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The Sun Valley Guide magazine is distributed free four times a year to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area communities.

Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express newspaper will receive the Sun Valley Guide with their subscription.


Willow tree bowl, $45, from Red Door Design, Bellevue, the company also specializes in sustainable and recycled materials for home building.


Habitat hits
designed by Mother Nature
writer: Dana DuGan
photographer: Paulette Phlipot

From tables manufactured in Twin Falls (less transport equals less carbon emissions), storage boxes made of water hyacinth (a fast-growing plant that needs minimal processing) to art made by local artists (using recycled materials), all it takes is a little alternative thinking to furnish your home in the most environmentally sound manner possible.

Building a green house may reduce your carbon emissions (and utility bills), but bragging rights only go so far if you fill it with non-eco-friendly furnishings. So the next time you buy furniture remember to consider its impact on the environment.

The first step is to shop locally. A wander through the Wood River Valley’s home furnishing stores turned up this stylish selection of contemporary items, antiques and vintage pieces that all fit well into the green mold.

Look for products made from materials that are salvaged, recycled or certified sustainable. Choose fabrics that are organic or 100 percent sustainable (such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, jute, hemp or bamboo), and select finishes that don’t contain formaldehyde, and paint that has low volatile organic compounds.


 Untitled, $1,800, the Green Antelope Gallery, Bellevue—this sculpture by Wood River Valley artist Katie Flood is made from salvaged wood and other recycled materials.


Clerestory side tables, $2,995, the Open Room, Ketchum—handcrafted from reclaimed rock elm with a floating steel top.




Recycled glass bottle
, $60 a from Red Door Design, Bellevue.




Custom made console table
, $6,500, Tribes, Ketchum—made from salvaged wood at the Tribes furniture factory in Twin Falls.


Lilipad Chair, $249, lilipadstudio.com—handpainted with non-toxic paint and handcrafted with FSC certified hardwood by Hailey artist Laura Higdon.


Bamboo dining table, $3,042, the Open Room, Ketchum—made by Austrian company Xpand System, the table expands from 55" to 73" long.


Large, wood-framed mirror, $2,345, Tribes, Ketchum—made from 100-year-old reclaimed wood in Parana, Brazil by Environment Furniture.


Wooden carousel horse, $300, Worth Repeating, Ketchum—handmade 50 years ago in Twin Falls. One of the easiest ways to be green is to buy used, recycled and repurposed vintage and antique furnishings.


Water Hyacinth storage box, $85, Your House, Ketchum—an extremely fast-growing plant, water hyacinth is an ecologically responsible alternative to wicker and rattan, as it can be used in its natural state and quickly replenishes itself.


Maison, $250, the Green Antelope Gallery, Bellevue—mixed media art made with found objects by Wood River Valley artist Sharon Payne.