Hello! After a new president takes office, much media attention always goes toward the redecorating of the White House. It's a good sign in our troubled times that yesterday's inauguration has been accompanied by calls to make the White House more efficient and eco-friendly. I've seen great "greening the White House" suggestions out there from a lot of sources, but...as the only major consumer magazine focusing exclusively on green homes, we have to weigh in! And we have some amazing resources that are helping us put together a comprehensive list of ideas. We've contacted a bunch of our most expert and reliable contributors to collect their best ideas for the first step/most important considerations in creating an exemplary presidential home. But at Natural Home, many of our best ideas come from you, our readers! So we definitely want you to weigh in, as well. Our 10th Anniversary Issue in May/June will include all of our contributor and staff suggestions, along with the best reader suggestions we receive. Weigh in with your ideas!

Hello again, everyone...

When I first started this blog, I had just moved into a new townhome and was detailing the ways in which my boyfriend and I were decorating the place with eco-friendliness in mind. We often get reader queries wondering how those who rent can make a difference in their homes and I thought this would be the perfect place to share tips and experiences.

Well...after a while, my townhome was basically furnished and my green ideas slowed down, but here is something really cool James made that I haven't blogged about yet. It's a headboard made from a couple of antique doors.

Our bed had no headboard and, after a few uninspiring visits to furniture stores, James suggested he could make something much more interesting than what we found there for a lot less. (Everything we saw at the furniture store was either entirely too expensive or hideous and made of particleboard. Not next to my sleeping head, please!)

So...one Saturday James went down to a local antique store (we're lucky to have several where we live) and found two matching antique doors in pretty good condition. I think he paid around $70 for the set. Then we went to Home Depot, bought some low-VOC paint and got to work. After a light sanding and a couple coats of paint (ok, there may have been a couple bad-color-decision mishaps in there, but we won't discuss that...), we were ready to roll.

I think the results turned out great, people literally freak out when they see it, going on and on about how awesome it is, and it really anchors both bed and bedroom. If you believe in any of the principles of ancient design systems such as feng shui or Vastu, you may know that wood is believed to enhance health and creativity in bedrooms and is also meant to act as a secure grounding force. Though I don't strictly adhere to these design systems, I do find them intriguing and was happy to use a material that is recommended by years of experience. Anyway, that's all for now. We're closing in on our deadline, but I wanted to share this project with you. Please let me know of projects like this you've done in your own home!