From re-purposing furniture to using energy-efficient light bulbs, the latest movement in home décor these days is sustainability, says Terri Higgins, manager of this year’s Calgary Home and Interior Design Show. “It’s no longer a trend in the market, it’s a way of life,” she says. “People are educated and they’re making efforts in their home and everyday lives to be more environmentally friendly.”

For years the Calgary show has offered a variety of eco-friendly options to consumers but decided to step up its game this year in response to a growing demand from the public for more eco-friendly exhibitors, information, and ideas.

Local interior decorator Alykhan Velji, a featured celebrity guest speaker at the show in September, has always strived to offer a greener perspective on design to his clients.

Working with several developers in the city on the interior design of condo-converted apartments, Velji has become an expert on working with small spaces and finding ways to reuse or re-purpose furniture to accommodate new living spaces.

Re-purposing generally involves taking something old and making it new again by re-upholstering or refurbishing outdated pieces of furniture like chairs, tables or lamps, re-painting the walls with eco-friendly paint, or using reclaimed wood for hardwood flooring.

“Move things around, paint it, add knobs (or other details), give it a new edge,” says Velji. And instead of just talking about change Velji is putting his money where his mouth is and will be on hand at the show creating a new living space in display models of a 600-square-foot and 400-square-foot condominium. Each space will include a kitchen, living room, and bathroom.

“I think it’s important to show people how you can go into a show suite and the style is attainable,” says Velji of the Domicile Interiors and Condo Living sponsored rooms.

People want to make responsible decisions when it comes to decorating their homes, says Higgins, adding this year’s show includes a wider variety of green-friendly exhibitors and products for people to choose from.

This year’s show features 350 exhibitors, at least ten per cent of which are strictly eco-friendly. And in many cases the rest of the exhibitors feature products in their individual lines that are more environmental.

Some green products slated to be on display will include Divine Hardwood’s bamboo and cork flooring. Bamboo flooring is not only aesthetically pleasing, but is also stronger than most hardwoods and is a fast growing, natural renewable resource. Cork flooring comes from the bark of trees only. The bark is harvested every nine years and grows back with no harm to the tree.

Paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore will also display its low-volatile organic compound (or low-VOC) paints. VOCs are carbon containing chemical compounds that easily evaporate into the atmosphere, and are commonly found in gasoline, alcohol, and nail polish in addition to paint.  “We’re giving people a range of products and showing that this (lifestyle) is accessible,” says Higgins.

In addition to its greener look, the annual show will soon have a famous face at its forefront. Handy Oprah favourite-turned TV personality Ty Pennington has signed a three-year deal as spokesperson for the Calgary Home and Interior Design Show and the spring Home and Garden Show. The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition star will strap on the role as part of spokesperson duties with Marketplace Events in 2009, who will take over the home show division of DMG World Media, the show’s promoter.

“He has an infectious, larger-than-life personality and you’ll definitely see and feel his energy and his influence on the shows,” says Higgins of the new partnership, which involves Pennington consulting and providing content for the shows and online. 

Pennington, a self-professed “major home improvement junkie,” echoes the partnership’s logical fit and show promoters’ excitement. “I think there’s something really cool about an event that brings together big brands we all know, along with small independently-owned businesses, new companies trying to launch the next hot product and local artisans and craftsmen—all willing to stand behind their products and explain what they do,” he says.

A couple of the celebrities attendees won’t have to wait to see are HGTV hosts Take It Outside’s Kelly Deck and She’s Crafty’s Wendy Russell, who are scheduled to speak at the show. 

Also new this year is West Xpressd, an art exhibit of up to ten western Canadian artists working with scrap or disposed of materials. Curated by Edmonton industrial designer Tyler Vreeling of FatCrow Design the exhibit will include jewelry, fashion, graphic/photo, industrial design (working with three-dimensional objects) and furniture.

“It’s all about bringing design to the public, letting the public interact with design,” says Vreeling. 

“We want to be interactive and accessible. The public has to be able to get something out of this. People are sick of buying stuff that lasts two or three years and is made very cheaply. Sustainability and eco-friendly is what we’re looking for, design that tries to reduce the impact.”

Sustainable living and sustainable art, whether it be a painting on the wall or your furniture, is the direction many designers and the public are going in. However, Vreeling doesn’t see this as a new trend but rather a movement that will help shape the future of design and architecture. For more information or advance ticket details, visit www.calgaryhomeshow.com.