Museum of Science and Industry Reopens "Chicago's Greenest Home"
Brentano Green fabrics furnish redesigned Smart Home
09.02.2009
[1]Constructed in the Museum's backyard, the Smart Home exhibit includes the 2,500 square foot home itself, as well as expansive landscaped grounds.
Named "Chicago's Greenest Home," the Smart Home is a free-standing, fully-functioning modular home that showcases the
big and small ways to make eco-friendly living part of daily life. The exhibit
focuses on environmentally-conscious architecture, practices, technology, and
products, including an array of fabrics from the Brentano Green
collection of eco-friendly interior textiles.
Smart Home Interior Designer Michele
Fitzpatrick, owner of Verde Design
Studio, selected several of Brentano's eco-friendly faux leathers for use in the
dining room, lounge, and kitchen areas. She said that the home is designed for
"an urban family with adventurous tastes," and that the polyurethane-based
textiles were not only a durable and sustainable choice for upholstery, but
also show that "quality does not have to be expensive." On the second floor,
Fitzpatrick selected eco-fabrics with a soft hand to construct tailored bed
linens. For the boy's bedroom, she used a saturated teal color of Casita, a
100% post-consumer recycled polyester, while for the master
bedroom, she chose an elegant grey eco-wool.
The Smart Home - designed by Michelle Kaufman
Designs, built by All American Homes and assembled in the museum's own
backyard - is a must see exhibit for anyone who wants their home, and life, to be
smarter, more efficient, and more in tune with the environment. The exhibit
runs through Jan. 3, 2010, and requires an additional timed-entry ticket.
Please visit www.msichicago.org for more information on
schedules and to purchase tickets in advance.
The following Brentano fabrics can be seen in the Smart Home:
[1]
The main floor of the redesigned 2009 Smart Home combines material
efficiency with a bold interior design style.
 [2]
Chef Giuseppe Tentori of Boka leads a cooking demo outside
of the Smart Home.
[2]
After completing their guided tour, visitors can stroll outside the home and
explore the native plants and city-friendly landscaping.
[1] Photos © J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry
[2] Photos © Brentano, Inc.
download press release <pdf>
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