Modern Living Showhouse Debuts at Dwell on Design & Brings Ecofabulous to Life

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 22, 2010) – A glamorous, one-of-a-kind, green designer home – the Modern Living Showhouse – will be unveiled by ecofabulous on Friday June 25 at the 2010 Dwell on Design show in Los Angeles, the West Coast’s largest modern design event.  Presented by Electrolux, the Showhouse by ecofabulous features luxurious green interior design and lifestyle choices that are uncompromising in style and sustainability. 

The 400 sq. ft. prefab house made of 80-90% salvaged materials was built by Reclaimed Space™, an Austin-based builder focused on reversing the impact new construction is having on our natural environment, resources and society. The Modern Living Showhouse (http://ecofabulous.com/modernliving/) will be open for viewing June 25 - 27 at Dwell on Design in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to bid on the Showhouse via eBay Giving Works, with proceeds donated to Global Green USA at http://www.ebay.com/ecofabhouse. Last year, actor TJ Thyne (of Bones fame) was the lucky winner of the auction, at $75,000.

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The Modern Living Showhouse brings ecofabulous to life and is filled with the most enriching, creative, and innovative interior design in the eco-sphere today. Curated by ecofabulous founder and lead designer Zem Joaquin, the home showcases the eco products of more than 20 manufacturers, carefully selected for their superior sustainability standards and design aesthetic. From the lush living wall to the smart, energy-efficient kitchen and laundry appliances to the glamorous organic fabrics, the result is an exceptional dwelling that is inviting, gorgeous, and incredibly eco-friendly.

The Showhouse enables both the eco-curious and the eco-advanced to experience the ecofabulous lifestyle in the real world.  This immersive, tactile experience allows attendees to touch and feel best-of-breed green products and learn how conscious design improves the health, safety, and beauty of one’s home.  The Modern Living Showhouse is comprised of indoor and outdoor living spaces designed and installed by the ecofabulous Design Team.

Interior Design: Highlights of the Modern Living interior include the following:

•  Energy-efficient, stylish kitchen and laundry appliances from Electrolux
• Vintage high-end furniture from top eBay seller, Joe Marcinkowski (ebay.com/midcenturyguy)
• A closet styled with luxury pre-owned clothing from top eBay seller, Corri McFadden (ebay.com/edropoff)
• Custom bed designed by Joshua Pfenning, eBay seller and 2009 Creative Reuse Winner (ebay.com/properfurniture)
• Recycled denim insulation from Bonded Logic
• Laundry room tips with the Levi’s® brand Care Tag for Our Planet initiative
• SodaStream home carbonation system for sparkling water in under 30 seconds
• Method’s leading premium, healthy home and personal care products including the first Cradle to Cradle certified laundry detergent
• CaesarStone’s innovative recycled quartz countertop
• Zero VOC, non-toxic high performance paint by Mythic Paint
• Green upholstery with natural tapped rubber fill by EKLA Home
• Earth-friendly fabrics by Valley Forge, Q Collection & O Ecotextiles
• Beautiful recycled glass bathroom tile from Oceanside Glasstile
• Caroma’s leading high-efficiency, dual flush Profile Smart toilet
• Coyuchi’s luxurious 100% organic cotton bedding and bath linens
• SCS certified designer hardware from Rocky Mountain Hardware
• Breakthrough eco-friendly daylighting technology from Solatube
• Custom FSC certified wood light featuring LED strip lighting by Seth Quest
• A kitchen stocked with organic, healthy snacks from Nature’s Path Organic Foods
• Commissioned art made of recycled house paint and found materials by Erik Otto
• Environmentally sensitive and water-efficient faucets and fixtures from Brizo
• ViruPure™ by Everpure, the world’s-first water filtration system to filter viruses

Outdoor Design: Highlights of the Modern Living outdoor space include the following:

• Fyto Wall vertical garden
• One-of-a-kind “clothes tower” custom air-drying solution by Design Ecology
• Sustainable landscaping by Shades of Green
• Organic pre-fab vegetable garden by Home Grow Micro Farms
• Eco-friendly patio furniture by EKLA Home & Teak Warehouse
• Sustainable deck tiles from Eco Arbor Designs
• 100% recyclable fiber cement planters from Greenform

"The Modern Living Showhouse contextualizes ecofabulous. It is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the most original and luxurious products in the eco-sphere today," said ecofabulous founder Zem Joaquin. "We are excited to bring ecofabulous to life for all of the Dwell on Design attendees and demonstrate how committed we are as a team to sustainability and style. Green design is really just smart design because it enhances a home’s form, function and fun.”

"The Showhouse is a fantastic, innovative example of a highly-functional, beautiful, and affordable execution of residential design using reclaimed materials" said Michela O’Connor Abrams, President and Publisher of Dwell. "This is what happens when creativity and good design work together for the greater good of the environment.”
“Zem Joaquin’s ‘ecofabulous’ house is a great example of how we can live better with smart, elegant green building strategies and energy-efficient appliances,” said Global Green President Matt Peterson. “We’re so pleased to be the charitable beneficiary of this great project that will help thousands of people learn how they can save money, improve their health and help fight the climate crisis in their very own homes!”

“This year’s Modern Living Showhouse demonstrates how eco-friendly choices in the home can be fashionable and attainable for homeowners,” said Mary Kay Kopf, CMO, Electrolux Major Appliances North America. “Something as simple as purchasing Energy-Star appliances can make a big difference for consumers and the environment, while not sacrificing style in the home.”

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with ecofabulous for the second year in a row to create the Modern Living Showhouse. This project has been a chance to emphasize how every choice that consumers make can have real environmental impact – and proves that choosing to reuse doesn’t have to come at the expense of modernity, style – or price. This year’s Showhouse is a true testament to the eBay Green Team’s core principle: that the greenest product is often the one that already exists.” - Annie Lescroart, Senior Manager of Sustainability Communications, eBay Inc.

“The Modern Living Showhouse by ecofabulous is more than just a story in sustainable building, it’s about lifestyle choices, like people taking simple steps to reduce their climate impact by washing their jeans in cold water, line drying and donating to Goodwill® when no longer needed. We’re thrilled to partner with Zem on this innovative lifestyle experience.”  - John Colonna, Director of Men’s Merchandising, Levi’s®.

The Modern Living Showhouse by ecofabulous is presented by Electrolux and executed in collaboration with Reclaimed Space, eBay, and Levi’s. For a sneak peek at the house and a full list of the ecofabulous Showhouse decor partners, please visit http://ecofabulous.com/modernliving/

Bidding on the Showhouse is now available via eBay Giving Works at http://www.ebay.com/ecofabhouse

About ecofabulous
Ecofabulous (www.ecofabulous.com) is dedicated to uncompromising sustainability and style. A publishing and content development firm, ecofabulous.com is a top resource for eco-friendly home, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle choices. Named a top online resource for living and shopping green by Martha Stewart’s Body+Soul magazine and listed #15 on Women’s Health magazine’s list of “The 100 Most Useful Sites on The Web,” ecofabulous is the authority on stylish, sustainable living. The company has built its high level of trust, credibility and experience by curating and providing fresh, informative reviews of today's hottest products that meet stringent sustainability criteria. In every product review, ecofabulous considers purity from toxins and lifecycle assessment, as well as superior efficacy and aesthetic design. The team is able to develop this expertise through its offline work, designing spaces and creating experiences using the products they evaluate.

About Zem Joaquin
Former eco editor at House and Garden, Domino, and 7x7 magazine, ecofabulous founder and editor-in-chief Zem Joaquin is the eco-luxury specialist for Planet Green's Alter Eco and regularly contributes to various other media, such as The Huffington Post. Mentored by William McDonough, Zem is a certified BuildItGreen design and strategy consultant and Cradle-to-Cradle enthusiast who helps companies and individuals create beautiful, smart, sustainable spaces and practices. Much of her penchant for superior design came from her years at Splendora.com and living in Milan, Paris and London, but her love for the earth can be traced back to her early upbringing on a Palo Alto commune. As the mother of two children, Zem is committed to improving the health, education and access to well-vetted information on sustainable products for all individuals. To that end, Zem is an active board member of Global Green USA, Healthy Child Healthy World, Teens Turning Green, and The Green Products Innovation Institute.

About Global Green USA
Global Green USA - the American arm of President Gorbachev’s Green Cross International – was founded in 1994, and is a national leader in advocating for smart solutions to climate change. For more than 15 years, Global Green has helped green nearly $20 billion nationally in affordable housing, school, and municipal building construction that saves energy, reduces CO2 emissions, improves health, and creates green jobs. For the past five years, Global Green has worked with the Los Angeles Unified School District to help green its $14 billion in new school construction. After Hurricane Katrina, Global Green opened an office in New Orleans to help spearhead the green rebuilding of the city, and thanks to a grant from the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund, is demonstrating how to sustainably rebuild New Orleans’ schools. Global Green USA, one of the leading green voices in New Orleans, is coordinating with the local environmental community to help respond to the Gulf Oil Spill disaster We are working to support the communities impacted, to help document the devastation it is causing, and to fight for more legislative regulation of the oil industry and increased investment in renewable energy and clean technologies.

About Electrolux
Electrolux launched its newest collection of stylish kitchen appliances in 2008. The new, energy efficient line from Europe’s leading appliance brand is loaded with ingenious features such as a Perfect Turkey™ Button and Luxury-Glide™ Racks. The new Electrolux laundry collection of stylish and functional appliances offers such innovative features as the largest capacity washer and dryer that wash and dry the most clothes in one load, the fastest wash-to-dry time in only 36 minutes, and eco-friendly washers that are up to 83% more energy-efficient and use 56% less water than conventional ones. For more information, please visit http://www.electroluxappliances.com/

About Reclaimed Space
Reclaimed Space is about constructive building. Founded in 2008 by DIRTCO founder, rancher and environmentalist, Tracen Gardner, and Austin-based designer, Kimber Reed, Reclaimed Space utilized a combined 25 years of building experience to launch this revolutionary model of modern sustainable living. Focused on reversing the impact new building is having on our natural environment, resources and society, Reclaimed Space provides alternative energy capabilities and fully sustainable living, while building with reclaimed materials. Along with a commitment to forward thinking and eco-responsibility, Reclaimed Spaces are not just a product of function; they’re built with a guarantee of unrivaled quality. Visit http://reclaimedspace.com/ for more info.

About eBay Green Team
As the world’s largest online marketplace, eBay has been able to harness the power of their community of more than 90 million users to help that world make smarter, greener shopping decisions. By showing how every choice makes an actual environmental impact, eBay has stayed true to the core principle upon which its 240,000-member Green Team was founded: that the greenest product is often the one that already exists. Visit http://www.ebaygreenteam.com/ for more info.

About Levi’s®
The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since their invention by Levi Strauss in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world. Levi’s® jeans are available in more than 110 countries. The Levi’s® brand is working hard to show consumers that their laundry habits make a big difference. On June 1, the Levi’s® brand launched the Care to Air design competition challenging innovators to design covetable and sustainable ways that people can air dry their clothes. This contest is part of the Levi’s® brand “Care Tag for Our Planet” initiative, marking the first time a major retailer has used product care tags to encourage people to take simple steps to reduce their climate impact by washing less, washing in cold, line drying and donating to Goodwill® when no longer needed. Visit www.levi.com/care to learn more.