A Visit to Kelly Green
There’s a store I’ve heard about for the past two years that I’ve never, ever had a chance to go visit because of my usually hectic schedules when I’m in Los Angeles. This time, I flew in on a Sunday morning, which gave me the entire day free to scout, shop and try to see the missing parts of Los Angeles I’ve been dying to see. (Confession: I’ve learned the only way I can give myself free time is to not tell anyone I work with my real schedule; almost everyone assumed I got in Monday morning, so hence my secret Snow Day).
Anyway, Kelly Green is one of those shops and I’m glad I stopped by because it was one of these stores dedicated to sustainable products that had a very distinct philosophy about design: it can be green and look good, too.
This recycled wall hanging (it was about 2 1/2 feet across, maybe 3 feet tall) is colorful, Anthropologie-esque and made by artisans who took trash material to make something beautiful. I was thinking there must be a way to incorporate this into one of my celebrity client’s homes, right?
The jewelry selection at Kelly Green is probably the strongest there. It had all the feel of a well curated jewelry case at Barney’s New York, minus the Barney’s sky-high price tags. Sliced agate is my new obsession lately and I have agate at my house used as coasters. Should I try to get into the jewelry design business? Nah..I’ll just admire.
Fun pillows. Very “GOD SAVE THE QUEEN” British style, don’t you think? The pillows are a little scratchy, making me guess they were made from wool. But the person at the store informed me it’s made from 100% recycled respun PET from plastic water/soda bottles.
Loved, loved, loved these colorful and biodegradable planters. I need these for a terrace garden I’m working on….
A closer look at the label reveals it’s a biocomposite of bamboo. Really, is there anything bamboo can’t be made into? I liked these planters best because unlike regular plastic planters, these can have an end life in a degradable state. And unlike terra cotta pots, they are more durable and lighter to transport. I think we have a winner.
The Details:
Kelly Green
4008 Santa Monica BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90029
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
(323) 660-1099
The wall hanging is interesting. What did they actually use in making the design?
Danny, you know that it is not just because it is made out of bamboo that the product if eco.
Have you questionned how they break down the bamboo to make such bio-plastics to shape those planters?
It is like bamboo material: the impact of the chemicals used to transform hard bamboo into a soft material is often anything but eco…
But some do use less impacting processes: http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/32202
Need to check such info, otherwise we won’t be getting anyware spreading new trends that are just greenwashed.
and since you are a trendsetter… ; )
I bought a couple of those bamboo pots for my tomato plants at the beginning of the summer and I will never buy them again. The labels say they will last around 2 or 3 years outside before they begin to crack at which point you can plant them in the ground or a bigger pot, but after only a couple months both of them have cracks along the side.
( At least in my case, they were definitely not more durable than terra cotta.