{"id":8953,"date":"2012-06-05T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-05T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145696.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=8953"},"modified":"2012-06-05T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-06-05T13:00:00","slug":"q-a-with-alison-causer-green-interior-design-in-new-york-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/articles\/q-a-with-alison-causer-green-interior-design-in-new-york-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Q & A with Alison Causer: Green Interior Design in New York City"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alison<\/a>Alison Causer <\/a>is an interior designer specializing in green and eco design in interior spaces. Not only does she have \u00a0formal training in sculpture, graphic and interiors, Alison is a multiple recipient of the Cotty Award<\/a>, and was most recently honored for her outstanding performance in interior design while working with Dave Fox Design Build <\/a>in Columbus, OH.<\/p>\n

Alison currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and focuses on environmentally responsible work with interior spaces in New York City. You can imagine\u00a0my excitement when Alison agreed to chat with me about green design, a topic that is just now finally coming to the forefront of the industry.<\/p>\n

FGS: Tell me a little bit about your story – how did you enter into interior design in New York city?<\/p>\n

Alison: I came to Brooklyn under the impression that I wanted to work in the boutique hospitality\u00a0interior world. I got a few internships and jobs after being a part of that machine, I realized how\u00a0much I missed working directly with clients. I love the relationship, the development of ideas\u00a0and seeing people excited about their personal spaces. Working with humans is hard. We are\u00a0such emotional people. I wanted to human connection. I needed it, I think.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then I started working for a independent designer and realized that designing in NYC is\u00a0achievable on a small level. Sometimes you get so overwhelmed by the idea of New York, it\u00a0feels like you can\u2019t be independent. But you can and I saw that first hand.<\/p>\n

After that I started working on my internet presence and my own style. I really honing my craft\u00a0and taste with a small blog<\/a>. And I\u2019m still working on this! It\u2019s a never-ending process of learning\u00a0and creating.<\/p>\n

FGS: I know you have a particular commitment to using sustainable and ethically sourced materials –\u00a0have you always been this way, or was there a shift towards sustainable design in your work? If\u00a0so, what caused it?<\/p>\n

Alison: Yes and no.\u00a0I worked for a design build company a few years ago and in Middle America the \u201cgreen\u201d idea\u00a0had\/has a \"\"<\/a>stigma, either too expensive or too “liberal hippy.” So I try to focus on the data\u00a0instead of the trendy elements and slip in more options that were fair trade product or something\u00a0earth friendly.<\/p>\n

I never want people to feel obligated or feel I am pressuring them morally to be green\/organic\/fair trade. I want people to love the products, materials, and finishes. Sometimes I think the green\u00a0washing has had a negative effect on people so it\u2019s a balancing act.<\/p>\n

The shift has come from traveling and then landing in Brooklyn. I decided it was an important way\u00a0of life and that the rest of the world is ahead of America when it comes to conscious living.<\/p>\n

FGS: How do you practically implement sustainability into your work?<\/p>\n

Alison: When I work on a kitchen renovation I try to spec in low flow faucets, LED under cabinet lights,\u00a0no \/ low voc paints. When I design a living room I suggest organic materials, vintage pieces, and that my client support an\u00a0artist.<\/p>\n

FGS: What are some of your favorite sustainable lines to work with?<\/p>\n

Alison: I am currently in love with Cisco Brothers<\/a>. Their furniture is made in Downtown LA. It\u2019s beautiful,\u00a0organic, classic, and it\u2019s affordable. There\u00a0are so many companies and artists out there, but I lately I am also loving Canvas<\/a> and a textile designer in Brooklyn named\u00a0Eskayel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FGS: How do you implement sustainable material and design into projects involving remodels or\u00a0renovations?<\/p>\n

Alison: When I work on a kitchen renovation I try to spec in low flow faucets, LED under cabinets\u00a0lights, no voc paints, induction cook tops, and energy efficient appliances as well as natural materials like\u00a0stone or recycled tiles and countertops.<\/p>\n

FGS: There are so many options out there for “green” design – how can we tell the difference between\u00a0what is truly sustainable and what is not?<\/p>\n

Alison: Keep an eye on the adhesive used in the construction of the pieces. Check the fabric is a natural\u00a0material like organic cotton, linen, sisal or wool. Make sure the latex is used instead or other man\u00a0made fibers. Check and see if the company has been certified from any 3rd party groups such as\u00a0Fair-trade, Sustainable Furnishing Council<\/a> or FSC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FGS: How do you implement sustainability into your own living and working spaces?<\/p>\n

Alison: We recycle. We try to eat organic and buy local as much as possible. My new thing is organic\u00a0cotton linens and teeshirts. \u00a0I looked around at our apartment recently and realized that 98% of our furniture is vintage,\u00a0recycled or found art.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more fun to make something new with an old piece!<\/p>\n

Follow Alison on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alison currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and focuses on environmentally responsible work with interior spaces in New York City. You can imagine my excitement when Alison agreed to chat with me about green design, a topic that is just now finally coming to the forefront of the industry. More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":9010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[91,1],"tags":[5091,166,3,34],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/KI_Sidorinko1a.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8953"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}