Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

AphroChic’s Ecofriendly Home Collection. Image source: AphroChic website


I’m a urban girl trying my best to live healthy, green and natural in the city.
That means that I am always on the lookout for well-designed, yet environmentally-friendly furniture,
accessories and functional items for my home. And of course, affordability is a crucial factor.
So when I read that Jeanine Hays, founder and creative director of AphroChic bases her work
on the belief that…

“…a synthesis of high-end design and ethnic culture can

create a style that is reflective of the individual while still being

of the highest quality and the latest fashion.

It is this belief, coupled with an unending dedication

to environmental consciousness and sustainable design that gives

AphroChic its unique blend of modern soulful style”…

…I just had to learn more about her approach to sustainable design and see her globally-inspired,
ecofriendly collections for myself.
So I rushed to AphroChic’s online boutique where I learned that the company was founded
by husband-and-wife team Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason in 2007.

Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

AphroChic believes that no one should live synthetically.  Image source: AphroChic website


And believe me when I tell you I was not disappointed.
This was my kind of design aesthetic.
AphroChic believes in cultural reflection, ethnic-inspired prints, and embracing a global lifestyle.
Their original, eco-friendly collections of pillows, wallpaper, placemats and shower curtains
are vibrant, graphic and attention-grabbing.
Most important of all, AphroChic’s core beliefs mirror my own.

AphroChic Believes…

“That no one should live synthetically.

That fabric should be 100% natural, organic as much as

possible and that techniques that bring design to life

should be environmentally friendly.”

Good Design That Does Not Sacrifice the Environment

Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

AphroChic’s collections embody their design philosophy of cultural reflection,
ethnic-inspired prints, and embracing a global lifestyle. Image source: AphroChic website


I respect the fact that AphroChic is committed to sustainable and environmentally
responsible design.
They strive to fulfill this promise through every aspect of their design process.
For example:
 Their overall company culture is one of environmental responsibility.
 They use organic as much as possible.
 They only use natural, eco-friendly fabrics. All pillows and tabletop are printed on eco-twill,
a blend of organic cotton and recycled poly.
 Their shower curtains are printed on 100% organic cotton.
 Pillow inserts are made of 100% cotton, are hypoallergenic and cleaned with a CentroClean
sterilization process to remove allergens from down and feathers.
 Prints on fabric are created using a heat transfer process that has little waste of inks or dye.
 Ninety-nine percent of their products are made in the USA.
 To reduce the need for storage, energy consumption and wasteful printing of their products,
items are made when you order them.
 They go a step further and encourage eco-friendly cleaning of all of their products.
 They encourage customers to use non-toxic cleaning products to hand wash textiles in cold water.
 As an online boutique they have streamlined their business process to be as paper-free as possible.
 AphroChic recycles, use recycled paper for invoices and receipts, and even prints their business
cards using recycled paper and non-toxic inks.
 On top of all this, they give back to their community by supporting local businesses.

Bring a Bit of Brooklyn into Your Home: The Collection

Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Bringing Brooklyn style into your home is easy with AphroChic’s
exclusive collection. Image source: AphroChic website


As a New Yorker who was born in Brooklyn, I was particularly drawn to the company’s exclusive
collection of Brooklyn-inspired designs.
This collection epitomizes AphroChic’s slogan–“Modern.Soulful.Style.”— an approach to design
that embraces culture and the unique admixture of the traditional and the contemporary
that I could immediately relate to.
The iconic collection of Brooklyn scenes printed on pillows, placemats and shower curtains
clearly embodies their design philosophy of cultural reflection, ethnic-inspired prints, and embracing
a global lifestyle.
I want to collect them all.

The Brooklyn Life Pillows

Absolute must-haves!
Watercolor designs creatively depict scenes from a life in an urban Brooklyn neighborhood.
You’ll probably want to snuggle up with all of these beauties!

Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Brooklyn Style Pillow: Clinton Hill. Image source: AphroChic website


Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Brooklyn Style Pillow: Park Slope. Image source: AphroChic website


Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Brooklyn Style Pillow: Boerum Hill. Image source: AphroChic website


Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Brooklyn Style Pillow: Fort Green. Image source: AphroChic website


Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Brooklyn Life Pillow: Brooklyn Life Outdoor. Image source: AphroChic website


Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Brooklyn Life Pillow: Brooklyn Life Indoor. Image source: AphroChic website

The Brooklyn Life Placemats

Whether you are having tea with your girlfriends or a fancy dinner party, these Brooklyn Life
placements will make your table bright and get your party started right.

Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

The Brooklyn Life Placemat series: Clinton Hill Placemat. Image source: AphroChic website


Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

The Brooklyn Life Placemats and Runners. Image source: AphroChic website

The Brooklyn Life Shower Curtains

These gorgeous organic cotton shower curtains complement your pillows.
Breathe easier knowing that your shower curtains are made of safe, non-toxic, organic cotton instead of
the toxic materials used to make conventional vinyl shower curtains and liners.

Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Happiness is a “Brooklyn Life Shower Curtain”. Image source: AphroChic website


Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

Brooklyn Life Shower Curtain: Outdoor Pattern. Image source: AphroChic website


Suffice it to say: I am crazy about AphroChic’s “Modern. Soulful.Style”.
And there’ s more…
The Brooklyn Life Collection shown above only represents a portion of AphroChic’s growing line
of home products and accessories.
In fact, they just introduced a new line of iPhone cases.
You’ll have to go to AphroChic’s online shop to view their complete selection.

More Buzz About AphroChic

Brooklyn is in the House: AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collection

“Home Sweet Home” with AphroChic Ecofriendly Home Collections.
Image source: AphroChic website


I don’t know how she does it all, but Jeanine also contributes regularly as a design expert for HGTV,
the DIY Network, Houzz, Keep, Homesessive, and participated as an online guest judge for the
2010 season of HGTV’s Design Star.
If you like what you saw and want to learn more, keep an eye out for AphroChic’s first book,
REMIX: Decorating with Culture, Objects and Soul, which is scheduled to be published
by Clarkson Potter in Fall 2013.
AphroChic designs have been featured in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Elle Decor,
Lucky Magazine, California Home + Design and various interior design blogs.
The pillow collection was on the 2010 California Home + Design Hit List, celebrating the best in
California design.

AphroChic believes:

“That city girls can rock organic tees

and natural hair while

 taking trips to the farmer’s market.”

That sentiment really clinched it for me.
AphroChic rocks!

The Essentials:

AphroChic
The Blog: http://aphrochic.blogspot.com/
The Shop: http://www.aphrochicshop.com/pages/new-arrivals
 
 What is your favorite AphroChic product? Do you have a favorite source for ecofriendly furnishings and accessories?
Share your suggestions and comments with us.
Urban Naturale.com: Living healthy, green and natural by design
Sharing is caring. Feel free to share this page with friends, fans and followers.