In West Palm Beach, FL, the American Lung Association has sponsored a designer showhouse that highlights a healthy home. Bob’s house tour focuses on the baby’s bathroom.
Clip Summary
In West Palm Beach, FL, the American Lung Association has sponsored a designer showhouse that highlights a healthy home. Bob tours the rooms in the house, each designed by selected interior designers and artists. Building or renovating a house can be an unhealthy proposition. Asthma, allergies, and other respiratory problems can often be attributed to manmade chemicals in the home. Bob talks with Bernadette Upton of EcoDecor about her involvement with the American Lung Association's Baby's Breath program and how their key prescriptions for healthy indoor air were applied in the showhouse. They discuss the healthy features of the baby's bathroom, including the use of no VOC (volatile organic compound) paints in the colorful mural. Only all-natural products are used in the baby's space (ceramic tile, marble, natural wood, cotton) to maintain the quality of the air young lungs will breathe.
Hi, I'm Bob Vila. Welcome to the show. We're in Melrose, Massachusetts where we're starting a brand new project today, all about remodeling some of the third floor attic rooms in this 100 year old house with a new baby in mind.
We'll also be taking you today to the American Lung Association show house down in Palm Beach Florida. We are going to learn a lot about the latest materials that should be used in the nursery. And we'll be meeting the homeowners. Stick around. It's good to have you with us.
Building or remodeling a house can be a dusty and sometimes uncomfortable and even unhealthy problem. position. Some of the materials that are used in house construction today, man-made chemical products that are not necessary good for your health.
I think there's a direct link to asthma and allergies and other respiratory problems and, this is something we're looking at here ,in West Palm Beach at the American Lung Associations designer show house.
A 1926 Mediterranean revival house that has been totally re-done by a local interior designer. So we are going to go inside and take a closer look, but one of the things that we are interested in is the health of the inside of the house.
This 1920's Mediterranean house has been done up in high style from top to bottom. By some of the area's most sought after interior designers. There's a formal living room done by Joanne Monroe with twin arched French doors leading to a tropical, scenic view of Providencia Park, the intracoastal waterway and Palm Beach. The fireplace is the focus, faux painted to look like a solid piece of coral stone known as cochina with a foiegua Cypress mantle. 100% natural Italian limestone plaster coats the walls, giving it a stucco texture in old world golds and neutrals.
The kitchen, done by Carol Knapp and Brandon Moore, has some uniquely furniture-styled walnut cabinetry, unique mosaic wall tile and azul macauba counter tops along with an aged Pecky Cypress ceiling vault.
In the spectacular sun room, Vivian Rios gives us 1930's Hollywood , in silver, gold, blue, mother of pearl, and mirrors.
The rear wing of the house is connected to the kitchen by a passageway that's faux finished to look like ostrich leather by a local Artist Rita Stankus.
The powder room by Sid Delmar Leech has some truly original tile work made from antique English molds and brass tacks. In the elegant Moroccan room by the pool, Maureen Suarez has devised a really clever Treatment that disguises a rather insignificant little window and centers the room.
The guest bedroom by Joseph Gubionez is a 1930s bachelor's den with a truly amazing bathroom. A stenciled Moroccan design in Venetian plaster, finished to look like mother of pearl. The ceiling is done in jade decor - a mixture of cloth fiber mica and metallic threads.
At the center of many of these themes is Eco-decor, the design firm of Bernadette Upton. She did the nursery which is the room we're really here to see. Let's go meet her.
So Bernadette, in addition to all the interior design work that you do, you're also involved with the Baby's Breath program, right?
Yes. That was initiated by myself and the American Lung Association.
And this is a perfect place to be talking about these issues. This is the baby's bathroom.
Yes it is.
Tell us about what some of the features are in here.
The major feature here is this mural. Which was done by Susan Bridgeforth, not only is inspiring to look at and so educational and adorable.
It really is very good.
Yeah, it's great. It's all done with no VOC paints which means volatile organic compounds, something we don't want in our air quality.
So there aren't any chemicals in the paints used here that can out gas and affect the air that we breath.
That's correct. That's correct
Alright. Now the other materials used in here are all natural? Ceramic tile.
It's got marble, natural wood, so that you've got a situation where you don't have any products used that could be affecting the quality of the air.
That's correct and the nose knows. Can you smell it? There's nothing.
Even the little carpet is not synthetic?
Even the carpet is a cotton washable. Washable cotton.
That's so important. Well, let's look at the grand creation. Let's look at the nursery here.
