SURFSIDE, FLA.—Visit Surfside announced that the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club recently received the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) South Florida region’s GalaVerde LEEDership and Green award for “Project of Year.” The awards recognize excellence in high performance building design, environmental stewardship and community impact, as well as highlight South Florida’s green building initiatives and achievements. “We’re thrilled to have won the U.S. Green Building Council’s best Project of the Year Award. We strive to ensure we are constantly making meaningful and sustainable contributions,” said General Manager, Cornelia Samara. “Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club is one of...

JASPER, IND.—Indiana Furniture is taking orders for new additions to its Canvas (laminate) and Gesso (veneer) casegoods. The newly added “Studio” options are boutique-inspired. These models build upon simplicity. Several signature details set “Studio” apart from the rest, including the slim leg design, which provides an upscale feel, and the unique “Studio” pull which communicates sophistication. “Studio provides another level of design in our Canvas and Gesso lines,” says Mike Blessinger, VP of Sales & Marketing for Indiana Furniture. “Expanding these casegood platforms to include a selection of models and sizes with premium details allows us to better meet the needs...

The Boutique Design New York (BDNY) and HX: The Hotel Experience trade shows wrapped up this past week at the Javits Center in New York City. While HX looked the smallest it has ever been, together with BDNY the two shows were formidable to cover. On my radar this year was what was newsy and new. Here then is what I found most interesting at this year’s shows: The Humble Co. featured its bamboo toothbrushes, natural toothpaste and other products. The toothbrush handles are made of easily biodegradable bamboo and the bristles out of nylon, a durable material that degrades...

KEX Portland opened earlier this month in Portland, Oregon. While the property does not shout sustainability from its website, it most definitely has some important green elements. First, the hotel which sleeps 152 guests is housed in a fully restored 1912 building on the National Register of Historic Places. The interior is designed by Hálfdan (Dáni) Pedersen, the designer of the hotel’s first location in Iceland. Pedersen first collected elements for KEX Portland during a buying trip in Europe. There, he sourced furniture, artwork, building materials, and unique objects from the 1920s to the 1970s from the Netherlands, France,...

NEW YORK—Zeftron nylon, a premium nylon 6 solution-dyed yarn system for commercial carpets, is bringing Encore Hospitality Carpet’s new Montage Collection to life at this year’s Boutique Design New York. Inspired by art in its various forms, styles and techniques, Montage consists of more than 30 new broadloom carpet designs in multiple colorways and patterns. Featuring the exceptional color quality for which Zeftron is known, and manufactured with Encore’s state-of-the-art Colorpoint and Infinity technologies, the collection offers sophisticated and contemporary styles for guestrooms, corridors and public spaces. Encore will be debuting the Montage Collection during the BDNY show at its...

NEW YORK—1 Hotels, the mission-driven, sustainable luxury hotel brand founded by Starwood Capital Group Chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht, announced that it will debut its UK brand flagship, the 1 Hotel London Mayfair, in 2022. Located in the heart of Mayfair overlooking Green Park, 1 Hotel London Mayfair will be operated by SH Hotels & Resorts and will bring eco-conscious, modern design to London. The brand is inspired by a simple idea: teaching people they can have a luxury lifestyle in a more sustainable way. “1 Hotel London will undoubtedly set a new standard in the city for the luxury...

SINGAPORE—Singapore is building a Super Low Energy (SLE) resort in the backyard of its National Singapore Zoo. This zone, called the Mandai Project, aims to support Singaporean flora and fauna and to eventually become a destination for nature lovers. WOW architects, in partnership with Banyan Tree Holdings Limited, is designing treehouses in the shapes of seeds. Perched above the canopy, 338 rooms will feature stunning rain forest vistas. What is Biophilic Design? How will this be made possible? By biophilic design of course. First coined by American biologist E.O. Wilson in 1984, biophilic stems from two roots: bio—relating to life, and philic—indicating appreciation for a specific thing. Biophilic...

VANCOUVER, B.C.—JRS Amenities has announced plans to unveil their expanded collection of MOSAIC in-room amenity dispensers at HX: The Hotel Experience in New York City on November 10 & 11, 2019. MOSAIC was first introduced in 2014 and is now used in over 21 countries worldwide. “JRS and MOSAIC are committed to empowering more hotels to meet the evolving demands of eco-conscious travelers,” said Susan Howard-Memory, designer and owner of MOSAIC dispensing fixtures and parent company JRS Amenities Ltd. “In the design of our products, we see every component through a sustainable lens and consider how to improve the benefits and...

ATLANTA—Interface announced Mission Zero success ahead of its original 2020 target. Over the past 25 years, the company drove significant improvements across all key sustainability metrics internally and throughout its supply chain to help meet its objectives. And, Interface galvanized others along the way to implement more sustainable business practices. This created a positive ripple effect that helped the company not only achieve but also extend Mission Zero far beyond its original intentions. Interface’s direction and influence has helped countless others reduce their environmental footprint and work toward net zero impact within their own organizations. Based on 25 years of...

SAUDI, ARABIA—Amaala, one of the largest ultra-luxury sustainable resort projects ever conceived—one that will create 22,400 jobs and attract 310,000 visitors annually—is in the design stages for Saudi Arabia’s northeastern coast along the Red Sea. (See video.) Amaala, which is derived from the Arabic word for “hope,” will be set in a pristine natural reserve and includes three sites: Triple Bay, The Island, and The Coastal Development. Unique to the project is its environmental story. It will be built to have a zero-carbon footprint. Reaching zero-carbon status will be a challenge, as the project will also include an airport, 200 retail...