Eco dream kitchen

What makes it green?

Recycled wood. The new floors in the kitchen and dining room are made of 10-inch-wide by 19-foot-long planks cut from beams that were recycled from the Lockheed Martin factory in Los Angeles ( Black's Farmwood; 415/454-8312).

Cotton-fiber insulation. Batts of recycled denim ― instead of fiberglass ― serve as insulation (UltraTouch from Bonded Logic; 480/812-9114).

Improved interior air quality. Paint with low VOC (volatile organic compound) content was used on walls and cabinetry (Eco Spec from Benjamin Moore & Co.; 800/672-4686). The cabinet shells are made of wheatboard, which does not emit formaldehyde or other toxic fumes. A water-based finish covers the flooring.

The kitchen ceiling was opened up to reveal the joists. To create a broader overhead volume without reframing the roof, every other joist was removed. Heat enters the kitchen through holes drilled into the island's end panels rather than through floor registers.