Behind the mkLotus house
Built in five weeks at an all-green factory in Oroville, California, then trucked to a lawn across from San Francisco City Hall — where in just two days it was assembled, furnished, and outfitted with a mostly native landscape — the mkLotus house was the main attraction at the 2007 West Coast Green Conference + Expo.
Created with the goal of showing how eco-friendly a home can be, this one-bedroom, 725-square-foot prefab house uses sustainable materials throughout.
Elements of green
Key details in every room express the environmentally friendly theme, from permanent features like cabinetry and wall tile to finishing touches like bedding and tabletop decor.
To read more about the mkLotus house, check out our Home by Sunset blog.
Design: Michelle Kaufmann Designs, Oakland (510/271-8015).
Construction: XtremeHomes, Oroville, CA (530/230-4933).
Landscape design: Late Afternoon Garden Design, Ukiah, CA (707/462-5133).
Resources: Kitchen and living room Maui sofa bed made of kraft paper twisted around steel wire (price upon request) from Janus et Cie (310/652-7090). Chocolate-colored throw pillow made from seat belts by Ting ($114) from Branch (415/341-1824). Enzo counter stools ($219 each) from Room & Board (800/301-9720). Dining table and counter made of concrete and rice hulls designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs (510/271-8015) and manufactured by Concreteworks (510/534-7141). Alentejo 11-inch cork bowl by Daniel Michalik ($118) and hand-blown vase ($350), pitcher ($190), and drinking glasses ($60 each) of recycled glass by Esque from Branch (415/341-1824). Energy Star–rated appliances from Whirlpool. Furrow Parkade pendant lamp (about $400) from Propellor Design (604/682-6665). No-VOC Leaf.06 paint by Yolo Colorhouse (877/493-8275). Havana floor lamp ($398) by Palecek (800/274-7730).
Closet Varia Ecoresin recycled plastic resin doors in Bear Grass Lite by 3form (800/726-0126). Closet shelving by Closet Innovations (800/971-7900). Granite pillow of reclaimed Ultrasuede filled with down and feathers by Galya Rosenfeld ($188) and Millennium towels of sustainably harvested beechwood cellulose by Bonjour ($132 for a four-piece set) from Branch (415/341-1824). Dining table Woven bamboo and silk placemats with printed bamboo design ($11 each) from Dandelion (888/548-1968). Bambu Veneerware bamboo 7- and 9-inch plates ($6–$9 for set of eight) and utensils ($9 for eight place settings) from Branch (415/341-1824).
Bathroom Fixtures by Kohler (800/456-4537). Recycled-glass Blazestone subway tile in Fern (from $38 per square foot) from Bedrock Industries (877/283-7625). Bedroom Paintings created with no-VOC resin and low-VOC pigments by Lisa Bartleson. Anders bed made of sustainably harvested cherry with oil and wax finish ($999) from Room & Board (800/301-9720). Wave bedspread in light gray with gray stitching ($580) from Wallter (510/232-5018). La Luna armchair made of handwoven rattan vines over a sustainably harvested mahogany wood frame by Kenneth Cobonpue (for distributors). Hoodoo pillow of reclaimed Ultrasuede filled with down and feathers by Galya Rosenfeld ($128 for 10-inch pillow) and round floor mat made of vintage leather belts by Ting ($688) from Branch (415/341-1824). Ironwood stump table ($1,627) by McGuire Furniture Company (800/662-4847). No-VOC Air.06 paint by Yolo Colorhouse (877/493-8275).More: Contributors to the mkLotus green prefab at West Coast Green
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