My Favorite Diva Continues to Support This Cause!

Charmaine has been instrumental in providing tips, ideas and links over the past couple months and not only had I given her huge kudos for those rockin good links but I certainly asked if she would be interested in becoming a contributor to our little Green home. She did decline as writing reviews and wordy type posts are not her style but she did say she is more than happy to still send on anything and everything she finds that could be a good story for GLR. I was overjoyed she was still interested in helping out!

To date, Charmaine has likely provided me with over fifteen potential story ideas, at least ten fantastic links and turned me on to a handful of fascinating eco blogs and her unwavering support just keeps coming! I interviewed her ages ago because not only is she a serial blogger but one heck of an environmentally conscious Interior Designer as well. Do not be shy in getting in touch with her regardless if you live in Oregon or not, she is fully able and happy to travel (and at this time of year I would bet she is going to be your new best friend if you fly her out to work in Hawaii). Below is a reprint of some of my interview with Charmaine from July of 2008. Links to her information can be found at the end of the interview.


Who or what influences your work and why?

My work changes as I change, as my interests grow, so I would have to answer: life. Fifteen years ago I was focused on antiques, which led selling, which led to decorating, which led to design. Designing has been the most rewarding to me because I’m not a follower. I get the most satisfaction from creating my own work rather than copying page 18 of a popular design catalog.

Who or what inspired you to become a Designer?

A customer from one of my antiques shows admired my sale displays and asked me to consider decorating her home. That job led to others, which eventually led to design.

Why was it so important to go green?

Global Warming is very real. This is the only planet we have and this is our chance to save it. As a designer, I believe salvation begins at home. Making your home and lifestyle as green as possible…what better way to save the planet.

How did you approach your first client with green design concepts? How long ago was that and were they receptive?

My first choices for products are always green so my approach is straight- forward. Being green is my modus operandi, and it’s what I offer my clients. As long as it fits within their budget, clients are receptive. If they balk at the price, I simply suggest the next best green product instead.

Where did your first inspiration come from?

When I was a kid, my mom had a coffee table made out of an old wooden door, complete with vintage hinges and knobs. I remember the delighted laughs when guests would see if for the first time, and inevitably knock on “the door”. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of reusing items, turning something old into something new. This philosophy is the core of my design style.

What have you incorporated into your lifestyle to facilitate going green and conserving energy?

I have always lived a green lifestyle. Lately, the biggest changes have come about due to the rising gas prices. We live in a semi-remote area, so driving long distances is a necessity. I consolidate my trips to town (30 miles each way) which makes for long days of running errands, but saves gas and money and reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

What is important to you about conservation and preserving our environment?

I think the most important thing is to influence the nay-sayers. Our planet is in crisis, people need to understand this and make the necessary changes to save it. Little things will make a difference. It’s one of the reasons I sell vintage goods and supplies. Items can be re-used in ways they were not originally intended. Jute webbing can be used in lieu of ribbon to make a simple chair tie, skeleton keys and clock parts can be turned into jewelry…the list is endless.

What are you currently working on?

My current project is personal…for the last year my husband and I have been remodeling our home. Last summer we bought a five-acre piece of property in the High Desert of Central Oregon. With our budget, buying this much land in the most expensive part of the state necessitated a low cost home...a 1980 double-wide trailer.

There was no beauty in this home. None.

This project has been my biggest design challenge to date. We gutted the entire inside…salvaging and donating items to the Habitat for Humanity resale shop, recycling wood and scrap metal as we went along. We tore out the cardboard and plastic ceilings, rewired and re-plumbed where necessary. We hired a crew to sheetrock over the nasty paneling and then I coated the walls and ceiling with both low VOC (Devine) and no VOC (Yolo) paints. We ripped out the germ riddled plush carpeting and laid Eco-Timber solid bamboo flooring (using a non-toxic glue) throughout the entire house. We tore out (and recycled) aluminum slider windows, replacing them with energy efficient ones. We repurposed antique furniture into a vanity sink cabinet and linen closets rather than buying new pieces. The kitchen cabinets were purchased from a company who offered a green line of cabinetry. Paperstone (countertops made using 100% recycled paper and a non-toxic resin) was installed in the kitchen. Ten of the light fixtures we installed were found at second hand stores or purchased off Craigslist. We salvaged, reused and repurposed many items making our remodel as green as we could afford, and as beautiful as possible.

What Green Product would you recommend to our readers?

Paperstone (Countertops made with 100% recycled paper)

What is your best going green tip?

Shopping locally. It keeps money in the local economy, which in turn creates jobs, promotes community development by creating charming, walk-able town centers which reduces urban sprawl, pollution, traffic, etc.

How would your friends describe you?

Creative, innovative and loyal.

Do you have a website or online presence that showcases your work?

Currently my online presence consists of my Etsy shops:

High Desert Diva where I sell small vintage items

High Desert Supplies where I sell vintage and new supplies for assemblage art

and my blog

I plan to have a design website within a year.**

** Charmaine does have an operational website Charmaine Manley Design.

Photographs courtesy of Donna Pizzi and Philip Clayton Thompson of Blackstone Edge

Home Innovation

With so many resources available today, as well as a struggling economy, it is no wonder that unconventional, sustainable and less expensive housing options are beginning to make a grand appearance. People are shifting their way of thinking from living in oversized, wooden frame boxes with vinyl siding, a picket fence and four car driveway to things such as old industrial loft buildings, trailers and even shipping containers. It is all in the perception of a person’s imagination to redesign these unconventional spaces into sustainable, green homes.


Right here in the Boston area there is a community called Forbes Park that takes sustainable living to the ultimate level of luxury. Built inside an abandoned printing facility from the 1800’s, Forbes Park dubs their homes as Hybrid lofts because they garner over fifty percent of their energy from renewable resources. Most notably is their use of wind power from the turbine located right on the premises and passive solar through the two walls of windows located at the end of each loft space. In addition the structure features a rain water collection system for use in toilets, radiant floor heat, thermal-mass passive heating and cooling, low flow toilets, energy efficient appliances and the use of durable, natural materials to reduce needs for replacement.


Sometimes there is a negative stigma attached to certain forms of housing, for example a trailer, but Charmaine Manley has taken this view and buried it so deeply beneath bamboo flooring and Paperstone countertops that her home in Oregon has been photographed as a show home. The double wide trailer started out as many do with chintzy carpet, paneled walls, aluminum windows and no character but through sound design principles Charmaine has created a comfortable and livable home for her husband and herself. In addition to bamboo flooring and paper countertops the home boasts low to no VOC paint, repurposed antique furniture (as a bathroom vanity and closet solution), lighting acquired from second hand stores, green kitchen cabinets, energy efficient window and so many other repurposed or sustainable options a list would be virtually never ending. As a final nod to the planet all materials that were removed were either recycled or donated to various organizations. To view all of the before and after photos of this amazing transformation please visit her blog posting at High Desert Diva.


Many people would not look at a shipping container as a viable option for a housing solution but through a little innovation and conceptualization these small metal boxes can be transformed into some very modern housing on a tighter budget than one might think. With a large surplus of such material simply taking up space at ship yards across the country it is possible to snag one of these containers for as little as $900. In 2006 Peter DeMaria of DeMaria Design Associates took the concept to a second level and constructed a two story home in Redondo Beach, California out of multiple containers with great success. The home is inherently resistant to bugs, mold and fire and in a location such as this where construction to withstand earthquakes is a priority, it is comforting to note that a pre-fabricated metal box is virtually indestructible.

The opportunities are endless for creating functional, comfortable and gorgeous, unconventional housing options, as evidenced in this small sampling of homes. Due to their creative innovation and attention to environmental awareness I am giving each of these designs (including the small woodland house featured in the first photo, click to read more about it) Four Green Leaves!

Keep up the great work bucking the norm and proving to all of us that irregular is just another word for exceptional!