Sept. 03, 2009 -- A Lake Columbia couple discovered tropical tranquility through a home-improvement project that not only transformed their lakefront cottage from regular to regal, but won them first-place honors in a home-decorating contest.
After Rob and Stacey DeAngelis decorated an entire room of their cottage with Cali Bamboo products, the company featured them as winners and sent them a $250 gift certificate for being named project of the month for July.
The San Diego-based company's CEO, Jeff Goldberg, said customers submit pictures of their completed project that use the products, and employees vote on their favorite each month.
"Rob and Stacey DeAngelis won hands down in large part because of the many creative ways they used our offerings," Goldberg said in an e-mail. "From flooring and blinds to wainscoting and walls - they did it, and all without requiring a single tree to be cut down."
Goldberg cited the project as one of the best examples of "going green."
But that wasn't what convinced the couple to try decorating with bamboo.
"It was a design thing," Stacey said. "We wanted to do a fun room."
Marcia Butterfield | For the Jackson Citizen PatriotBamboo matting covers the walls, and there is bamboo on the ceiling and floors, window treatments and trim.
Eventually, their entire home will be redecorated. After doing one room, the momentum spreads, said Rob, a contractor by trade. Bamboo flooring and other renovations to a room adjacent to the "bamboo room" have made the transition of the two rooms seamless.
"We did all the work ourselves and saved tons of money that way," Stacey said.
The bamboo room has drawn the attention of neighbors, who enjoy stopping by the couple's weekend retreat to share in the tropical tranquility, she added.
"People around here are so much more relaxed, and this room is a great way to entertain our neighbors," Stacey said.
A modern option, bamboo is considered one of the most sustainable materials on earth, she added. It can grow up to 2 feet a day.
According to Ariel Delovic, co-author of "365 Ways to Save the Earth," bamboo takes only three to seven years to mature versus 120 years for oak.
Besides the environmental and cost advantages, the couple appreciated the aesthetic value and structural benefits.
"Bamboo flooring can be twice as hard as oak floors and expand at half the rate of most hardwoods," Rob said.
From a contractor's point of view, he said, the unique physical characteristics make bamboo more suitable for a range of applications and installation environments.
Everything from bamboo poles to edging and blinds, along with a bamboo tiki bar, articulate the room's look from ceiling to floor.
"It all really started when I planned to throw a surprise birthday party for Rob," Stacey said. "He found out about it and said he'd rather I spend the money on redecorating our cottage home."
So the couple, married for two years, decided to make their weekend retreat into a tropical paradise they would never want to leave. Duty calls, however: During the week they live in Ann Arbor. Stacey, a certified public accountant, commutes to Troy, and Rob runs his business, DeAngelis Heating and Cooling.
"We can't wait until Fridays," Rob said.
"We like natural things," Stacey said. "And, bamboo fits us naturally."
|
