With more demand for environmentally-friendly products, designers and manufacturers are introducing upscale luxurious and elegant options that prove stylish and ‘green’ can go hand in hand.

According to home improvement expert Leslie Segrete, “With so many great materials and choices available, you’ll be able to decorate stylishly, while making a difference for our planet.” Here are some of her tips on getting started:

Green Foundation

Build an eco-friendly room from the ground up. 100-percent recycled floor tiles made of materials such as rich recycled leather, provide a fashionable and environmentally responsible alternative to chemically-treated rugs and manmade flooring.

Look for carpeting that is made from hemp, linen, wool or cotton, they come in a range of colors made from natural dyes. These biodegradable and chemical-free carpets often even use a rubber backing made from recycled windshield wipers or bicycle tires.

Wise Walls

Sherwin-Williams and other paint companies have recently introduced water-based paints to combat the environmental hazards often caused by chemical-laden paints. Alternative home wall coverings can also be made from earth-friendly materials, like hemp, linen, bamboo, cork and recycled paper.

“For an adventurous, unique look that combines color and texture, try American Clay Plaster,” Segrete said. “Create an array of colors with different tints and finishes that appear smooth, rustic or even Old World.”

Faucet Flow

New automatic hands-free faucets, like the Destiny bathroom faucet from ShowHouse by Moen, conserve water with a sleek minimalist design and a distinctly-styled spout that produces a sheeting water flow. The Destiny faucet reduces water waste, providing water only when it is needed.

Window to Tomorrow

Large, high-efficiency windows let more daylight into the home and decrease the need for electrical lighting. To further this green option, forgo window treatments altogether and install frosted glass panes. Additionally, supplement natural lighting by replacing energy-wasting incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent lighting fixtures.

As ‘going green’ continues to gain momentum, it’s easier than ever before to make a style statement in your home while still having a conscience.

About Moen

Moen offers a diverse selection of thoughtfully designed, on-trend kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, showerheads, and stainless steel sinks for residential and commercial applications. As the #1 faucet brand in North America, customers have come to rely on Moen to deliver dependable products and service. Moen is part of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO, www.fortunebrands.com), a leading consumer brands company.Going Grecsfff

Because of the current economic times, more of us are spending more time at home. The following are tips to help you improve the ambience of your home and to have it be a reflection of you.

Enhance Lifestyle, Boost Seasonal Mood with Smart Updates to Home and Office

Beat the economic-downturn blues with three design tips from leading international designer Lauren Rottet to make spaces inspiring and personal.

The interiors we live in have a powerful impact on our mood and well-being, particularly in winter when we spend more time indoors. Despite today’s challenging economy – and perhaps because of it – improving the ambiance of our homes and offices is a simple way to fight the doldrums and boost morale.

Internationally renowned architect and designer Lauren Rottet, FAIA (www.rottetstudio.com), says simple design elements such as natural light and architectural style can contribute to a place’s positive atmosphere, improving one’s state-of-mind and overall lifestyle. Although Rottet designs prestigious buildings and interiors around the globe, her easy tips can make any work or living space a personal sanctuary – without breaking the bank.

1. Embrace architectural style

   A space’s intrinsic architectural features serve as an interior design roadmap, reflecting regional style, climate, culture and way of life. Rottet encourages letting the building’s structure and design details dominate, creating authentic ambiance.

   For Georgian Colonial architecture, for example, accentuate the formal ambiance of prominent fireplace mantles and decorative columns. With Mediterranean architecture, let courtyards and arched doorways and windows brings indoors and outdoors together.

   “Style is the inherent personality and natural context for individual decorating expression,” says Rottet. “Highlight the features of your space and embrace its architecture.”

2. Enhance natural light and view

   Sunlight and outdoor views are vital for successful interiors – and practically free.

   “Natural light makes any personal space feel warm and comfortable,” says Rottet. “And by making outdoor views part of the interior composition, we instantly add dimension to a room.”

   Whether windows are large or small, with southern or northern exposure, light and views can be dramatically altered through shading, drapes and other window treatments.

3. Feature art and self-expression

   Interiors are an opportunity to express personal style.

   This can be as simple as deliberate placement of personally selected objects – paintings, lamps or memorabilia – transforming the space into something unmistakably one’s own.

   “This is the most important design message,” says Rottet. “When a space feels personal, it generates positive feelings for those within – which means a lot in these trying times.

Painting your home is a quick fix and inexpensive way to change the decor of your home, especially in this economy. Benjamin Moore is offering its color trends for 2009 to be simplistic and calming. Soft grays are definitely the way to go.

Color is a telling barometer of the social climate. And, according to the color experts at Benjamin Moore, the predominant colors for 2009 are telling us there’s a craving for simplicity in our lives as we search for refuge from the rough and stormy economy.

“There’s clearly a trend for homes to be simpler, pared down and offering relief from the pressures and anxieties of the outside world, “ said Eileen McComb, Benjamin Moore’s director of communications. “And, of course, paint is the perfect solution for simplifying a decorating makeover. Not only is a new coat of color able to provide quick and uplifting results, it’s one of the most economical ways to refresh and redecorate.”

Another pervasive trend, according to McComb, is the desire to put a personal imprint on one’s space. “People are seeking to put their own style signature on their homes. They value the opportunity to customize and individualize a look.”

What the experts also are observing is an interest to incorporate some unexpected design surprise—a visual treat that adds a feel-good quality to enliven everyday living. “We see this as a symbol of optimism,” she said.

According to McComb, these trends are reflected in a series of paint color palettes proposed by Benjamin Moore that are showcased in Colors for Your Home , a free, helpful booklet now available at Benjamin Moore retailers nationwide. While 18 trend colors are forecasted, Benjamin Moore has its eye on three predicted to prove to be exceedingly popular. Among them is Blue Nose 1678 , a chic blue with a small measure of gray, that’s ideal for making a personal statement and adding your imprimatur to a space. Sea Haze 2137-50 also promises to be a 2009 hit. It’s a gray with a tinge of brown, an organic hue that helps bring nature’s essence into a room. One other color on track to be tops in ’09, and fulfilling the desire to create “unexpected synergies,” is Vellum 207 . It’s best described as a subdued yellow, bordering on the color of wheat. Colors for Your Home also is filled with timely ideas and inspiration plus suggestions for a decorative painting technique or two, with numerous room settings to illustrate.

Color stripes, for instance, are a wonderful way to wake up a sleepy bathroom and make a personal statement that this space is reserved for morning start-ups. The eye-opening combination suggested by the Benjamin Moore team forms a pattern of colored ribbons arranged in varying horizontal widths. The quartet of hues used includes Blue Nose together with Bronze Tone 2166-30, Blushing Red 2079-20, plus a liberal application of a base coat in Muslin OC-12 to keep the exuberance in check.

Another painting technique suggested in Colors for Your Home is “tattooing,” and it’s one that can add a small delight or unexpected visual treat to a space. The artful design featured in the booklet was created using a Benjamin Moore Wall Tattoo , a new generation, high quality stencil that the company recently added to its product lineup. The design team applied it to a single wall that defines the area for a casual dining “nook” adjacent to a modern open kitchen. The “Portico” pattern is a dense ornamentation of classic curlicue quatrefoils that also tricks the eye into reading it as a contemporary graphic grid. Covering every inch, it creates the illusion of ceramic tiles or wallpaper, highly decorative and detailed, but far more affordable. It was achieved with a strong contrast of a deep green/blue Night Train 1567 over a Vellum base coat.

Visit www.benjaminmoore.com to see Colors for Your Home . Each of the suggested 18 hues is animated to provide in-depth information on the color and its application in the corresponding rooms that illustrate them. Additionally, to find out more about the other decorating resources featured in the room photos, just click on the image. The Web site also is the exclusive source for purchasing the new “Portico” Wall Tattoo, $44.99; and, it’s where you’ll find a locator for the Benjamin Moore retailer nearest you plus a full range of Benjamin Moore color selection tools, including Colors for Your Home.