Designer Oliver Heath's 1850s terraced house in Brighton is a showcase for his beliefs. "I don¹t think you should have to compromise on style to be environmentally sound,² he says, and as you go through the three-storey building, he eagerly points out where style and eco-friendliness cohabit.
There's the wall of dark panelling above the bed head, for example, recycled from a local yard; or the glossy cushions made from old car seat belts.
Kitchen cupboard doors are made from slats of sustainable oak, and the worktop, which continues along from the kitchen to make a shelf and hearth in the adjacent sitting area, is a composite of recycled glass. Even the blue and grey plates and bowls are made from old Coke bottles.
The base of the small round table in the dining area came from a junk yard in Brick Lane, London, and is topped with a disc of recycled plastic. And the banisters between the first and second floors are all different, again second-hand and gleaned from various sources. "I like the variety of shapes. Having too much uniformity can be boring," says Heath.
The walls throughout are painted in EarthBorn clay-based paint which allows the walls to breathe. "It's important not to seal the walls in an old house like this because they were originally built without damp-proof courses," he explains. Even the lampshades stamped with cutouts of butterflies are made from recycled wool felt and designed to work with low-energy bulbs. The raised wings of the lampshade butterflies complement the pages of bird illustrations clipped to the wall by bulldog clips, which allow the pages to flutter in the wind from the landing window.
And while some touches aren't necessarily 'green', they are clever. These include the lighting features such as the light box which conceals the fridge in the kitchen. "I usually have it on at night-time and it gives this end of the room a soft, warm glow," says Heath. Then there¹s the lighting slotted in above the wardrobes and under the bed in the bedroom. "The light under the bed makes it appear as though it's hovering, and the light above the wardrobes give the room the feeling of being taller and the light bounces back off the white ceiling, doubling its impact." The bathroom has an Island Stone pebble floor, a small, flat hand basin and a dual-flush lavatory the latter two installed to cut down on excess use of water. Hanging on the towel rail are some plain cream towels, but even these have a tale to tell. "They are made from bamboo fibre," says Heath.
"Bamboo is quick and easy to grow, it needs no pesticides, requires little water and it has an inherent anti-bacterial quality." Yes, they are soft to touch and don¹t appear to be any different to cotton ones, but obviously have a better lineage.
Then there is the basement, a large open workspace that can be subdivided by a panel, or 'wall on wheels' as Heath calls it. In just a few minutes, and with a few easy pushes and pulls, the end of the room is transformed into a guest bedroom with the addition of a fold-down bed which is disguised, when not in use, by a panel of Pavilion Birds wallpaper by Louise Body.
Also at this level, and concealed under the rise of the stairs, is a condensing boiler and an A-rated energy-efficient washing machine. "Many of these low-energy machines and appliances may seem a little more expensive in the beginning, but they recoup their cost in the long run," adds Heath.
Beyond the basement table and work area is an outside courtyard with a recycled plastic deck that's partially covered by a reinforced glass roof, which also doubles as a terrace outside the kitchen door. "The space under here is where we sit out on summer evenings, but it is also ideal for drying clothes, even in damp weather, and that cuts down on the use of energy required by machines such as the tumble dryer." On the upper side of the glass roof, just outside the kitchen door, there is a cleverly constructed table and bench system made out of old scaffolding planks which, when not in use, fold back up into the wall.
But where did Heath's interest in environmentally aware design begin? "Two years ago my firm Blustin Heath were involved in putting together an exhibition of Waste Recycling Action Programme, or WRAP, products for the Ideal Home Show, and I kept thinking that a lot of the stuff we came across could be better designed. Just because it is environmentally friendly it doesn't have to be clumpy or awkward. Then I looked further afield and found that there was a whole range of British designers making some really interesting and unusual things, but they were difficult, even for us in the business, to track down. The products they produce include solar-powered chargers for iPods, phone and camera batteries, old sails made into striking waterproof shoulder bags, some very stylish recycled glass vases, jugs and glasswareŠ There are endless possibilities," he says enthusiastically.
After that, Heath co-founded EcoCentric, a company that selects eco-sensitive products and sells them through its website, and he also works with the Energy Saving Trust. His mantra, which slips into conversation several times, is "reduce, re-use and recycle" and it is clearly one that he lives by.
www.ecocentric.co.uk
