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The eco-design queen
Ami McKay’s interior, furniture and
housewares designs have the kind of
stylish urban esthetic you would expect
to find in a contemporary condo-loft, but
there’s much more to them than meets
the eye. Ami is committed to using
non-toxic and certified-organic materials,
such as natural rubber and dyes, organic
cotton and hemp. And most of us would
buy her products based on looks alone
(they’re gorgeous!). She plays with a
range of bold and neutral colour palettes,
adding in signature nature-inspired
decorative details. Her totally eco
bedding line (100-percent recycled-paper
packaging with 100-percent vegetable
dyes and a carbon-offset program) is an
industry first for Canada—and she has
hit the jackpot in a deal with U.S. retail
giant Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Ami's ethos: “I want my line to be
beautiful, and for people to be healthy
as well as happy when they’re around it.
Every material has been considered, so
the things you don’t see matter
just as much as the things you
do,” says the designer, based in
Surrey, B.C. Ami has spent the
past 11 years as a decorator, sourcing
low-VOC paints and less toxic
stains. While better products are
now easier to find, non-toxic
furniture and bedding like Ami’s
are still in short supply.
Her inspiration: An advocate of
yoga and meditation from an early age,
Ami aspires to create “art that heals.”
She started her custom-furniture line
when she discovered that fire retardants
(used in most furniture) could have
carcinogens that may stunt childhood
development and have been found in the
breast milk of the majority of women in
Canada. As the mother of two children,
she decided to tackle the problem
head-on, making furniture free of
formaldehyde, the dreaded fire retardants
and other potentially harmful
chemicals. So far, her biggest hurdle has
been not sourcing materials, but the cost:
“It takes one year for a tree to produce
enough latex to make a queen-sized
mattress. You can’t rush nature,” she
explains. “It’s expensive, but worth it.”
What's next: “Everybody deserves
a healthy sofa,” she says. For now, she is
starting with her Pure Design line of
bedding, launching this summer. In the
meantime, it’s worth saving up for her
big custom pieces.