Go Green With 'Repurposed' Interiors

Brian Brigham Lehman displays some of the fabrics she will use in the 2010 Southern Living Showcase Home by Dillard-Jones Builders.

By Brian Brigham Lehman

What better way to Go Green in your home than using antiques as part of your interior design plan. At The Galleries of Brian Brigham, we typically feature a mix of old and new pieces when decorating a home, using antique and vintage furnishings in an updated way.

Our Galleries design team has long subscribed to the theory that buying and using antiques is one of the greatest forms of recycling and conserving natural resources. We call it 'repurposing'. Recycling old furniture with a new faux finish,  repurposing an architectural item into a headboard for a bed, or finding new uses for older items is definitely Going Green. And it is a terrific way to create a look that truly reflects you. I am a lover of all things antique, and I'm hopeful that the green movement now taking hold will encourage more consumers to consider antiques when designing the interiors of their homes, and help develop a new generation of antique lovers and buyers.

The interior design plan we are creating for the family room and the dining room of the Dillard-Jones Builders 2010 Southern Living Showcase Home will reflect the LEED for Homes theme of the project. We'll be using several antique pieces - some 'repurposed', some refinished and some simply incorporated. The design will be classic comfort with a new twist, blending new custom-made furnishings, some distressed pieces, and antiques that offer elegance in an updated way. Fabrics will be 'vintage inspired' creams, browns and blue grays with a good play on textures. The study of the 2010 Showcase Home will be a real treat as we combine our love of antiques with the contemporary flair of Ivet Ivanova of Bogari to create space that effectively blends the traditional and the trendy.

You can follow the progress of our 2010 Southern Living Showcase Home at www.dillardjones.com. The house will be open to the public for tours Fridays through Sundays November 5 - December 19 at no charge.