Decorate Your Home, Vegan-Style

Though busy vegan professionals may not truly "see" and live in their homes (a.k.a. apartments) beyond stumbling through the front door late at night only to depart less than ten hours later, every so often these professionals are called upon to entertain at their homes -- and then, furniture and decor matter. It is often the cute accents that serve as conversation starters or that add that extra special something to a home's atmosphere which causes visitors to declare, "you have a lovely home" -- which every vegan professional intent on excelling wants to hear. And even if you don't entertain as part of your career, it is nice to have a few interesting home accessories for those times you are actually at home.

Here are a couple ideas via Branch, "sustainable design for living." Branch's website claims that all of the products it sells are "sustainable" such that they meet three criteria: (1) the materials used are "environmentally responsible" (an example is recycled tires); (2) the manufacturing process must be ecologically sound; and (3) the labor employed must be treated fairly and provided safe, healthy conditions in which to work.

Egg Plants (red pepper plant pictured left): unglazed white ceramic pot in the shape of an egg placed on a terra cotta dish holds a tiny plant. The plants come in red pepper (here) and strawberry (here) varieties. The eggs are pre-soiled and the seeds are already embedded in the soil. All you need to do is crack the top of the "egg," place it on terra cotta dish, water the thing every so often, put it in a sunny spot, and watch the plant grow. The plants are perfect for the windowsill in your kitchen or even for your office. $12 each.

Matching 16" serving trays, low bowls, large bowls, medium bowls, and mini bowls in a variety of colors (serving trays pictured right and mini bowls pictured left): all made from 100% organically-grown bamboo, a non-toxic water-based adhesive, and lacquered with something derived from cashew nuts. These matching serving trays and bowls are great for putting out the snacks that are necessary to any good party. Mix and match the colors and sizes to create a coordinated, yet contemporary look. The mini bowls are $13 (available here); the medium bowls are $17 each (available here); large bowls are $48 (available here); the low bowls are $34 each (available here); and the serving trays are $23 each (available here). Throw in some curvy servers to match; $12 each, available here.

I found Branch through Daily Candy deals -- 25% off all items from Branch (excluding furniture and reduced items) -- enter code DCBRANCH at checkout. I'm not sure how long the code is good.