Keepin' it Green

When we first took over our new space it was all about demolition and removal. Thick, toxic carpeting lay on the floor - and drop-ceiling panels crowded head room. As soon as we got all of the old and useless detritus from the previous occupants out, what greeted us was beautiful open space that inspired all manner of ideas. Above all - we wanted to make sure we re-used and re-cycled as much "old" stuff as possible (easy on the budget and easy on the planet!)

The rough concrete floor was the first serious upgrade we took on, and rather than lay down vinyl tiles glued on with hazardous materials we polished the floor to obtain a very contemporary look that is extremely easy to keep up.

Next up was our service counter which would provide not only the visual anchor for customers coming into the store, it was also envisioned as a gathering place, so we created a counter next to our lounge area and used old but beautiful exotic hardwood sourced from a friend to build the main face.

When we got to decorating the new store we used old fence rails to frame the windows - again sourced from another friend who has a spread on the mountain, and whenever possible chose to use the most environmentally friendly materials throughout the store.

Lastly, we already had quite a lot of slatwall from our previous store, and inherited several more panels when we took over the new space. In addition, we sourced several used floor stands from local shops and very cool retro lighting fixtures to hang above the lounge area. We're not done with decorating yet, but we'll definitely stay true to our goal of re-using and re-cycling as much as possible.