Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Heroines for the Planet: Jill Danyelle, Eco Interior Designer

Jill Danyelle is, quite simply, too talented to fail.  Her artistic prowess, indomitable desire to evolve, and adoration of nature led her to recently launch the interior design business she was always meant to create.

She has triumphed as a therapist, eco-fashion designer and green fashion writer, and with hobbies that include art, photography and travel, it seems apropos that interior design would transform into her next business venture.

Jill recently found some time in her busy schedule to share with us how she incorporates sustainability into her projects, the challenges she’s faced as an entrepreneur, where she turns to for design inspiration, and how her travels have shaped her.

Lindsay: You started your career as an occupational therapist, then studied fashion design with a focus on ecology. What drew you to interior design?

Jill:  Before I went to graduate school to become a therapist, I studied fine art in high school and college, so I’ve always had the desire to be creative.  After graduate school I worked as a therapist and kept artistic hobbies, but at a certain point I felt that my creativity became too marginalized.  I wasn’t happy and knew I needed to make a change.  I experimented with some other careers, such as fashion design and writing/editing, but ended up crossing them off of the list for a variety of reasons.

I have always been drawn to design and style.  I love to  hunt things down and mix them together, but I like the problem solving and functional aspects of designing a space, too.  I was thinking more and more about how design impacts our lives as I began to edit the contents of my own life and change the space I live in.  One day it just hit me.  I thought, “I like to work with people and I like to design spaces, maybe I should try this.”  I felt I had something to offer, so I started doing interior design for free with friends and friends of friends and it took off from there.

Lindsay: Can you tell me about your new interior design business? Why did you decide to start your own firm?

Jill: Wow, firm sounds so… big.  It is just me and some contractors I have on speed dial.  I hope I never lose the intimacy of that as I really enjoy getting to know my clients.  I have been an independent contractor for most of my professional life, even as a therapist.  It just suits me, as I really value my independence.

Additionally, without an interior design degree and work history it is difficult to get a firm to hire you as an employee.  I also know what I value in my work, so if you narrow things down to the firms that I would want to work for, the opportunities become even fewer, so the choice was kind of made for me.  I decided to work for free on my own in order to gain experience and it ended up paying off.  Working independently with paying clients was the logical next step.

LB: I pulled this quote from one of your blog posts. You said, “I always say that it is easy to be a critic, but to put energy into a creation and launch it into the world takes courage.”

How did you become so courageous? What challenges have you faced along the way?
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Fleet Foxes Video, General Appreciation and New Album!

I love Fleet Foxes! I recently found them while looking around for some new tunes. I would put them somewhere between Bon Iver and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros; they always put me in a daydreamy-California kinda mood. They are actually from Seattle and describe themselves as “baroque harmonic pop jams.” Ok then!

And I just happened to go to their site today and lo and behold, what to my wondering eyes should appear? Why a BRAND new album just out today, May 3rd. Yippee! It’s called “Helplessness Blues.”

I just found this lovely video below, which is all about Spring (I think). Hope you enjoy as much as I do.

H&M’s Spring 2011 Conscious Collection: Eco Fashion Breezes into April

H&M is making good on its promise to continue expanding their commitment to using sustainable fabrics. Their upcoming Spring, 2011 collection, Conscious Collection is the follow-up for Spring 2010′s Garden Collection. Utilizing organic cotton, Tencel, and recycled polyester, the all-white collection means that it will work with everything from denim to silks.

“It’s no longer just about organic cotton. The possibilities for creating a complete fashion statement with eco smarter materials are huge now. By designing recurring Conscious Collections we have the opportunity to show in a variety of ways what’s possible using more sustainable fabrics,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M head of design. “Shades of white are the season’s biggest fashion trend. White creates a romantic feeling with lace and broderie anglaise, but it is also the basic color in a sporty, relaxed style and in a preppy tailored look for men.”

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Ani Phyo’s Healthfully Decadent Raw Coconut Kream Recipe

Dessert has always been my favorite part of any meal (though I do love apps!) and while I’ve managed to tame my sweet tooth in the last few years, I’ve by no means eliminated it. (By tame I mean I can get my sweet-happys from maple syrup, honey, and desserts made with fruit and less sugar.) Frankly, I’d rather carry around an extra five pounds than skip desserts, in all their toothsome glory. But I try to concoct or uncover desserts that are healthy as well as tasty. Just because it’s dessert doesn’t mean that it has to be a nutrition wasteland!

So stumbling upon Ani Phyo’s wonderful raw dessert cookbook (with 85 recipes!) was a coup. As you may already know, raw foods retain all sorts of wonderful enzymes, vitamins and minerals, plus are less ‘predigested’ (I know it’s a bit gross, but that’s basically what cooking is; partial digestion of food before you eat it). That means your body has to work a bit harder to digest, which makes you feel full longer and is actually really good for your gut. All of which means you get more nutrition and eat less when you go raw. While I’m not a raw foodist by any means, I’m going on my 19th year of vegetarianism and love the way whole foods that are minimally processed taste and make me feel. And the more I’ve read about the benefits of raw, the more I try to incorporate it into my diet.
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Walk in OMBU Shoes and Reforest Our Planet

I’d wager that you never thought you could purchase a pair of shoes while helping with the world’s reforestation efforts. But it’s true. We now live in an age where more and more consumers recognize the merits of products made responsibly. OMBU is a fresh, young company intent on providing a product that you can feel proud of, with each and every stride.

OMBU shoes is committed to giving back to the planet and helping their customers do the same. The company provides a tree seed with every purchase of their shoes and also plants a tree on the customer’s behalf for one of the Trees for the Future Foundation Projects. To date, the eco-conscious shoe brand has planted thousands of trees around the globe!

But back to the shoes. The Miami-based company gave a traditional Argentinian shoe called “Alpargatas” a complete makeover. OMBU transformed the ugly duckling into a sexy, irresistible flat. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, and shopping their site is like walking through Dylan’s Candy Bar. The shoes look so delicious and enticing, you’ll want everything you see in your size.

And with prices between $35 and $45, you can indulge in a pair or two, guilt-free. Their sequins pattern are perfect for a night on the town while the polka dots and checkers are a bit more playful for day. If you’re feeling bold, go with their camoflouge pattern. And the classic solid will go with everything, I promise. Whichever OMBU shoes you decide on, rest assured they’ll be delivered right to your door in recycled fabric bags rather than wasteful boxes.
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