for my very first post i’m thrilled to sing the praises of a local gal Vancouverite, Ami McKay, who i had the pleasure of meeting back when i first settled in Vancouver. i can’t exactly remember how we connected, but we had some great chats about life in general and the design world. Ami is such a charming and bubbly personality, i could tell she was a real life force that would succeed in whatever she set her mind to.

i truly admire her - she was a new mom at the time and since then her highly successful green interior design business has taken off, she’s become a celebrity designer on HGTV’s locally filmed Makeover Wish , and her latest and greatest endeavor to date is the internationally acclaimed trend-setting eco furniture line PURE, crafted using only sustainable, organic, non-toxic and biodegradeable materials.

it was such a pleasant surprise when i stumbled across this line at one of my favourite shops, M - smart design in West Vancouver a few weeks back. an acquaintance who works there had mentioned i should drop by…and she was sooo right! this shop is absoutely gorgeous.

Carmen - the owner - reminds me very much of Ami, so lovely and vivacious. we talked for a long time about her business philosophy on sustainable and healthy design and trends. she had this gorgeous mauve feature wall that she had just recently painted for a magazine shoot, and admitted she had just thrown it together the night before! it looked fabulous. and of course she had some absolutely stunning pieces from Ami’s furniture line on display, so tempting!

i’m saving up for a couple of these pieces…who can feel guilty about splurging on beautiful design that supports a healthy and sustainable lifestyle?!