PRESS BOOK
June, 2013
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February, 2013 ELEMENTS
DESIGN FIND
Tile Style With a nod to fashion, it’s finally hip to be square
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ocal designer Kelly LaPlante, who won Austin HOME’s 2012 Hot List award for best interior designer, recently launched a dazzling line of decorative tiles for Fireclay Tile called The Runway Collection. It’s the major tile company’s first designer attempt, and Fireclay has nailed it. The pieces are inspired by centuries of iconic fashion design, from throwback classics like houndstooth to controversial corsets, all available in Fireclay’s vibrant, lead-free, all-natural ceramic glaze colors. It’s the perfect way to spruce up any kitchen or bath space.
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Homegrown
November, 2012
September, 2012
April, 2012
April, 2011
April, 2010
March 2010
January 2010
by Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer styling by Miranda Jones, Sunset style editor; photos by Thomas J. Story, Sunset staff photographer For Kelly LaPlante, a leading Los Angeles-based interior designer, author, television host, and new mother, green design isn't just about choosing fabrics and furniture made from sustainable materials. She prefers to help her clients find new use—and often unexpected new love—for things they already own. "There's nothing more green than keeping what you have," she says. Her own Venice loft is proof that hand-me-downs and thriftstore finds can rise to stylish new purpose. In our upcoming January issue I give you a peak inside Kelly's home (which was shot a year ago—she actually doesn't live there anymore!). Here, we have more space to give you some room-by-room details. I appreciate how every moment in this home seems to have a soul, a story, a little history—with nothing that resembles having the origin of a shopping mall. Read the full story: http://www.homebysunset.com/home_by_sunset/2009/12/home-tourkelly-laplantes-venice-loft.html
January 2009
Making the Grade Los Angeles Interior Designer Kelly LaPlante Gives Green A Sophisticated Style In 1998, then 22-year-old Kelly LaPlante started a new business out of her San Francisco flat, armed with a degree in interior design from San Francisco State University and a mission to change the environmental consciousness of the design world. "I had this nagging feeling that the industry needed to change, but there was a certain stigma against earth-friendly design," says LaPlante. LaPlante abides by a simple principle: Reuse, reuse, reuse. "People tend to forget that the most important part of green design is conserving resources by using what we already have," she says. "With the constant renewal of different styles throughout design history, you can find vintage pieces in any look--from Regency to midcentury modern." To underscore this point, the designer has just published Ecologique, a book showcasing 17 eco-friendly spaces that she designed in a range of styles. LaPlante is also collaborating with designer James Saavedra on a new furniture line called Jak. Debuting in July, their first collection, Fremont, features sustainably produced modern pieces and is named after the Bay Area town where both designers were raised. A few years ago, as furniture manufactures started to cash in on the green movement, LaPlante began conceptualizing thegreengrades.com, a system of rating companies on 12 basic points, including building materials, energy consumption, living wages and dedication to sustainability. "We do the research for the consumer and try to provide a balanced evaluation of what's really going on," she says. LaPlante is forthright about her goals for the future. "I'm hoping that through all the teaching and efforts that are being made, green will become a standard," she says. "Then we can all go back to just being designers."
December, 2008
November, 2008
Our Favorite New Green Retreats
Beach Chic. Venice Beach Eco Cottages, California. Three solar-powered bungalows, a five-minute walk form the pounding Pacific and boutiques of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Green cred: Each of the individually designed one-bedroom cottages (Papa Hemmingway is a Craftsman-style; Aunt Zoe's Place is 1940's; Le Bebe is mod-baroque) had standard-issue green touches complemented by quicker surprises. Kitchen appliances and washer-dryers (for longer stays) are certified by Energy Star; bedrooms are decked out with 300-count organic Gaiam linens; and in, the bathrooms, guests will find Seventh Generation paper products and Kiss My Face toiletries. Throughout, vintage pieces have been reimagined in cheeky ways; a bright red birdcage in Le Bebe was reconfigured as a swivel chair, and the exterior of the hot tub on the deck of Aunt Zoe's Place was made from old-fashioned milk jugs. Who's behind it. Actress Cynthia Foster and her environmental economist husband, Karel Samsom, who have pledged a percentage of their profits to local charities, including the Boys and Girls Club. by David A. Keeps
October, 2008
House Bound As everyone and their mother seems to be clamoring for a piece of the green pie, we increasingly appreciate stalwarts who have been quietly going about their eco-business for years. Los Angeles-based interior designer Kelly LaPlante has over a decade of sustainability-focused work under her effortlessly stylish belt, and lays her philosophy bare in her classy newish book, Ecologique: The Style of Sustainable Design. From actor Michael Rappaport’s Barton Find-inspired bachelor pad to the Venice Beach Eco Cottages, it’s filled with lush images of responsible design ideas that think outside the typical modernist box. Further evidence that LaPlante walks the walk: 100 percent of all proceeds benefit Global Green and the Blank Theater Company. Source: Vanity Fair Online
September, 2008 This year the Fairmont Hotel and Resorts chain, in partnership with Lexus, created the Lexus Hybrid Living Suites, which are aimed at travelers who want to sleep, eat, and drink sustainably. This tenth-floor corner suite, by the Los Angeles based designer Kelly LaPlante, is outfitted in neutral tans and sky blues that were inspired by its views of the San Francisco Bay and custom-matched using Benjamin Moore's low-VOC, self-priming paint. The furniture was sourced from companies that use ecologically sound principles (such as Kenneth Cobonpue); custom-made using FSC-certified woods and nontoxic glues; or found through local antique dealers. The centerpiece is a round coffee table by LaPlante, assembled from the recycled leather of old Lexus prototypes. Everything, from the organic sheets and comforters to the formaldehyde-free bamboo flooring, reflects an ecosensitive approach that doesn't sacrifice style. LaPlante even reused the original fixtures and furnishings, including chairs, bathroom fixtures, lamps, and the headboard, rather than discarding them, which is the norm for hospitality makeovers. Guests are treated to towels and bathrobes made from bamboo and organic cotton, and the minibars are stocked with local organic wines, artisanl cheeses, and other treats. To top off the experience, they have the use of a Lexus LS 600h L, the carmaker's new V8 hybrid, and a guide loaded onto the suite's iPod offers a tour of the city's best sustainable offerings.
Green in D.C.
September, 2008
The Fairmont Washington, D.C. has recently added an environmentally friendly suite to its hotel. When I first arrived at the "eco-suite," I was skeptical. What is it about staying in a luxury resort with its individually wrapped, plastic shampoo bottles, massive water consumption and prodigious energy-use that could possibly be considered "green"? In all honesty, not much, but at least when it comes to this particular suite, the Fairmont has done an impressive job. They have managed to marry high-concept design and environmental sustainability remarkably well. The suite is designed to look like a black-and-white photograph. Everything in the room, from the steel-brushed bamboo floors to the eco-friendly paint, materializes itself in various shades of grey. All of the furnishings are either recycled (refinished) or made with environmentally sustainable materials, such as organic cotton or sustainable wool. The only hints of color appear in the bright paintings, created by local D.C. artist, Jon Wassom. There is nothing illegitimate, from an environmental point of view, about the design of this suite. Every detail has been thought of down to the contents of the mini-bar, which include biodynamic wines and local, artisan cheeses. The bathrooms, while they do offer individually wrapped shampoos, at least feature Origins Organics line. If you are truly committed, you can take your empty containers to an Origins retail store and they will recycle them for you. The designer responsible for the room, Los Angeles-based Kelly LaPlante, might be the most fashion-forward environmentalist I've ever encountered. When I met her, she was clad in a 1920's flapper-inspired dress and cloche hat. She beamed as she told me how pleased she was that the industry has advanced to a point where she can work with materials that are both high-end and carbon neutral. She means that, for the first time in a long time, we are beginning to see paints, fabrics and carpeting that are manufactured with the environment in mind. We have, however, seen examples of carbon neutrality and haute design in history. Versailles comes to mind. --Ivey Doyal
August, 2008 INTERIOR DESIGNER KELLY LAPLANTE CREATES ECOFRIENDLY LIVING SPACES THAT SPOIL THE CLIENT, NOT THE ENVIRONMENT. Long before Al Gore won an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth and even longer before the word "green" became a geo-political marketing ploy, Kelly LaPlante, 32, had been inspiring her clients to view eco-design as a standard, not a style. And for more than ten years of not sacrificing anything in the way of aesthetics, quality or the environment, LaPlante has presented her clients with everything from Victorian to ultra-modern, using only toxin-free, recycled and sustainable materials like eco-friendly paint, bamboo flooring and salvaged furniture. LaPlante also works with sustainable renovation services, like First Finish, to recycle demolished materials such as carpet and ceramic tile debris on design projects in order to limit waste. Recently, Kelly LaPlante's projects have also included the Lexus Hybrid Living Suites at Fairmont Hotels in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and currently, LaPlante is exploring the style of sustainable design in her new book, Ecologique, now available on her website OrganicInteriorDesign.com. All net proceeds from Ecologique are being donated to Global Green USA and Los Angeles' The Blank Theatre Company, which is working toward the goal of building one of the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified theater facilities. LaPlante's eco-saving assault on the planet stretches into television, as the designer hosts Brilliant Green on the Ovation Network. LaPlante also serves as an expert on TV programs including Discovery Home Channel's Greenovate and Sundance Channel's Big Ideas for a Small Planet. Additionally, her eco-design passion can be sensed in her Venice Beach showroom, which features vintage, antique and sustainable new furnishings as well as in her new studio collection, Jak, a collaborative venture with designer James Saavedra. Jak debuted on the Sundance Channel set for Project Greenhouse at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Both furnishings are on display in the Lexus Hybrid Living Suites, so book your reservation and go green. Sometimes it's just that easy. Fairmont.com Jacqueline Colette Prosper  Â
Black and White and Green All Over
June- August, 2008
Crossing the threshold of the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite at the Fairmont Washington D.C. is supposed to make guests feel as if they're stepping into a black-and-white photo, says Los Angeles-based eco-designer Kelly LaPlante, who took three months to create the suite. The two-bedroom space includes white floors of textured bamboo, a renewable resource; the original chandelier, refinished in low-toxicity black paint; and custom draperies of 100 percent recycled polyester. This stark landscape, softened by shades of gray, draws your eye like an arrow to the artwork on the walls, paintings by local artist Jon Wassom, which provide "bursts of color," LaPlante says. Mindful of his sponsor, Wassom incorporated pieces of reclaimed leather from Lexus vehicles onto some of his canvases. The suite shuns the bland neutral colors and natural wood tones that are often the hallmark of the green design movement (though salvaged birch trees in the living space conjure the outdoors). Instead, it embodies LaPlante's philosophy. "Green is a standard, not a style," she writes in her recently released book "Ecologique: The Style of Sustainable Design" (Organic Interior Design, $50). Going green "shouldn't be a trend or a flash in the pan," LaPlante said by phone. "We're working towards permanent change and how people think about the environment." Like the rooms showcased in the 159-page book, the Fairmont suite aims for a chic look using a variety of eco-friendly elements without sacrificing style.
Seeing LaPlante's design in person will be pricey. The suite is part of the Fairmont's Eco Power package, which starts at $999 per night and includes complementary use of a low-emission Lexus sedan. Â Kathleen Hom
FOX NY
April, 2008
Site for everything cool, Cool Hunting, talks up the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite It's rare, but sometimes brand as curator actually works. Such is the case with Lexus' first Hybrid Living Suite (part of their larger Hybrid Living initiative) at the Fairmont San Francisco, a room designed with eco-friendly materials, which we had the recent opportunity to check out first-hand thanks to Lexus and the Fairmont. Their lifestyle marketing efforts succeeds where others don't by leading the way in the burgeoning field of ecoluxury with style and attention to detail. In a word, it's good. Â Click here to read the rest of the post. Â
March-April, 2008
Provocative popular culture magazine Blackbook details the impressions and conversion of a self-described tree-hugger hater upon seeing the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite at the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco. The Suite -- and the one in Washington, D.C., have been designed by Kelly LaPlante Organic Interior Design, naturally. Â Click here to read the article.