walk the talk

Discarded juice cans, label misprints, and wood scraps tickle Bonnie Trust Dahan’s imagination. Her stylishly appointed California home is filled with furnishings and accessories made from such castoffs.

Even items that aren’t fabricated from reclaimed materials have other eco-qualities: Bamboo fiber sheets on the bed, organic cotton towels in the bath, and a cuddly undyed lamb’s wool throw -- hand-knit by women in Uruguay -- on the sofa.

Combining her two great passions -- nature and home design -- Bonnie cofounded Viva Terra, an online and mail-order catalog business selling sustainable and environmentally kind products. “It is possible to live an eco life without sacrificing your sense of style and taste level,” she says.

Bonnie proves that in the Mill Valley home she shares with her husband, author Stephen Yafa. In their living room, a bench-style coffee table is upholstered with organic cotton colored with eco-friendly dyes and hand-embroidered in a traditional central Asian suzani-inspired pattern (vivaterra.com).

Text by Amy Elbert
Photographs by Michal Venera
Produced by Heather Lobdell