Green Interview: Jennae Petersen

Jennae Petersen is the founder and chief blogger of one of my favorite “green” decorating sites, Green Your Décor. The site, which Jennae admits was born out of her “frustration” with trying to find sustainable and eco-friendly home decorating products, is the go-to site for all things green in your home. Jennae does an amazing job scouring the ‘net, for home décor that is not only fabulous, but great for the environment. Recently, Jennae took a moment to answer some questions about her site, inspirations, and the future of Green Your Décor.

Greengirl: Can you tell us how you were first inspired to go green and how it lead to Green Your Décor?
Jennae: A little more than a year ago, I started becoming more and more interested in green living. I found myself being more conscious of the environment and about the things I was bringing into my home. I’m not sure exactly what caused it. I think it was partially because the media was talking about green living so much that I really just started to pay attention.

I love decorating, and for a few months before I started the blog, I had been obsessively designing rooms in a 3D home planning program I had bought. I had also started looking into eco-friendly furnishings while I was doing this space planning, and I found there weren’t easy to come by. The idea for Green Your Décor, believe it or not, came to me in a dream. When I woke up the next morning, I started putting my dream into action. I fell in love with the concept of combining two of the things I was most interested in, and the idea took off from there.

Greengirl: I visit tons of green sites, but I haven’t seen one that is more comprehensive and relatable as yours—how do you find all of the cool green products that you feature?
Jennae: When I first started, I literally spent hours every day searching every website and search engine I could think of for products that would fit my niche. Sometimes, they were few and far between, mostly because I had no idea where to look. After a few weeks however, I started learning more about what “green“ really meant and it became easier to find what I was looking for. Before long, I had built up a huge folder of bookmarks for products and ideas I wanted to feature. Now that Green Your Décor has built a bit of a following, sometimes the story ideas come to me. When they don’t, I go back to my folder of bookmarks.

What’s great is that as the green movement gains traction, there will be more and more great green products and companies to feature. My site is a labor of love for me, and I think it is important to highlight companies who are trying to make a difference. As long as there are green innovations to report, Green Your Décor will keep covering them.

Greengirl: How did you first get interested in decorating?
Jennae: I am a graphic artist by trade, and I have always loved anything related to design. But decorating didn’t become a real passion of mine until I got hooked on HGTV. I always had fun decorating the rooms in our home, but it wasn’t what I would call a passion until a few years ago. I started trying to teach myself how to sketch rooms in 3d and learning about design styles, how to use color, etc. Once I had the bug, there was no getting rid of it.

Greengirl: I absolutely love your Green Rooms in a Box series. What elements do you look for when designing a room?

Jennae: I always try to start a room with one piece. It might be a substantial piece of furniture like a bed or a table, or it might be bedding that I really love, or a gorgeous rug. That one piece often inspires the style, color palette or overall mood of the room. Once I have a good idea of where I want to the take the design, the rest of it tends to fall into place. But I must admit, I have been known to spend hours debating between two mirrors or pillows. But that’s why virtual design is so great. With the Green Rooms in a Box series, my readers get to see how combinations of furniture, fabrics, etc. will look together before they ever start to actually decorate.

Greengirl: What do you see on the horizon for Green Your Décor?
Jennae: Right now, I am focused on growing the site. I love decorating, so I wake up every morning really looking forward to my work. But more important than that, the mission of Green Your Décor is to prove to the world that green living is not only essential to our future and to the future of our children, it can be accomplished without compromise. Green design can be stylish, luxurious and affordable if you just know what to look for. My job is to teach my readers how to have their homes be beautiful places with tiny footprints. Simply put, I want to become a go-to resource for anyone who is interested in green design. I am also looking to grow the consulting side of Green Your Décor.

And in the near future, I plan to start a second blog that focuses on a wider range of issues about green living. I won’t give away too many details, but in my research for Green Your Décor and networking with others who love the environment, I have learned so much. There are many issues, ideas and products that I want to share with the world, and the second blog will allow me to do that.

Green living is not a fad. It’s a way of life. Once you learn why it is important, it is impossible to ignore it. I want to be a part of exposing the world to the idea that “going green” is more than a cliché or a marketing tactic. It is what we have to do to make sure that the world our children live in is safe to inhabit.

To learn more about Jennae and eco-friendly design tips, check her out over on Green Your Décor.