Eco-Friendly Environment

Matthew and Emma McGregor-Mento have always been passionate about maintaining an eco-friendly lifestyle, so when they purchased their 6th floor walk up in Manhattan's East Village, they devised plans to create a space that was clean, green, and clutter-free.

Energy-Friendly Kitchen

For their kitchen, Matthew and Emma invested in the smallest, highest-quality ENERGY STAR rated fridge they could find, and their countertops are constructed from locally-sourced bluestone.

Japanese-Inspired Dining

Matthew and Emma chose a Japanese-inspired design for their dining and storage space. The brick walls feature shelving made from recycled beams and the wooden walls hide additional closet space. One of the couple's favorite features is their dining table, which unwinds and raises from the panelled floor. The entire dining area is raised 11 inches, allowing for even more storage space beneath the removable floor panels.

Minimalist Taste

Matthew and Emma have a minimalist design style, a chose to showcase only a few treasured books and knickknacks collected from their travels.

Multi-Purpose Spaces

Emma and Matthew's apartment is only 650 sqft, so their main room functions as a multi-purpose space. Their bedroom, complete with a murphy bed, is also their TV room and workspace.

Room for Lounging

Instead of using a television, they use a film projector, and for seating, they added foam cushioning to their wrap-around couch, covered in 100% wool fabric.

Green Constructions

Matthew and Emma kept the apartment's original oak and green slate flooring, and all the paneling is FSC-certified formaldehyde-free wood panel. The couple's apartment also features sliding doors created from recycled plastic bottles, which has real hydrangeas embedded in the plastic.

Living Wall

An article on greenwalls inspired Matthew to construct his own living wall, a DIY project that not only looks beautiful, but acts as a natural air purifier. The 80sqft wall showcases over 400 plants. The frame is a lattice work of 1" aluminum tubes, beneath sheets of expanded, waterproof PVC, and covered by two layers of the moisture retention matting. The plants - a mix of philodendrons, ivies and ferns - are watered eight times a day by a timed submersible pump, which sends runoff water caught in a PVC-constructed basin back to the top of the wall. The success of the project led to Matthew's blog, DIY Greenwalls (http://diygreenwalls.blogspot.com), which captures the step-by-step process he used to construct the wall.

Eco-Friendly Bathrooms

To make their bathroom eco-friendly, Matthew and Emma invested in the smallest toilet they could find, the Laufen PRO Compact, which is built with a dual flushing feature to save water. While these types of latrines aren't as popular in America, they're popular in the UK and Australia.

House Proud Tour

VIDEO: Click HERE to take a tour of Matthew and Emma's green living space!