay windows that offer picturesque views of Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and China town. Lexus Hybrid Living Suites hope to set the example of how eco-friendly doesn't have to come at the expense of comfort. For more information on Kelly LaPlante's organic designs please visit kellylaplante.com. For more information on Lexus Hybrid Living Suites please call (415) 772-5147 or visit www.fairmont.com.

 

View the article at BestStuff.com.

Saffron Rouge is the source for organic skin care and aromatherapy. This June, they interviewed Kelly about eco interior design.

 

Click here to visit the site and read the interview.

 

 

 

 

 

Site for everything cool, Cool Hunting,
talks up the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite

It's rare, but sometimes brand as curator actually works. Such is the case with Lexus' first Hybrid Living Suite (part of their larger Hybrid Living initiative) at the Fairmont San Francisco, a room designed with eco-friendly materials, which we had the recent opportunity to check out first-hand thanks to Lexus and the Fairmont. Their lifestyle marketing efforts succeeds where others don't by leading the way in the burgeoning field of eco-luxury with style and attention to detail. In a word, it's good.

 

Click here to read the rest of the post.

 

 

Kelly LaPlante is featured in
Hospitality Design, The Green Issue.

Download the first part here. And the second part here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly is featured on 'The Green: Big Ideas for a Small Planet'

on the Sundance Channel.

Originally aired Tuesday, April 9, 2008.

 

 

 

 

Provocative popular culture magazine Blackbook details the impressions and conversion of a self-described tree-hugger hater upon seeing the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite at the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco. The Suite -- and the one in Washington, D.C., have been designed by Kelly LaPlante Organic Interior Design, naturally.

 

Click here to read the article.

 

 

 

Sundance juror Diego Luna browsed green goods from Pangea Organics, and designers Donna Karan, Rodarte and Ernest Sewn when he took a break from watching films to check out Project Greenhouse. The suite, sponsored by Lexus Hybrid Living, was eco-friendly right down to the snacks, spa treatments and decor by interior designer Kelly La Plante.