*Review item c/o Verde Lifestyles
Becoming home owners this year has been a huge learning experience for our little family. Aside from the logistics of finding a house and moving, there is a whole other side to finally having a place of your own: making it home. You see, just owning it and moving in isn’t enough. Creating a home is so much more than residing there. Having the freedom to paint walls, refinish flooring and even hang window treatments has really taught me about what types of furniture and decor really speak to me and make me feel at home. I have learned my natural-green-earth-one-with-nature vibe extends far beyond my diapering or shampoo choices. Our family is definitely a plant loving, wood loving, soft curves and organic lines kind of family. We just don’t do lots of modern glass and sharp edged chrome. To figure out what we really like, I took a look at what I have made it a point to keep over the years of moving and purging our belongings. Seeing that our wood bowls and handcrafted pottery always make the cut, our style seemed obvious. We seek a certain type of decor and paired with our love of everything eco-friendly, we can find solace in businesses like Verde Lifestyles.
Verde Lifestyles was created by Danielle and Ryan Forrest in 2009 with the goal of offering home goods and decor with a minimal impact on our environment. Verde Lifestyles is the parent company for both NaturalRugCo.com and NaturalWoodDecor.com providing eco-conscious consumers with Earth friendly area rugs and natural wood home accessories. Natural Rug Co. has a variety of rugs made from sustainable materials like bamboo, jute, seagrass, and even recycled paper. Natural Wood Decor uses farmed and reclaimed wood for creating all of their wood products. Each item is selected from quality wood, usually teak, monkey pod, rain tree, sapwood, mango or even eucalyptus.
In addition to using sustainable materials for all of their products, Verde Lifestyles also reduces their carbon footprint by remaining a web-based company and 95 percent paperless.
I have a root wood platter from Natural Wood Decor that showcases Verde’s quality craftsmanship. This root wood platter is carved from a single piece of root or stump from a Chinese Fir. Clearing out large stumps from previously removed trees improves and speeds up the reforestation process of the area, so these stumps and root systems are then used to carve beautiful bowls, platters, plates, and even furniture.
Each platter is carved and smoothed by hand, then finished with a food-safe lacquer to protect the wood.
If you tend to go for a very natural and organic looking aesthetic in your home, platters and bowls from Natural Wood Decor will be right up your alley. I love the curves and flow of this platter. The natural, earthy shape is a nice contrast from the corners and sharp angles of manufactured trays. The look brings a warmer quality to a room.
Of course, being food-safe means there are plenty of uses in the kitchen besides collecting fruit. This platter would be perfect for setting out vegetables for a party, or making a cheese and cracker tray.
However, the uses don’t have to stop there. No one has a party every day, so you can use it as a lovely tray in your bedroom atop a dresser, or on a nightstand.
If you have a larger budget, I think the wood stools would look amazing as night tables next to a low rise bed.
If you are looking for quality craftsmanship and low impact, make sure to check out NaturalRugCo.com and NaturalWoodDecor.com so you can create a designer look without designer prices.
*I received the above item in exchange for a product and company review. I was not otherwise compensated and all opinions are my own.
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