Excerpts from an article written by Paul Galicki for the Bay Area Green Magazine
Sue and Kodo Photographed By The Author

With blueprints and plans laid out on the counter, she spoke excitedly about the design and construction of her future Portola Valley home. This new home, the home of Sue R. Olson’s dreams, will be a monument to efficient, environmentally responsible building and planning. From the concrete floors made with recycled fly ash to the "cool roof "with an aluminized reflective coating, the home will be green from the ground up.

"Designing, from the ground up, an environmental friendly residence for myself was a passion and a dream come true."

Growing up around the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, Illinois, cultivated Olson’s appreciation for innovative design pleasing to the eye and the environment. This love for design and appreciation of nature led her to earn a degree in fine arts. Shortly thereafter, she began working with distinguished companies like Marshall Field & Co. and John A. Colby in Chicago. She’s owned her own interior design business for 35 years and has been promoting the use of natural products since the very beginning.>>