by Melanie McGee Bianchi . photo by Brent Fleury
Long before eco-friendliness was hot, Victoria Schomer warmed to the idea of kinder, gentler interiors. More than 20 years ago, she began reading about the decimation of the world’s rainforests—and immediately encouraged her clients to stop using mahogany and other tropical hardwoods.
“It was very much an ‘aha!’ moment for me,” says Schomer, an interior designer since 1972. The Asheville resident owns a home planning and design firm, Green Built Environments. “I started looking at all the potentially hazardous materials I was recommending for use inside homes and businesses, and that expanded to structure—materials like Sheetrock and insulation. I started taking every class I could on building science.”
This maverick designer is even looking ahead to the widespread return of carpet. Naturally, she’s on top of progressive, chemical-free types of fuzzy flooring that are easy on both the eyes and the earth.
“We all love something soft under our feet,” says Schomer. “I have no problem with carpet coming back. It’s about materials coming back in a smarter way.”
