'Mother of green interiors' designs environmentally-friendly kitchen ★★★★★

Published on: 10/02/2011

A designer often known as "the mother of green interiors" has redeveloped her kitchen to be as environmentally-friendly as possible.

For the new kitchen, Penny Bonda was sure to keep many original elements, such as the horizontal lines that were apparent throughout the room.

The green elements of the kitchen include using "natural, non-toxic and low-emitting" materials for the cabinets.

However, it may come as good news for aesthetes that even the environmentally-friendly interior designer decides on fashion of green credentials every once in a while.

"[The tiles are] virgin marble, imported from Spain," she said. "So there's a whole bunch of stuff not green about it. When I saw it, I just fell in love ... That is a no-no. But it would be hard for me to picture this kitchen without it."

Ms Bonda is the founding chairperson of the US Green Building Council committee and is also a designer at REGREEN, a green refurbishment programme.