Green by Design: Local experts offer tips for an eco-friendly approach to construction for health and happiness. | Home & Design

Environmentally friendly home building materials have been trending for quite some time, from reclaimed wood to fast-growing bamboo, which quickly replenishes supplies, to natural stone and fabrics, solar panels, energy-sipping LED lighting and low-VOC paints that emit fewer chemicals.

However, Laguna Beach interior designer Deana Duffek explains that “green” construction goes beyond being sustainable for the Earth to actually making a home healthier for those who live there.

“Many people don’t realize how many chemicals they put in their homes that are constantly off-gassing,” she says, pointing to volatile organic compounds in materials like insulation, flooring, paint, furniture and carpet. “Clean products are good for personal health—sustainability is a natural byproduct of that.”

In Pursuit of a Healthy Home

Duffek, owner and principal designer of Duffek Design & Development and Pure Design House showroom, knows firsthand about the health effects that a home can have on a person. When Duffek developed debilitating symptoms from mold toxicity nearly five years ago, the interior designer’s focus—both personally and professionally—shifted. Two strains of black mold found in the HVAC system of her Victoria Beach rental property had proliferated and permeated the air, causing crippling fatigue, headaches and rashes, among myriad other health issues. After a diagnosis confirmed the source of her illness, Duffek promptly relocated. To get well, she knew she needed to eliminate many other environmental toxins and chemicals known to trigger immune responses. 

Having worked in the building industry for more than 25 years, Duffek understood the challenge of sourcing clean construction materials, even in California, which now has stricter regulations than most states. “I decided the only way to have a clean home was to build one myself,” she asserts. Throughout that process, she asked, “If it’s this hard for me—a design professional—to find nontoxic materials, how about the average person?” And so she resolved to make them more accessible to everyone. 

The solution was Pure Design House, a full-service firm and showroom in Laguna Beach offering a holistic approach to architecture, interiors and products. “We shape our clients’ environments using only the purest materials possible … without sacrificing aesthetics,” she says. “Homes and commercial spaces are more than just a place to reside or work—they’re an honest expression of those who inhabit them and [should] inspire happiness, health and well-being.”

Duffek chooses suppliers and manufacturers that share her “green” ethos, including Cerno, a sustainability-focused lighting company founded by three Laguna natives. “Growing up in town, we spent a lot of time outside. We were inspired by and respected nature, so we feel obligated to use all of our raw materials responsibly,” notes Cerno co-founder Bret Englander. Duffek is using a Cerno pendant light in a current project, plans to use more of the local brand’s pieces and hopes to feature them in the showroom.

Preserving Purity

Duffek is currently remodeling her own home, a 1938 beach bungalow in south Laguna, and has been careful to not sacrifice the character of the original structure. “[Many] folks suggested I tear it down and start fresh, but I wanted to do it this way because I care about the community and the integrity of the neighborhood … and [maintaining] the rich history of Laguna,” she says.

Still, her team started from the ground up. Enlisting Zack Pelzel, founder and president of The Purified Home, also based in Laguna, to evaluate her home’s air and water quality, they installed purifiers and a proper water-filtration system. (If you live in a rental, Duffek suggests purchasing a small system from a local hardware store.) Steel conduit for protective shielding was installed to reduce electromagnetic radiation, or EMFs—which may increase the risk of cancer (although study results have been mixed, according to the National Cancer Institute) and cause anxiety, depression and headaches, among other symptoms. The team also replaced polyvinyl chloride (PVC), pipes, known to leach chemicals, with copper, and swapped existing materials with cleaner options.

Tearing out old insulation, they replaced it with a combination of wool and upcycled denim. Opting for natural clay plaster instead of drywall—“In my experience with Clayworks, mold will not grow where there is clay,” Duffek points out—they are applying mineral-based and clay paints, free of petroleum-based chemicals found in some traditional brands. 

On the exterior, they’re installing siding and fencing made from repurposed rice hulls (that hard, protective covering on rice grains) from Modern Mill, which doesn’t contain harmful phthalates, phenol, formaldehyde or adhesives common in vinyl. 

The entire house will be solar-powered, and a garden is a must, notes Duffek, who comes from a long line of builders, architects and designers (as well as farmers) in Texas. In raised cedar beds, she’s hoping to grow peppers and herbs, and tomatoes for homemade salsa. “There’s nothing better than being able to pull healthy food out of your own garden,” she says.

Like many of Duffek’s client projects, hers will also incorporate a sauna and cold plunge, both thought to restore balance to the nervous system, improve cognitive function, boost mood and more.

For the interiors, she’ll follow the same trauma-informed design principles as her nonprofit, Design With Purpose, which initially repurposed materials discarded from client projects to create healing spaces for sick kids who were returning home from the hospital. Since then, it has evolved to designing wellness spaces in more than 60 schools and aftercare programs throughout Orange County, including the Boys and Girls Club right here in Laguna Beach.

Employing biophilic design, she uses natural hues—reminiscent of the ocean and sand and foliage—and incorporates abundant greenery. Furnishings are all made from natural materials like wool and cotton. She added skylights and multislide doors to invite in ample sunlight, and mimicked Eagle Rock’s natural stone in certain elements of the design.

Natural Upgrades

Julie Laughton, a general contractor and designer whose eponymous studio has done both custom builds and historical and vintage remodels in Laguna, shares Duffek’s philosophy about clean design that reflects her clients’ lifestyles.

“It’s about aligning with their energy and values,” explains Laughton, who also sources nontoxic materials and even goes a step further to smudge a space using sage before drywalling. “I also use certain crystals to cleanse a house,” she says, noting how clear quartz placed near a doorway diffuses negative energy, while amethyst promotes healing and even blocks EMFs.

Whether she’s restoring a funky midcentury modern abode in Bluebird Canyon or refreshing a century-old French provincial in Temple Hills, Laughton prioritizes wellness with natural materials—from insulation to interior decorating.

In the Bluebird Canyon house, Laughton first remodeled the kitchen and upstairs for an HGTV show. A few years later, the homeowner—who had inherited the house from his late father—wanted to reimagine a 1960s aesthetic in his dad’s honor.

“We gutted it and remodeled with nontoxic materials as much as possible,” Laughton says. 

Her team tore out old orange shag carpet and chocolate-colored wood paneling and flooring, installing white oak. Shiny Formica countertops were replaced with natural quartzite.

In the bathrooms, “Neutral limestone that looks like drifting sand has a very ’60s beach vibe” that reflects the scenic coastal view, she says.

“The client grew up surfing and spending a lot of time at the beach, so she really wanted to [carry this] into the home,” Laughton says. “It’s all about the tranquility you create through use of materials you see, feel, touch [and] see. … All your senses have to be addressed. 

“This is personal for each client,” she adds. “Your sanctuary should reflect you.”