Eco Friendly Culture on King St East

Joanna Kakkavas, principal of Roomy Home, has always believed in supporting local artists and manufacturers. “When bying locally, we are not only supporting the local economy but also reducing transportation emissions produced during shipping. This begins with where the materials are sourced, such as wood for the frames and fabrics for the upholstery and then moves on to where the manufacturers are located.”

Recognizing the evolution in social awareness concerning “Eco Living” Roomy Home initiated their first green furniture collection in 2007 at the Toronto Interior Design Show.
Ms Kakkavas, together with Corinne La Flamme, senior designer for Roomy, launched
The Living Breathing City, which sought to touch its guests on a variety of levels. The furniture was all made from renewable and recycled resources. The materials used were bamboo, natural latex foam, natural fibres and recycled polyesters. Even the flooring reflected the theme as it was made of recycled rubber from car tires.
The show was a success and Roomy was then approached by one of Toronto’s top developers, Tridel to contribute custom furniture pieces to their new project, The Eco Suite.


This year, the duo were responsible for the re-design of the Sustainable Condo.
“Our role here was to determine how to make the existing exhibit more functional and stylish without loosing focus on it’s intent, to show condo dwellers how to use sustainable materials in their homes while integrating space saving solutions.” says La Flamme.
They did just that. A new bedroom was designed integrating a queen storage bed and luxurious upholstered headboard. A new media unit and desk were built around a state of the art flip screen T.V. The woods used were both local and low VOC emitting while the fabrics were natural and organic. They brought the functionality which they are so well known for and combined it with eco friendly materials.

Both Kakkavas and La Flamme agree that these projects are just the tip of the iceburg.
They both feel that while people have always come into their retail location looking for well constructed furniture, more and more are asking specifically for Canadian Made pieces. Many more are now also asking specifically about the materials used and how they can make their pieces even “greener”. It’s clear to see that Roomy Home Interiors would like to help their clients lessen their carbon footprint by simplifying the process of purchasing products that are both stylish and less harmful to the environment.

To learn more about the Eco Suite visit www.usinglessenjoyingmore.com

CB