Today’s tip comes from Rachel Hulan of Path Design, an interior design firm specializing in sustainable design for residential and light commercial projects.

With your children’s room floored and painted, it’s time to turn our attention to the final element — furniture. A lot of children’s furniture is made from pressed wood, such as particleboard, and almost all pressed wood contains formaldehyde – not something you would necessarily want your child sleeping next to for 10-12 hours a night.

If you can, buy furniture made of solid wood — from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified lumber, or other sustainable wood.  Some lovely, simple, maple wood children’s furniture, finished with nothing more than tung oil and beeswax, can be had from Pacific Rim Woodworking.

For fun, versatile children’s furniture that can last from infancy to pre-teen, try www.muukids.com.

Rachel Hulan, CID, IIDA, CGBP, is principal of Path Design, an interior design firm specializing in sustainable design for residential and light commercial projects.  She also teaches green interior design classes for CSUF and CSULB.  She recently launched a new blog devoted to sustainable interior design.

Got a green tip? Have a green question? E-mail green guru Pat Brennan or William Diepenbrock at the Orange County Register. We’ll review your tip or get an answer to your question, and get the details published in our new Green Tip of the Day feature.

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